The Birds & The Bees (According to a 3 1/2 Year Old)

So last night Alina Jayne and I were in her bedroom getting her clothes out for today-she saw the chairs we have for her new sibling's room, and asked "Mama, where is my new baby sister & when is she gonna come home with us?" At this point, we no longer tell her that she is likely to end up with a new *brother* since she doesn't want to hear that, so I told her that her new sister is still in Ethiopia, and it could be a long time before she is home. She asked "Is someone feeding her? Are they taking good care of her?" I assured her that she is being cared for, and that she may even still be inside her "Tummy Mama's" tummy (this is what she calls her Birthmother). She seemed relieved and said "Oh good, then she is getting food from her Tummy Mama's tummy." Then she asked me "Mama, I wasn't inside your tummy, was I?" We talk about this quite often, but she still asks me. I reminded her that she was inside her China Tummy Mama's tummy, and that while she was growing there, she was in my heart. Of course she said "I really wanted to be in YOUR tummy-am I too big now?" I assured her that she was too big-then the BIG question came-

"Mama, how DID I get out of my Tummy Mama's tummy??? How did she get me out of there?" Now, let me say, I am well prepared to discuss the birds and the bees with an older child, but I was in no way prepared for THIS discussion! After I choked on my words for a second, the best I could come up with was "Well, it was a lot of hard work, she just pushed really hard and you came out." She really seemed to buy this story and said "Oh, yeah Mama, you are RIGHT! She went like this" (and proceeded to gag-like a cat choking on a hairball) " and I came out!!" She suddenly stopped for a second to reflect on the mental image and said "Oh my goodness! I hope she didn't get spit on me!!!"

I am still recovering today............................

Merry Christmas!

What a great Christmas we had! It was not a big production at all-Alina Jayne did not need anything, and wanted everything, so this house was an easy stop for Santa. Her big things right now are anything ballerina/princess themed, play make-up, anything she can play with in the bath tub, and music. Pretty easy for the elves to fulfill that order.

Luckily (for Mama) she did not get up at the crack of dawn-we actually had to wake her up around 10AM! We told her Santa had been here, and asked if she wanted to see what presents he brought, but she told us "no thanks, not right now, I'm really tired" and pulled the blankets over her head! She finally rolled out of bed at 10:30, and gingerly opened each package-she was trying to keep each piece of wrapping paper intact, so she could re-use it! "Mama, keep this paper whole so we can use it again!" I guess we did not realize our daughter was such a conservationist!

Papa came over for dinner and to open the gift Alina Jayne bought him at her pre-school's shopping day-although she already told him what it was the day she bought it! In fact, she told ALL of us what she bought for us. When we wrapped the gifts for Matt, one was a pair of slippers. The other night he was getting ready for bed, and she says "Daddy, why are you wearing those old slippers? Don't you want to wear your NEW ones?"

Matt bought necklaces for Alina Jayne and I-each the half of a Mother/Daughter Heart. As we watched Alina Jayne open her gifts this AM, it hit me-this is our third Christmas together. How time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for her referral. Now we go to sleep and wake up with her everyday. What a blessing. My family is the reason my heart beats, the reason I feel complete. I tell Alina Jayne that she makes my heart happy. The joy in my life is because of my family.

I was able to spend Christmas at home with my Husband, Daughter and my Father. I cannot think of any better gifts....................

Merry Christmas to all!

SAVE THE WRAPPING PAPER!
The Ballerina/Princess & Her Daddy

The Ballerina/Princess & Her Papa

She Did Her Own Hair & Makeup!

Papa........

Mother & Daughter

Ho Ho Ho!!!!!

