Ni Hao Miss Boo

I just watched the debut episode of Ni Hao Kai Lan. For those not tuned into the kid's TV world, it's an animated kid's show much anticipated by the China adoption community.

Kai Lan?


No! Kai Lan!


The first thing I noticed were her eyeballs. Those oblong oval eyeballs. It's a popular style in the Japanimae world, but just doesn't say Chinese to me. I had a hard time getting past that HUGE space between Kai Lan's eyes. Especially on our big screen TV. That space could be for rent. Sell some ads. Corporate sponsorships.

The second thing I noticed was the voice over. Of course I noticed the voice over! Kai Lan has a Midwestern accent! And sure enough, the little girl who plays her is from Wisconsin. I have a link to an article about her that I'm sure my China moms out there would find interesting, complete with a picture of the little voice over talent, who was adopted from China. Love that! Read her fascinating story.

It's very much like Dora, except with Mandarin instead of Spanish. I was hoping for a departure from the Dora formula, and hope the show grows into its own in time.

Best of all, no yelling! I know Dora is outside for most of the episodes but just wish she'd use her inside voice.

Today I went to Boo's school to teach the kids about Chinese New Year. Yeah, like I'm the expert? Adopt a kid from China and suddenly I'm Miz Culture. You know what? It's the Midwest and they're four. Barney could be in front of them talking about Chinese New Year for all they care about experts.

Boo and I wore our Chinese dresses, which is a very American thing to do. Especially Boo's dress. It's frilly and poofy like a tutu on the bottom and traditional Chinese in pattern on the top. And it's PINK! That style dress can be seen at the shops that cater to the China adoption crowd in Guangzhou. Get further into the city and you can't find them anywhere. So yeah, totally for the Americans and way too cute to pass up. I should have bought them in every color!

When Boo arrived at school and took off her coat, the girls oohed and ahhed and said, "You're a princess!" She got permission to wear the dress all day instead of her uniform, which I thought was really nice of her teachers. I arrived in the afternoon with a bowl full of oranges for snack. I found out the kids made dragon masks in art earlier in the day. Together we made kites. Then the teacher got the idea we should have a parade. The principal agreed, so we lined up the kids and told them to wave their masks and kites and to be loud like dragons and rooooooar!

The kids lined up perfectly and quietly entered the first kindergarten class with their eyes to the floor, silent as little mice. I stopped them and said, "Come on! Let's ROAR like dragons and stomp our feet!" The kids gave me a doubtful look. I assured them it was ok, we could go crazy! THat's when they let loose. We stomped our feet through the hallways and yelled and roared and Ni Hao'ed our way through the entire school.

I hope I get to be Chinese New Year room mother every year!

Meet the Hogan's

Did you read my travel blog?

Of course you did. Wasn't it just aaaaaaamaaaaaaazing?

Heh.

Anyway, remember I wrote about the Hogan family? Everything kept going wrong for the Hogan family and yet they kept a great attitude the entire time. And Julee's hair stayed perfectly in place. Seriously. 110 degrees and Julee looked like a million bucks. You'd hate her, but she's so damn nice.

So tonight my friend Tara is dining out with her husband. She notices a couple at the next table. They have an adorable Chinese baby. See where this is going?

Tara walks over to politely ask about the baby, as she has learned from my blog just how you approach a family. The kind woman told Tara they came home on the 4th of July. And Tara said, "My friends came home with their baby on the 4th of July!"

The big moment of AHHHH occurred and everyone had a nice chuckle.

As Tara put it, "There's no way they could have met you and Matt and not remembered you."

We're memorable.

Tara instantly remembered who they were from my stories in the blog.

Say, can you hear that? It sounds an awful lot like, "It's a small world after all...."

She's Priceless

Oh my GAWD I forgot to tell you what happened to us this weekend in regards to MORE stupid comments from stupid people regarding our daughter who is far smarter than any of these people at the tender age of 10 months old.

We were all at a restaurant having a nice Sunday lunch. The kids at the next table kept saying, "Two babies! Look! They have two babies!"

The mom looked over and her eyes got wide as she looked from Avalon to Juna.

What did she say next?

"How much did she cost?"

Here's the thing. I'm just recently back from China. I'm still in that glowing honeymoon phase where I think I can help educate people about China and about adoption. I somehow think that maybe if I'm polite and positive to these people, I might actually help to educate them. Maybe I can be the person to open their minds a little bit. Maybe they will go on to tell someone of their encounter with us and share what they have learned.

And then the sugar plum fairies danced and fuzzy bunnies hopped around and lollipops fell from the clouds.

When am I going to wake up and realize that some people are called idiots for a reason. They were born an idiot, raised an idiot, and will die... an idiot.

So I'm doing my positive rehashing of our story and the lady interrupts me and asks, "Yeah, so how much maternity leave did you swing with this deal?"

I told her I stay at home and she looked dead bored with THAT answer. She turned back to her family and we all finished our meals.

In the end as we walked out of the restaurant, I did hear her say, "What a nice thing those people did."

