DND Asian Adventures

Readoption

2009-08-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Long time no post. There has been a lot going on around here. In July, Alex had a tendon releasing surgery and was in a cast for 6 weeks. She is walking much better now and is happy to out of the cast.
For those of you not up to date on adoption lingo. Alex was officially adopted in China last year and became a US citizen the moment she entered the country, however, in order to obtain a English birth certificate, we had to readopt her in Alabama. The readoption finally took place on the 26th of this month.

Alex had the judge wrapped around her little finger. She even got to wear his robe.

And she got to sit on the judge's bench. That is the judge you see smiling in the back ground.

Here he is again holding Alex. He even let her have a tea party in the court room while we waited for the paper work to be processed.

More pictures

2009-04-15T08:02:00.001-07:00

Can we hunt Easter eggs now?

Look! There's one.

Beach Bum

Can you get that bucket for me?

What's in your egg, Cameron?

Alex, Maddie and Lilly.

Alex and her cousin Maddie.

Alex and her friend at school.

One year ago

2009-04-15T07:42:00.001-07:00

One year ago today was this first time I saw Alex's face. The smile, the bright eyes, the obvious silly, funny, smart personality. This day started a flurry of activity that would lead to the biggest change of my life. I tell her daily she is the best thing in my life. Most people remember April 15th as tax day. I will always remember it as the day my life as a MOM started.

This is the face that greets me everyday. Happy, healthy, secure, and loved. I thank God for the phone call that started it all and allows me to be the one to be with this amazing person everyday. Happy April 15 th.

It was going to happen sooner or later...

2009-03-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

When one of your parents is a vet, it is inevitable that an adorable puppy will come in to your life. Earlier this week, this little guy came into the clinic from our local shelter to be neutered. I thought he was adorable. On Wednesday Alex saw him at the clinic and announced that she liked that one. Since Alex is still unsure of dogs most of the time, I let her play with him for a little while. "Fargo" was great with her and just her size. Today, I finally decided to add him to the family.Here is Alex holding her new puppy. Yes she carries him around, and yes he puts up with it. I'm not sure how this little guy became so tolerant.

Here he is doing what he puppies do best, make trouble.

Here he is being tortured, I mean tolerant again.

Isn't this the one of the most adorable faces you have ever seen.

Alex's BIG day.

2009-03-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before, Alex started pre-school last month. She goes 3 days a week for 4 and 1/2 hours and she loves it. Her class has about 10 children in it, 5 girls and 5 boys. Mornings are always tough around here, because Alex is NOT a morning person. This morning in an effort to get her motivated I agreed to let her wear one of her fancy dresses to school. This particular frock was very pink and girly. Alex even asked me to put her hair up, which never happens. Every day when I pick her up after work I ask how school went, etc. Tonight on the way home Alex announce that Nathan, an Chinese-American boy in her class, said she looked like a princess today. He then went on to say that maybe one day they could get married. I told Alex she needed to tell Nathan to talk to her Baba (Dan) about that first. Alex then very wisely told me one day she would get married when she found the right man. I can't believe she has already gotten her first marriage proposal.

Today was a big day on another front. I think Alex is finally figuring out that this is her forever family. Often in the past 3 months Alex has talked about going back to China. She talks about her friends and her other "mamas" there. But today, we were walking up the stairs from the basement and she notice a mark on the wood. She asked me who had drawn on the wood. I told her probably the people had built the house before Mama and Baba lived there. She corrected me by say "Mama, Baba and Alex". I said yes. Then she said "We live here. We are a family. I don't have to go back to China" and I said " No, baby. You don't have to go back to China. You can live here forever"
Or at least until she gets married...ha ha

Alex's snowy day.

2009-03-01T19:20:00.001-08:00

Well, it finally snowed today, and it was a big one ( for Alabama) between 3 and 4 inches. Alex loved it. We played in the snow for 3 hours this morning. She did everything a little girl is suppose to do with her first snow fall.

She played with the dogs...sort of.

She made a snow man....sort of

She had numerous snowball fights.

She caught snowflakes on her tongue.

And she got cold.

It was the most snow Birmingham has seen in 10 years. I got lots of pictures and even some video. I hope Alex will remember this day in the years to come, it may be a while before it happens again.

The long over due birthday post

2009-02-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well, better late than never. Our little princess turned 4 on February 6th, but we had her birthday party on January 31st since Dan left for Korea on the 2nd. As you can see, the birthday party was heavy on the Di$ney Princesses. Alex had a ball and the weather was even nice enough for all the kids to go outside and play afterwards.

Four princesses and a prince enjoying hamburgers and chips before the cupcakes.

Alex opening the mountain of gifts. Our friends and family spoil her.

Alex blowing out her birthday candles. She picked out the cupcakes with the pink icing.

In other news, Alex started Pre-school the first week of February. It is going very well and she seems to like it. The school had a Valentines Day party on Thursday so I finally got to meet her friends and teacher. I, of course, forgot my camera. She actually likes it so much I'm planning on adding a 3rd day a week in March. We also managed to move Alex into her own room upstairs and she sleeps in her own bed all night about 75% of the time.

The Year of the Ox

2009-01-26T20:24:00.001-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!
I know, I've been a neglectful blogger. The good news is, I HAVEN'T been a neglectful mother, wife or business owner which is why I haven't been updating the blog.
We have big weekend coming up. We are having Alex's birthday party on the 31st and I'm sure there will be lots of pictures. We have been home for over 6 months now and things continue to get better. Alex sleeps through the night 95% of the time. She is still a bit of a Velcro child, but she will actually leave me to go play with other children now, which is a big step. We are planning on moving Alex out of our bedroom and into her room this week. Pray that it goes well. Alex seems really excited about it, but many times she changes her mind when the actual time comes.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a great week, and check back this weekend for a party recap.

Look what we did.

2009-01-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

Several months ago Alex started to notice ear rings. I told her that when ever she was ready we would get her ears pierced. This week she announced she was ready. I waited several days to make sure she wouldn't change her mind, but she continued to tell me she wanted her ears pierced. Yesterday, we went to the mall to have it done. The first place we stopped, only had one person to pierce ears and we really wanted to have both ears done at the same time. So we walked to the other end of the mall to another store. I've never seen Alex walk so fast and with so much determination. When we got there, Alex picked out a pair of "diamond" studs for her first ear rings. She got very nervous but when I asked her if she was sure, she kept saying yes. She cried a little bit right before the actual piercing, but as soon as she saw herself in the mirror with the diamond ear rings she stopped crying. While we were at the mall, Alex got to ride the carousel and the hot dog truck. Overall, it was a good day.

Alex bundled up to go outside and see the fire works on New Years Eve.

Riding in the hot dog truck.

Riding the Christmas carousel at the mall.

Right after the ear piercing.

On the 12 th day of Christmas..

2008-12-28T21:06:00.000-08:00

So I think Christmas is finally over here. It has been a full week of non-stop presents for Alex. Last Sunday we went to a party where we played Dirty Santa. I brought along a present that a friend had sent for Alex so she would have something to open. Then on Monday we came home to a box of presents from Dan's sister and her family. Thanks so much guys, Alex loved everything including the picture of her cousins.

On Tuesday we packed up and drove to Mississippi to be with my family on Christmas. Our family usually has our get together on Christmas Eve. Alex was inundated with presents from everyone in the family. The big hit of the night was the Dora doll that you can take in the bath tub.

Last night, we went to the Zoo Light Safari. Alex got to ride the carousel, and the train. She even touched a snake.

We didn't actually get the snake touching on film, mainly because we would have needed one of those photo finish cameras to see it, but we did get the reaction after touching it.

Alex begged to go on the train, unfortunately, it took almost 30 minutes of waiting in line to get on the train. The ride was exactly 6 minutes and 20 secs. Alex wanted to get off the train almost as soon as it started and announced when we got off that she didn't like the ride.

Dan's mom came into town last night, so there was yet another round of presents from everyone. Alex of course, loves everything and woke up bright an early to play with the toys today.

She also found the bag of hair bows that were given to her. She never wears them, but today she had me put 3 in her hair. They lasted about 5 minutes.

Finally, her is Alex playing with the much asked for gift from Santa. Her Choo Choo train. I'm not sure what she likes best, playing with the train or setting up the tracks.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I for one, and ready for 2009.

Some random Alex quotes

2008-12-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Almost daily I come in to work and have a cute story to tell about Alex. Usually it is something she says because she is 100 lbs of attitude in a 23 lb body. I thought some of you might enjoy a laugh as well so here goes:

Several weeks ago Dan thought it might be nice to surprise me by taking Alex to see Santa while I was at work and have pictures taken. That night when I came home, Alex was really excited. I knew they had gone to the mall that day, but I wasn't sure why. She jumped out of Dan's lap and immediately ran up to me shouting " I not suppose to tell you we took pictures!" I laughed so hard I cried. One because Dan really thought a 3 year old could keep a secret and two because when Dan asked her did she tell Mama their secret she kept saying "No, I not suppose to tell her we took pictures"

The night before Dan left for Korea, we decided to go out to dinner. Steak is a rare and expensive thing over there, so Dan wanted a good steak. When I came home from work, Alex was excited to see me as usual. I picked her up and started asking her about her day. Dan then asked her if she was ready to go. She looked her Baba and in the same tone of voice I use to talk to her she said "I need to get my purse and my wawa (baby doll)".

