Come & Gone

Here is the new "do!" Not too different at all.

June 1st has come & gone. I've made it. I have survived 46 years, 6 weeks by 4 days.

I'm still worried but I don't think I'm as scared as I have been. David has been edge & asked me about how I was feeling. Actually, I feel fine. A little stressed, but other than that nothing is bothering me.

Yay me!

So what did I do to celebrate? I cut off my hair. Actually, I didn't cut it all off - just 6 inches. I still have enough hair to put into a decent pony tail. I spent the last 2 days trying to find a place to go. I have some clients who wanted to work with my hair, & I thought about it. Then I realized that being as picky as I am with my hair, I didn't want to worry about "What if I don't like what they do?" I ended up walking into a Hair Cuttery telling the stylist to cut my hair to just below my shoulders. I didn't even flinch!

Shari & Myke.

They won! They fought the battle & won it all!

My friends Shari & Myke left for Vietnam Friday night to adopt their beautiful child Chianna. Adoption in Vietnam is very different than adoption from China - unless of course things have vastly changed since 2003. Shari & Myke were supposed to visit Chianna yesterday and have their G&R (Giving & Receiving) ceremony this afternoon. Their Vietnam contact Thuy told them that orphanage was moving up the G&R to 9:00 am today so when they went for their visit yesterday, they were allowed to take custoday of Chianna & bring her back to their hotel. After the adoption battle they went through, this was truly a blessing.

I have been following this journey of their's from the very beginning. Let me say that I have never seen a man so involved in the adoption process. Most of the women I know say that they filled out the paperwork, & their spouses followed along wherever they were led. Who knows? Was it easier for them to do it this way? Did it actually happen this way, or is it what they remember of the process? Are the women just that much more organized? I don't know. David was this way. I think of it as being shell-shocked. Myke seemed to be very into the whole process.

The other night, I was talking with him. It came to me during this conversation how similar he is to my own husband. Both of them went along on the Adoption Roller Coaster to Hell. Both of them supported their wives during the ups & the downs. And both of them said to me that until they take custody of their child, it wasn't really happening.

Myke, if you ever read this, I am so happy that you have gotten off the Adoption Roller Coaster to Hell. Seeing the picture of you in the car, almost praying, brought me to tears. I know in my heart of hearts that you're going to be a hell of a daddy. (G-d knows you've had plenty of practice with your own niece & now nephew &, of course, with all of the FCC children.) I know that you have many of the same worries. It will all be fine in the end. And, Mr. Pied Piper of S FL, we can safely say that your special magic works no matter what country you are in.

Shari, I couldn't be any happier for you than I am right now. There are no words that I can think of. You are a persistent woman & once you have a goal in sight, there is nothing that will stop you.

Congratulations Mommy & Daddy! Welcome to the Roller Coaster of Parenthood!

Where have all the years gone?

Growing up, both David & I were members of the B'nai Brith Youth Organization. It's a wonderful group & has given us a lifetime of memories along with amazing friends. While we both belonged to BBYO, I belonged to the NSR Region (Nassau-Suffolk) in NY & David belonged to the Gold Coast Council in FL.

FaceBook has given me the opportunity to reunite online with my friends from BBG. It was wonderful to hear from Adrian, Ellie, Niki & Meryl. Time & distance have changed but we still seem to be basically the same. During the course of finding my pals, I found out that there was going to be a BIG reunion. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend. It's not as easy to just pick up & go as I'd like. We have a group on FB so I got to see the pics & video clips. It looks like everyone had a blast.

David, on the other hand, is still friendly with a few of the people from that era. Or rather, I'm friendly with some of them. Let's face it. My husband is the love of my life, but he is no social butterfly. One of our close friends is actually his very first girlfriend. Faith lives seconds away from us. She got on a kick a few months ago about wanting to find the people from this era.

We all thought she was nuts, but we all should have known better. Faith on a mission is undeterred. She found almost everyone!

Last night we had a reunion of the L'Atid & Exodus BBYO chapters at a local restaurant. I've known some of these people in one way or another since 1982 - the year I met David. My husband usually goes nowhere. I was really proud of him for making the decision to go last night. Watching him meet up with his old friends & reminisce was great. There is nothing that makes me happier than watching him smile & hearing him laugh. Last night I had a glimpse of the 19 year old boy I fell in love with. He was one of the key people in his chapter. According to Faith, many people just wanted to know if Dave was going to be at the reunion. He was really concerned because he isn't who he used to be. I reminded him that none of us are who we used to be. Thank G-d!