I plan on keeping my cool with everyone we meet. I plan on being positive and helping to open some minds out there. I feel like I somehow represent the China adoption community now in my very small way and I want to be the best representative I can be.

So I'll be nice, but then I'll come here and make fun of them in my blog.

I can only be so nice for so long.

Rude comments- China

I'm getting more rude comments about China than rude comments about the adoption of a Chinese daughter.

I physically cringe when I hear them. My whole body stiffens and it takes me everything I have not shoot back something about the location of the person's head, if you know what I mean.

Talk about the Great Wall of China. There's an invisible Great Wall of America for some people who cannot think beyond America's borders.

Example. I was telling someone how kind the locals were to us. I gave examples- like being treated to dinner with locals we had recently met and their families. That was such a moving experience for us. And what did the person say back to me? "That's shocking, since the Chinese are such rude and nasty people."

Yeah. So you can see why I get upset. Then I realize that some people want to remain locked inside their minds and nothing I do or say will ever change that.

It's still irritating, tho.

Love To Daddy

I'm rollin over here, folks.

I was just reading my wish booklet from Juna's shower. Tara had everyone write down their wishes for us, their congrats, or advice.

My friends wrote such lovely things like- keeping doing what you're doing, you're doing great. Or, your family is so beautiful, congrats. Things like that.

I get halfway through the wish booklet and I see this:

DON'T FORGET TO SAVE SOME LOVE FOR DADDY!

All in caps. Not signed.

Does that mean what I think it means?

Because I know what kind of love daddy wants.

And I think that's what kind of love the person who wrote this meant.

And I think, I THINK, that Tara's Mom wrote it!!

If so, that's freakin hilarious.

August 4th. One Month Home. Perfect

Juna has been home one month. Today was an all China Day celebration.

For me.

Poor Matt. He got to stay home with the girls. Don't feel too bad for him. I brought him many tasty treats.

The day started with a visit from our friends who have a son born the same day as Juna, if you factor in the time difference between America and China. Here he is, with Juna and Avalon. Her shirt reads, "I TCPIP. But mostly IP." If you aren't laughing, you aren't a computer geek.

Gale, Debbie, Andrew, and I went out for dim sum. Below is a picture of part of our meal. Dim Sum arrives on carts to your table. You choose the dishes you wish to enjoy.
Top left are steamed buns filled with sweet yellow egg custard. Bottom left are pork filled dumplings. Straight across are BBQ steamed buns. On top of them are shrimp dumplings. And in the middle... wait for it... wait for it....

CHICKEN FEET!

The waiter below just brought us a cart with various flavored breads, sticky rice, and shrimp balls. He is very confused at why I am taking his picture. Note the people behind him are Asian. As were most of the people in the restaurant. That's how I knew the food would be good. And it was! Made even better by such good company. There were many leftovers, as Debbie kept ordering items so I could try them and then take the leftovers home to Matt.

From there, Debbie took me to the bakery next door. It was a small bakery with breads in various flavors and varieties. She selected several for me to try. Really looking forward to the cream filled bread. Of course. And this is why I'll never be thin.

Then we went to the Asian market next door to get some Pocky for Narnia. Pocky is like a pretzel stick covered in strawberry, blueberry or chocolate icing. She loves them, as does Gale. I find it funny that Gale and Narnia enjoy the same snack.

Then we went across the street to the Asian farmer's market. They had Hello Kitty Pocky along with Pocky for Men. According to the makers of Pucky, only men like dark chocolate.

I wanted to get some shots of the wet area of the store, but it was filled with employees who kept looking at me funny. Maybe because I was looking at them funny. Waiting for them to go away so I could take pictures.

Here's some clams.
Here's a shot of the inside of the market.

Here's Drrrrty Gale, as the guys at work call him. No pics of Debbie because I just got the back of her head. She moved, sneaky girl!
The cookie and sweets section of the market.
I brought my treats home and then got ready and got Juna ready and headed out to our shower, hosted by my friend Tara at Two Lines On A Stick fame. Link in the link section.

Tara went all out with the decorations. She created an Asian theme. Look below at the lamp on top of the red covered fireplace. It's a lamp with a Chinese character that she bought for the shower, then gave to me. You can also see the presents start to pile up and it's only 10 mins after the party started.
Other friends were instrumental in the planning of this shower. I have yet to hear who did what, but I'll find out so I can properly thank everyone. They really went all out for me.

Other parts of the party area were also decorated with Chinese party items. On the tables were Chinese takeout boxes filled with imported Chinese candies. Red and gold were the colors. Oh and the invitations had ladybugs, did I mention that before?

Then Katie showed up. Katie, mom of Sofie, (also linked) offered to bring food. Katie went to the Asian district and ordered authentic Chinese food for the party. I cannot believe she did that. The food was outstanding!