Yesterday, Alex was apparently feeling rather contrary. At some point during the day, just minutes prior to her nap, she decided to fire our friend, Leslie, who watches her everyday.
She started by telling her "You're driving me crazy" She then proceeded to tell her "You can't be in my house anymore" and "I'm going to drive you home". At which point Leslie laugh and told her they would just discuss this with Mama. Alex immediately laid down and took a nap.

I think Dan and I may be in trouble as Alex gets older if she has this much attitude at 3 years old.

Long over due update

2008-12-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a while since I've blogged, but in all fairness, it has been very busy around here. I can hardly believe it has been 5 months since our forever family day. Most days it seems like Alex has always been with us. She is doing great and really has latched on to the idea of Christmas. She even got pictures taken with Santa, although I need to scan those in order to post them here. Here are just a few pictures I've taken over the past 2 weeks.

We put up the Christmas tree, the Monday after Thanksgiving. Alex really enjoyed helping hang the ornaments. I even showed her all the special ones we have acquired during the wait for her.

Since Dan will not be home for Christmas, we gave Alex our present to her early. Don't worry, Santa is still scheduled to visit Alex at Grandma's house on Christmas. As you can see, it is a cute little kitchen. Ever since then, she has been cooking her little heart out. I don't know how many pretend meals of bacon and eggs, grits and pasta we have eaten.

Today, we baked sugar cookies and the decorated them. Other than a premature opening of the sprinkles, which resulted in a sprinkle shower, Alex was a big help. After we finished the cookies, we took some to neighbors next door.

Finally, this is one of about 25 different pictures I tried to take today for our Christmas card. As you can see, I still haven't got a decent shot. Alex doesn't sit still for long, so half the pictures were blurs or the "odd" face after the actual smile.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hopefully I'll have some decent pictures to post of Alex's first Christmas.

Alex's first Thanksgiving and her sister Alley!!!

2008-11-28T00:34:00.000-08:00

Well, Alex finally got to meet her older sister Alley.

They are like two peas in a pod.....

And Alex got to experience her first Thanksgiving. We kinda related it to the story of Pocahontas so she'd understand it a little bit.....

We're Home!!!!!!!

2008-11-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

We finally left the hospital at 2pm today, after being told we were being discharged at 8:30 am. Alex is doing great. At this point I haven't decided which is harder:

Being in China with a 3 year old that doesn't speak English, eating unfamiliar food and sleeping on those rock hard beds

OR

Being confined to a hospital room with a 3 year old who DOES speak English and can't get up to play, eating horrible cafeteria food, and sleeping on a chair/sofa with nurses coming in every 4 hours to check on your child

OR

Returning home with said 3 year old who now thinks that life should be a 24 hour chocolate milk, Popsicle buffet, with Mom toting her everywhere even though she is suppose to be walking now.

I'll let you know when I decide.

sleeping thru

2008-11-23T04:13:00.000-08:00

Alex has finally started sleeping all the way thru the night after her surgery. Assuming Baba can catch the nurses before they come in and wake her.....

Guess who else got to sleep thru the night???

2008-11-21T14:33:00.001-08:00

Here ia our little angel post op in her room.
The surgery went fine and she is now resting and we will see about keeping her prone face down on her tummy for 3 to 4 days now.......

Update

2008-11-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

No pictures in this post, just a quick surgery update. On Friday, the hospital called and wanted us to come in at 11am on Tuesday for pre-op blood work. Unfortunately, Tuesday was the only day this week I was scheduled to work, so we "thought" the appointment was rescheduled for today. When we got there, no one seemed to know we were coming. After waiting about 40 minutes in the waiting room, we were told it was "going to be a while" and we were sent upstairs to meet with anesthesia. The pre-op physical and history went quickly, and we were told to go back downstairs for blood work. Alex did great for the blood draw and only cried a little. At this point it was 1 pm. For those of you keeping count, that is 2 hours so far with a 3 year old in the hospital. So back to the waiting room we go. Around 2 pm (3 hours now) I go up to the front desk and ask how much longer will it be, I'm told we are next. Woo Hoo! At 2:40 pm we finally get called back only to find out that....ha ha the jokes on us, we were done at 1 pm after the blood draw. We waited for almost 2 more hours with a hungry, tired 3 year old for nothing. When we finally got home and got some food in us, things were starting to look up, until the phone rang. It was the hospital. At first, there were apologies for the misunderstandings, then the bomb dropped. The doctor who is scheduled to do the surgery forgot he had academic duties on Wednesday and wants to do the surgery on Friday instead. So to review, I picked this week for the surgery because I wanted Alex well by Thanksgiving. Alley is coming for a visit next week and I wanted Alex up and around by then as well. Also, I took most of the week off work for recovery time. Needless to say this has been a rough day.

Oak Mountain

2008-11-09T19:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend was cool and beautiful. My sister Kirsten came up for a visit so I decided we should go to Oak Mountain State Park.
Our first stop was the petting farm. For the first time ever, Alex touch an animal other than a cat or dog. This is the third time we have gone to a petting zoo and she always refused to touch any of the animals.

After the farm, we went to the wildlife center. Alex was excited to see the squirrels and birds. She was relieved to know she didn't have to touch anything. As a special treat, one of the volunteers brought out an educational bird for us to meet.
He was a gorgeous young red tailed hawk.

October Updates

2008-11-01T19:47:00.001-07:00

Well, the month of October ended the same way it began, with a major doctor appointment for Alex. This time it was an MRI under sedation. Alex was a trooper even though she had to wake up at 4 am in order to eat before the 5 am cut off time. We really only had 1 major break down around 9 am when she realized she could not have anything to eat or drink. She handled the sedation well, and contrary to what the doctor said, she was not sleepy for 4-6 hours following the sedation. In fact, she was wired, begging for food and talking a mile a minute. Right before bed time that night, when I was so exhausted I could barely stand, Alex was laughing hysterically at nothing. I guess drugs are good :)

As for the MRI, it showed us exactly what we thought, that she is completely normal with the exception of her spinal lipoma. The doctors are confident it can be removed without making her symptoms worse, but they aren't sure if any of her problems will improve with the surgery. Since we have no idea how her symptoms have progressed, we can't be sure if removing the lump will reverse anything or not. Her surgery is scheduled for Nov 19th at Children's Hospital. They expect her to be in the hospital for 3-4 days. The funniest part was that for the first few days after surgery they want Alex to lay still on her side. This kid doesn't lay still, not even when she is sleeping, so this should be an adventure.
Alex did have some fun this past week. To start with, my mom and sister, Rhonda, came up for a visit. Alex loves her Aunt Rhonda, so they had a ball and I got some much needed rest. We rented Cinderella and Alex watched it for the first time that Friday night. Over the next few days, we watched it 845 time...give or take. On Wednesday, Alex got to go trick or treating at the city hall. This was her first time and she loved it. Afterwards, Alex came by my clinic to trick or treat so everyone could see her in her costume. Alex also went trick or treating on Halloween.

First, we drove to her friend Cameron's house and went around his neighborhood. Alex loved it but decided after the first couple of house that walking was for the birds, so I had to carry her, which meant I only got a few pictures. After we stopped at all the houses in the neighborhood, we drove home to trick or treat here. Since it was cold and I was tired, I put Alex in her stroller and wrapped her up in a blanket, which is were she stayed. She refused to get out and so I ended up ringing the door bell and holding up her Elmo bucket while she sat in the stroller and yell "Trick or Treat". Halloween was also a big day for Alex because she got her first manicure. My mom took her to a nail salon and Alex picked out a bright pink polish for her nails. Apparently she sat still while the polish was put on and while she was under the dryer. By the way, I was at work the whole time and knew nothing about it. Now Alex is begging me to paint her toe nails...

Anyway, that is all for the month. November looks to be even busier for us. Dan comes home the second week of the month. Alex surgery will be the third week and Alley is coming home for Thanksgiving week. I'll try to do better with the updates.

Now for the pictures, which is the only reason you come here anyway, right.

Alex at 7am when I am trying to wake her up. She is NOT a morning person.

Tinkerbell and Scarecrow

Goodbye October

3 months... a review

2008-10-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Alex on our Forever Family Day.
Alex after 1 month.

Alex after 2 months.

Today is 3 months since we became a family of 3. Dan left for Korea this morning. I thought for fun, I would post a few pictures from the past 3 months. It is amazing how much Alex has changed in such a short time. I can hardly remember what life was like before her.

Alex carving pumpkins this weekend with her Baba.

We seem to have lost Alex.....

2008-10-11T17:30:00.001-07:00

......but we found this cute little fairy in the front yard hanging out near the flowers.....

Baby's days out.....

2008-10-11T17:20:00.001-07:00

Well, we definitely had a busy weekend....

