12/27/2006
Mom, I'm hugry!
Last night, I had the strangest dream (now I am humming that song with the same verse) about Amelie. She was home with us for a few weeks, except it was in my childhood home in the Keys, and she kept biting my arm. I looked at the clock and it was 1 pm. I asked D if he fed her at all that day and he said no, hadn't changed her either. I replied "oh, that's why she is biting my arm, I haven't fed her either". Oh boy. The funny thing is, this happened yesterday in real life, except it was the cat who was biting my fingers. We put him on a diet and are trying now to feed him once a day. Weird how your subconscious works and mushes all of your thoughts and actions for the day together and really messes with your head!
12/25/2006
Geez, I thought I cried enough during last night's viewing of It's a Wonderful Life!
This Christmas song breaks my heart. It's by Third Day. I can't read it without bawling like a baby. I am such a dork. Kleenex please....
Lyrics:
There’s a little girl trembling on a cold December morn,
and crying for her mama’s arms,
At an orphanage just outside a little China town,
where the forgotten are,
But half a world away I hang the stocking by the fire,
and dream about the day I can finally call you mine.
It's Christmas time again but you’re not home, your family’s here and yet you are somewhere else alone,
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms and tell you from my heart,
I wish you Merry Christmas.
As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights,
I’m warm by the fire’s glow,
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
make angels in the snow,
Half a world away you try your best to fight the tears,
and hope that heavens angels come to carry you here.
It’s Christmas time again but you’re not home,
your family’s here and yet you are somewhere else alone,
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms and tell you from my heart,
I wish you Merry Christmas.
Lyrics:
There’s a little girl trembling on a cold December morn,
and crying for her mama’s arms,
At an orphanage just outside a little China town,
where the forgotten are,
But half a world away I hang the stocking by the fire,
and dream about the day I can finally call you mine.
It's Christmas time again but you’re not home, your family’s here and yet you are somewhere else alone,
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms and tell you from my heart,
I wish you Merry Christmas.
As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights,
I’m warm by the fire’s glow,
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
make angels in the snow,
Half a world away you try your best to fight the tears,
and hope that heavens angels come to carry you here.
It’s Christmas time again but you’re not home,
your family’s here and yet you are somewhere else alone,
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms and tell you from my heart,
I wish you Merry Christmas.
And I leave you with this Christmas wish....
Ok, so I can't think of anything overly warm and fuzzy to say to you all this wonderful Christmas night. I am in a "food coma" state(see previous entry). I did have to share these pictures I found online of the world's "Most Wanted" mall Santa's. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas everyone!
12/23/2006
Eight is (not) enough
Tomorrow, Christmas Eve will mark our 8 month wait. I wonder if we are a third of the way there, or just a quarter? I do know that when 12:01 am strikes on Jan 1st, I can say and be 99% damn sure we will be parents the next year. Well, have to keep this brief, preparing a monster brunch for D's family on Christmas day. D said "Scrambled eggs and bacon is fine", but when it comes to me and my kitchen, I like to go all out. Want to see the menu? I am getting hungry just writing it! C'mon over, there will be plenty!
Cesear Salad
Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Muffins
Begals with choice of Strawberry Bruscetta or Smoked Salmon w/ Wasabi Creme Fraise
Charred Asparagus and fresh herb Frittata
Hash Browns
Coconut Panettone French Toast with a topping of mixed winter berries in a maple syrup infused whipped cream
Bacon and Sausage
For the b-day cake: Cassada ala Siciliana (Italian Spongecake with ricotta pistacio filling and chocolate espresso ganache )
Mimosas
Bloody Mary Slushies
Cesear Salad
Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Muffins
Begals with choice of Strawberry Bruscetta or Smoked Salmon w/ Wasabi Creme Fraise
Charred Asparagus and fresh herb Frittata
Hash Browns
Coconut Panettone French Toast with a topping of mixed winter berries in a maple syrup infused whipped cream
Bacon and Sausage
For the b-day cake: Cassada ala Siciliana (Italian Spongecake with ricotta pistacio filling and chocolate espresso ganache )
Mimosas
Bloody Mary Slushies
12/21/2006
Oz
Lately I have been having dreams that the CCAA is actually The Great Wizard of Oz! This news doesn't help "Agencies have been telling their clients that CCAA would no longer take calls regarding when referrals were coming or give out new measurements of infants who had been referred". It also said that CCAA would “report” agencies who did not comply with this request to stop calling them and asking them questions like this." This just came from another wiating parent, but still, it's probably true.