We played all the stereotypical baby shower games, which I loved because I've never done that before. The clothespin on your shirt game. If you said baby, China, or adoption, you lost your pin. The person with the most pins won a prize. I lost all my pins immediately and people kept sneaking pins onto my shirt. I ended up winning, but not really. I think everyone felt sorry for me because I was so bad at the game.

We played guess what's in the diaper. Six diapers with melted chocolate bars. Guess the name of the chocolate bar. We all did horribly with that one. The worst part is the smell of the chocolate mixing with the baby powder smell of the diapers. Those are two scents that do not belong together.

Tara passed around little cards for people to write well wishes, so she could make a wish chain. Loved that, too.

The take home party favor was a Chinese New Year red and gold envelope with a card with Juna's picture and her adoption date, a fan, and some candies.

Then it was present time. I cannot believe my friends. Cases of diapers. Cases of wipes. Outfits. Katie made personalized bloomers for Juna and Avalon. Baby food. I was just so touched by this. I knew it was a diaper shower, but I didn't expect so much! Really, really.. just amazing for them to do this for us.

Juna was outstanding. It was just my friends, no children, except Juna. She and I sat on the floor and she was hesitant at first, then crawled around and explored. She showed off by shaking her head no when people said no. She said Mama. She rubbed noses with me. Honestly, she was just a dream baby. She loved the wrapping ribbon and ribbon, as do all babies.

Bad pic of Juna, but this is the only one I got of her in her party dress. She started the party in her traditional Chinese dress. It was too small, so she changed into her party dress. It was too big. So she changed into her American Baby outfit.
I didn't get many pics, but friends did. I hope they are flattering pics of me. My goodness, I need to stop eating. No, seriously. Right now. Everything looks horrible, but especially my arms. When will it be winter so I can cover those ham hocks already. Must go back on diet. Must go back on diet.

Except the fridge is bursting with leftover Chinese food. And breads. And cake.

Eh, the fat will keep me warm all winter.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all of my friends. You really made this day so special for Juna and me. I am touched by your generosity! Really, I am so lucky to have you in my life.

You will need candles and flashlights when traveling to China

Here is the top response from people when they hear our China adoption travel story.

China has electricity?

People don't have much of an understanding of China adoptions, but they have an even less understanding of China in general.

That's one of the big reasons I have this blog. If I can help to educate just one reader out there about adoption or shed some positive light about China, then I've paid it forward for our fantastic adoption experience. That's why I am now posting pictures in my blog- (I had a no pictures policy in my old blog.) The story has more impact with visual aids. And you love pictures, don't you? I do, too. Bring on the pictures!!

I have to laugh at that China has electricity question. Especially since I fed the baby each night while watching quite the laser and light show each night from our hotel window at White Swan.

If there wasn't electricity, how would anything be Made In China?

My pain, my story

I'm really loving this blog.

A recent post about her grieving over her infertility and adoption struggles brought back all kinds of memories and all kinds of emotions.

It has taken seven years to get to where we are now with these three amazing little girls.

So many of you are new to my story, so I thought I'd take you down memory lane.

It took four years to conceive Narnia. You know how it goes- the first year is just trying, trying, trying. Then there's the clomid song and dance. Then surgery. Then clomid again. Then switcher-oo of doctors. Then yet another protocol that doesn't work. Then a brief period of not being insured. Then moving across country. Then finding the RIGHT doctor and all those tests again. Ooh but this time there's an MRI because there might be a brain tumor! Not only are you infertile, but you might be dying as well! Then BINGO, we've got the answer. You're not dying, your body is just extremely screwy! Now go on drugs to help the newly discovered PCOS (yeah, have fun with THAT one) and here's a drug for Parkinson's disease. Don't freak out, you don't have Parkinson's, but getting used to the drug is a bit tricky. It's normal to stand up, fall forward, and almost pass out. It will help you ovulate and you'll do anything to ovulate, won't you?

Ok... but DAMN, it worked.

Nine months of an easy going pregnancy. A perfect birth. But of course. Look, I paid my karmic debt. I deserve this much.

Oh, you must have really screwed up in a past life, because here's what's coming to you in the six months after giving birth:

A breast Cancer scare
surgery to remove my failing gall bladder
cracked a tooth, which lead to my first root canal
A repeat of the above only a short time later
A series of invasive tests to determine the cause of intense abdominal pain not related to the gall bladder
AND- (is this any surprise?)
postpartum depression

Here you go, here's the baby you've always wanted. Now let's spend the first six months of her life IN HELL.

And yet, things could be worse. So stop moping and move on!

The second pregnancy? Fertility treatment worked again! Only guess what? You get to experience.... drumroll please... a miscarriage! Because you don't have enough life experience yet, you crazy 30-something, you! Time for another trip to the hospital. This time, to remove the no longer living, but much wanted baby from your body.

Adoption. It's the right choice. And look, here's proof. A flawless process when it came to paperwork and home study. Got it all done in record time. THIS is going to go soooo smoothly. In six months, we'll have a referral. Oops! Not so fast! You get to be one of the very first logged in families to experience the now famous China adoption delay. And while you're agonizing over the wait, let's taunt you with rumors that the program might shut down entirely!!

