Three Years

How is it even possible that it's already been three years? Our lives are so full, so fun, so crazy with this sweet girl in our lives. We are so very lucky.

I finally found all the links to our trip, they are now over on the left side-bar. I had a sniffly trip down memory lane just now, reading them. It seems like yesterday, it seems a lifetime ago.

We had some photos of Emi taken for the occasion. They sum up our sweet girl as no words could ever do. Her sparkling personality just shouts out. Enjoy!

October 29, 2007

A day we will never, ever, forget. It was the day a sweet, pink, sleeping bundle was placed in our arms - a day our lives changed. Forever. That bundle has grown into the most outgoing, crazy and fun girl! Every person she meets is a friend-to-be, she lights up a room with her smile - she's contagious! While I have been a terrible blogger of late, I do want to catch up as I don't want to forget a single moment of Emi's life. We have enjoyed her, tremendously, I want to make sure that 20 years from now we have the memories, stories and photos to look back on. Even now, it's hard to remember how teeny tiny she was. She's still small for her age (well, height-wise), but it's easy to forget because her personality is H.U.G.E.

Emi's sassy side is seriously beginning to show itself. She always had an opinion, but now she's more vocal about it. She gets frustrated sometimes, as her language is still lagging, but she manages somehow. Emi is still a very busy little girl (yes, the baby and even the toddler are leaving us, she is very much a little girl these days - changing sometimes overnight!). She loves loves loves playing with her toys, and watching her pretend play with her Little People is a joy. I so wonder whats going on in that mind of hers! So much has changed for Emi in the last two years, and she's been up to the challenge. Two *big* moves in two years, but with luck this is it for awhile. She is a gal who loves adventure, who loves to travel (go figure) and new things to see and do. She also loves routine, staying home, and playing with her toys. She also loves and adores to be outside, in any weather much to my dismay sometimes.

I wish there was a way to share all of this with her birth family, her foster family, and her nannies at Fuling SWI that loved her so. She is sweet and spicy, the perfect mix (although I am already trembling in fear at the teenage years if two is any indicator!). Emi is a joy and a delight to everyone around her. And we are so very lucky to be her parents.

Happy Family Day, Sweet Girl. We love you so.

October 2007, China ~~~ October 2008, Washington


October 2009, South Carolina

P.S. More photos and details coming soon. Pictures are scattered between two computers and the BlackBerry - but I am getting more organized every day!

Worth Reading

Every Sunday Tonggu Momma posts something called Sunday Linkage. I try to read at least a couple each week. Some are quite good, some I don't agree with, some really really make me think. This week, this one, especially, was one I found quite excellent. Worth reading if adoption has touched your life at all, and even if it hasn't.

Library Grand Re-Opening

I hustled around like a mad woman this morning to get Emi and I out the door by 8:30. It didn't happen, but we did finally leave about 9:10 - which, considering that I didn't even get INTO the shower until 8:35 is saying something (I am notoriously slow when it comes to showering).

About a year and a half ago (give or take, let's just say it feels like forEVER) our main library closed and moved most of the books and staff to a temporary location while they revamped the original one. Today was the day of the big unveiling. Yippee! I had found out there was to be a parade going from the temporary location to the new fancy location, with ribbon cutting, cookies and ... who knows what else. But I thought the parade would be fun and while the ribbon cutting and speeches were happening, Emi could just run around outside.

Best laid plans.

Come to find out, no one I asked knew about a parade. As the ribbon cutting time came closer, someone shouts out ... "here comes the parade!" Okay, it was cute, but parade? No. A bunch of kids, someone said it was a camp but I don't know for sure, about 5-6-7 years old walked from the temporary location to the new (old) one. Carrying the last books to make the move back home. Cute idea, but I got suckered into the whole parade thing. Heh. Oh well. Emi had her cookie so she was happy.

While we were waiting for the ribbon cutting I realized it was going to be awhile, and it was going to be inside. Yeah, silly me ... open a building, one would think the ribbon would be across the front door? Nope. Emi and I went inside, found seats and ate cookies (Emi had both, hahaha, no surprise there).

Some old bat (apologies to the few nice old bats that might be reading this ... Hi Mom!) sat down beside us (btw, I didn't think "old bat" at the time). I smile at her, Emi grins her cookie encrusted sweet smile at her. And the woman says "oh, are you her mama?". Yes. She then says "your husband Oriental"? My answer "No, and he's not Asian either". Confused look. At this point, it's still a nice conversation even if she doesn't know the terminology, many don't and frankly I didn't feel like getting into it. However, then she drops the bombshell. "Oh you poor little dear, you are one of those poor little orphan girls from China that no one loved."

Uh, huh.

I gather up our things, ticked beyond reason. But I just could NOT let that go. Yeah, I know. I should have.

Me: "Ma'am, actually, she was and is very much loved. We have no idea what her biological parents had to go through, but most likely is was not an easy choice to let her go. I am sure her Chinese parents grieve every day for this sweet little girl. I hope you wouldn't say something like that in front of a child who could actually understand what you just said."