I picture myself as Dorothy, Toto is being played by Higgins our cat with Casey our other cat as the understudy, and David as the Tinman or the Lion or the Scarecrow-you pick. We are standing in front of the giant Oz asking him nervously where our daughter is and when will I see her. Then the curtain gets pulled back on some 95 pound Chinese woman who is screaming "Pay no attention to the person behind the curtain, I am the great leader of the CCAA!" The wicked witch in this is, of course, the USCIS. Anyone who is going through this will appreciate that. The good witch is our FCC group, and the yellow brick road is the slow boat to China. I think SNL could do a skit on this, don't you think?
I picture myself as Dorothy, Toto is being played by Higgins our cat with Casey our other cat as the understudy, and David as the Tinman or the Lion or the Scarecrow-you pick. We are standing in front of the giant Oz asking him nervously where our daughter is and when will I see her. Then the curtain gets pulled back on some 95 pound Chinese woman who is screaming "Pay no attention to the person behind the curtain, I am the great leader of the CCAA!" The wicked witch in this is, of course, the USCIS. Anyone who is going through this will appreciate that. The good witch is our FCC group, and the yellow brick road is the slow boat to China. I think SNL could do a skit on this, don't you think?
12/19/2006
Article in the Wall Street Journal
No kiddin! I love that they are trying to increase the number of babies available instead of making them grow up in orphanages, but I think it's awful that single people can no longer adopt.
Agencies: China tightens adoption rules
(Beijing-AP, December 19, 2006) - China is tightening rules on foreign adoptions, barring parents who are unmarried, over 50 or obese, but says it will try to increase the number of children available to those who qualify, according to U.S. adoption agencies.
The move comes amid a surge in foreign applications to adopt Chinese children. The United States is the number one destination for children adopted abroad, but the number going to Europe and elsewhere is rising.
The restrictions are meant to limit adoptions to "only the most qualified families," said the Web site of one agency, Harrah's Adoption International Mission in Spring, Texas.
An employee of the government-run China Center of Adoption Affairs, the agency that oversees foreign adoptions, said it has issued new guidelines but refused to confirm the details released by the American agencies. He wouldn't give his name.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman in Beijing said it was looking into reports of the new regulations. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with embassy rules.
The Chinese agency also is trying to increase the number of children available by creating a new charity to improve conditions in orphanages and "keep infants and young children alive and well enough to be adopted," Harrah's said.
Americans adopted 7,906 children from China in 2005, raising the total since 1989 to 48,504, according to the Joint Council on International Children's Services in Alexandria, Va., an association of adoption agencies and parents' groups. The group's Web site lists 110 U.S. groups that arrange adoptions from China.
Under the new rules, only people who have been married for at least two years will be eligible to adopt, according to Harrah's, the New Beginnings Family and Children's Services Inc. of Mineola, N.Y., and Families Thru International Adoption Inc. of Evansville, Ind.
Beijing previously allowed adoptions by unmarried foreigners. The agencies said Chinese officials disclosed the rules at a Dec. 8 meeting in Beijing. They take effect May 1.
Among other restrictions, couples must have a Body Mass Index - a measure of obesity - of no more than 40 and be aged 30-50, with people up to age 55 considered for children with special needs, according to the agencies.
The rules bar parents who take medication for psychiatric conditions including depression and anxiety or have "severe facial deformity."
Many Chinese children adopted abroad are girls who are given up by couples who, bound by rules that limit most urban families to one child, want to try for a son. Others are left at orphanages or by the roadside by unmarried mothers or poor families.
A sharp increase in foreign applications for adoption has led to a backlog in approvals, with waiting times rising from six months in early 2005 to as much as 15 months now, according to adoption agencies.
Agencies: China tightens adoption rules
(Beijing-AP, December 19, 2006) - China is tightening rules on foreign adoptions, barring parents who are unmarried, over 50 or obese, but says it will try to increase the number of children available to those who qualify, according to U.S. adoption agencies.
The move comes amid a surge in foreign applications to adopt Chinese children. The United States is the number one destination for children adopted abroad, but the number going to Europe and elsewhere is rising.
The restrictions are meant to limit adoptions to "only the most qualified families," said the Web site of one agency, Harrah's Adoption International Mission in Spring, Texas.
An employee of the government-run China Center of Adoption Affairs, the agency that oversees foreign adoptions, said it has issued new guidelines but refused to confirm the details released by the American agencies. He wouldn't give his name.
A U.S. Embassy spokesman in Beijing said it was looking into reports of the new regulations. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with embassy rules.
The Chinese agency also is trying to increase the number of children available by creating a new charity to improve conditions in orphanages and "keep infants and young children alive and well enough to be adopted," Harrah's said.