For the first time in about 20 years, I was the one on the outside looking in. It was sort of odd since I'm the social butterfly in this relationship. I was thrilled though. He got to see his old friends, chit chat & have a good time.

Many of us in the group have children in college. Then there are those of us (David & I) who will have children in college & be using walkers. ;-) Some of the people realized that our children are older now than when they were all palling around "back then."

It was a great night. Thanks to Faith for putting this all together.

Pics later!

From Orange to Purple in an Hour (Monday, 2/23/09)

First you sit & wait to be told to get onto the mat.

Then you kick with all your might.

(And a whole bunch of other stuff that didn't come out on mommy's camera.)

Then you get this!

Your purple belt.

Congratulations Erin!

Mama & Dada are so darn proud of you!

They Heard Us! They Heard Us! Our Vote Rocked the World!

I couldn't stay awake last night. By 10:30 I was exhausted. It had been a full day at the bank with work & talk of the election. David & I had planned on ordering dinner in so that we could concentrate on the election coverage. I spent the evening watching the coverage & IMing with my friend Lisa. Like so many Americans, we were waiting to see what would happen. Well, I couldn't handle it anymore & went to bed.

Sometime around midnight, David came in to wake me up with the news. We have a new President - Barack Obama. I went back to sleep. And at 3:00 am I woke up & asked David if I had heard him correctly. He wasn't happy at being woken up but sleepily said yes.

When I woke up this morning, it was with a smile. Of course I am also crying here.

The People have been heard. The country has realized that it really is time for change. No longer do we have to listen to someone telling us that there are no problems with the economy. We have an incoming president who understands that there are problems - and not just with our economy.

History has been made. Congratulations President Elect Obama!

Celebrating 6

Gee. I just realized that it's been a while since I posted! Bad me! Anyway, life is crazy as always. I've been reading everyone's blogs but haven't wanted to post without pictures. I decided to post minus the pics. They'll be coming. Soon.

This past Sunday was Erin's 6th birthday party. We held it at American Twisters & including Erin there were 32 children in attendance. Not too bad, right? Ha! Then you have all the parents that attend. That means a total of almost 80 people.

Erin had a total blast! We couldn't have wished her to have a better time. She picked out the theme Tinkerbell & the cake - Tinkerbell white cake with custard filling. She wore her Tinkerbell t-shirt & hat. Are we sensing a common theme here? The funny thing is that she wasn't into Tinkerbell until the end of the school year.

Now I happen to love organizing parties. I'm pretty good at it, & can usually get it all finished 2 weeks before the actual party. This time I wasn't totally finished till the day before. Then there were the RSVPs. Those who said "yes" but couldn't make it at the last minute. And, of course, those who showed up without ever calling to say anything. This year I had personalized keepsake boxes so I really stressed out when a mother showed up with her twins but never called me. And let's not forget the family who told someone else that they'd see her at Erin's party but, again, didn't call me. I can't really fault them. They've only been in the US for 3 years, & aren't comfortable with English. They really are a lovely family. ARGH!!!

Either way, it was a totally great day for Erin. She came home to open her presents & had just as much fun with that part of the day. She even helped clean up!

The night before the party, Erin had an online birthday party with her friend Kerri. Kerri & her family live in Canda so we knew she wouldn't be there. Her parents & I wanted the girls to have fun & celebrate. We all went & got cupcakes so they could have cake together & Erin could open her presents from Canada. Such fun!

Yesterday was the big day! Erin turned 6. She woke up in a great mood & couldn't get into our bed fast enough for morning snuggles. During camp they went to a place called Jumpers & had black & white cookies as a special treat. For dinner Erin decided that she wanted her sushi so we ordered in & got her a shrimp tempura roll. Then she passed out & fell asleep. Yay for us!

And so my girl is now 6. I can't believe how blessed we've been. Thank you G-d above for this miracle child!