Not my proudest moment, and before anyone kicks me, don't bother. I've been doing that all afternoon. I was sure she meant to be kind, meant to say something positive and didn't. It probably came out wrong and she's feeling doubly bad - she put her foot in her mouth and I slapped her about it.

I moved us to the other side of the room, red faced and embarrassed. Ready to go home, but Emi was honestly enjoying herself and really had no idea that something had just happened. However, a few moments later another woman came and sat next to us. She said she had overheard the conversation (my heart sinks) she says that that woman is known in the community for saying hurtful things all the while smiling. She called them cotton-covered barbs ... perfect term! I told her that after what I said I felt terrible, I was raised better than that. (Polite, be nice to our elders, etc.) She said not to give it another thought, many that overheard it were applauding that someone actually gave that woman back what she had coming.

Sure, it sort of made me feel better, but not really. While she is a meanie, the next person who says something like that may not be and may honestly be trying to say something nice. I need to find a way to "correct and protect" without harming. Emi is going to look to me for my responses, and I need to work on them. I think it's just that when we are out and about, we rarely get any comments except "she's darling, sweet, delightful", etc.

Moving on.

The speeches, thankfully, were kept to a minimum. Emi was a complete champ! She had, of course, plowed through those two cookies like we never fed her well before the start of the speeches. There was no way out of the building at this point, it was standing room only. But she was still doing okay, so we just sat and waited. She charmed and laughed and clapped her way through the speeches, and really did amazingly well. In fact, after, several folks came up and thanked her for sharing her smiles and enthusiasm (see? this is what we usually get!).

They finally cut the ribbon and everyone streams in. Emi and I go in, return books, find new ones, check out and leave.

We were sitting outside on one of the benches, Emi running around being well, Emi. She'd come by for fly-by hugs and/or kisses. Then, she crawled onto the bench, into my arms, grabbed my cheeks between those sweet, sticky fingers and pulled my face to her for a kiss. Then, pulled it down so we could rub noses (pretty much typical for Emi). She smiles, laughs, claps and runs off. I love this little gal so much my heart just bursts. I still can't believe how lucky we are, to parent this sweet (mischievous) little (imp) girl.

A nice old man (see, I don't call all old(er) folks old bats!) sat down next to me and said "What a delight she must be. I have been enjoying watching her play and stop long enough to give her mama kisses."

Yeah, he ended our outing on a positive note.

P.S. Had the camera. Took no pictures. Typical. I did include some of the library that I 'lifted' off their blog. It is a pretty spiffy building. Nice to see tax dollars going to good use.

Learning

Tonggu Momma posts a linkage every Sunday on adoption and adoption related issues that's she's found (find this week's here). I rarely can read more than a handful, as there is a lot to absorb. And there are some weeks I can read only one as my mind just keeps mulling it over and over.

I struggle with being a white mama with a child who is not. I worry that I will screw up, not teach her something she needs to know. Stumble along when I should be clearly explaining. She's young yet, so I have a bit of time. But she's a smart little thing and all too soon those questions will come up. Reading and learning from others is going to be my only way to help our little gal. So, I read the hard posts. I struggle to really hear what they are saying. I try to stretch myself. However, no matter how you slice it. I am white. Plain and simple. I have never had ethnic jokes slung at me - well, okay, I have. But not like Emi will have. My maiden name is Polish, I grew up in a *VERY* Dutch area, lots of Polish jokes - but still nothing compared to what my little girl will have to learn to deal with. And really, should she have to DEAL with this? No, I don't think so. And hence my problem. How to teach her to say what she needs to say, when she needs to say it.

So I read things like this.

And this. Even though some of her writing is hard to read, I need to read it.

And blogs like this one. Because, mom's living life with their kids is how I need to know how to do it. And she tell's it like it is.

Grace Notes - March

Small Graces: March

Grace Notes is again having one of her auctions (begins March 9th) for the above. After last month's auction I realized there is no possible way we can afford these right now (cry!) but I love them so. My way of seeing them is to post about them here! Also, for those that want to bid here's your reminder!

BTW, I forgot to post February's Small Graces. Opps, but this link will take you to the site talking about her auctions. What an awesome thing she's doing. And one of my fav new authors!

Grace Notes

It's rare for me to point out a new blog that I've found, but this is a great find! I am excited to find a new author, her paintings look amazing, and I expect to learn a lot too.

Grace Lin is an author and illustrator of children's book, seems to be mainly on China and Chinese adoption (which, of course, hits me right in my heart!). Her auction idea is very cool and such a wonderful thing, I really want to share this. She is auctioning (through ebay) a small painting a month for a year! Here is the direct link to that post. Worth looking into, if you are into this kind of thing (which I am). Here is the direct link to the blog that she set up for this project with all the details. Oh, this is going to be a fun year ... and potentially pricey, eek!