We wentto the Birmingham Zoo on Friday, and today we went to a place called the Pumpkin Patch where there are hayrides, a petting zoo, and to top it off, the kids get to pick their very own pumpkins for Halloween....As you can see Alex and her friend Cameron were having lots of fun at the pumpkin patch

Random Updates Update

2008-10-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have all been wondering what we have been up to lately.
I returned to work full time on the 15th of this month, which means I'm working about 11 hours a day. When I get home at night, blogging is the last thing I want to do, hence the neglect.
Dan came home from Korea on the 18th, but then had to leave again for a week long class in Houston the next Sunday. We had our first appointment at the Spina Bifida Clinic at Children's Hospital on Sept 24th. It was a LONG day. On Oct 1st, Alex had a test to check her bladder function and look for kidney reflux. Unfortunately, we found out that her bladder doesn't empty until the pressure is dangerously high and this causes kidney reflux, so we are now having to cath her every 4 hours. Alex does great with it and other than having to lay still for a few minutes, it doesn't seem to bother her. We also FINALLY got an appointment for her MRI. It is scheduled for Oct 30th.
Last Sunday, we went to Children's to visit Abby . She has had 2 major surgeries in the past 10 days. What a precious girl!! Go to her blog for pictures and to leave a comment.
We have big plans this weekend. Tomorrow we are going to try to go to the zoo and Saturday are going to the Pumpkin Patch. I have also promised Alex she can try on her Halloween costume since she has been begging to wear it for weeks.
Finally...pictures..the only reason most of you check this blog.

Monday when Alex woke up from her nap she had a major case of bed head. It was so cute, I had to take a picture.

Today when I came home from work Alex was all excited and wanted to show me something. It was a large box with a wrapped present in it. Someone sent us an adorable piggy bank. Alex LOVES it. We have no idea who sent it. So, if you read this blog and you sent the present..let me know. *Update* We found out the piggy bank was sent by Dan's company.
Tonight, when we left for dinner, Alex had to give the pig a kiss on the nose and tell it we would be right back. According to Alex... the piggy cried.

Alright that is enough for tonight. Check back later this weekend for pictures from our outings.

2 months!!!

2008-09-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today is 2 months since Alex was first placed in our arms. The active and happy girl we have now bears little resemblance to the frightened girl we meet then. Alex barely uses Chinese anymore. She repeats almost everything we say and makes us realize the phrase we use over and over. Eating and sleeping remain our major problems. Some days Alex eats anything I give her and other days I can't even get her to eat her favorite things. She will sleep through the night, but getting her to sleep is a problem. Naps are hit or miss although I think she still needs them. Tomorrow, I return to work full time. I'm not sure which is more exhausting, chasing after a 3 year old all day, or working at the clinic. Enjoy the pictures.

Alex trying to jump rope with a piece of string.

Alex swimming with her friend Cameron. He had just poured water on her back.

Alex modeling her new outfit.

Our little Bulldog, ready to cheer on Mississippi State. She already knows to yell "Go State" when the cow bell rings.

Alex dancing and cheering while we watched the game last night.

Happy news

2008-09-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Look who has a new family. Our friends Margie and John are in China adopting their second daughter. Stop by and bask in the cuteness. Be sure to leave a comment. I couldn't be happier for them.

Isn't she adorable!!!!!
Now for an Alex update. Last week was a endless parade of doctors. Her vision is fine. We have to go back in Oct. for a test on her bladder to determine if her inability to potty train is all neurological. We finally have a pediatrician. He is wonderful and Alex really seems to like him. Monday, Alex went back and had 5 vaccinations and a TB test. Needless to say, last night she was not feeling her best. Today, I went back to work for the first time. I was gone from 7:15 to 12:15. I only called once!!!! Alex didn't really want to eat and had 2 meltdowns, but otherwise, it seemed to go okay.

Now for an explanation of the pictures. The first one is Alex dressing herself. She has definite opinions of what she needs to wear. That day, she picked out her dress. Later she decided she was cold and proceeded to put on her Sponge Bob shirt and a pair of yellow shorts.
This picture is of Alex wearing her doggie shirt. It barks when you press a button and a pair of adjustable waist shorts. I have them on the smallest size and they are still a little too big. She has on her new braces and princess shoes that we bought because none of her other shoes would fit with the new braces.

I'm a bad blogger!!!

2008-09-02T20:06:00.001-07:00

I promised not to go so long between post last time and now it has been over a week. So...what have we been up to? My mother came up for a visit last Sunday. She rode the train up so that she could ride down to the coast with us for Labor day weekend. It rained most of last week, so we were stuck in the house with a restless 3 year old. Wednesday, the rain finally stopped so we went to story time at the local library and then ate lunch in the park.

Thursday, we headed down to the coast for the weekend. We had hoped to stay until Monday morning. Alas....the weather had other ideas. Thursday night, we had a surprise dinner for my sister's birthday. As you can see..Alex loves her Aunt Rhonda.

Friday we went to visit Margie before they left for China. Then, Alex got a haircut. Well....really just a trim. Her hair is so thin and fine that there isn't much to cut, but her bangs were always in her eyes so we got a trim.
That afternoon, Alex met her cousin Yasmin. They played well together for a while. There was one sand throwing incident, but the hurt feelings didn't last. We also went swimming, but I refuse to post pictures of that since I am in a bathing suit.

That evening, Alex wasn't feeling well and I got to experience the horror of a child vomiting in a restaurant at the table. Thankfully we had ordered but our food hadn't arrived. We got the food to go and left. The next day Alex was fine, and I still have no idea why she was sick.

Saturday we decided to high tail it back North since the lower half of Louisiana was about to empty out. Sunday my sister, her daughter and daughter in law came up her to wait out the hurricane. The trip that normally takes 5 hours took them 9 due to the traffic.

Monday we went to the mall, but I forgot my camera...(bad mommy) so I don't have pictures of Alex riding the carousel. Today, Alex had her eye exam. Everything is normal there...thank goodness.

Tomorrow is another round of doctor visits.

Babba's stuck in the tv..............

2008-08-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

Before I left to go back to work in Korea I managed to set up a web camera in the living room so that when I call home Alex can see Babba and I can see her.

So now when I call Darcie and Alex we see each other. I am on the Times Square tv we have in our living room and they are on my laptop.
The first few times Alex wanted mama to get me out of the tv. She could see me on it and could here me but couldnt understand why I couldnt just come out.
She understands a little better now which is a relief or I was going to have to figure out how to pull that off.....

Alex seems to be handling my abscence pretty well so far according to Darcie.
Every time the phone rings it's me and every plane she sees they are going to get me.
But she is ok with it when I dont show up. Apparently she called me like 5 times the other day on her "Margie" phone..........

And congrats to Margie and John who will in a couple of days leave for China to go get their Ragan and bring her home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baba, Bows and Boo Boos

2008-08-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would give everyone an update on things here. Dan left for Korea yesterday and to date I have been asked "Where is Baba?" 4045 times......We have talked about how Baba is at work etc... but anytime we go somewhere Alex thinks we will be meeting Baba. When ever she is hurt or upset with me...she wants Baba. We did get to talk to Dan on the phone today and see him on web cam.
Once Dan left...It took about 7 hours before I was bored out of my mind being at home, so we went to the store and got some finger paints, water color paint and sticker books. The pictures below are of Alex "painting" today.

Today was a busy day for us. Alex had her 3 week follow up appointment at the Adoption Clinic. All her test were normal, with the exception of a borderline anemia. They recommended I start her on a multivitamin with iron and zinc.
After her appointment, I took her to get fried chicken. Unfortunately, I had to cut lunch short due to an emergency appointment of my own. See, this weekend Alex accidentally hit me in the eye. It hurt...I mean really hurt. I couldn't see anything wrong however so I didn't think much about it. Until, that is, my eye continued to hurt and I found it unbearable to open it outside. I went to my clinic and my partner looked at it and thought I might have a scratch. At this point, I could see some changes to my eye too. I called my eye doctor this morning, but he isn't in the office on Wednesday. However, his receptionist called him and told him the problem and he agreed to see me at 1:30. So, we rushed through lunch...meaning I scarfed mine down and Alex ate hers in the car on the way to the appointment. Once we got there, I told her I would give her a piece of candy if she sat in the chair quietly while the doctor checked my eye, and she did!!!! When we finally got home almost 5 hours after leaving, there was a package and a gift bag on the front porch.
Below is an adorable outfit that Paige sent Alex. I can't wait for cooler weather so she can wear it. She also sent stickers....bless you!!!!! The gift bag contained hair bows from some friends in Dan's motorcycle group. Alex asked me to put all those bows in her hair. If you will notice in the picture..Alex is taking a picture. Yes that is a real camera that Dan bought her before he left.

Later this evening, my SIL Leslie and her kids drove up to meet Alex. Unfortunately, they were only able to stay about an hour as they are driving back to the Idaho. I know they drove WAY out of the way, and I was delighted to see them. Well, I'm off to put more drops in my eye and go to bed.

Look who got a pool!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today, Alex got to enjoy her brand spanking new $8 swimming pool.......I think she enjoyed it and so did we as itprovided her some fun and us some relaxation if only for a brief period of time...

the sign says it all.....

2008-08-17T15:44:00.001-07:00

One of the things we love about our subdivision is that all the neighborhood kids feel safe enough to play out in the streets, which is fine by everyone here.
But unfortunately there has always been those few people who feel the need to break the land speed record from the end of the subdivision to the main road.....
One of the many tasks that Babba got accomplished while home was buying and installing these signs....I have a double sided sign at our driveway and today I installed another one at the entrance to our subdivision with permission of course of our neighbors who live there.
Lets hope it makes an impact and Babba doesn't have to install speed bumps next...........

Alex and Baba day

2008-08-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Alex and her new play set. Dan worked most of the week to get this done before he leaves next week.