Now They Are Sisters

Erin is amazing. When my friends Lori & Marc went back to China for their Mischief Man (a/k/a Ethan), Erin fell in love immediately. Now don't mistake me here. Erin adores their daughter Katie Starr & the rest of her China friends. However, the first time that she saw Ethan, she pointed to him & said "He's mine." Erin begged for a brother for quite a while after Ethan came home, but David & I explained to her that our family is complete. I'm pretty sure that in her mind, we're not done, but yes, we really are.

Anyway, after Erin & I got home from our monthly FCC luncheon this afternoon, David & I started to go through things. Erin will be 6 on July 30th, & things are changing for her. Toys that were fine a week ago are no longer fine. It's also time for our bi-annual purge of "stuff." While deciding what to purge, David finally came across the collection of dolls I've been saving for Erin. One of those dolls is a Gali Girl doll by the name of Reyna. I kept Reyna hidden since Erin wasn't really ready for the older dolls. This past Chinese New Year, I also purchased her a Karito Kids doll by the name of Wan Ling. Erin's had Wan Ling in her room but shown no interest.

Well, David & I decided that today we should allow Erin to have Reyna. The story of Reyna is that she is from Kaifeng China. Kaifeng is known among other things for having a Jewish community which is very old dating back to the 12th century. I explained to Erin that Wan Ling is Chinese American but Reyna is actually from China. I told her that there truly are Jewish people in China but that is not the norm. Reyna came wearing her own Jade Jewish Star & also had an extra one for the little girl who would own her. Since Erin already wears one, I offered to put the Star around Wan Ling's neck which went over really well. We had a minor chat about how now Wan Ling would be Jewish & is converted just like Erin was.

I guess what we talked about made sense to her. She just assumed that Reyna & Wan Ling would be sisters. All she had to say is "Now they are sisters."

Ta Da! As Promised, Here They Are . . .

These are some of the pics from our Travel Group Reunion in San Antonio

Happy Father's Day!!

David is not only a great husband & friend, but he is also an amazing daddy. From the man who once told me he wasn't sure about having kids, he has become SUPER DADDY!!!

When we got off the plane in China, David was still unsure about becoming a dady. When I handed Erin to him the first time, he melted. Just the other day, he told me that fatherhood was so great. He is sure that he didn't want children until he did because then we wouldn't have Erin. I've tried telling him that he always had it in him to be a good father. I think that he finally gets it. When Erin looks at him, with total adoration on her face, he is always surprised that it's for him. But he really is great. David has opened Erin's eyes to so many cool hobbies & experiences. She loves many of the things he loves - astronomy (okay so she calls it looking at sparklies & fuzzies), radio control, building models.

And they really love each other so whole heartedly. I couldn't be prouder of the 2 loves of my life.

Enjoy your very special day my love! You deserve it.

Sitting in My Office & Realizing

Yesterday morning, I was sitting in my office typing an email to one of my co-workers when it hit me.

It was Friday, May 30th. Exactly 5 years ago the day before, David warned me. We were not opening the suitcases & repacking them AGAIN. He was done. There was no more. We were getting ready to go to sleep. Why? Because exactly 5 years ago today, at this very minute, my in-laws were walking through our front door to take us to our last breakfast as a family of 2. They had asked if they could be the ones to take us to the airport when we left for China. It took us 5 seconds to say "yes" at the same time to them.

Why? Because they were the reason we were finally going to be parents. Back in the summer of 2000, they had asked us to come for a visit. Not too unusual mind you, but they said they wanted to talk to us. Huh!? WTF!? That day in 2000 changed our lives forever. They wanted to know what they could do to help us become parents. So. Erin if you want to know the truth, you were brought into our lives because of a simple question from Grandma & Grandpa. But I digress. (As usual.)

Anyway. Now it's Saturday, May 31st. And 5 years ago, David & I were on a plane headed to China. It was a hellishly long flight, & David had never been on a plane with me before. (BTW, he hasn't been on one with me since then either.) We had met some of the families who would become fixtures in our lives from this time on. My feet swell unbelievably when I fly, so I got up to walk around. As I was walking, I remember going to my travel mates, Amy, Sherry, Parris Christina & a few others. I told them that since we "were in labor," this was our time "to push." So here we were 6 or 7 women walking this huge plane doing the Lamaze breathing method saying "we can do this" for about 3 or 4 times. Talk about a bonding experience. Our hubbies thought we were nuts, & we were. We still are.

Tomorrow it will be exactly 5 years that we landed in China. And our lives changed forever.