Now go on a cruise and blow off some steam! Wasn't that fun? How come you're on land and still feeling green? Here, take a pregnancy test. Negative. Of course, what were you thinking?
Here's your period. Oh, that's funny. It's so light this time. Must be a post-vacation thing. Why are you throwing up in the sink? Here, take another test. HAHAH fooled ya! It's positive!

Oh, don't be so quick to celebrate. This is YOU we're talking about! You can't just be pregnant! No, let's try a high risk pregnancy this time. Because you haven't spent enough time getting tests performed, or in hospitals! You haven't lost a baby! Ooops, sorry. Our bad! This time, we'll taunt you with almost losing the baby several different times. Then bedrest. Oh, you have a 2 year old to take care of? Oh well!

Then, you'll come within hours of losing her and YOU when she's born 7 weeks early by an frightening emergency C section- vertical incision, please! You get to come home without your baby. You'll get to cry constantly because you're going through postpartum hormonal adjustments (how nice to say it that way) with no baby to hold and love. And... after all you've been through, let's give that baby some heart stops. Some interruptions in breathing. Oh, that's just normal preemie behavior. Not normal to you, but deal with it. You were the one who got knocked up on a cruise while adopting. This is what you deserve!

The adoption? Oh yes! Let's make you question it daily. Let's make the entire family turn against the idea. You have a preemie. What are you THINKING wanting to bring another child home at a time like this?

And here we are.

All those years and all those ups and downs later, here we are.


As you can tell from what I wrote above, and the way I wrote it, I'm still bitter. The pain of infertility eases up, but it never truly goes away.


Here's the positive side to everything I experienced (aside from the obvious, the children.)

I'm the strongest woman IN THE WORLD. Heh. No, seriously, I'm a tough mamma jamma.

Even tho I had it "bad," there are others who had it far worse. I came home from the hospital and China with my babies.

I can say that yes, you can love an adopted child as much as you love a biological child. You can fall in love with a picture of a baby you didn't give birth to and have never met. You can take that child into your arms and have that same fierce mama tiger protection feeling you have when your biological child is first placed in your arms. You can start to sing them a lullabye and begin to cry, because you love them so much. It's THAT good.

I don't take the precious time I have with my children for granted.

Life experience? Oh yeah, I've got some.

The noise inside my head? It's quiet now. My house is loud and crazy, but my head is quiet.

It's amazing how much space you have in your brain when you finally get to move out all that struggle for a family STRESSSSS.

For the first time in a very long time, I feel free.

And that, my friends who are still waiting, still struggling for a family, is what I wish for you. I hope your struggles make you strong and that the road to family ends in peace.

Goodbye. For now.

Look at that face.

So worth the past two crazy years.

I will blog my little heart out in China. Please bookmark my travel blog here:
Link
http://meiinchina.blogspot.com

I'll try to check in after we land in Hong Kong. If I can't for some reason, I will be sure to post from our friend's apartment in Hong Kong the next day/evening.

I'm not good at goodbyes. I get emotional and cry and then my nose turns red. It's not my best look.

So I will end this with a wave and a see you later.

Hold on, baby girl. We're almost there.

Live Blogging

I am going to "Live Blog" my day today. In reverse order for your reading pleasure. I want to document the day before we leave.

7PM
Ok done crying. My arms already ache. I still love this line (and I can't take credit for it, I heard it on an adoption show) "You're going to have your arms full!" It's so better than my arms being empty. Right now, my arms feel so empty. So I hugged the cats.

The luggage has been checked and re-checked. Paperwork checked and re-checked. Passports ready to go. Clothing set out for tomorrow. Ride confirmed for 445am.

There's nothing left to do except relax on the couch, then try to go to bed in the next few hours. Hah!

Ok. That's it for Live Blogging. Thanks for following my day.


6pm
I just said goodbye.

That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

4pm
A package at the door? From Disney? WOOHOOO!

When we went on our Disney cruise last year, we met some really wonderful people on the Dis Boards before we traveled. People would be on the same cruise and wanted to meet while on board. One woman was Jill. We became fast friends, had a great time hanging out while cruising, and stayed friends ever since.

Jill just sent my girls Disney Princess dolls- Cinderella, Ariel, and Mulan. What perfect timing. It will make leaving a little easier when one has a Princess to hug. Thank you Jill!

3:11pm
I just KNEW my big fat tomatoes were going to start blushing just before we left! They were taunting me. "The day you leave, we'll turn red." I showed them! I picked three and put them in the window sill. Tonight, we dine on home grown tomatoes.

Do you know how psyched I am? I GREW TOMATOES! ME! They are going to taste soooo goooood.

Bath time. The three year old wants to take the maters into the tub with her.


1:41pm
Does anyone actually enjoy doing laundry???

1141am
Just cleaned out the fridge. Wow this is a thrilling blog entry. Hmmm how to jazz it up? I was naked at the time? Hmmm I was going for thrilling, not frightening. Some of the stuff I threw away looked pretty frightening.