Well, I know you have all been on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear how the day went..........It went fine. I hardly slept a wink last night I was so worried. The worry was needless. When Alex woke up, she sat in my lap for about 20 minutes while I drank my coffee. Then, I started getting ready while Dan fed her breakfast. Before I left, I told Alex that I had to go to "school" today and she needed to stay home with Baba so he wouldn't be lonely, then I gave her my lipstick case and told her to hold on to it until I came home. I even put some chap stick in there for her. The kid is crazy for chap stick. I left and managed to wait almost 1 whole hour before I called to check in. Alex choose her own outfit...I wish I had a picture of how she was dressed and Dan took her for a walk around the neighborhood. Then, they went up to the bike shop to see some friends. They had lunch with Yaya Frank at Hooters. Alex got 2 balloons and crayons while she was there. After lunch, they came home for a nap. Nap time continues to be a problem and while Alex did not have a temper tantrum today, she laid in the bed and cried while Dan laid on the floor next to her bed. Dan finally got her up after an hour. That afternoon, they played upstairs in her room and outside on the swing set. The girls next door came by to play as well. During the day, I called during every break and talked to Alex 3 times. Tonight, she was exhausted due to the missed nap, so she was asleep by 8. I have to finish my classes tomorrow, so hopefully it will go well again.

One Month

2008-08-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today is 1 month since we first held Alex in our arms. So, just to update you....
Alex is learning English quickly, almost too quickly, I'm kind of sad to hear the Chinese slipping away.
She can count to 10 in English and is starting to sing her ABC's..although she gets confused somewhere around G and reverts to some type of Chinese song with the same tune. I really need to get it on video.
She loves the cats..the feeling is NOT mutual. Two tolerates her better then everyone else. She likes to see the dogs, but still doesn't want to pet them. She also like looking at the horses in the pasture behind the house. We have started round of doctor visits. Thus far, Alex has had her hearing checked (normal) and she has been fitted for new braces. Our appointment with the Spina Bifida clinic isn't until the end of Sept, so we don't know when she will have surgery.
This past weekend we were very busy. Saturday morning, Alex played with the girls next door. I think she was a bit overwhelmed by them. That afternoon, we went to our friends house and played in the kiddie pool with Cameron. Thus far she seems to like her play dates with Cameron the best. He cried when we left, so I guess the feeling is mutual. Sunday we drove up to see our friend Rachael and her 4 kids. Alex didn't sleep much on the way up, so the ride up was rough. She slept most of the way home however. Today, we went to story time at the local library and then went to Micky Dees with some other friends. Alex had a great time. Unfortunately, when we got home, Alex was over tired and when I tried to put her down for a nap a 3 year old tantrum started that lasted 15 minutes. Currently, Dan is working on a play set for Alex. Once it is done I will post pictures. Finally, per request.. her are some new pictures.

Alex in her bubble bath.
Extreme close up...Alex loves seeing pictures of herself.

Bubbles are fun!!!!

Alex looking at herself in the mirror. This is one of her favorite activities. She makes faces and watches herself talk.

Alex has discovered stickers..We have gone through about 200 in the past 2 days. Her she is with an entire package of My Little Pony stickers on her dress. If you are reading this....send more stickers!!!!!!!

This weekend will be a real test for the family. Per Alabama state law I have to have 20 hours of Continuing Education a year and my only chance to get it is this weekend. This will be the first time I have been away from Alex, the first time she has been away from me and the first time Dan has been completely alone with her. Please pray... no I'm serious....Alex is a major velcro child with me. Dan is great fun and she loves him to death but after about 10-15 minutes she comes looking for me.

That is all for now. I promise not to wait so long to post next time.

Trains are bad.........

2008-08-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today we were at a friend's house for a play date with our friend's Jodi andAllison,parents of Alex's new love, Cameron.
While outside a train came by on the tracks not too far from their house. Alex had a little bit of a nervous breakdown and then it hit us, it reminded her of the earthquake that she experienced in Chengdu in May of this year. It terrified her so much when the train went by with all the noise and the rumbling.......My child has experienced way too much for her short three and half years.....and we reassured her over and over it was ok. She calmed down and was fine shortly there after and back to her normal routine.....as normal as it can be....

She's Chinese not stupid.........

2008-07-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh, I needed a good laugh.
Today while getting lunch ready, Alex was in her high chair and wanting something we were not going to let her have.
CANDY!!!!! She had spotted the glass bowl on the counter that we shamefully keep stocked with candy.
I commented to Darcie, "How does she know that's the candy?"
Darcie's reply, " Honey, She's Chinese not stupid....."
I am still laughing at this moment.

Alex's first play date

2008-07-27T13:45:00.001-07:00

Today friends of ours, Jodie and Allison, brought their little boy Cameron over to meet Alex.

They got along famously and we took them to the park to play on the slides and swings...As you can see they got along great.

Insomniacs anonymous

2008-07-26T02:37:00.000-07:00

...what's worse than an insomniac three year old?????

No seriously, someone please tell me...
The bug woke up around 1 this morning and is still wide eyed and wired at 20 minutes til 5 am....I was hoping mama would get some more sleep but not gonna happen. I been up with the bug since I was awake too.....I guess we are all trying to get over the jetlag.......
PS, thanks to Margie for the little cell phone......I have heard that thing about a million times this morning.........just wait til yours gets home, she'd getting a drum set from Uncle Dan

ahhhh Detroit

2008-07-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

...never thought we'd be glad to see Detroit Michigan, but we are.....
After a 12 hour flight from Tokyo and Alex being the only one who got any real slep on the flight we are now sitting in the Northwest Lounge waiting on our 9:43!!!!!!PM!!!!!! flight outta here.....Gary and Wendy, we owe you guys some really good coffee....
Alex is wired go figure and making new friends all over the place. Gonna have to watch her....
no pics to add to this post, right now mama, babba, and popo are just trying to stay awake long enough to climb on the last flight.........

Red Couch Day, Last Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Apparently there is some red couch here at the rich swan, I mean White Swan that is a tradition for families to take pictures on. We dressed Alex in her finest traditional outfit and took her down with her new friend Sedina, daughter of Mike and Angie......

And I think Alex has figured out she is either going to be a ear nose and throat doctor or a gold miner, not sure which.......

Can we come home now?

2008-07-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

It is our second full day here, and we are ready to come home. I know most people love the White Swan, but we are finding it hard to follow the "rules". First thing this morning, Dan loaded up 2 bags of laundry to take down the street. He waited down stairs for his Mom to bring hers and decided to sit on the steps out side. He was immediately told to move. Later, we went to the pool with Alex. Once again, Dan the rebel, got in trouble. He got in the pool with his shirt on!!!!! Needless to say we don't have warm fuzzies about the hotel. I will say the the lobby is a thing to behold. I'll take pictures before we leave.

As for Alex, today she had her physical which was fine. They seemed very concerned about her feet and spent a lot of time poking at her back. She did great and laughed during the whole exam. However, when we got back from the exam, Alex points out to me that her lymph node on her neck is swollen. She doesn't have a fever, but she seemed to indicate that something in her mouth hurt. I don't know is she has a tooth coming in, or something else wrong.

We did have a bit of a 3 year old day. She threw her usual tantrum for the stroller ride but thankfully it didn't last long. She had her first time out today too, she hit me in the nose and I told her NO which she laughed at and then tried to hit me again. Well, I moved her off my lap, and made her sit on the bed beside me. She cried like I had just killed her best friend. Later today, she was playing with Dan and when he told her NO because she was trying to write in a book, she cried. I guess the 3 year old had to come out eventually.

Well, after all that, here are some adorable pictures.

Alex wearing her first traditional outfit. This one isn't silk, but still cute.

Us eating dinner at Lucy's. It is an "American" style restaurant near the hotel.

Alex in the play room at the White Swan. She is wearing BaBa's favorite shirt.

Laughing at Baba...he is SOOOO funny.

And...finally...just being too darn cute.

park pics and sleeping off a tummy ache

2008-07-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

The other day, our last day in chengdu we got to visit a temple and a little park next door. Alex met a new friend, Olivia, daughter of one of our yahoo group friends, Alyson. She immediately called Olivia her big sister and they had a blast.

Right now the little angel is sleeping off a tummy ache that set in last night with the regurgitation fairy....hopefully she will feel better when she wakes up......

if your squeamish, skip this

2008-07-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

.....got a visit from the regurgitation fairy tonight....
poor little Alex started coughing earlier and I sat her up to help her clear whatever it was and the next thing I know I was getting a second showing of dinner....
two towels and some wipes later we were all better and ready to try it again....
Did I mention that had washing a blankie in the tub was not mentioned on the itinerary???
Darcie is sleeping next to Alex right now and I am on watch.........
which probably explains the ridiculous nature of this post.....
dont worry though we skipped the pictures on this one

Pandas and tantrums

2008-07-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited the world famous panda research center here in Chengdu. Alex had a blast and we did too. It's really amazing to see these animals up close the way we did. Alex did great in her stroller all day which gave Mommie a much needed break from carrying her. Especially since she doesn't want Baba (daddy) to carry her.....

The tantrum came today in the middle of a department store when Darcie tried to put her in her stroller since her arms were jello....little Alex did not like that at all, but we persevered and let her have a tantrum....she calmed down soon enough and we ate lunch which consisted of McDonalds yet again.......we have tried the local food several times but with a rowdy three year old some times it is just easier to eat the Micki D's.......