Americans adopted 7,906 children from China in 2005, raising the total since 1989 to 48,504, according to the Joint Council on International Children's Services in Alexandria, Va., an association of adoption agencies and parents' groups. The group's Web site lists 110 U.S. groups that arrange adoptions from China.
Under the new rules, only people who have been married for at least two years will be eligible to adopt, according to Harrah's, the New Beginnings Family and Children's Services Inc. of Mineola, N.Y., and Families Thru International Adoption Inc. of Evansville, Ind.
Beijing previously allowed adoptions by unmarried foreigners. The agencies said Chinese officials disclosed the rules at a Dec. 8 meeting in Beijing. They take effect May 1.
Among other restrictions, couples must have a Body Mass Index - a measure of obesity - of no more than 40 and be aged 30-50, with people up to age 55 considered for children with special needs, according to the agencies.
The rules bar parents who take medication for psychiatric conditions including depression and anxiety or have "severe facial deformity."
Many Chinese children adopted abroad are girls who are given up by couples who, bound by rules that limit most urban families to one child, want to try for a son. Others are left at orphanages or by the roadside by unmarried mothers or poor families.
A sharp increase in foreign applications for adoption has led to a backlog in approvals, with waiting times rising from six months in early 2005 to as much as 15 months now, according to adoption agencies.
12/14/2006
A new look
I was getting a little tired of the bright pinks and yellows and blues of my blog, they were a little too "Miami Vice" for me. Not the Miami Vice with Jamie Foxx, the Miami Vice of Don Johnson Days. What do you think, a little classier now?
Always a bridesmaid and never a bride....
More like always an auntie and never a mom. Yesterday I became a proud aunt for the 7th and 8th time. Meet Allison and Gregory. How in the world my sister-in-law Shelley had twins sans drugs is beyond me. She is a super hero in my book, or just downright nuts. Allison was born at 4:05 weighing 5lb 6oz, then came Gregory into the world at 4:10 weighing 4lb 9oz!!
12/12/2006
A picture is worth a thousand words
Here are a few pictures from our days in paradise....thank goodness David did catch any of me in my fallen poses.....
12/11/2006
Falling forward
Just returned from an amazing trip to Park City, Utah. I have been lucky enough to have skied in several ski resorts all over the US and in Italy and this was by far the best ski trip thus far. Some of the trails are incredibly long, so you spend much more time on the trails and not waiting to get on a lift chair. Park City actually has three seperate ski areas all within ten minutes of each other and there is a great little downtown area full of cool shops, bars and cafes. We even went to the Olympic Park and got a chance to witness a live Bobsledding trial up close. They go so fast you jump if you are anywhere within ten feet of the track. On the last night we went tubing so we could revert to our 5 year old selves (like we didn't do that the rest of the trip).
As for the skiing, I somehow managed to stay in an upright position and did not fall once the first three days. Amazing for a soul as accident prone as I am. On the third day we rode up a lift with a ski instructor-a Cuban dude named Orlando originally from Miami. On the 15 minute ride up to the top he asked if I had taken a lesson and I told him it was my 7th time skiing. He told me everyone should take a lesson and gave me one, for FREE (hello, private lessons are over a hundred bucks an hour-cha ching) on the next trail down. He actually helped my technique quite a bit, even though I still, well-suck. Like I said, I did great until the very last hour of the very last day. Read on.
Here are a few lessons I learned this trip:
1. It is nearly impossible for a girl to do the hover and pee move while wearing ski boots. I can't quite explain it, except that it seriously cannot be done.
2. The "Please wait" sign posted on the padded gate as you wait for the next lift chair is there for good reason. On the last day I was so excited to get back on the mountain that the top half of my body was working much quicker than the bottom half-my skis were a few feet behind my head-not good. When my turn came to get on the ramp to wait for the chair, I had one of those "yellow light" moments-ya know, the kind when you are driving along in your car and you are 20 feet from the light and it turns yellow and for a second you are debating whether to stop or go? I totally should have stopped. All of me. I got my jacket caught in the damn gate since my feet were so far behind me. Down I went in front of a nice long line of laughing (ok, in their heads they must have been) spectators.
3. The "Please sit all the way on the back of the lift chair" sign while boarding the lift chair is also there for good reason. In one of my least proud moments, I somehow managed to not get my fat butt all the way on the seat before we were at least 6 feet up in the air. David was talking to me one second and the next he was looking down 90 degrees to see me laying on the ground like one of those CSI Miami victims that got pushed off of a roof. Fortunatly David Caruso was not present, but instead there were two cute ski lift operators there who picked me up under my arms and loaded me onto the next chair, but not before my graceful actions made all 100+ passengers swing in their stationary chairs while I was placed in the next chair.