While cleaning out the fridge, I remembered to pack birth control. I really have no idea how the act of cleaning out the fridge made me think of... the act... of love... but hey, whatever works in NOT getting pregnant in China. Even tho the husband has been fixed and I am supposedly infertile, let's not take chances. We all know what happens when this family goes on vacation. The only baby we're bringing home this time is the one we are adopting. Thankyouverymuch.

Socks.. did I pack socks...? And yes, there is actually a connection between the above thought and this one. Make your own jokes.

1050am
This is how I will take breaks today and relax. Blogging.

Do you know why I'm doing this? Because for the past two years, I have lived for the adoption blogs leading up to travel. This is my public service to the adopting public. And yes, I will blog after we are home. Most bloggers don't do that. Don't you want to know how the story continues? I sure do. You're welcome.

Katie came by this morning with more electrical adapters. She had goosebumps, she was so excited for us. Of course, we wish we could have gone together in February as was originally planned with our Sept LIDs and all...

There's nothing funnier than when a baby eats peas for the first time. And doesn't like the peas. Which reminds me, better write a note to remember to pack the damn camera.


9:30am
Can I get a redo on this morning? We're a peaceful couple. We never fight. We rarely argue. This morning? We were both in rare form. The stress is getting to us.

I am truly fed up with this part of the process. I realized today this is how I process high stress situations. Two examples- when I perform on stage or when I've needed surgery for all the female related issues I've had. Including the emergency C Section. Weeks leading up to the event, I'm stressed, I'm scared, and I dread what is going to happen. Then the night before I just get fed up with the whole situation. Then the day of- I'm so calm. Moments before it's about to happen I go into a place inside my head where I'm no longer present. The Zone. So calm. So focused. Even before the emergency C Section when they thought we would both die, I just spread my arms out wide and said, "It's Show Time!"

I'm ready for my closeup.

Sigh... laundry calls. I'd let it go to voice mail, but then it will just pound on the door until I answer. This makes sense to me. Should I be worried? ;)

7am
As soon as I opened my eyes this morning, my heart began to pound with excitement. THis is it. It's almost show time! Unfortunately I woke up way too early and was not able to get back to sleep. The sleep deprivation starts now. I wish I was the type of person who could sleep. When times are stressful or exciting, forget it. Hello I'm up! I'm going to try really hard to get to bed early tonight. The alarm goes off at 4am.

Can you sleep on a plane? I can't. My husband bought me a kit that has a blanket, eye mask, ear plugs, and pillow. All in the color pink to match the suitcases. Dahling! Will it be of any use? Hell no. I'm like the kid in the Disney commercial. "I'm too excited to sleep!"

Two days and counting

I must admit I had a breakdown last night.

During the infertility days, I couldn't imagine a child getting on my last nerve. I swore that if I was lucky enough to have kids, I would never be aggravated by them.

Yeah, cuz I'm not human. I don't have emotions.

No matter how much you wanted your kids and how much you love your kids, they will get on your nerves. A lot. And it's ok. It's all part of the process.

So last night the kids were being awful. The three year old especially. I was livid. I kept thinking, "Why are you ruining our last few nights together before we leave????" She was in rare form.

It got so bad that I sat on the floor and cried. I just lost it. I was angry at them and angry at myself and freaked out and confused and worried and already missing them.

Motherhood is a whole mess of emotions. No one tells you that. No one warns you that motherhood can hurt.

My three year old wrapped her arms arms around me, while crying (oh the guilt I felt) and said, "Mommy, please don't cry. I love you."

More tears. Shaking sobs, actually. Oh those munchkins know how to get ya.

My mother refused to cry in front of me. She refused to show any emotion. She didn't want to appear weak. As a result, I grew up being overly emotional- that's what I truly believe. I want my children to see that mothers are humans. Emotions are normal. It's ok to experience and express them.

I hugged my girls tightly and we cried and then we laughed and went on with our night.

I am dreading goodbye in a few days. They cannot come with us. Maybe if they were older, sure. But now? No thanks. As much as I hate to leave them, they will be safer with friends and family where they will be cared for and loved. And I will be a saner mother on this adoption journey. Will I worry about them endlessly? Yes! Will I cry? Oh yeah. I already cry at night from missing them and I'm not even gone yet.

How about leaving the house and cats? Three cheers for my house sitter. A scary individual. Who loves cats! Why does that always go hand in hand? I'm sort of kidding. I'm not worried about the house/cats at all. I'd be worried about an un authorized person who tried to get into the house. My house sitter is scary. A good person to have on MY side. I know a lot of interesting people, don't I?

Speaking of which, remember yesterday I told you I found a Where's George dollar? I sent the guy who stamped the bill an email. He wrote back, telling me he was retired and he and his wife are "Georgers" as a hobby. He then gave me some tips on shopping in Hong Kong. How cool is that? A random event brought someone into my life who gave me advice on a place I will be visiting in a few days. I have to admit I entered a few George's yesterday. Anyone who gets my George's will find a note online, telling them they have excellent George Karma coming their way.