Alex & Her Mommy

2008-07-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Darcie sent this to me earlier today to share with everyone here. The internet is hit or miss there so it is hard to upload videos.

If you weren't smitten before, you will be now. What a beautiful little girl!

~~~~Margie

More pictures from yesterday.

2008-07-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some more pictures. Yesterday afternoon, after Alex took her nap, we took a walk to Starbucks and a near by pedestrian mall. It tried to rain, but finally, for the first time, the sun came out. As you can see, Alex is happy in her new stroller.

The beautiful sun...I missed it.
Here we are at the Panda statue next to our hotel. Since this is the home of most of the worlds remaining pandas, they are every where.

It is about 3pm on Wednesday now. We picked up our official adoption documents today, and then went to Alex's finding place. it was very near her orphanage. The funny thing was, when we started out towards the place, Alex asked the guide if we were going back to the orphanage. Somehow she recognized the area. She seemed happy to be told we weren't going back. There was a small cry early this morning. We aren't sure what caused it, one minute she was playing and laughing, then she got quiet and started to cry. When our guide asked her why she was crying, she wouldn't tell her so we think she may have just had a memory that made her sad. Dan's friend, Hettie, who is from the area, meet us today for lunch. She ordered and everything was delicious. Tomorrow is our trip to the Panda research facility. Expect lots of pictures.
I better run now. Alex is napping and I want to get somethings done before she wakes up.

Day 2 and a few more pictures

2008-07-14T22:48:00.001-07:00

Today was our official adoption day. We were asked all sorts of questions like were we satisfied with our daughter. ..... how could we not be. Dan is to say the least smitten and she loves her BaBa as well. This afternoon when he left the room, she blew him a kiss. Alex slept well last night, but we did not. She seemed to wake up every so often and reach out to touch us, as if to reassure herself we were there. After we finished all the official paperwork, we went to a huge store to by a stroller. Alex prefers to be held by me, which is nice, except that after a while my arms are killing me and we tend to do a lot of walking. Dan also picked her up a package of Winnie the Pooh pony tail holders. She is so tiny, she is wearing them as bracelets...ha ha. Below are a few pictures while we waited to sign the official papers. Most of the time Alex was laughing and talking. The first picture is of her pulling her hat down and laughing.

Tomorrow we will finish up paper work and go to Alex's "finding spot". I'll try to do better on the pictures, but she is just so amazing sometimes we forget about the cameras.

Here she is!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-13T23:25:00.001-07:00

Things are going well. Right now, Dan and she are playing on the bed. Hopefully we can upload video later.

Our Day in Beijing

2008-07-12T22:34:00.001-07:00

View from our hotel room in Beijing.

Our travel group in Tianamen Square. (there is not enough anti-frizz stuff in the world to help my hair)

Sorry I missed a post yesterday. For those of you who have been here and those of you who are coming here, you know that the Beijing tour day is a LONG one. We went to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. I do have some pictures of the day to post, but I forgot to charge up the camera so it died early into the trip. Dan took a lot of pictures with the video camera, but forgot the cord to down load the pictures. We are a pair. The day was amazing. Even our guide kept commenting on what a beautiful day it was. The Forbidden City was amazing but huge. We thought Dan's mom wasn't going to make it. She has at least 2 asthma attacks during the tour. She did recovery enough to walk on the Great Wall, but that was it. I walked part way up and Dan made it all the way to the 3rd tower, which was way way way up there. He says he took some good pictures. I guess we will post them when we get home or sooner, if we manage to find a usb connector that will work with the video camera. As I sit, we are trying to cool off in our hotel room in Chengdu. We had to get up around 3:30 this morning to leave for the airport by 4;45. Our flight wasn't until 7:55 but our guide was concerned about possible delays due to the increased security. We did manage to find the KFC and the grocery store today. I don't know what we will do tonight. I'm looking forward to a nap soon. We get Alex tomorrow at 10am. Pray that it all goes well. According to our guide, she knows we are coming.

Good Morning from Beijing.

2008-07-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

It is about 5 am here. We got in to town around 9:30, but didn't get to the hotel until after 10. We finally got to our room and then decided we NEEDED a Diet Coke. Well let me tell you, we paid about 30 us dollars for 2 waters and 4 diet cokes downstairs and it was worth it. ha ha The beds here are just what I was told, pieces of plywood with sheets over them. The room is nice and has 2 beds, but the beds are small so Dan and I slept apart last night like a 50's TV couple. Dan is still sleeping since he does not have jet lag. I have been up for a while. No pictures yet, but today is our day to sight see. We will leave around 8:30 and be back around 5. Hopefully, I can post and download pictures then. Sunday morning we have to leave very early, around 5:30, for the airport, so I'm hoping I sleep better after a day of walking around. Ta Ta for now.

And we're off...

2008-07-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

It is 7 am and we are about to leave for the airport. "We" is my mother in law and me. Dan will meet up with us in Tokyo. My next post should be from Beijing. Talk to you then.

Disappointing news

2008-07-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Well, my Mom is still in the hospital. Unfortunately, she is not improving the way the doctors wanted. She is definitely not going to be able to go to China. As you can imagine, I'm terribly disappointed. We have been planning on both our mothers being with us for our forever family day for over a year. Now I'm just hoping that Mom is out of the hospital before I leave for China.

I'm almost done packing. I appreciated the comments with packing tips, however, with Dan already in Korea, it falls on me to pack everything in my luggage. I think I may be okay. Wednesday, I'm going to take my suitcase in to work and weigh it on the big dog scale.

Finally, I thought I would post our itinerary so everyone can see where we are suppose to be each day.

7/10 Leave the Ham at 10 am and fly west via Detroit

7/11 Meet up with Dan in Tokyo and fly to Beijing arriving at 9:35pm

7/12 Tour of Beijing (Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tian An Men Square)

7/13 Leave for Chengdu at 7:55 am and arrive at 10:30 am

7/14 10 am (9 pm CST) Get Alex!!!!!!!! Later on that day we will go shopping for Alex.

7/15 Do paper work...(official adoption day)
7/16 Tour of zoo
7/17 Tour Renmin Park
7/18 Go to Civil Affairs office to get Alex's passport
7/19 Leave for Guangzhou at 8:30 am and arrive at 10:25 am
7/20 Sightseeing of Chen Family Temple
7/21 Medical check up and visa photo
7/22 10 am appointment at American Consulate
7/23 Interview and pick-up Visa at American Consulate
7/24 8:20 am leave Guangzhou. Arrive at 10 pm CST in the Ham.

My Weekend and other stuff...

2008-07-05T19:53:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July a day late....that seems to be the story of my life. A day late and a dollar short.
Anyway, just wanted to give everyone an update on my Mom and the packing.
Mom has been in the hospital since Thursday. She had a pretty rough night Thursday, but now seems to be slowly on the mend. Unfortunately, she may not be going to China. Since we leave in 4 days(....OMG 4 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!) she may not be ready to travel. Thanks to everyone who commented and prayed for her.
As for the packing..well it is going okay. Yesterday I did laundry and narrowed down the clothes I am taking for Alex to about 6 outfits. It was really hard to do this, because everyone has been so generous with gifts and Alex has about 50 cute little outfits. I made yet another trip to the Walmarts and bought snacks. I think I may be overdoing it however, so I'm waiting to pack the snacks until Wednesday. Tomorrow, I'm going to try to pack my clothes and the see how much room is left. Ta Ta For Now.

1 week left....

2008-07-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

This time next week I will be finishing my final packing and trying to get some sleep. I think I'm in some sort of shock because everyone keeps asking me if I'm excited or nervous and I'll I can say is I don't know. I think I'm just focusing on one task at a time to keep from going crazy. Monday night, I did indulge myself in a movie to try and take my mind off things. I'm glad I did, since I have no idea when I will be able to go to a movie alone again. Tonight, I went through all the gifts for Alex again and tried to decide what to take. I don't want to take too much and I don't want to take too little. There has been two bumps in the road so far, one minor and one that could be potentially major. The first is that late this afternoon, I got an e-mail from our agency that said the needed one more piece of paper work. The bad news is, it needs to be signed by our social worker and notarized. Oh, did I mention they need it before we leave and that we are coming up on July 4th.....Hopefully my social worker did not decide to take a long weekend. The second thing is my Mom is sick. She has been sick for a week now. She came up for my shower this weekend, but ended up staying at my house because she was feeling so bad. Tomorrow she has to have an ultrasound and hopefully everything will be fine. I don't normally ask for this, but if you guys could pray that everything goes fine for my Mom and that she feels better quickly. She is scheduled to go to China with us. I guess that is all for tonight. I need to go lay in my bed and not sleep again. As always, I'll keep you posted.

Dennis inspects Alex's gifts.

2008-06-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

He says they are okay.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Alabama shower

2008-06-28T20:20:00.001-07:00

Today was my shower in Alabama. My wonderful friends/co-workers threw this one.

Here is the yummy cake. It was chocolate....too good.

Here is everyone hanging out and watching me open presents.

Here I'm complete with a silly tiara they made me wear that says Mom to be and a flashing button.

Look Dan, we finally got some underwear for Alex.

Here I am with the girls. They all helped throw the shower. The only ones missing are Dee and Elizabeth. This was a different kind of shower. Since I'm not pregnant, we skipped the games and had hard liquor, wine and beer instead. Needless to say, this was a long shower, lasting over 4 hours. Of course, Alex got lots of nice things, too many to picture here.

So we are down to less than 2 weeks until we leave for China. I still have tons to do. Monday, I'm having the carpets steam cleaned. I still need to wash clothes for Alex and decide what to take. I have tons of shopping for the trip left as well. I may not post much before the trip, but rest assured I will keep you up to date.

