No School Monday

Monday was a teacher workday...no school for the girls. I took the day off & we went down to visit the FL Aquarium. We have zoo passes & in Sept they have reciprocal member agreements, so the trip to the Aquarium was free......Love That.

It's a very nice Aquarium. On a Monday, schoolday for that area, it was not crowded at all, which was a HUGE plus.





The other big attraction at the Aquarium is the outdoor Splash Pad. We spent about 2 hrs having a fun time out there....

Lost & Found

Lindsi's cochlear looks just like this....with a 6" cable that runs to a disc magnet, which sticks on her head. She wears it everyday. When she was younger, I used to have a ribbon around the cable that dropped down & was pinned to her shirt. That way, at age 3 or 4, if her CI fell off her head, it wasn't lost.

Last year, she got too old for such things.

She is EXTREMELY responsible & careful with her hearing equipment.

So, you can imagine my surprise yesterday afternoon when I got a call from Lindsi's teacher telling me they had lost the CI. YIKES.....My first thought was...I hope they didn't lose it on the PE field. My second thought was....how did it get lost??

Well, at the end of the day, some kids were stacking chairs & packing up their things to go home. As Lindsi lifted her chair, it brushed her CI, knocking it off her head. Did it fall to the ground? Did it "stick" to something? Did it fall into the pile of backpacks close by? They looked for as long as they could before kids needed to get to car lines, busses, aftercare. Then, her teacher, along with 3 or 4 others went back to class and searched. I was actaully relieved that they had it narrowed down to the room. But, it was no where to be found.

About 10 minutes after the first call, I called Lindsi's teacher back to make sure she put a sign out for the cleaning crew NOT to clean until we got there this AM to look some more. When the school secretary answered, she said Ms B..Mrs R just called & she found something of Lindsi's in A's backpack. She 's bringing it right over!!! YIPPEEE!!! I was so relieved that I could greet Lindsi at the bus stop with the great news.

So, I piled the kids in the car & drove to the school to pick her cochlear up. It was at the front desk all lovingly wrapped in several layers of tissue. A note subsequently from the mom said her son was absolutely dumbfounded on how it ended up in HIS backpack.

This morning at school, no less than 20 people stopped us to ask if it had been found yet.

We are thankful that:
- Teachers care to go the extra mile looking for lost items.
- Parents check backpacks when kids get home.
- The school "village" all expressed concern about the missing CI.

I'm going to get A a certificate for a Free ice cream cone. He's unwittingly become an innocent player in our missing CI game........

Sept 20, 2006

Three years ago today I was doing this:




Within a week, I was seeing this:



And now, I have this:



Happy 3rd Family Day Jami!!! We are so lucky to have you.

Memorable moments in my trip to get Jami:
- Our plane flt from Detroit to Tokyo.....it took off on time. It flew 5 hrs to the North Pole. Then, it developed a hydraulic leak & the pilot thought it best to return to Detroit. So, we basically took a 10 hr flight to no where. When we got ready to land in Detroit, we were on an isolated run way......fire trucks & emergency vehicles were standing by & we were instructed on how to assume the "crash" landing position. Fortunately, we landed without incident. We deplaned (it was now past midnight)...they gave us each an overnight kit & bussed us to a local hotel. Free room, free meals, & a bus ride back to the terminal at noon the next day.

- Because of that delay....we were delayed by 1 day until we reached Nanchang. We missed our actual Gotcha Day. 10 min after we checked in, our guide showed up, ready to go to Civil Affairs. When I adopted Lindsi in 2003, our flt from Beijing to Nanchang was delayed because of bad weather. When we landed, We got the news that our babies were at the hotel waiting for us. I had about 10 min that time to get ready as well. I guess I'm just a mom who experiences Fast labors.