4. The "Please keep your tips up" sign while unloading the lift chair is also there for good reason. You think I would have this embedded in my tiny brain by now, but you start chatting with the very interesting couple from Boston sitting next to you, you go to get off, and BAM-you find yourself french kissing the end of the snow covered ramp.
5. It happens to everyone, right? Well, 2, 3 and 4 would not have been quite so bad if it hadn't all happened in sequence. I kid you not. If I had a tail, it would have been between my legs. And that brings me to #6....
6. Just when things couldn't get more humiliating: I was just boasting before my Three Stooges impression that I hadn't fallen once-and then after making an arse out of myself on and off the lift I took a deep breathe and promised myself I would finish out the day without any further incedents-at least I hadn't actually fallen while actually skiing. Yeah-good job. I obviously couldn't find a wooden tree to knock on. That very next trail off of the cursed lift was actually a cursed trail. I fell not once, not twice, but three times. There are several types of falls people have while skiing. They range from "God, I am so STUPID" to "God, Please let me walk again". My three falls were something in between with the last one closer to the latter type. At the end of a very long, but beautiful run over covered bridges and under tunnels my left ski hit a few rocks and off went my ski-at least 20 feet below me. My pole was 20 feet above me. I usually love when I find a quiet trail with no one around for minutes at a time but not at this instant. David was already around the corner and didn't see my acrobatic display. I lay there in pain for a few minutes before crawling uphill to retrieve one pole before sliding ass first (how many time can I use the word ass in the post) to retrieve my ski. My binding had ice shoved in every crevice and my boot just would not go back on. Finally two snowboarders came by, I thought they would help me. Instead, being the nice teenage idiots they were, they sprayed me with snow from the edge of their boards and laughed as they sped away. Nothing like adding insult to injury. All I know is that David, who had stopped to wait for me when he noticed I wasn't behind him, didn't know I was laying helpless on the hill until he heard me screaming "#$&%*&@@@&*%^*^&%&*" at the punks. Hubby finally met me halfway as I walked down to meet him. Luckily I was close to the lift back to the lodge at that point. I was so done.
7. Not that this has anything to do with skiing, but I would move out west for the good hair days alone. No flat iron needed.
I can't wait to go back-next time I will just try to adhere to the signs.
As for the skiing, I somehow managed to stay in an upright position and did not fall once the first three days. Amazing for a soul as accident prone as I am. On the third day we rode up a lift with a ski instructor-a Cuban dude named Orlando originally from Miami. On the 15 minute ride up to the top he asked if I had taken a lesson and I told him it was my 7th time skiing. He told me everyone should take a lesson and gave me one, for FREE (hello, private lessons are over a hundred bucks an hour-cha ching) on the next trail down. He actually helped my technique quite a bit, even though I still, well-suck. Like I said, I did great until the very last hour of the very last day. Read on.
Here are a few lessons I learned this trip:
1. It is nearly impossible for a girl to do the hover and pee move while wearing ski boots. I can't quite explain it, except that it seriously cannot be done.
2. The "Please wait" sign posted on the padded gate as you wait for the next lift chair is there for good reason. On the last day I was so excited to get back on the mountain that the top half of my body was working much quicker than the bottom half-my skis were a few feet behind my head-not good. When my turn came to get on the ramp to wait for the chair, I had one of those "yellow light" moments-ya know, the kind when you are driving along in your car and you are 20 feet from the light and it turns yellow and for a second you are debating whether to stop or go? I totally should have stopped. All of me. I got my jacket caught in the damn gate since my feet were so far behind me. Down I went in front of a nice long line of laughing (ok, in their heads they must have been) spectators.
3. The "Please sit all the way on the back of the lift chair" sign while boarding the lift chair is also there for good reason. In one of my least proud moments, I somehow managed to not get my fat butt all the way on the seat before we were at least 6 feet up in the air. David was talking to me one second and the next he was looking down 90 degrees to see me laying on the ground like one of those CSI Miami victims that got pushed off of a roof. Fortunatly David Caruso was not present, but instead there were two cute ski lift operators there who picked me up under my arms and loaded me onto the next chair, but not before my graceful actions made all 100+ passengers swing in their stationary chairs while I was placed in the next chair.
4. The "Please keep your tips up" sign while unloading the lift chair is also there for good reason. You think I would have this embedded in my tiny brain by now, but you start chatting with the very interesting couple from Boston sitting next to you, you go to get off, and BAM-you find yourself french kissing the end of the snow covered ramp.
5. It happens to everyone, right? Well, 2, 3 and 4 would not have been quite so bad if it hadn't all happened in sequence. I kid you not. If I had a tail, it would have been between my legs. And that brings me to #6....