Mississippi Shower

2008-06-27T18:55:00.001-07:00

Well, I finally up loaded some pictures from the shower. I know it took almost a week, but I've been lazy. Tomorrow is my Alabama shower so I figured I needed to get this post done.

This is the adorable home made cake at the shower. Margie and Tammy baked and decorated this cake.

This is my mother in law, mother, sister, aunt, cousin and childhood bff.

This is, of course, Ms. Lilli, Margie's daughter. Isn't she adorable.

Alex's first Mississippi State University shirt. I can't wait for September so she can wear it.

One of my favorite outfits. Alex got a ton of clothes, toys and books. I have great friends and family. I promise I will have new pictures from tomorrow's shower in less than a week.

We're home from Mississippi

2008-06-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

We got home this afternoon from Mississippi. This Saturday was our first baby shower. I can't tell you how much fun it was to be on this side of the shower. I've thrown more bridal and baby showers than I can count in the past, but with the exception of my bridal shower 15+ years ago, I've never had another. Thanks so much Margie, Tammy, and Rhonda for everything. I will post pictures when I catch my breath. In the meantime, head over to Margie's blog for a few pictures.

Have a nice weekend.

2008-06-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

We headed to Mississippi this weekend. My wonderful friend Margie is hosting a baby shower for us with the help of my mother and sisters. There will be alot of people there that I haven't seen in YEARS (Jill). I can't wait to see everyone...oh and get presents for Alex...ha..ha. I'll be back on Sunday with lots of pictures and stories.

We're Going to China..........

2008-06-18T12:17:00.000-07:00

We got our consulate appointment today. It is on July the 22nd. We will leave for China on July 10th and arrive on the 11th. We will tour Beijing on the 12th, fly out to Chengdu on the 13th and get Alex on the 14th!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dan will head to Korea on the 24th of this month and meet us in Beijing on the 11th. We will head for home on July 24th. I can't believe this is finally happening. I am so happy I can't stand it. We don't have all our in country arrangements yet, but that should be soon. I'll keep you posted.

did someone stop time????

2008-06-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is Dan of the dynamic duo known as DnD....
Did someone stop time????
Still no passports returned with visas????
Still no consulate appointment?????
Still no finalization on some other things.......
And I gotta leave in a week.....

I'm lightin the fuse on the turtle.......

The Crib is ready!!

2008-06-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to pick up the crib mattress. While we were shopping at the place with "the smiley face" Dan saw this crib set and we HAD to get it. How cute is this?

We are still registered at another place for a different crib set, because it never hurts to have an extra set. Now all we need is Alex..where is that Consulate appointment already!!!!!!

Ask and you shall receive...

2008-06-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

We got our TA today...just what we needed. No word just yet on our Consulate appointment. As soon as we get confirmation of our appointment date, we can start scheduling our flights. Things are moving fast now. I hope by this time next month we will be in China and maybe even have Alex in our arms. Stay tuned for the latest updates.

Compassion Fatigue

2008-06-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Some of you may not have heard this term. This is when your Give a Sh*t up and leaves. In my line of work this is a serious problem. I usually have bouts with this once a year or so. Today it hit me hard for a number of reasons...
1. My dog died on Friday.
2. I work hard and I genuinely care for my patients, the owners on the other hand, I can usually do without. Some owners are wonderful and appreciate what I do. Some, on the other hand never acknowledge when all of us go above and beyond to help them and their animal. They constantly forget that we have other patients to care for and that there are times we can not drop everything just to talk to them. I don't know about you, but I feel lucky if I get to talk to any of my doctors for more than 10 minutes in any given appointment. When I have literally poured my self into saving an animal's life, only to have the owner throw it back in my face because it either cost to much, or I didn't talk to them personally every single time they stopped in or called, I feel my GAS tank running on empty.
Sorry about the venting post, but I had to get the bile out. Hopefully I can refuel my tank soon. A TA would go a long way towards filling me up, but just a cute puppy wagging it's tail will usually keep me off empty.

The incident

2008-06-08T06:58:00.001-07:00

This weekend there was an incident in the house. To our shock and horror, Snoopy was found floating face down in the toilet. At first, we thought maybe he jumped...

But then, as is always the case, the real criminal returned to the scene of the crime.

With the camera rolling, this brazen sociopath, pushed the body back in...

Thankfully he was caught and put behind bars. Now other small stuffed animals can rest easy knowing this heinous criminal is off the streets.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Snoopy.

2008-06-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today we had to say goodbye to our Bogie.
He gave us 15 years of his life and devotion and we are better people for him having let us be his.
He has gone to be with his Sammy girl who left us 2 years ago.
They are once again mates for life.
Gonna miss ya boy

Got the crib set up and another new outfit.

2008-06-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

While I was at work today, my wonderful husband set the crib up. For now, it is in our bedroom. Once Alex gets settled in, we plan on moving it to her room upstairs. We haven't bought a mattress yet, any suggestions?

When I went to the Buck Creek Festival last month, I saw this adorable outfit on display at one of the tents. They clothes are custom made by http://ladydoos.com/

Yes, those are ladybugs on the top.

The pants are little black carpi pants.
We also have all the paperwork together for our Visa applications and plan on mailing them out tomorrow.

More Shopping

2008-06-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today Dan and I went to "look" at the crib we want for Alex. We decided to buy a convertible crib since we are not sure what she is sleeping in right now. Looking turned to buying. This crib can convert to a toddler bed, then a day bed and finally a double bed. Tomorrow Dan plans to put the crib up in our room.

While we were there, we just had to check out the clothes and we found this cute little tank top and short set.

And finally, Dan had to get this t-shirt for her. He laughs out loud every time he sees it.

No word as of today from China, but we are working on our Visa applications this week and plan to send them out by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

I 171 H

2008-05-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

Can you say Hallelujah? We got our I 171H in today. That is the last piece of paperwork from the federal government we need. Now we just need our Travel approval. The word on the Chengdu chat group is that travel has been postponed at this point. Several families were getting ready to leave in June and had to delay the trip. Hopefully, by the time our TA comes in, they will be processing adoptions in Chengdu again. Dan came home Thursday, so we have a busy month ahead of us. We will be working on getting our visas and getting Alex's room ready. There are two showers planned this month as well. I can't believe it is already June. Where does the time go?

Okay so we didn't just register..

2008-05-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was suppose to be about registering for the baby showers, but there are some things too cute to pass up. Here all all the things we got this weekend. Some things I bought, some my sister Rhonda bought and some my Mom bought.
This first picture is a cute little dress. I just so happened to find a pair of sandals at another store that went perfectly with the dress.

These two are adorable sun suits.

This is a pair of jean we found that we hope will fit.

This final picture is a little pair of Pooh pants, a sweater and the cutest pair of sneakers ever.

I'm sure there will be more purchases in the future. Normally, I hate shopping, but I am loving shopping for Alex.

Fun with the Family

2008-05-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend my mom and sister drove up to spend the weekend with me and help me register for the two baby showers that are planned in June. This morning all of us, along with my friend and honorary grandmother Leslie ,went to Babies are Us. Let me tell you, I had the best time. I've waited a long time to be able to register and buy gifts for my own child. After about 2 hours in the store, we decided to go to lunch. Amazingly, we didn't buy a single thing there. We had a nice lunch at Chi!i's and then we were off to T&arget. We mainly registered for toys and such there. Unfortunately :) we weren't as good and came home with the cutest pants, dress and sweater for Alex. Tomorrow, we may try to go to W&lmart and register there. The only things I haven't registered for is a car seat. Anyone who has any recommendations of a good toddler/convertible car seat, let me know. I'm still a little undecided.

Letter Seeking Confirmation

2008-05-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Our agency called today and our letter seeking confirmation arrived from China. That means Alex will definitely be ours soon. It also means we can post her picture. Look at our beautiful daughter. Soak in the cuteness.

Okay, so the next question is when? We are now waiting on 2 things, our travel approval from China, which usually takes 2-4 weeks to arrive and the renewal of our I171H from USCIS. Once they both arrive, we can travel within 2 weeks. This means with any luck we could travel in June or July. As for actually travel to the area..our agency is checking into travel around Chengdu. Hopefully we will find out something soon.

Spring

2008-05-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day and for the first time in 2 years, our area has gotten enough rain, so the flowers in my yard are blooming. I took a few pictures. Enjoy.

My non existant dignity

2008-05-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

I try very hard every day to carry myself with some professionalism and dignity, or at least I try to at work. Alas, most often I fail miserably.
Tonight I ordered takeout because I felt like crap and didn't feel like cooking. After I got home and fed the zoo, I changed into some comfy clothes, which as usual consist of Sponge Bob pj bottoms and a t-shirt. I wasn't really worried about the delivery person coming to the door, I mean who cares, I don't know them.
Except this time, they knew me.
As the young man hands me my order he says "I know you, your that vet." D'oh!!!!!!
So, in one fell swoop, any professionalism and dignity I had by being the doctor went out the window. Then I had to search my NyQuil impaired brain for who this person is and who their animal was. Geez..now I gotta be all dressed up to get pizza.

A doll for Alex