Thank G-d!

(BTW, when I say exactly, it's because the days this year follow the days 5 years ago. See! I told you I'm nuts. These are the things that drive me.)

Pay It Forward!! Wanna Play?

I found my friend Viv playing a game, & I think it sounds really neat. I'm all about having fun & playing games, so I'm joining in. How about you? Wanna play?

Yes? Well, here's how you do it.

1. I will send a gift of my choosing to the first three (3) people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join the Pay it Forward exchange.


2. You must make the same commitment on your own blog.

So if you want a goodie, please leave me a comment. I'll need your snail mail address so that I can get your gift out. We can take care of that offlist.

She reads! She reads! Holy cow! She reads!

Erin has a very extensive library of books. When I had my baby shower, the girl who gave it for me asked everyone to bring a book so Erin could have a library. Jenn knew that both David & I are avid readers & wanted to intill a love of the written word in Erin as young as possible. Before Erin's first birthday, she had about 50 books. Unfortunately, she never liked to have either David or me read to her. She preferred to "read" her books herself. This usually meant that she would look at the pictures, tell us a story that she saw & turned the pages.

This evening Erin asked me if she could read a book to me. Of course I said yes. I was prepared for her to stumble through the book & get frustrated with the words she doesn't know. One of my favorite books that I've been waiting for her to read is Green Eggs and Ham. It's also one of her favorites. There was a week that I had to read that book to her about 5 times a day every day. She just really got it.

Well. My girl can read! Erin read Green Eggs and Ham to me tonight. She did a great job! I am so proud of my little reader! May she continue to read & develop the same love of books that her daddy & I have!

A Nice Relaxing Evening

Ah yes. I love Friday nights. We eat dinner as soon as I get home & then watch a movie of Erin's choice. It's a nice relaxing evening.

Today I was lucky & got out of the office at 5:00. I invited David & Erin to meet me at the office so we could go to Red Lobster for an early dinner. Erin loves Red Lobster & although she had a hard time with her behavior, I deserved a treat for my miserable week. She ate half of her popcorn shrimp & some french fries. We all left the restaurant, & David went to go shop for some stuff for Star. Erin & I went home with a quick stop at Publix to pick up dessert for the evening.

So now I sit here on the couch watching The Fabulous Thunderbirds, catching up on email & blogs. And listening to David & Erin snore.

Great night, huh?

Random Pics

I've been remiss. A few weeks ago Erin went to a birthday party for her friend Olivia who was turning 2. She played with her friends, & I played with mine. The kids bounced, jumped & had a blast. The moms got into the bounce, snapped pics & had a blast.

Ah! Purim! Let the fun begin!

Yesterday Erin's school had their Purim celebration.

I must have looked like a crazed person at the mall the day before. I ran to the Disney store after work on Thursday to purchase a princess dress for Erin to wear. The previous year she wore a Belle dress from WalMart & had welts on her waist because the tulle edges hadn't been covered. This year I decided to spend the money so she would have fun & no problems.

It was worth it. Miss Donna put Erin's hair into a ponytail since I'm hair-style deficient. Miss Wanda put a pretty pink ribbon into Erin's hair. What did I do? I left my cameras in the car. Duh! I've never done that since forgetting to take pics the day we readopted Erin. Thankfully, Miss Donna offered to use the school's camera for this pic. Later in the day, Miss Belinda emailed this to me at work. Thank G-d for these special ladies at her school! I haven't figured out what I'm going to do next year. Maybe they'll move with Erin to public school? (I can hope!)

You Go Girl! Again!

She's done it again! Erin has amazed me beyond words today. I don't know why I'm shocked though.

Last night Erin decided that she doesn't want to have a nightlight on in her room anymore. I thought for sure that she'd change her mind, get up in the middle of the night & turn it on. Nope. Not only did she leave it off, but she also fell asleep & stayed asleep till this morning. BTW, she's trying it again tonight. I wonder if this will be it. Will she fall asleep easier? Will she stay asleep? I hope so.

This morning Erin told me in the car that she was going to do something special for her daddy's birthday. She wanted to make a birthday card for him so I told her that he would love to get a special card just from his little girl. When she came home tonight, she gave him a birthday card that she made in aftercare. She must have told her friends because one little girl who she's really friendly with made David a card also.