6. Just when things couldn't get more humiliating: I was just boasting before my Three Stooges impression that I hadn't fallen once-and then after making an arse out of myself on and off the lift I took a deep breathe and promised myself I would finish out the day without any further incedents-at least I hadn't actually fallen while actually skiing. Yeah-good job. I obviously couldn't find a wooden tree to knock on. That very next trail off of the cursed lift was actually a cursed trail. I fell not once, not twice, but three times. There are several types of falls people have while skiing. They range from "God, I am so STUPID" to "God, Please let me walk again". My three falls were something in between with the last one closer to the latter type. At the end of a very long, but beautiful run over covered bridges and under tunnels my left ski hit a few rocks and off went my ski-at least 20 feet below me. My pole was 20 feet above me. I usually love when I find a quiet trail with no one around for minutes at a time but not at this instant. David was already around the corner and didn't see my acrobatic display. I lay there in pain for a few minutes before crawling uphill to retrieve one pole before sliding ass first (how many time can I use the word ass in the post) to retrieve my ski. My binding had ice shoved in every crevice and my boot just would not go back on. Finally two snowboarders came by, I thought they would help me. Instead, being the nice teenage idiots they were, they sprayed me with snow from the edge of their boards and laughed as they sped away. Nothing like adding insult to injury. All I know is that David, who had stopped to wait for me when he noticed I wasn't behind him, didn't know I was laying helpless on the hill until he heard me screaming "#$&%*&@@@&*%^*^&%&*" at the punks. Hubby finally met me halfway as I walked down to meet him. Luckily I was close to the lift back to the lodge at that point. I was so done.
7. Not that this has anything to do with skiing, but I would move out west for the good hair days alone. No flat iron needed.
I can't wait to go back-next time I will just try to adhere to the signs.
12/04/2006
20 hours and counting
We are off to Utah for 5 days of powder skiing in less than 24 hours. I am getting absolutly zero work done today. I am breaking the refresh button on the weather.com and skiutah.com pages. It was negative five again this morning, warmed up to 10 above, think I'll bring my bikini and flip flops! Will post some pics when we return! Have a great week!
12/01/2006
The newest Palm Beach FCC referral
One of our group members, Belynda just got her referral yesterday. Her name will be Tatiana, she is only 9 months old! I love the baldness, her husband told her "look honey, she has your smile, and my hair", I love it. I am so happy to be living vicariously through other FCC families lives while we are waiting, it makes it all the more real! I can't wait to go to the airport with the other waiting families and welcome her home!
11/30/2006
November Referrals
Congrats to all those who will soon meet your babies! The CCAA just sent referrals for those with LID's of 08/26/05 and 09/08/05. A measly 13 days. Not even a half month. This wait will just keep getting longer. I don't think we will meet her until after the Olympics in Bejing -summer of 2008.
In the meantime, I will share the newest Marvin cartoon...I hope this looks like our Thanksgiving table next year....
11/28/2006
New, slightly healther, yet temporary obsession
For the past few weeks I have been a good girl and only stalked the rumor queen pages a few times a day. Why the change you ask? I have found a new reason to wear out the refresh key.
www.skiutah.com
It's 11 degrees and snowing there today. 24 inches in the past 2 days...we are off in 6 days, 12 hours and 18 minutes, not that anyone is counting!
11/26/2006
Today's episode is brought to you by the number 7
Just passed another LID anniversary on Friday. Luckily, we were so busy in Atlanta that I truly did not think about the wait at all. I thought about the adoption and we all talked about Amelie, but the wait did not get to me at all! We'll have to get out of town more often-oh wait, we are! Off to Park City, Utah in 9 days!
Georgia on my mind
Just got back from our Thanksgiving week in Atlanta. It was nice to get away to see my brother and sis-in-law, but wish we had a few more days with them. It took us 13 hours to get up there because we worked on the way-we had to find hotels and restuarants with wireless services but we got the job done. Ok, so a little run down on our trip:
On Wednesday while David went to a library to work, Devanie( my sis-in-law) and I went shopping for Thanksgiving dinner at the DeKalb International Food market. If you ever in Atlanta, you must go there. It's an indoor market the size of 3 Costcos. The veggie and fruit section is the size of a Publix and had produce from all over the world, most of which I had never heard of before. There are two full aisles full of marinades and dressings, two ailes just with teas and a huge ginormous wine section. I could spend the day there just browsing, and we nearly did because of the amount of shoppers there. After our shopping exursion, we picked up David and went to see her new pottery/glass-making studio. We then went to the Atlanta Cycloroma and learned all about the Civil War. I am usually bored to pieces by that type of thing, but I enjoyed it very much. We then walked around the adjoining park and admired the fall leaves. That night we stayed home and made some preperations for the next day. We also got into a few bottles of wine, and danced around the living room all night. My brother put on a Led Zepplin DVD and I told him to turn off the Whitesnake. That was the laugh of the trip....but I guess you had to be there. Poor Devanie who rarely drinks was in no shape to cook the next day. Good thing she made the pumkin pie at 2 am, even though she doesn't remember. It was actually quite good!