2008-05-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

My brother Darren, sister-in-law Leslie, and 2 nephews and 2 nieces sent Alexandria this present today.

Isn't she adorable.

On an another note, I still feel like crap. The fever is still hanging around.
I hope it breaks by this weekend.

Well, I spoke too soon...

2008-05-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

about the vaccines not bothering me. I woke up at 5 am with a fever. I tried to go back to sleep, but no luck. I took 2 fever reducers and got ready for work. Within an hour the fever was gone, so I headed in to the clinic. Around 9am the fever came back. I decided to only take 1 pill this time, but alas by 10 the fever continued to rage. I took another tablet (now 4 in 5 hours) and waited for the fever to break. By 10:30 I was headed home. The appointment schedule was really light anyway due to the weather. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be my self again.

More Presents!!!!!

2008-05-14T14:21:00.001-07:00

Today I came home to find a package at my door.
My brother, Darren and his wife Leslie sent us these adorable shirts.

This one is for Alex. It has a panda on it.

This one is for Dan.

This one if for me.

I can't wait to wear it and be called Mama.
I started my vaccine series today. So far I feel fine. I don't usually do well with vaccines, so I'm a bit surprised.

Chengdu

2008-05-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

So this morning started out with news of the earthquake in China. What most of you don't know is....Alexandria is in Chengdu. I spent the entire day at work trying to pay attention to clients and their problems, while worrying about Alexandria and all the other children. I called, e-mailed and fretted all day. Bits and pieces of news would come in that made me think the area was okay, but the news reports got progressively worse. Finally at 5 pm we got an update from Half the Sky. They sponsor the orphanage where Alexandria lives. They said everything is okay and the children were evacuated. I could finally give a big sigh of relief that she was okay. I hurt for everyone there and all the lives lost, but I'm grateful our daughter was not injured. The feeling of helplessness was more than I could bear not knowing all day if she was okay. I thought the wait for the referral was hard, but the wait to have Alexandria in my arms is turning out to be worse. Please continue to pray for everyone in the area.

Buck Creek Festival

2008-05-11T19:30:00.001-07:00

This weekend I went to the Buck Creek Festival in Old Town Helena. The festival has been going on for 7 years, but this is the first year I have gone. Mainly, the festival involves music and lots of booths. It was a nice day, although a little hot.

This was a large area of inflatable rides for the kids.

This is the highlight of the event. The duck race. The race is for charity. Each duck cost 5 dollars each and if you come in 1st, 2nd or 3rd then you win a prize. This picture is of the volunteers dumping thousand of rubber ducks in the creek above the waterfall.

We waited and waited and waited for the ducks to come over the falls. Turns out for some reason, a large portion of the ducks headed up stream. So we waited almost 30 minutes for the ducks.

Finally, the little ducks came over the falls and floated towards the finish line. No, I didn't win anything. As far as I know my duck never even made it over the falls, but it was still a fun day.

Just for fun, I took a picture of a booth that had an inflatable version of my favorite character "Patrick".
While at the festival, I saw a booth of a woman who makes the most adorable children's outfits. I saw this cute little capri outfit that I just had to order for Alex. I can't wait to see her in it, and next year, maybe she can come with me.

My Mom........

2008-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here is picture of Mom with all of her children. Yes, there are five of us and I'm the youngest.

Let me tell you a little bit about my mom. I was born 2 days before her 31st birthday. When I was a kid, I thought she was sooooo old, compared to my other friends moms who were in there late twenties. Mom was always there for us. She was a home room mother, ran the 4H club and kept the everything running smoothly. My father passed away when I was 10, leaving my mother a widow at the young age of 41. The 3 oldest kids were already out of the house and married or living on their own, but my brother and I were still kids. Mom was left with a 10 year old girl and a 16 year old boy to finish raising. Mom didn't have a paying job either. In short order, she started looking for a job. Eventually she became a teacher's aid and then went back to school to get her teaching degree. She did all this while still being an attentive mom. She still managed to go to the basketball games, football games, softball games and other school functions. She sent me off to college and finished college herself. She was my matron of honor at my wedding and has been there for everyone of her children when we needed her. She now has 9 grand kids, and one on the way. She has 1 great grandchild. Mom is planning on going to China with us. Mom retired last year and is happier then ever. I never realized how hard it was for her to raise all of us until I raised a teenager of my own. I'm still amazed at how she handled everything, alot of the time alone. I'm amazed at the trust she showed in me during my teenage years, and I'm glad to say I never did anything to break that trust. So on this Mother's Day I just wanted to say, Mama Thanks for everything and I hope when Alexandria comes home, I can be half the mom you were to me. I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for you.

How much longer?

2008-05-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

3 years and 3 months.....That is how old Alexandria was yesterday.
15 years, 4 months and 2 days...that is how long Dan and I have been married.
8 years and 8 months....that is how long Dan and I have been trying to have a family.
2 years and 5 months....that is how long we been working on the adoption.
1 year, 4 months, and 7 days... since our log in date.
1 week and 2 days.... since our Pre-Approval.
How much longer will it be until we hold Alexandria in our arms?
I hope not much longer.

Lets make it fun...I predict it will be July 27th.
Why might you ask? A very scientific reason. On April 27th Dan and I had Chinese food for dinner. My fortune cookie said this "Remember three months from this date. Good things are in store for you"
So what are your predictions? Just to make it interesting, who ever gets closest to our actually forever family day will win a prize. Don't know what it is yet, but it will be something great.
So leave me a comment.

Presents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday we got the first official present for Alex. We did a secret Santa swap in Dec, but this is the first present we have gotten since our announcement. My wonderful friend Margie sent me a surprise package.

This adorable swim suit that I hope Alex gets to use this summer. There is also a pack of barrettes for her hair.

This cute little summer outfit with a skort and some rubber bands for her hair.

Also, lots of books. I love "The kid with too many pets". Sounds like Alex already. Ha Ha

I was tagged,...again

2008-05-01T17:31:00.001-07:00

So I got tagged by Margie. Here are a few things you may not know about, and probably don't care to know. ha ha

1. Do you like blue cheese? NO!!!! It smells terrible
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Are you crazy? Of course not
3. Do you own a gun? Yes, several actually.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at sonic? Nothing, I don't get to eat at Sonic often, but they are building one in town. YEAH!!!
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Only the OBGYN.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Love them, and but I like sausage dogs better.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee, lots and lots of coffee.
9. Can you do push ups? At one time I could, now I doubt it.
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My 10 year anniversary ring.
11. Favorite hobby? Reading, watching movies, and reading other people's blogs.
12. Do you have A.D.D.? No, but I work with a lot of people who do.
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I worry way too much.
14. Middle name? Dale.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: I love watching Scrubs, I wish I had something sweet to eat, When will we go to China.
16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Lunch at the Mexican restaurant, and a pack of cigs.
17. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Diet Coke, Coffee, Green Tea.
18. Current worry? We will never go to China.
19. Current hate right now? Nothing.
20. Favorite place to be? At home with my husband and animals.
21. How did you bring in the New Year?At a friends house having a bonfire.
22. Where would you like to go? China!
.23. Name three people who will complete this? I have no idea.
24. Do you own slippers? yes.
26. What year would you go back in time to? I don't think I would go back in time.
27. Can you whistle?Yeah.
28. Favorite color? Blue.
29. Would you be a pirate? No I get seasick.
30. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing, ever.
.31. Favorite girl's name? Alexandria, obviously.
32. Favorite boy's name?Mitchell.
33. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing.
34.. Last thing that made you laugh? I can't remember, probably something that was said at work.
36. Worst injury you've ever had? A toss up between my ACL rupture and when my gall bladder became inflamed.
37. Do you love where you live? YES !
.38. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2
.39. Who is your loudest friend? Dara without a doubt.
40. How many dogs do you have? 3.
41. Does someone have a crush on you? I doubt it.
42. What is your favorite book(s)? All of the Harry Potter books.
43. What is your favorite candy? Any thing with Dark Chocolate.
44. Favorite Sports Team? Duh, Mississippi State University Bulldogs!!!.
45. Your favorite meal? Seafood, (Snow crab legs, Shrimp etc).
46. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping.
47. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I wish I could sleep longer.
48. Do you have any odd habits? Not that I'm aware of, but they may seem odd to other people.
Okay, now I'm gonna tag Heather, Fliss and anyone else who wants to play.

I'm Walkin.....

2008-04-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

So, years ago I used to work out. Actually it wasn't YEARS ago, it was more like A year ago. I took karate twice a week and worked out on my mat in the basement on other days. Then, I quit my job to open up my own clinic. I became obsessed with getting the business going and I quit karate and working out at home. My mat sat in the basement dirty with boxes on it and the heavy bag was still. With the lack of movement, bad eating habits, stress, "trying" to quit smoking and a dysfunctional thyroid, the weight returned. I had lost over 30 lbs by eating a very low fast diet and working out several times a week previously. I've been talking about exercising again for some time. I kept saying, when this, that, or the other happens I will work out again. Unfortunately, what happened is I got out of shape fast. With a trip to China coming up and soon a toddler to chase around I decided it was time to get back into shape (other than round). So today I walked in the park near my house. Several people from work came with me so they could get in shape too. I walked 1.6 miles in 30 minutes. Not a big deal, but considering everything, I'm proud I finally did something. I know I will never be "thin" but I want to be able to play with Alex and hopefully not wear out in 5 minutes. Feel free to comment anytime. Hopefully if I start to back slide, you guys can shame me into continuing my work outs.

