HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ALINA JAYNE IS 4!!!

This was a special day around here-Alina Jayne is 4 today!

Her party was supposed to be Saturday, but unfortunately, Great Grandma called a couple of hours before the party and said she was not feeling well. Mama went to check on her and decided she needed to go to the ER. We delayed the party from 4:00 to 5:30, but then re-scheduled it for today when she was admitted for testing. She was devastated to have missed all of the fun, but she is where she needs to be, having testing and observation.

Waiting for her party to start.....

This was only a small party anyway-just Grandparents, so it was easy to re-schedule it for today. We had Papa, Grammy and Grandpa, Aunt Nonna and cousin Claudie came along with Papa.

Aunt Nonna

Grandpa

Grammy Patty

Daddy & Papa

Cousin Claudia

Alina Jayne got sooo many cool gifts-Aunt Nonna brought some cool stuff from Japan (where her Grandkids are from) and she got a ton of clothes. Aunt Nonna also got Alina Jayne an African baby doll, which the women passed around to snuggle like it was a *real* baby!

We had pizza, Chinese dumplings, lettuce wraps, shrimp, Chinese sugar doughnuts, and cupcakes. We also had the traditional oranges, but Mama forgot to put them out! Call me a knuckle head!

We all had so much fun visiting, we almost forgot to sing happy birthday! When we finally did, Alina Jayne asked us to do it over-she did not have her birthday tiara on! So of course, we did!

"Oh no, something's not right-where is my tiara?"

"Whew, that's better!"

We sent some cupcakes with Papa to give to the Grandkids who weren't here, along with a Hong Bao (red envelope) with "lucky money" for each of them. We cannot wait to finally be able to celebrate ETHIOPIAN HOLIDAYS too!

One other big event occurred-Alina Jayne got a BIG GIRL BED! Daddy finished making the bed frame a few days ago, and Santa brought her new big girl bedding. So for her 4th b-day, we re-did her room. Of course, she has NEVER slept in there! She has had a crib, toddler bed and now a big girl bed. Hoping the third try is a charm!

The Big Girl Room!

Enjoy the photos. Off to watch the Superbowl!

 

(CLICK ON THE COLLAGE TO SEE THE PICS LARGER)

恭喜发财 Gong Xi Fa Cai!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!



January 26th, 2009 begins the Year of the Ox. The Ox symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Chinese Lunar New Year or the Chinese Spring Festival, is one of the traditional Chinese holidays. Gong Xi Fa Cai is the most popular greeting this time of the year, which means "Congratulations and be prosperous."

Unlike the Western New Year, whereby the year always beings on January 1st, China uses the lunisolar Chinese calendar to determine Chinese New Year dates. The calendar is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by Han culture (i.e. Vietnam, Japan and Korea). In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. This means that the holiday usually falls on the second (or rarely third) new moon after the winter solstice. In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated internationally, and is considered to be the most important holiday for the Chinese, as well as other ethnic groups (i.e. the Mongolians, Koreans, the Miao and the Vietnamese) who were influenced by Chinese culture in terms of religion, philosophy, language and culture. Chinese New Year is also the time of year when the largest human migration takes place-Chinese in China and around the world return home on Chinese New Year Eve.

Before the New Year comes, people typically clean inside and outside of their homes, as well as their clothes, pajamas and all their utensils. Door panels are pasted with Spring Festival couplets (with black Chinese calligraphy on red paper). Wishes for a bright future or good luck for the New Year are common themes. Pictures of the god of doors and wealth are often posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.

A common character seen on door couplets it the Chinese character “fu” (meaning blessing or happiness). The character is typically hung upside down-the reason being that in Chinese, the “reversed fu” is synonymous with “fu comes," both being pronounced as “fudaole.” It is also common to see large red lanterns on each side of front doors.

Chinese New Year Eve is a very important date to the Chinese. On this night, families gather to visit and have dinner to celebrate the holiday. Dishes such as chicken, fish and noodles are commonly served, as well as tangerines and oranges. A whole chicken represents family unity, fish (especially one served whole) represents abundance and prosperity, noodles represent longevity, and tangerines and oranges offer luck and wealth. After dinner, families visit, most staying up to see in the New Year.

Traditional New Year’s Day breakfast in northern China consist of jiaozi (dumplings) for breakfast, as they think “jiaozi” in sound means “bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new”. Also, the shape of the dumpling is like gold ingot from ancient China- people eat them and wish for money and treasure. A typical breakfast in Southern China consists of niangao (New Year cake made of glutinous rice flour), as in sound, niangao means “higher and higher, one year after another.” The first five days after the Spring Festival is a time for relatives, friends, classmates and colleagues to exchange greetings and gifts.