I embrace my inner geek. Life's a ball when you're a big ol' nerd.

So what else is up?

Tonight my husband has to put together the crib. A friend from the mom's group gave us her crib. Months ago. And yet, it still sits there, waiting to be assembled. I'm ahead in some ways, way behind in others.

The other day, my friend came by with her Mei Tai for lend while we are away. It's an Asian style baby carrier. It ties apron style around your back. The baby rests in the front. She had a really cool one with multi colored skulls on the front. From afar, it just looks flowery and design-y. Up close, it's skulls. You'd never guess she'd be the type of mom who would have such a thing. Until you learn of her punk rock past. We all have a past. Some pasts are just more interesting than others! I chose her pink stripey Mei Tai. Don't want to upset anyone with my baby being carried in a skull baby carrier. Heh.

Today my fabulous friend Katie dropped by some books for the plane and adapters for electricity.

Today my friend in Hong Kong said she and her husband will pick us up at the airport Friday and escort us to our hotel, which is only five mins away. But still- isn't that nice? She says she will have a Hong Kong goodie bag for us. I will be sure to take pictures.

Today my mother is coming to watch the girlies while I get in some "studio" time. You mean the Mac in my bedroom? Hey- one day I will have a professional recording studio in the house. Not this house. The house we will buy when I one day land that big Mcdonalds commercial.

A geek can dream.

The Adoption Bride

Three days to go, guys. Three days.

My Mother In Law was in town this weekend, en route to an orchestra conference. She brought her violin. I was unaware she brought her violin until she started playing while I was in the other room. This proves how preoccupied I am. Of course she'd have her violin for an orchestra conference! I quickly grabbed the video camera, so the girls will always have footage of their grandmother's talent.

I walked into the room to find our three year old dancing "ballet." Her version of ballet. Which involves graceful but extremely dramatic movement. And a lot of falling down to the floor. When Nana would pause the music, my daughter would grab her skirt and bow all the way to the floor. Then she raced for her instrument box and played each different instrument while Nana played along. Drums, harmonica, jingle bells, rain stick. Then more ballet.

I hope my daughter one day treasures that video footage. I never got to meet my grandmother, so I realize how special the time she has left with her own grandmothers truly can be.

Kudos to my Husband's mother, for traveling all over the world for these conferences. She's in her 70s! I'm 36 and the thought of flying to Hong Kong has exhausted me.

I can't even describe my headspace right now. I'm about to have a baby! I'm about to have a baby down 15 pounds with no aches or pains or worries about going into labor. Has that stopped the labor dreams? No. Has that stopped the, "I can't feel my baby move, did she die in utero" dreams? No. The only similarity is that there is a suitcase packed and waiting for the moment we must dash away. Only this time it's a muuuuuuch larger suitcase. And we know the exact moment we must dash away.

What's left to do? A pediatrician appointment today. Last minute recording on Tuesday. Weds is a free day to clean the house and get it ready for the house sitter. And Thursday? Wow.

3 days. I'm no longer the bridesmaid. I'm finally the bride.

It's mosquito season. Again. Bah.

There's a lot of glass block in this house. When people visit from other areas of the country, they are baffled by the amount of glass block in this house. Even for a city home in this area of the country, we STILL have a lot of glass block! Usually the city homes have glass block porthole style windows. We have an entire exterior wall made of glass block. Glass block, glass block, glass block. How many times can one use glass block in a paragraph? Numerous times if you are describing my house!

Good thing I like glass block.

I especially like the modern swanky homes that have glass block privacy walls in the bathroom. Ones that are lit from within. Oooh. Ahhhhhh. Not my house. The glass block used in my home is plentiful, but not stylish.

So last night I'm standing next to the exterior glass block wall. And I see a mosquito buzzing around outside. He's frantically trying to get into the house via the glass block. Zzzz Bang! Zzzzz Bang! He keeps hitting his mosquito face against the glass block.

And here's me. Flipping him off and going, "Neener neener, bastard! You can't get in! MUAH HAH HAH HAH!"

And then I realized I was flipping off a mosquito.

And for a second, I felt a weeeeeee bit crazy.

But since no one was looking, I did a little wiggle dance and kept on flippin.

Stupid mosquitos. They take the fun out of summer.

Monday- 11 days until we leave

Our schedule for China has been finalized. Here it is!


Schedule in China

Fri, June 22
Arrive in Hong Kong 345pm
Stay at Novotel City Gate Hotel

Sat, June 23
Sightseeing with Vince and Michelle in Hong Kong

Sun, June 24
GOTCHA DAY!!!
Flight to Nanchang
Arrive 1pm
(Our travel group from Beijing arrives the same time)

Stay at Gloria Plaza Hotel

Meet Baby in the afternoon!!!!