We can finally announce it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last month Dan and I filled out a general application for a Waiting Child through our agency. Two weeks ago, our agency contacted us about a little girl who turned 3 in February. We reviewed her file and decided to send a Letter of Intent the next day. Today we got the news...we are Pre-Approved. Can you say Hallelujah!!!!!!!!! We can't post pictures until we have our official Letter of Commitment, but we can say with all the parental pride that she is absolutely adorable. She has a smile that lights up the room. According to her reports, she is very talkative, loves stuffed animals and is sometimes impatient. Fits in with us already. We hope to travel by this fall. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress.
p.s. Gifts and monetary donations are being accepted. ha ha

I've been busy.............

2008-04-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday we had a full day. First thing in the morning we had our finger prints done for immigration. The amazing thing about all this is:
1. The officer in Atlanta actually seemed to care and made us a special appointment so that Dan could be fingerprinted before he left for Korea again.
2. The office in Birmingham was polite and efficient. We arrived early and were actually allowed to go ahead and get our prints done so we could leave.
From there we headed to Oak Mountain State Park for....

Which is a fund raiser for Alabama Pug Rescue. I volunteered to microchip dogs for them with the money going to the Rescue. Believe it or not, they are overrun with Pug's at every turn and the medical bills for some of these dogs can be staggering. You should check out the website sometime. www.alabamapugrescue.org
Finally, the best part of the day......

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant in concert at the BJCC. We had 6th row seats!!!! It was an amazing concert. They did alot of the songs off the album they did together, but they also did some of their own songs. You haven't lived until you have heard Led Zeppelin sung in a blues style with Alison Krauss signing backup.
So anyway, that was my day. There have been alot of other things going on that have kept me from blogging, I'll try to do better this week.

Wonderful Weekend and Good News on Monday

2008-04-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

I had this weekend off. With the exception of Friday, the weather was great. Friday Dan and I had massages at the day spa. Friday night we went to a local bar and grill to play pool. Saturday we went fishing. The picture is of the biggest bass I caught. I also caught another bass and we both caught several brim. Dan caught a large bass as well, but I forgot to take a picture. I'm a bad wife....:( We released the bass, but kept the brim for a fish fry at a later date. Sunday was spent doing chores and relaxing.
Today we got some great news......WE ARE THROUGH REVIEW. For those of you who aren't adoption savvy, that means China has FINALLY reviewed our dossier and said everything was okay. Now were are officially pend referral, along with most of 2006, ha ha.

I've been tagged...

2008-04-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

By Fliss. Pretty sneaky...

Four jobs I've had:
1. Veterinarian
2. Food and Beverage Hostess at Epcot Center
3. Nematode Enumerator (I counted worms all day in a lab)
4. Animal Caretaker (pooper-scooper)

Four shows on my Tivo:
I have about 20 season passes but my top four are:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. House
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Scrubs

Four Places I have been:
1. Fairbanks, Alaska
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. San Francisco, Ca
4. Seattle, WA

Four favorite foods:
1. Mexican
2. Sushi
3. Persian
4. Italian

Four Cd's I've recently listened to:
1. Enigma
2. Scrubs soundtrack
3. Sting
4. Finger Eleven

Four things you can do to make my day:
1. Be on time
2. Don't lie
3. Tell me I look nice
4. Comment on my blog

and now I'll tag these 4 bloggers
Margie
Jill
Mom-in-w8ing
Glider Rider

Another LID Anniversary

2008-03-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

Fifteen months down....and ? more to go. Saturday was our LID anniversary. I almost forgot until I read Heather's blog. I guess the date is losing it's punch at this point. I imagine if there was an end in sight the passing months would mean something. At least I can say we are 12 months closer than we were at this time last year. We finished our homestudy update last time Dan was home and hopefully we can get our fingerprints redone while he is home in April. I pray that we don't have to update again for this adoption.

Introducing...........................

2008-03-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Faith...
My friend Racheal had her on Tuesday the 18th. I drove up Monday night to be there for the birth. She arrived at 3:28 pm kicking and screaming (as you can see). Both mom and baby are doing great.

Kiss me, I'm Irish

2008-03-17T05:36:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my friends and family. Don't forget to wear something green.....or you'll get pinched.

The Elizabeths

2008-03-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have two Elizabeths that work for me. The one on the left is usually called "little" Liz. She just had a beautiful baby boy last Thursday. Both she and the baby are doing fine. The one on the right is Elizabeth. She had an admission interview at the vet school at Auburn today. She said it went well. I'm really proud of her. Both have them have worked for me since they were 18 years old, so I feel a little like their older sister, hence the bragging.

What are you looking at?

2008-03-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Well, like alot of my blogging friends, I think I have a case of the winter blues. I haven't had the energy or desire to write anything. Life here has been very hectic. A very good friend of ours has been in the hospital with some serious health problems, so we have spent alot of time at UAB. Keep our friend in your prayers, please. Work has been crazy as usual. Things are starting to pick up now that spring coming, which is good for everyone involved. Dan will be leaving for Korea next week. I really wish I could fly over for a visit. I would love to see the island in the spring. Well, here's hoping that ole man winter gets out of here soon and takes his blues with him.

We're still alive.

2008-02-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd let you know we are still alive and over our "plague". It has been a busy couple of weeks here. We are trying to get all our homestudy paperwork updated and on Monday we have a home visit. I also decided to bring all the animals up to date on their medical stuff. Nobody was overdue, but since I don't charge myself, I decided to make sure everyone was current before the social worker asked for proof. The picture has nothing to do with anything I'm talking about, I just thought it was too funny not to share.

Greetings from the House of Plague

2008-02-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Dan arrived home from Korea on Wednesday night. He got off the plane with a cold/sinus infection that he aquired somewhere over the Pacific. Unfortunately, he did not arrive home to a wife ready to nurse him back to health, because at the exact same time, I came down with the FLU. We have spent the past 3 days going to doctors, taking medicine and hiding in the house. Even with medicine, I continue to run a fever and Dan continues to sound like a dripping faucet. My hope is that we will be over this by Monday, because we need to get our fingerprints updated at the sherriff department for our home study.

I've been tagged.

2008-02-08T15:11:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by Jill to list 7 things you might not know about me.The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours. Post the rules on your blog. Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
1. I can write on myself with peroxide. I know this sounds weird, but if I wet a cotton tip swab with peroxide I can write things on my arm. I have only met 1 or 2 other people who can do this.
2. I sleep with a huge body pillow on Dan's side of the bed when he is out of town and I can't sleep without it.
3. I have to have all the blinds in a room turned the same way...i.e. all turned up or all turned down.
4. I am phobic of trains. I know it is stupid that is why it is a phobia.
5. When I was a little girl, my sister read a book to me about a "gypsy" cat. I then tried to pierce my cat's ear. I'm amazed it still have all my fingers...ha ha
6. I have a cadaver graft in my knee where my ACL was repaired.
7. I can't eat pancakes. Something about the fluffy texture, butter and syrup makes me nauseated. I can eat crepes and waffles.
Okay, I'm not going to tag anyone specific because everyone I know has already been tagged. If you want to do this...consider yourself tagged.

Dinner with friends

2008-02-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had dinner with my friends Frank and Leslie at one of my favorite resturants.
I started off with a lovely Seaweed Salad.

And then a nice Houston Roll that has spicy Tuna on top.

We finished the meal off by sharing a 9 layer chocolate cake that is to die for........

This will probably be the highlight of my weekend, since I spent most of today and probably tomorrow working on taxes, home study documents and cleaning.

Another Anniversery

2008-01-29T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today is 13 months since we were logged in to China. I hope it is a lucky number thirteen. I have the packet from our home study agency waiting for me to work on this weekend. It is hard to believe it has been this long and it is likely that we will still be here in another 13 months.

Baby,.....

2008-01-25T19:00:00.000-08:00

It's cold outside.

So let's cuddle up and stay warm. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

I Feel........

2008-01-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

Sick as a dog. I have a cold and I hate it. Is winter over yet?

Hi I'm Dennis

2008-01-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

And I'm a kleptomaniac.

Dennis has a bad habit of stealing thing out of bags and purses. I have to tell anyone who comes over to watch their stuff.
Today, our friend came over with her little boy Cameron, because the heat had gone out at her house during the night.
While they were here, Dennis stole a puzzle piece from Cameron, and I had to chase him down for it. Then, he went into the diaper bag and stole a bottle of vitamins. Thankful, I caught him pretty quickly into that heist.
I think his problem is worse. In the past, his favorite thing to steal was paper i.e. receipts.

Don't let him fool you. He is devious. Anyone know of a kitty 12 step program?

While it was snowing at home.....

2008-01-20T05:34:00.000-08:00

I was out exploring the island of Geoje..........
Went down to the southern end of the island, see for yourself......there are more pics and if you want to see them ask Darcie for the link