Tonight we ordered dinner in for David's birthday. He worked late & then had to pick Erin up because I was supposed to have a meeting which would last until 6:15 - 6:30. (Yay! We got out early!) Anyway, I was going to stop off at the grocery store & pick up birthday subs (yes we have made subs a weekday birthday tradition) but when I say it was pouring, I mean the heavens above opened up & just let it all come down. And, of course, the lightening was pretty nifty too. That said, we ordered in. Erin asked for miso soup again along with her shrimp tempura roll. While she didn't finish either the roll or the soup, we're pretty impressed.

Okay Erin. Here's your "High 5!"

Two Weeks of Vacation!? What to do? What to do?

I love vacations. Really I do. It's been absolutely ages since I've 2 weeks off at one time. In fact, the last time I had this much time was in 2003 when I had off 3 months for maternity leave. Since then, the only other time was 2 years ago when I visited my dad & stepmother in CA. Even then I had to beg to get that time off.

I have off this whole next week also. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I did. Last week was all about CNY & having time with Susan & her family. This week I have lots of plans.

• Trip to IKEA - my first. Going with my friend Lisa so we can enjoy our first time together. Our friend Mich is never going to believe that we finally made it there so I'll be snapping pics.
• Scrapping - yay! I have some neat pages planned.
• Reorganize the mess that is currently known as my home. Specifically, I'm going to try & rearrange Erin's room.
• Friday I'm going to Erin's school show. They've been working really hard on this, & it's her last so David is coming also.
• Butterfly World this weekend
• Relax
• Relax
• Relax
• Relax
• Have lunch with hubby hopefully

Not much is planned as you can see. I really need this week & am looking forward to not clogging the brain cells with too much.

Yay! Vacation Here we are!

We're here! We're here! Yes.  Our trip to Spring Hill has finally happened.  Erin & I finally got on the plane this morning.  No sooner than we buckled up, than Erin asked me where Uncle Art & Aunt Susan were.  She d h to know why they weren't waiting for her on the plane.  I could have died laughing!

At the Tampa airport there is a shuttle that takes you from where the plane lands to the actual baggage claim area.  Again Erin wanted to know where Aunt Susan was.  Before I could answero her, Isabella came running up to us with the other girls following behind.  As soon as we said our hellos, Susan & I headed over to Starbucks.  Yummy!!

The rest of the day has been spent getting ready for the Chinese New Year luncheon.  Shopping for material so we could have red couch photos.  Making name tags for everyone attending.  Seating arrangements.  And so much more.

It's been a great day this first day of my vacation!

Stress? What stress?

I am so thankful. Most of the things stressing me out are either completed or on their way to completion.

The bank merger is complete. Now all we have to do is welcome our new clients & get them used to the new way of doing things. And let's face it. That in & of itself is stressful. People don't like change. I have a feeling that it won't be as hard this time as it was on the last go around.

My second job now worries me no more. My decision is done. Finished. Completed. At the end of the school year, I am out of there. I will miss it, but I will be saner. For the first time in over 20 years, I will have my Sunday mornings to myself - oh, & David too. I will get to be one of those mothers who drop their child off at school & go for coffee or work in the school as a volunteer. I've waited a lifetime for this, & next year is my turn. Yay!

Now if I could only start sleeping through the night. This blogging at 4:00 am is for the birds. I guess I still have some things on my mind. Like getting on a plane this coming Saturday for Erin & my vacation. I hate flying. Uh oh. I see I've found something else to stress about. Go figure. I can't have it easy, can I?

Mama Can I . . .

. . . please take a shower!?

Are you picturing me falling down in utter shock? You should. Something seems to have clicked for Erin in the last 2 weeks. This child who looks at a bathtub with fear in her eyes & screams when it comes to putting her head in the water, has become a shower loving person.

Last week, Erin asked me if she could take a shower. I thought about it & said sure. After all, she'd never asked for any contact with water before so why not give it a try. I turned the water on, & she walked into the shower like nothing had ever happened before. My little girl sang to herself & danced all around the shower while scrubbing herself. She shampooed & conditioned her hair with no assistance, turned the water off, got out & toweled off on her own.

Erin has been asking to take showers every day twice a day now. Does that mean her terror of water is over? Or is it only with showers? Who knows? Who cares? My little girl is happy. Yay!