On New Year’s Day, it is common for children and unmarried members of the family to receive money as a New Year gift, wrapped up in red paper (Hong Bao). Burning fireworks is the most typical custom on the Spring Festival. It is thought that the loud, banging sounds of the firecrackers help drive away evil spirits. Other customary festivities include dragon and lion dancing, and festivals. The Chinese New Year or Spring Festival comes to an end with a lantern festival.

We will be celebrating CNY in conjunction with Alina Jayne’s 4th birthday party on January 31st, and you can bet my camera will be smoking! This year it will be a casual event-a combination pizza party with the grandparents for Alina Jayne’s birthday, and CNY-with some appetizers of dumplings, shrimp, Chinese sugar donuts and oranges. So while we will not have all of the traditional CNY foods, we will have some. It is important to acknowledge as many Chinese holidays as we can, especially the big ones. Luckily, Alina Jayne’s b-day is always close to CNY. We can’t wait until we can start celebrating ETHIOPIAN holidays too!

Adoption Timeline OOOPS! New DTE........

Today we found out that our dossier was *not* sent to Ethiopia on 11/13/08 as we originally thought. The last Fed Ex pick-up at our agency's office is 4:15PM, so it was actually sent on 11/14/08 instead! No biggie in the big picture of International Adoption, but it was good to know this info-I'll want to have the right date in our new baby's Lifebook!

Our adoption agency welcomes monthly phone calls from families who are waiting for referrals-just to see where the families might be in terms of the waiting list. We did not call in December, and we were not going to call this month either, since we know we still have quite a wait. Well, I caved and sent an e-mail. Having been through an International Adoption before, we know they cannot give us a definite timeline. They have no way to predict when a given waiting family will be matched with a child. So, we found out today that our dossier was technically sent to Ethiopia on 11/14/08, and that, you guessed it, we still have a long way to go!





Stay tuned.......................

Sunday Snow Fun!

Making a snow angel in her sandbox


We had a hefty winter blast in our area that started on Friday evening. For the first time in I don't know how long, the forecasters were right! Between Friday evening and Saturday night, our area received a nice "dusting" of snow. It was the light, powdery type, so there was a lot of blowing and drifting. I received a call on Friday night letting me know that our office would be closed on Saturday (woo hoo! I miss my childhood snow days)!

We tried to get Alina Jayne to play outside on Saturday, but she informed us "no thanks guys, it is too deep out there, that is not fun snow." Finally today we talked her into going outside for a while. We got well over a foot of snow, although it is hard to tell in the pics after our German Shepherds had a great time running around the yard flattening the snow out! I have to say, Alina Jayne was right. It wasn't the "fun snow." It was too powdery to make snowballs or a snowman-but it was nice to spend some time outside anyway! The hot cocoa afterward was even better :O)

Let's make a snowman!!!

Alina Jayne with Heidi & Rommel

I told you this wasn't good snow-can't make a snowman, can we go in now?

January 7th, 2009-MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Melkam Gena & Timkat!

Nope. I have not lost my mind-it is Christmas time in Ethiopia!

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. Since Ethiopia recognizes the ancient Julian calendar, Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7th, the Feast of the Epiphany, instead of December 25th.

Christmas is a major holiday in Ethiopia, where more than half of the population is Orthodox Christian. It is a day when families attend church. The day before Ganna, people fast all day, and then attend an early morning Mass on January 7th. Around the time of Ganna, the men and boys play a game that is also called ganna. It is somewhat like the game of hockey played here, except it is played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball.

The foods enjoyed during the Christmas season may include doro wat- a thick, spicy stew of chicken and vegetables. The wat is traditionally served from a beautifully decorated watertight basket onto a "plate" of injera (the flat, spongy sourdough bread) which is used to both serve the food and as an edible “spoon” to scoop up the wat.

Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ. Children and adults walk to church services in a procession. The priests wear red and white robes and carry embroidered fringed umbrellas.

The music of Ethiopian instruments makes the Timkat procession a very festive event. A percussion instrument called a sistrum (tinkling metal disks) and a long, T-shaped prayer stick called a makamiya, taps out the walking beat, and also serves as a support for the priest during the long church service that follows. Church officials (called dabtaras) study hard to learn the musical chants, known as melekets, for the ceremony. During Timkat, the Ethiopian men play another game called yeferas guks. During this game, they ride on horseback and throw ceremonial lances at each other.

Unlike Christmas in the United States, Ganna (as well as Timkat) are not occasions for giving gifts in Ethiopia. If an Ethiopian Child receives a gift at all, it is usually a small gift of simple clothing. Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.