 

...........We finally took Alina Jayne to the local Children's Wonderland. In our defense, she just did not seem interested at all the last two years. Now she is in pre-school and they celebrate all of the holidays, so she was curious this year. This is an event that her Daddy and I went to as children, so we were happy to be able to take her. It was a perfect night for the trip. We had a fairly severe snow/ice storm during the previous 24 hours, and most events were canceled. We decided to brave the elements, and we were rewarded with a fairly empty exhibit-and NO lineup to see Santa! This was also something she had absolutely NO interest in during the last two years, and we really were not sure she would be open to sitting with Santa this year. However, she surprised both Daddy and I, and decided to sit on his lap (she had said she would sit on Mama's lap while Mama sat on Santa's lap-so I was VERY happy when she decided to fly solo)! She had terrible "hat hair" and Mama was ill-prepared for a photo-op-not a hairbrush to be found! It's okay, I still think she looks beautiful-maybe a tad bit apprehensive, but still beautiful.

There were all kinds of exhibits-traditional gingerbread houses, a Candy Land theme, North Pole, and an exhibit of Christmas around the world. She was so excited to see a display of "Her China." She kept trying to touch the doll's hair-I had to explain that it was just to look at, but she REALLY wanted to touch it. I finally had to tell her that the doll's hair felt just like hers. She finally decided she didn't need to touch it when she realized she could actually ride the North Pole Express!

Due to the bad weather, she missed day two of her school's 2 days of Christmas parties. The teachers were afraid they might be closed on Friday, so they sent home her "gifts" for Mama and Daddy. One was a Christmas ornament with her picture inside, the other was a Christmas card with her picture. What a precious gift.

Only 4 days until Christmas-she keeps asking if it is Christmas today. It is so much fun this year-now that she is actually really excited about the whole thing. I cannot believe Santa would want to travel in this weather. We had to venture out in the frigid weather this AM (and when I say frigid, I mean it is 4 degrees, winds 30-40mph and a wind chill of -20.) The traction control light kept coming on in my car. So I pulled over to consult the owner's manual-and what did I hear from the back seat while I was reading? "Mama, what are you waiting for? Come on, let's get moving, I have a hair appointment!!!"

Brrrrrrrr..........More later :O)

 

Doesn't she look a tad unsure?

 

First Pre-School Christmas Pic

 

"This is Great!"

 

"ALL ABOARD!"

 

Christmas in China

 

Feels like the North Pole HERE today!

Wednesday Tip: Secret of the Slender Chinese

We started to worry that Alina Jayne was getting too fond of playing computer and X-box games. While I think noggin.com and PBS Kidsplay are fine in moderation, the idea of a nearly 4 year old into X-box gaming does give rise to concern. The other day I walked into the living room to find her planted squarely in front of the TV playing a game. It was the whole picture that concerned me-vegging in front of the TV, game controller in hand, oblivious to the world around her. We had a talk with her and explained she needed to do other fun things around the house that do not involve the TV. It is no surprise that she was less than thrilled, but she was okay with it.

A few days later she asked "Mama, can you put the 'ectercise' movie on so I can work out?" I thought this was a much better idea, so I plopped in the Jilian Michaels 30-Day Shred-and Alina Jayne completed the entire 20 minute workout-complete with hand weights!

When I took the pics off the camera, I was not sure which aspect of the photos were more entertaining. The fact that she insists on stripping down to her undies and tee-shirt so she has "ectercise clothes on," the fact that she has her own set of hand weights (she asked us to buy them for her), or the fact that she had obviously applied lipstick prior to her workout. It is oh so important to look good when you sweat!

Happy Wednesday :O)

Another Sweet Sunday (and Saturday too)!

We had another great weekend at home. On Saturday we made a gingerbread house (or a gingerman house as Alina Jayne calls them). I am so not creative, so I have to give the credit to Wilton for this one. If their kit was not so easy to use, this project would never have happened.....well, it might have if I tried to do it from scratch and Matt had been home to bail me out. But he was not, so I bought a Wilton kit. The house was pre-assembled, so it just needed to be frosted and decorated. All of the decorations were included, but we did use a few extra things we had on hand at home. ALL of the decorating was done by Ms. Alina Jayne. Trust me, it would not look this good if *I* had done it!

On Sunday Matt made breakfast for us-with the help of Alina Jayne of course. She does a very good job cracking the eggs(without leaving shells behind)-and adding the milk and whisking, etc. She and Papa make scrambled eggs all the time, so she knows what she is doing. We also baked and decorated another batch of "gingermen" cookies. We might be finished baking around here until it is time to get ready for Christmas dinner.