- When I met Jami, her nanny pretty much handed her over & disappeared from site, although I knew she was on the same floor & just around the corner. Jami was not a happy camper. The next day we went to sign all of the papers. Jami was still not a happy camper & her nanny tried to be scarce. I could tell it was killing the nanny though to see Jami so unhappy & upset. We ended up all riding down in the elevator together. I let the nanny hug & kiss on Jami one last time, & then she & the asst dir walked quickly down the street & around the corner. As I climbed into the van, I happened to glance back & I saw the nanny sobbing into the asst dir arms. You never know & it's one of the biggest reasons why I send pictures of Jami back to the SWI 3-4 times a year. I've had some very sweet replies from them too.

- On the morning we were leaving to go to GZ, we went to pick up Jami's passports. Another family was with us. Their daughter's passport was at the counter, but it was determined that Jami's passport was unwittingly left locked in the safe, of the region directors locked office, who was away from the province at a business conference. It was Fri...he was due back mid week. We had the last consulate appt before everything shut down for the trade fair. Our guide sent us back to the hotel & told us to pack for our flt to GZ...she would stay there & either meet us at the hotel or meet us`at the airport. 10 min before we were to leave for the airport, Jenny ran in with a passport for Jami. They'd had to pull so many strings & fortunately, everything is done in email. It basically amounted to pulling a congressman out of a session meeting to forward an e mail he was copied on back to the local office in Nanchang, so they could create a new passport. It was a MIRACLE that we got out of Nanchang in time.

The rest of the trip was relaxing after all of that......

My friend Blog Lori will be meeting her new daughter this week. Follow along.

The Last Sigh of Summer

We've spent the last 2 weekends enjoying our days at the beach. This was likely our last trip over until next May or so.....

Jami went this summer from wearing wings & inner tubes to being so comfortable in the water that if something is floating in the deep end..."No problem Mom, I'll get it.." & in she jumps. I still worry she'll get too winded when she's out in the middle of the pool, but I also know she knows how to get to the side. And, I do think Lindsi occasionally forgets how little she is & plays too roughly with her, in the deep end.

Overall though....fun times!

Celebrating Sarah's Labor Day birthday.....


Pretty Beach Girls.......


Look! A Rainbow!!

Families in the Making

Two of my very dear, single, friends are both on their way to China today to meet their new daughters on Monday! It has been such a very long wait for both, but especially for Kris.

They've both posted today & they are not out of the country yet (I think that's funny)!!

Two adorable girls about to meet some amazing moms. I am thrilled & excited for all. I hope their travels & transitions go smoothly. I wish for them happiness that can not be contained, memories etched into their hearts, and love overflowing.

Join them on their journeys......
Laurie is going to get Hannah, a beautiful little 14 month old.
Kris (& Garth) are meeting Ellis, an incredibly special 3.5 yr old.

We can't wait to meet the newly formed families. I wish I was there.......

How Jami Came To Us.......

Even before I went to China to adopt Lindsi in 2003, I knew I would want to go again.

For Lindsi, my dossier went to China, just before the singles quota was implemented in Dec 2001. So, I knew I would need to get in a long line to adopt from China a second time. About a month after coming home with Lindsi, I put in my application to adopt from China again, this was nothing more than a place holder until my name came to the top of the list.

Then one thing led to another, Lindsi needed so much attention health wise in her first year home. She qualified for OT, PT, and speech. She was in the hospital for a severe case of RSV. She had ear tubes. She had booth tests about every 6 weeks to try & chart her hearing, or lack thereof. We were both learning ASL. She had an ABR & the next week, we moved across the country from CA to FL.

We lived with my parents for awhile (about a yr), while I got situated with new therapists, new preschools, new audiologists, pediatrician, ENT. She had her cochlear surgery & we were hit with 2 hurricanes. It was a busy few years.

In that time, my name came to the top of the singles list 3 times & each time, I would tell them to please put me back at the bottom, it wasn't a good time for me yet. I was so fully concentrated on catching Lindsi up, that I did not have the time or resources to give to another child. The desire was still there, but it had taken a backseat to her needs. I needed to feel that Lindsi was at a place where my attention on her could be divided, that she didn't need me quite as much.