On Thursday(Turkey Day), we made the rest of dinner, watched the parade and the dog show(a stupid poodle won, again...but a Wheaten came in 2nd place in the terrier group so I was thrilled) then ate our big fat meal, wacthed football, drank some more wine and hit the hay early(must have been the wine/turkey tryptophan combo.
On Friday my brother had to work, so David, Dev and I went to Stone Mountain Park and climbed to the top to work off the 10,000 calories consumed the prior two days. It's just 1.4 miles to the top, but some of it is steep and slippery and my buns felt like buns of stell after(sadly, they don't look like it). We parked over 2 miles from the actual mountain (it's really a giant hill made of granite), so it really was a good workout. That night we went out for Italian (because we needed to replenish the 10,000 calories we burned) and then to a funky bar/restuarant to meet some old pals I hadn't seen since high school for some drinks. We had been in touch for months now looking forward to meeting up. They even called a few hours before and said they had a sitter, but alas....I got stood up. Oh well, I just got to catch up more with my family.
That's it folks! Trying to get my brother and SIL to get their buns down here, Dev has never been to Key West and it's about time. I think we could tear up that town! It's sad that we go almost 2 years without seeing each other, but maybe once Amelie comes they will miss her and we'll see them more often.
On Wednesday while David went to a library to work, Devanie( my sis-in-law) and I went shopping for Thanksgiving dinner at the DeKalb International Food market. If you ever in Atlanta, you must go there. It's an indoor market the size of 3 Costcos. The veggie and fruit section is the size of a Publix and had produce from all over the world, most of which I had never heard of before. There are two full aisles full of marinades and dressings, two ailes just with teas and a huge ginormous wine section. I could spend the day there just browsing, and we nearly did because of the amount of shoppers there. After our shopping exursion, we picked up David and went to see her new pottery/glass-making studio. We then went to the Atlanta Cycloroma and learned all about the Civil War. I am usually bored to pieces by that type of thing, but I enjoyed it very much. We then walked around the adjoining park and admired the fall leaves. That night we stayed home and made some preperations for the next day. We also got into a few bottles of wine, and danced around the living room all night. My brother put on a Led Zepplin DVD and I told him to turn off the Whitesnake. That was the laugh of the trip....but I guess you had to be there. Poor Devanie who rarely drinks was in no shape to cook the next day. Good thing she made the pumkin pie at 2 am, even though she doesn't remember. It was actually quite good!
On Thursday(Turkey Day), we made the rest of dinner, watched the parade and the dog show(a stupid poodle won, again...but a Wheaten came in 2nd place in the terrier group so I was thrilled) then ate our big fat meal, wacthed football, drank some more wine and hit the hay early(must have been the wine/turkey tryptophan combo.
On Friday my brother had to work, so David, Dev and I went to Stone Mountain Park and climbed to the top to work off the 10,000 calories consumed the prior two days. It's just 1.4 miles to the top, but some of it is steep and slippery and my buns felt like buns of stell after(sadly, they don't look like it). We parked over 2 miles from the actual mountain (it's really a giant hill made of granite), so it really was a good workout. That night we went out for Italian (because we needed to replenish the 10,000 calories we burned) and then to a funky bar/restuarant to meet some old pals I hadn't seen since high school for some drinks. We had been in touch for months now looking forward to meeting up. They even called a few hours before and said they had a sitter, but alas....I got stood up. Oh well, I just got to catch up more with my family.
That's it folks! Trying to get my brother and SIL to get their buns down here, Dev has never been to Key West and it's about time. I think we could tear up that town! It's sad that we go almost 2 years without seeing each other, but maybe once Amelie comes they will miss her and we'll see them more often.
11/20/2006
Road trip
D and I are heading to Hotlanta to see my brother and sis-in-law for Thanksgiving. I hope that by the time we get back, there will be some update as far as rumors go for this month's referrals. I pray they do more than two weeks this time! Happy turkey day all!
11/17/2006
Unreal
This is from an article in a UK newspaper, I can't imagine how I would feel if I were in these people's shoes!
Police sorry after race-quiz outrage
Police have apologised to a white dad who was quizzed by officers after taking his two mixed-race daughters out for a pizza.
Paul Wrightson was questioned by the officers because they thought a white man with two Asian girls was suspicious.