Mon, June 25
Registration and notary

Tue, June 26
Free day in Nanchang

Wed, June 27
Sightseeing: TengWeng Pavilion in the morning

Thur, June 28
Sightseeing: Countryside – Chinese village

Fri, June 29
Get the passport and all paperwork back, do paperwork for the ACS,
Flight to Guangzhou
Leave 5:10p- arrive 6:35p

Stay at White Swan Hotel

Sat, June 30
Happy Birthday Matt!!
Medical examination for children

Sun, July 1
Free day

Mon, July 2
Appt at ACS, Farewell Dinner

Tues, July 3
Go to ACS to take oath and get the visa in the afternoon around 6:00pm

Wed, July 4
Happy 9 year wedding anniversary!
Fly out of GZ at 845am
Fly out of Hong Kong at 1245pm
Arrive in Chicago 15 hours later
Five hour layover
Fly home- arrive 9pm

It's a dead man's party, who could ask for more?

Leave your body and soul at the door. Along with your shoes.



But please enjoy some delicious birthday/death cake while you're at it.



"Happy Birthday." "Don't die." Blow out the candles instead.



Being of sound mind??? You should always sign your will while wearing bunny ears.

Recipe for the perfect happy birthday/don't die will signing party?
Taco bar
Cemetery cake
Good friends who are willing to take your kids and handle your estate
Many jokes about all the fun they will have after you're gone.

Packed

It's 3pm on Saturday as I write this, and we're almost alllll packed. AHHHH can I tell you how happy this makes me feel? For those who are fans of Friends, I'm kind of like Monica Geller in how I obsess over things like that.

Oh, and the bags are under the weight limit.

And there's room to spare.

The contents are so incredibly organized, too. Have a cold? All cold medicines are in the plastic ziplock labeled, "Cold." Tummy troubles? Find the "Tummy" bag. Need sunscreen or bug spray? It's in the bag labeled, "skin." Need a quick shower before rushing off somewhere? Grab the "Shower" bag. Toothpaste and spare brushes are in the "tooth" bag. Including extra toothbrushes in case we rinse the brush in tap water on accident.

And on and on it goes.

The clothing suitcase is organized like this:
Hong Kong clothing on top for our two nights there.

We might get the baby only hours after flying into Nanchang that Sunday. We need to bring the gift bags for the nannies to "Gotcha Day" so their gifts and bags are right under the Hong Kong items, which will be placed on the bottom of bag when done.

The diaper back pack will be ready to go before we even get on the plane to Nanchang.

Baby toys and items for the moments after Gotcha Day are next in the suitcase.

All of this and a Mandarin lesson this morning with my friend in China.

And it's only 3pm. Hours to go before I sleep. Hours to go before I sleep.

Will to live

We need a will. We need to celebrate my husband's birthday. Hey, let's do both at once!

Sunday we will have a Happy Birthday/Please don't die (but if you do, can I have your kids?) party.

Sunday we will have over to our house:
The people who get our kids if we die.
The man who knows way too much about probate court.
The woman who is a notary.

I think it's a bit eerie that these are the people we always have over for the family birthday parties. It's also eerie that the guy who works in Probate is the guy who would be the executor of our will. It's almost TOO perfect that our good friends are people who know way too much about wills to begin with. If this was a Hollywood movie, it would be the perfect set up. A preparation for when we DIE in China.

My friends know this, but you might not know this. YEARS before we even decided to adopt, I had a horrible nightmare that we died in a plane crash on the way to China. Very very graphic dream. The next day we were walking in the park and I said to my husband, "Yeah, it was a bad dream, but it's not like we're ever going to CHINA or anything."

And here we are.

My friends in China believe in opposites in dreams. A plane crash means a safe journey. Or maybe they're blowin smoke just to make me relax. Or shut up. I tend to drone on and on about my freaky China plane crash dream from years ago. My friends are reading this and nodding.

Even with those fears, it still hacks me off when people hear of our plans to travel and they say, "Oh, you need a will for sure now!" I ask if they have one. "No, but we're not big travelers." It's like they think traveling is the only sure way to die? How about going to the store to get some milk? It happens. It happens in all situations.

When we got married, we got life insurance. Now that we're parents, we need a will. It's just what you (should) do.

I should know this more than anyone. I saw my mom struggle when my dad died. She had no clue where the bills were, what was paid, what was what, what he wanted, and how she'd pay the bills because he didn't have life insurance.

Making up a will and showing your friends what to do in case you die sounds pretty morbid. I'm going to turn it into a celebration. It's the responsible thing to do. I owe it to my children. I owe it to my friends who would be left to clean up the mess that is our house, bills, and finances, should we both exit the planet at once. It's bad enough that people would be in mourning, but add all the hassles on top and blehhhh.....

Another great thing that happened as a result of China. If it weren't for China, we'd still be dragging our feet on this.

We're getting a cake. I'm playing with some ideas right now. Black cake. Maybe skull and crossbones. "Hope you don't die, but if you do, RIP."