After Lindsi had been home about 2.5 yrs...fall of 2005, I started to feel like she was on a good track. She'd had her cochlear for a yr. She was making good & steady progress with it. We had our own home by then. I could finally dust off those thoughts of returning to China. Something in me as a parent had changed though. We had been through a lot & I saw that we were actually doing OK. I no longer wanted a NSN child from China. I would have missed so much if I had not been chosen to be Lindsi's mother. I felt I actually COULD handle a second child with some needs. I knew my second daughter was a waiting child.

I started to look at various agency's waiting children list. I had my mind set on what I was looking for.....not unlike a lot of people, I wanted a girl, under 2, with a minor need. The very first child I looked at, hooked my heart. She was even from Lindsi's SWI. Her need was minor. But, she was nearly 3. I hesitated, not because 3 was "so old", BUT because I did not want my girls that close together in age. Misplaced loyalty or not, if Lindsi ever needed to repeat a grade in school, I did not want her to have to compete in school directly with a sibling, so I wanted / NEEDED them to be at least 2 years apart. By the time I talked myself out of that need, she had a family. She was with IAAP & I talked with Cheryl a great deal about our family & the child I was looking for.

A few weeks later, on a different agency list, I found another little girl. Younger, with limb difference, which was my #1 SN choice. She was BEAUTIFUL. Just wonderful. A family had her file & passed on her, so it came to me. After reviewing her file, it was evident that the limb difference, her stated need, was only the tip of the iceberg. She had a lot of needs & my counselors (my family) implored me to really consider her needs in addition to what I already had on my plate. I ended up passing the file on, but the next family who reviewed her, accepted her. That felt good.

Those were the only 2 children I really considered, until early Dec when Cheryl at IAAP emailed me. She said she had a new list & had a file she wanted to send me. The child was everything we discussed I needed. She was giving me 4 days to review the file & if I accepted her, then she would not be placed on the web site. If I passed, they would post her on Mon. Fair enough, I thought. So Cheryl sent me the file. I opened it...there was a cute, little girl. 8 months old..YOUNG! with a need so minor, an extra toe, it could hardly be considered a need at all. I could not believe the blessing. Here I was, a single mom, barely meeting the income req to go again, & I was being offered THIS child?? I knew that if she was posted, she would be claimed in microseconds. It was a huge Yes! I smile at God's ironic sense of humor. When I didn't want anything, but a NSN child, I was blessed with Lindsi & all her needs. When I opened myself up to a SN child, I was blessed with Jami & all of her non-needs.

This all comes to mind now, because Jami is the exact age that Lindsi was when I went to China to get her sister. My family often remarks that since I came home from China with Jami that I seem more settled & complete. I feel like my chicks are gathered. There is no more restlessness of someone missing.

Sure, every once in awhile the girls talk about having more sisters here at home. If I'd been married, with more finances, I'm pretty sure the family would be bigger. However, to God's glory, He laid the desires on my heart & He opened the doors when it was time to go. And then He contented me with what I had. Such a blessing, & I'm so very thankful for both girls.

These pictures were taken the night I got back from China & introduced Lindsi to her new sister.



Best friends & sisters today....

Back To School

The girls started school yesterday.

The preparations have been in the works for weeks & nearly everyday Lindsi checks to see if I have posted about our back to school preparations. Of course, I'm a procrastinator, so the answer is usually No...not yet......

Jami is going to VPK (half day Fl funded (so, free to me...yippee) pre Kindergarten). Even though her old 2 AM a week school offered the program, I decided to put her at a center much closer to my house. I'm LOVING that the drive is so close now. She did well yesterday & was happy to go off to school again today. She is ready for this on multiple levels.

Lindsi is in 2nd grade, has a great teacher, & found all the work (review) they did yesterday to be really EASY!!!

I am LOVING the quiet mornings so far. I have a list of projects that I want to tackle, so far the list is still long...lol.....

So, to please Lindsi.....here are our school preps....






First day of school for the girls.....Out the door.....