But it has sparked fury from the family and particularly Mr Wrightson who fears he will be under suspicion when out with daughters Sita, 18, Asha, 15, and Sonia, 13.
Mr Wrightson, 43, of Bingley, has been married to his Asian wife Sherlinda, for 19 years. He had taken his two younger daughters for a treat at Pizza Hut in Bingley on Monday while their mum was busy helping a friend when he was asked by two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to accompany them outside.
"We had caught the train from Forster Square in Bradford at about 6.40pm on Monday and we got off in Bingley. I took the girls to Pizza Hut for a treat and I had just finished my pizza when I noticed the officers come in.
"I joked with the girls that they were probably coming in for their tea. The two officers came over and asked me to come outside.
"One officer stayed in the restaurant with the girls and the other explained that a member of the public had seen a white man with two Asian girls acting suspiciously," he said. The officer asked Paul if he could prove he was their father and he explained that he didn't have any sort of documentation because he had met his girls after work to get some dinner.
Paul said the PCSO told him it looked strange a white man being with two Asian girls. "I just gave him my name and my date of birth," he added.
In the meantime a female PCSO asked Asha and Sonia who Mr Wrightson was and they also explained that he was their dad.
Asha also told the officer that she was embarrassing them and that the whole restaurant was looking at them.
Paul was eventually able to go back to his daughters who were visibly upset by the questions that the officer had been asking. "Is it getting to the stage where I can't go out with my own daughters?" asked Paul, who works at Dudley Hill Carpets.
Sherlinda, 46, who is a catering assistant at St Luke's Hospital, told the Telegraph & Argus that her daughters and her husband were all very upset by the incident and in particular the way that the officers handled the situation.
"I was devastated when Paul told me what happened. I've never come across anything like it my life. I was beside myself and one of my daughters had trouble sleeping that night," she said.
Paul has received an apology from an Inspector and Sergeant at Bingley Police Station and he hopes that this does not happen to another family.
"I shouldn't have to explain to anyone who I am when I have done nothing wrong expect take my daughters out for a meal. This may have been the first time that this has happened but does that mean it is going to be the last?"
Sherlinda said that she hoped the police would be more sensitive and a bit more open-minded in the future.
"They should be more open- minded, I mean we are living in a multi-cultural society. When I married Paul it was in more difficult times. I expect people to more open-minded now."
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "We responded to a report made in good faith by a concerned member of the public. We apologise for any inconvenience or embarrassment that was caused."
Police sorry after race-quiz outrage
Police have apologised to a white dad who was quizzed by officers after taking his two mixed-race daughters out for a pizza.
Paul Wrightson was questioned by the officers because they thought a white man with two Asian girls was suspicious.
But it has sparked fury from the family and particularly Mr Wrightson who fears he will be under suspicion when out with daughters Sita, 18, Asha, 15, and Sonia, 13.
Mr Wrightson, 43, of Bingley, has been married to his Asian wife Sherlinda, for 19 years. He had taken his two younger daughters for a treat at Pizza Hut in Bingley on Monday while their mum was busy helping a friend when he was asked by two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to accompany them outside.
"We had caught the train from Forster Square in Bradford at about 6.40pm on Monday and we got off in Bingley. I took the girls to Pizza Hut for a treat and I had just finished my pizza when I noticed the officers come in.
"I joked with the girls that they were probably coming in for their tea. The two officers came over and asked me to come outside.
"One officer stayed in the restaurant with the girls and the other explained that a member of the public had seen a white man with two Asian girls acting suspiciously," he said. The officer asked Paul if he could prove he was their father and he explained that he didn't have any sort of documentation because he had met his girls after work to get some dinner.
Paul said the PCSO told him it looked strange a white man being with two Asian girls. "I just gave him my name and my date of birth," he added.
In the meantime a female PCSO asked Asha and Sonia who Mr Wrightson was and they also explained that he was their dad.
Asha also told the officer that she was embarrassing them and that the whole restaurant was looking at them.
Paul was eventually able to go back to his daughters who were visibly upset by the questions that the officer had been asking. "Is it getting to the stage where I can't go out with my own daughters?" asked Paul, who works at Dudley Hill Carpets.
Sherlinda, 46, who is a catering assistant at St Luke's Hospital, told the Telegraph & Argus that her daughters and her husband were all very upset by the incident and in particular the way that the officers handled the situation.
"I was devastated when Paul told me what happened. I've never come across anything like it my life. I was beside myself and one of my daughters had trouble sleeping that night," she said.
Paul has received an apology from an Inspector and Sergeant at Bingley Police Station and he hopes that this does not happen to another family.
"I shouldn't have to explain to anyone who I am when I have done nothing wrong expect take my daughters out for a meal. This may have been the first time that this has happened but does that mean it is going to be the last?"