The Chef

The Chef & her Daddy

Oh, Christmas shopping is finished. I also do the shopping for the grandkids for my Dad, and that is finished as well. Alina Jayne was super easy to buy for-she does not need a thing, but she wants EVERYTHING she sees. The dialogue around here has gone something like this the last 3 mos:

A: "Mama, Daddy, come in here RIGHT NOW!"
(we run into the room thinking something is wrong)

A: (Calm as can be) "I want that, can you buy that for me?"

M/D: "You'd better put it on your list for Santa"

A: "No thanks, he's too busy making presents on the moon, you can buy it, right Mama/Daddy?"

I mean it, she wants everything she sees. The one time she beckoned us, she wanted us to buy her a money clip she saw on TV. I am afraid she is officially Americanized.

Have a great end of the weekend and week.

The fine details

Her finished masterpiece

Back of her gingerman house

Gingerman house side #1
Gingerman house side #2

The Rock Star (aka princess)

Sweet Sunday

Since this is a new blog this year, I realized I needed to add a pic of Alina Jayne's Chinese Christmas tree. I got the idea from my friend Kat, who has two beauties adopted from China. So the first year she was home from China, I decided to make her tree a Hunan Chili Pepper Tree-to honor our Spicy Girl's homeland. It is a fiber optic tree (but you really can't tell that in the pic), then I added the chili pepper lights. When we were in China we bought some cloisonne ornaments, and we give her a new one every year to hang on her tree. In 2006 we gave her a stocking, 2007 was a snowman, and this year it is a bulb with Chinese knotting cord. I just found out that my Dad bought us another table top tree, so that one will be dedicated to Ethiopia for our new baby!!!!!!!!

We have had a delightfully peaceful weekend. This was my weekend off, so Friday night I decided that I would not have any agenda-anything that got done would be great, anything left undone was fine too. We did not get up early either Saturday or Sunday (well, Matt did-he went to work), and we even stayed in our jammies ALL day on Saturday. We decided to spend our time playing games, cooking and napping.

Today was cookie day. Alina Jayne has been begging me to make "gingermen" cookies. So I thought-wow, we could do that this year instead of cutouts. We spent part of the afternoon baking and decorating-what a blast! At one point while we were baking, I had to run out to Matt's shop to retrieve the cookie sheets I used to flat freeze the garden veggies at summer's end (you can see how much baking I have done lately-I never even missed them until today!) When I came back into the house, I saw that Alina Jayne had not only rolled a chunk of cookie dough out and cut out 3 gingerbread men all by herself and put them onto the cookie sheet-but she had ALSO FLOURED THE THE PASTY BOARD FIRST!

Off to play Candyland. I will never win, my daughter cheats! Keeps a few cards tucked away under her bum in case she's close to winning and needs to move two spots. It's okay, I'm a good sport, and she admits she doesn't play fairly-at least she doesn't lie about it!

So Serious!

See???


Aren't These The Best Looking Cookies You've Ever Seen?

I-171 (And Some Other Happenings Too)!

Well, it is here!!! We cleared the immigration milestone-our I-171 came Friday!!! We are officially approved to adopt up to 2 kiddos from Ethiopia!! Not bad turnaround for our local USCIS field office. Fingerprints were done on 11/19 and the I-171 was approved on 12/01/08!! Now all we have to do is wait...........and wait, and wait.

We had some other events here too. Matt and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on 11/30, and *someone* had a birthday that day too. My Dad, Matt and Alina Jayne and I celebrated the anniversary, b-day, and the fact that we were DTE on 11/13 by having dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant-I guess we were also unknowingly celebrating the receipt of the I-171 too! The restaurant was awesome, the food was phenomenal, the Tej honey wine was excellent, and the atmosphere was so relaxing. We cannot wait to go back. Even my meat and potatoes Dad loved it-I was shocked (he was very hesitant to accept the invitation when he found out what kind of food we'd be having). I am going to order some injera (the flat, spongy bread the food is served on and used to scoop up the food you eat) and some Ethiopian spices. I am going to practice my Ethiopian cooking skills while we wait for our baby(ies)to come home.