Yeah, I'm scared. I'm hardly ever without the kiddos. If we fly, they fly. Wherever we go, they go. Still, that's not a guarantee we'd all go at once.

Just know that if we DO die, we died doing something we believed in. Our children would be going to an amazing family. They would keep our memory alive. They would respect that the kids came from two oddball people and let our kids have their own personalities and respect those personalities. They'd stay in this city. They'd be with parents who are very similar to us in education, goals, discipline, and outlook on life.

But that's not going to happen. This baby needs us. Our children need us. We have a lot left to do on this earth.

Until then, Happy Birthday. We're responsible adults.

Only if she's 5'3

We got an update on the baby's measurements today.

She is 7 months old
14.6 pounds
25 inches tall
16 inch head circumference
3 inch chest
3.7 inch shoe

1 tooth!

Hong Kong Phooey

We just booked our hotel stay in Hong Kong.

Novotel City Gate

It's five mins from the airport. There is a shuttle to the hotel. Very important because when we land, it will be 3am Central Time. 4pm Hong Kong. I can't sleep on planes. I am going to be very tired.

Our friends are going to meet us at the airport and escort us to the hotel, then to dinner.

We took advantage of a hotel promotion where they sell rooms for half off if you make a no cancellation reservation. We booked an Executive Level, which runs about 350 USD per night but with the promotion, we are getting a swanky room for a pretty normal US hotel price.

We could have stayed in a lesser room, but we deserve this, dammit.

From what I've researched, the hotels on the rest of our journey will be just as nice. Hopefully not as pricey. But just as nice.

Another step completed!

Yes, but is LISTerine on your LIST?

Behold! Bubblegum pink suitcases. Cat who appears to be possessed by aliens not included.

Is my husband man enough to trot hot pink suitcases around the airport?

Packing!!

You guys! Packing for this trip is HARD. Like, totally hard and stuff. Like, ya know?

See! The stress is getting to me. I'm a walking freak show! Me and my lists. Lists lists lists. Everywhere a list.

Even my suitcases have lists. So I don't go, "Did I remember to pack my....?" And I can go to the lists and see that yes, I did remember. Or -oh crap, gotta run to the drugstore yet again.

I'm packing for 11 people I haven't met. See, it's customary to bring gifts for those involved in your adoption process. The nannies, the orphanage director, your guide, the notary, etc. Plus gifts for the friends I've been talking to online.

Combine that with the luggage/weight restrictions for in-China travel and yeah, no wonder my lists have lists. We're at our bag maximum and I'm afraid over the weight maximum. Awww, how sad. Even my bags are overweight.

This is why you start packing weeks in advance. So you can weight the bags and pack and repack again.

Here's how it's going.

My carry on and Husband's carry on- medicines, OTC medicine and toiletries to freshen up mid flight, clothing in case our bags get lost, paperwork for adoption.

2 packpacks (1 will act as diaper bag.) His will have laptop/electronics. Mine will be packed as a diaper bag already with room left over for snacks for us and entertainment items.

I am not bringing a purse. I am a backpack diaper bag kinda gal and I'm going to buy oodles of purses in China.

Large bag- Baby's clothing, our clothing, gifts, gift bags

Smaller bag- toiletries and baby items.

Now I know why people only bring 3 outfits and make use of the laundry services at the hotels. There's no room for more outfits.

So that's what I tried to do today. Phase 1 of packing has started.

I didn't mention that we had our visit with the DR on Friday. Our doctor is a hottie in disguise. He is probably 30 and goes out of his way to play down his looks to make himself appear older. It's scary that our doctors are now younger than us.

Doc prescribed the meds we will be taking to China. Antibiotics, sleep aids, and scabies cream. Oh my! Yeah, he gave us the scabies talk and I swear I itched for hours afterwards. Our total price for all medications was only 50 bucks. How funny that I cheer over something "only" being 50 bucks!

Medicines- done!

There's still a million little things to take care of. Ooh but I have lists for everything! Buy travel insurance. Notify credit card companies.. blah blah the boring stuff.

Next weekend we meet with the wonderful family who will inherit our house and children should we DIE on this trip. AHHHH oh THAT'S a post for another time. My death fears. So funny because we're doing all we can to prepare for the worst on this trip and yet you're more at risk just running errands each day. These plans should have been in place a looong time ago. Eh, at least it's finally getting done.

THe weekend after that husband's mother comes to town for a visit. We will have the family birthday celebration for husband then. Gotta get a cake... oooh something to add to my list!

And now you see why I'm so frantic???

This stage is so overwhelming. And it happens while life is still going on around you. You still have to work, you still have to take care of the kids/pets/yourself/family/the house. You wish you could just pause everyone and everything for a second while you complete your tasks.

Maybe it happens this way for a reason. It keeps you so frantic and crazy so you don't have time to get emotional over missing your child. Oh, I get that too. But I just know she's being taken care of right now and we're coming soon. Nothing I can do but prepare to get her.

This blog is good for me. I can get all this out and clear my mind and go surf True Mom Confessions or something.