Sherlinda said that she hoped the police would be more sensitive and a bit more open-minded in the future.
"They should be more open- minded, I mean we are living in a multi-cultural society. When I married Paul it was in more difficult times. I expect people to more open-minded now."
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "We responded to a report made in good faith by a concerned member of the public. We apologise for any inconvenience or embarrassment that was caused."
11/16/2006
Just a little cuteness to brighten up the day
This is an adorable picture of Samantha, she will turn one in just a few days. I am looking forward to being at her very first birthday party!
Also had to show you another too cute comic!
Adjustment issues
On Tuesday we went to our monthly FCC meeting. There was an attachment therapist there who gave us waiting parents (and a few already back folk) some great advice on dealing with attachment. Alot of this I have heard before, but it doesn't hurt to hear it over and over again. For instance, as much as we want our family and friends to be able to hold and hug and kiss on the Empress, this is a huge no no. The biggest piece of advice she could give is don't take any advice from people who only are parents to bio kids. How you raise bio kids and adopted kids is a 180 degree difference. I am already getting the deer in the headlight look when I tell friends and family that the Empress will be sleeping either in our bed or in our room for at least the first year. This goes against everything a bio child should do. Strollers are strongly advised against, they want her to be carried in a snuggli for as long as possible. No trips or vacations for the first year either, unless it's a quiet trip to see family and even then the babe needs to be within eyesight 100% of the time. Another must: limit stimulation-have very little toys around and keep the nursery-if you have one as she will be in our room-in minimalist style. Use red if you can, because that is the one color that is everywhere in China. So much for my pottery barn watermelon pink and lime green theme! The most interesting thing she should have is us.
Why all of these crazy rules you say? The first year she is home, we must recreate for her what the first year would have been like if she was ours biologically. She needs to become totally dependent on us. Even if she is 18 months when she comes home and can feed herself, we can't let her. I know alot of people looking outside in will think us FCC parents are over protective, too uptight, somewhat nutso, but these things must be done in order to have a healthy toddler and a healthy adult later on. The thinking is she must go through all of her stages, even when we have to start at stage one.
Some other interesting advice the therapist gave us:
- Practice alot of eye contact, usiing mirrors if she won't look directly at you
-Learn a few words in Chinese. While we are in China, she'll still have some familiar smells, tastes, ect...but once we get home, everything will be unfamiliar. Kinda like taking someone from Amish country and bringing them to Vegas by themselves. It would probably be frighteneing. If we speak some Chinese to her, she'll have something familiar to her.
-Exchange something of value for something the nanny or fostermom wore, so that she has that familiar scent around her.
-Buy a Chinese lullaby cd to play at night.
-when you hold her to rock her to sleep, cradle her in your arms so she can have that eye contact.
-Tell her that she had a story before she came in her forever home, she wasn't just adopted, she was born.
-One Mother's day, light a candle for fer birth mother. This will help deal with the grief she will always have.
One thing I was very happy about Tuesday was the new families that I met. We are no longer the last ones to get our baby. Two new couples have Oct 06 LID's, and they will travel after us. I am not trying to sound selfish here, it'll just be nice to have people before and after us!
Why all of these crazy rules you say? The first year she is home, we must recreate for her what the first year would have been like if she was ours biologically. She needs to become totally dependent on us. Even if she is 18 months when she comes home and can feed herself, we can't let her. I know alot of people looking outside in will think us FCC parents are over protective, too uptight, somewhat nutso, but these things must be done in order to have a healthy toddler and a healthy adult later on. The thinking is she must go through all of her stages, even when we have to start at stage one.
Some other interesting advice the therapist gave us:
- Practice alot of eye contact, usiing mirrors if she won't look directly at you
-Learn a few words in Chinese. While we are in China, she'll still have some familiar smells, tastes, ect...but once we get home, everything will be unfamiliar. Kinda like taking someone from Amish country and bringing them to Vegas by themselves. It would probably be frighteneing. If we speak some Chinese to her, she'll have something familiar to her.
-Exchange something of value for something the nanny or fostermom wore, so that she has that familiar scent around her.
-Buy a Chinese lullaby cd to play at night.
-when you hold her to rock her to sleep, cradle her in your arms so she can have that eye contact.
-Tell her that she had a story before she came in her forever home, she wasn't just adopted, she was born.
-One Mother's day, light a candle for fer birth mother. This will help deal with the grief she will always have.
One thing I was very happy about Tuesday was the new families that I met. We are no longer the last ones to get our baby. Two new couples have Oct 06 LID's, and they will travel after us. I am not trying to sound selfish here, it'll just be nice to have people before and after us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)