Ethiopian Meal

My Dad also supplied the awesome b-day chocolate chip cookie-no candles. The store he was at did not have enough packs!!!

Happy Birthday!!

Matt bought me the most wonderful gifts. He went way overboard, but I did not complain! He got me a necklace that is the shape of Africa, with a heart in the center, and two pairs of Chinese character earrings-one with the character for mother, and one with the character for love. Everyday I wear the necklace he bought me for my 2nd Mother's Day, which has the Chinese characters for "Born in my Heart." Now I am wearing that and my new Africa necklace daily. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband.

Sheng Zi Wo Xin (Born in My Heart) & My Heart is in Africa

Off to enjoy the cold, snowy weekend. We may bake gingerbread cookies today. Seems like the perfect day for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful, restful and very stress-free holiday. My Dad came over for the day, and it was so nice to be able to visit with him. My sisters had things to do with their families (in-laws and such), so it was just us this year.

We really do have this holiday meal preparation thing down to a science. The night before I make the desserts (sweet potato pie and pumpkin pudding), mix the green bean casserole, and chop all of the veggies for the food I make the next day. In the morning I make the dressing (in the crockpot) and the scalloped corn. Matt makes the mashed potatoes (which also get plopped into a crockpot to keep warm-I LOVE my crockpots), and he is in charge of deep-frying the turkey in the afternoon. That's it! While the turkey is frying, I throw the green beans, corn and rolls into the oven to heat, and we are set. Okay, so I take the easy way out with the gravy and cranberry sauce ( it's from a jar) but not many people around here use it anyway. After all of the holiday meals we have prepared, I have come to the conclusion that I will always make WAY too much food!

I looooove the holidays around here. As you all know, life can be so very busy and hectic at times, and it is far too easy to get caught up in it and lose sight of what is really important. It is so nice to be able to enjoy a day without rushing around-just being able to take the time to enjoy each other's company helps me realize how lucky we are to have each other, and to be thankful for all we have.

Our wedding anniversary (and yes, my birthday) are this weekend, plus our dossier was sent to Ethiopia this month, so we are celebrating by going to an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner. It has gotten really good reviews, so I am very excited. I love to try new foods, but some of my family members are not so adventurous! We may have to stop for take out for them on the way home! I'll post after we go to report!

Happy Holidays!!


GOTCHA! My family is so camera shy!

"Wow, there is waaaay too much food here!"

CHEESE!

A Time for CELEBRATION!!!

This is a very exciting day in our house! After what seems like an eternity (although in reality it has only been a few months total), we received a very special e-mail from our Adoption Placing Agency today-our dossier (the official mound of documents and application) was sent to Ethiopia on Thursday!

Yep,on 11/13/08, all of the hours, days, weeks of work (applications, education, visits with the Homestudy Social Worker, personal and employer references, numerous e-mails, local criminal background checks, physical exams and lab work, etc, etc), all of the hard work was condensed into a package that was sent to Ethiopia. We are DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia)!!!

Now the "Official" wait begins. We still need to clear what used to be known as "Immigration" (now known as USCIS). This is THE background check that will (hopefully) yield the coveted I171-H (the authorization to adopt a child internationally). We have our fingerprint appointment next week. The process is actually two-fold. First, your fingerprints have to "pass" a QA check, meaning they are good enough to be analyzed. Then, if the quality is sufficient to allow an analysis, they are checked against a HUGE database (kind of like you would see on CSI) to determine that you have NO criminal history.

Whew!

Is anyone else exhausted?? I know I am!!! In fact, I feel a lot like Alina Jayne looks in this picture!


I am lucky (in more ways than I can even begin to count), I have "met" a lot of really great people from our Adoption Placing Agency who are in the same place as we are right now in this process. It will be great to share such an awesome journey with them! We met some wonderful people when we adopted Alina Jayne; people we will have a life-long bond with. I can see more life-long bonds forming on this journey too.

Check back often-we'll keep you posted!