Hopefully next year we will be celebrating our *usual* Christmas, as well as Ethiopian Christmas. Since we are so early in the Ethiopia adoption process, we did not have an actual celebration this year. I tend to be very careful-not wanting to “jinx” anything. I did the same thing when we waited for Alina Jayne’s referral from China. I learned all about the culture, customs, and traditions, and of course, blogged about them. However, I did not feel comfortable celebrating the holidays until Alina Jayne was home. Yes, Matt thinks I am crazy! I still plan to practice some Ethiopian cooking while we wait.

Another holiday/celebration is fast approaching. Ms. Alina Jayne will be turning 4 on February 1st, and Chinese New Year is on January 26th this year. We will probably celebrate her birthday and CNY at the same time. We’ll post photos then.

A Girl & Her Papa

On Friday night as I got Alina Jayne out of the bathtub, she mentioned that she could not see any stars that night-we have a tradition of saying the whole "Star Light, Star Bright" poem every time we see the first star in the sky. She always proceeds to tell me what her wish is "I wish for my Papa."

Well, on Friday, when she told me she could not see any stars, I told her that was okay. She informed me "No Mama, I need the stars....I need to tell them thank you for my Papa. I love my Papa, he is sooooo good, I am sooooo thankful for my Papa."
Well kiddo, we are too!

When Alina Jayne came home from China, Papa was not at all happy that she was going to be going to daycare, and he made that perfectly clear to us. But there was a problem, since Matt and I both work full-time, we had no other choice. He volunteered to watch her (he was preparing to retire after working for GM for 42 years), but we were quite sure he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Sure, he had an 11 year old Granddaughter that he and my Mom helped raise, as well as 5 additional younger Grandkids-but a 15 month old child plucked from the only country, people, food, culture & language she had ever known, was a whole different story!

Well, guess what? Alina Jayne lasted exactly 3.5 hours in daycare (over the course of 3 days) and we knew she would never make it there. Papa INSISTED he watch her "for a few months-until she got adjusted." We agreed, and when few months passed, we started looking at daycare centers again. Papa refused to allow her to go "until she was old enough to tell us if she was unhappy there." We finally caved and enrolled her in pre-school this past September-and yes, he is still disappointed! If we would have let him have his way, she'd stay with him and he'd home school her!

However, to give credit where credit is due-anyone who truly who knows us and Alina Jayne, knows that the reason she is the loving, caring, adjusted, intuitive, intelligent,(albeit at times)feisty child she is today-is BECAUSE of Papa.

....if he had not decided that this child needed someone to give his undivided attention to; someone to meet her needs when she was unsure of everything around her-Alina Jayne would not be the Alina Jayne she is today............

"Thanks Papa" seems so insignificant.

Alina Jayne & Papa- the night he drove us home from the airport after we arrived from China

We found this note from Papa on our fridge after he brought us home from the airport (the cherries are a work of art from niece Claudia)

Happy 2009!

Here we are on the first day of 2009. Not a lot going on in our home today, since a certain almost 4 year old did not want to go to sleep last night-and here we thought she'd not be able to stay awake to ring in the New Year! Wrong. She not only stayed up to welcome 2009, but managed to keep us awake until well after 2AM! This is one tired family today.

We stayed home for New Years Eve. Matt's Dad & Stepmom came up and we had our Christmas with them. We just had appetizers and drinks last night-and Patty (aka Grammy) brought shrimp cocktail for the Hunan Princess. That child can eat her weight in shrimp (this is why we haven't given her lobster yet). It was a really nice visit, but Patty has bronchitis and they ended up leaving around 9:00. We'll be getting together again soon, as Yours Truly forgot to give them their gifts from us! I almost forgot their card and pic of Alina Jayne, but after Matt reminded me 10 or 100 times, I did remember that-Brain fog is my defense.

Tomorrow it is back to work for me. Matt and Alina Jayne have been off since 12/19, but Mama on the other hand has worked. Fortunately I was off early on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, and we are closed on Christmas and New Years Days. There have not been too many patients on the schedule, so it has not been hectic. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful to have a job in this shaky economy, but I have had my moments of feeling sorry for myself, knowing I am missing out on time at home with my family. I certainly could have taken the time off, but I chose to save my time so I have hours in the bank to pay for my time off when our baby comes home from Ethiopia, so it is all good. Wow. That sounds so beautiful.

Here's wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2009, and hoping this year brings us news of our newest family member.

Happy New Year!


Grammy, Alina Jayne & Grampy-New Years Eve

"PLEASE Mama, No More Pics" New Years Day

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)