Above is the artwork that she will be auctioning off for the month of January (week of January 12 - 16). Oh my, does it just call out to me. I wonder what our checkbook looks like? :)

Fu Le Wen, One Year

Today, one year ago, at 2:00 pm local time (Chongqing, China), darling Emi was placed in our arms. While the wait was so hard (so very hard), nothing prepared me for the feelings that just swamped me when we walked into the room at the Civil Affairs building and saw her sweet sleeping face. And then, when her nanny gave her to me, the first time to hold my baby girl I just could not hold back the tears of joy. Thank goodness she was sleeping, because I seriously could not hold them back. Even now, writing this, the tears come. I could not believe this perfect little person was ours. Ours to love, ours to care for, ours to raise. Forever. I looked at her in awe, and just could not stop watching her sleep. It was so hard to hand her to Jeff to hold, I am sure I finally did but much of that time is a blur. I remember the nanny waking Emi while I held her and Emi just looking at both Jeff and I with huge eyes. No tears, and didn't really seem to be upset. Just absorbing all around her. She still pretty much likes to do that, look around first and then run head-long into what new experience is there waiting for her.

It's been a year of changes for this sweet little girl. From a baby who could barely sit, and who would topple over and not be able to right herself to a child who runs full tilt at the world. Very little scares her (although scares me all the time!), climbing to new heights almost daily. Emi still isn't talking, something that we have some concerns about but in all other areas she is either right on track or a bit ahead. She was and still is a very happy child, ready with a smile and a laugh. Her full belly laughs are contagious! She eats like a truck driver, has the energy of a locomotive and can brighten the room like a little fairy sprite. Think I am a bit in love with this little gal?

We couldn't be happier, and we are now a family complete.

P.S. For those new to our blog who might be interested in our trip to China:
October 29, October 31, November 1, November 4, November 8. And of course, there's more in the archives. :)

November 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~ October 2008
Oh, and she has a bit more hair. ;)

A Year Ago

This time last year, Jeff and I were on an airplane/sitting in an airport/in our hotel room in Beijing (with travel time and time zones who knows exactly what time it was then!). We were on our way to the sweetest little girl in the world. I was excited, and scared to death. I still was sure up until the moment Sweet Emi was placed in our arms that something would happen, and everything would go up in smoke. I wonder, is this a normal feeling for other parents who have gone through this process (and those still waiting)? One of the reasons we chose China was because it was stable (and really, still is even with the huge slow down). We had read too many horror stories about other countries to want to jump out of line when the slow down happened to change countries. By the time we had submitted our paperwork, it was China or nothing.

Thank goodness.

October 2008

Adoption for All: The Fairness for Families Petition

The below email arrived in my in-box this morning. Most adoptive families have probably already seen this, and voted. Even if you are not an adoptive family you can vote! The email was written by Dr. Jane Liedtke who is an adoptive mom, living in Beijing. She is the founder of OCDF (Our Chinese Daughters Foundation), which is a pretty incredible organization and one Jeff and I support. However, what this petition is, is about law. The US government must be held to the law, and our voice needs to be heard. Please, vote and feel free to share this information with others. The more votes we can get, the more we will be listened to.

To put this in the simplest of terms, had we not be 'grandfathered' in under the old rules, we would not have Emi. I cannot even begin to imagine our life (and the lives that she's touched) without our sweet girl. We would have done all our paperwork and paid all our fees (some two and even three times!), and then ... nadda. That is so wrong on so many levels. It's easy to vote and takes less than 2 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please share with adoptive families.

Originally families in-process to adopt were to be under the old rules prior to Hague Accreditation. Now it seems there are some glitches for them that must quickly be ironed out.

This link is to a petition that is circulating for the purpose of putting pressure on the USCIS and Dept. of State to follow the law and NOT make current adoptive families that are in process/waiting to adopt (paperwork already in the system) transition to Hague adoption case format/requirements .

Please send this petition link out to anyone you know who is a registered voter and is willing to help you.

http://www.gopetiti on.com/online/ 22112.html

This email is being sent to families who have already adopted, because, although this does not affect you, we want to give you the opportunity to help others who are in the middle of their adoptions.

One Year Ago Today ...

... almost to the minute, I was sitting here at my desk, hoping, waiting, was today the day?

Today is the first anniversary of our referral day. The day we first saw Emi's sweet face. So many emotions were running through me that morning, and so many are doing the same today. I cannot believe it's really a year, it's gone so very fast.

Here are some of the notes we received about Emi while she was still in China, with the changes we've seen since she's been home with us since November 2007:

• She is not in foster care, has spent her entire time in the SWI (social welfare institute, what we would call an orphanage).We found out that she was, actually, in foster care for about 2-3 months right before we received her. She was returned to the SWI a few weeks before we arrived.
• She is a deep sleeper. Deep sleeper. No, I wouldn't go straight to deep. Although, when she wants to sleep she does. Right where she is. We have to watch her carefully for signs.
• She is on formula, supplemented with steamed egg, rice soup (probably congee) and soy milk. Emi is still on formula, although we are tapering way down with the idea of having her completely off formula in the next few months. She was never fussy about temperatures or thick/thin consistency (fortunately, as I am sure our first bottles where not up to snuff!). While in China she would eat congee, but not a fav. She loved her steamed eggs and then ... she found food! She would (and still does) eat anything we put in front of her. Fav's still continue to be yogurt, fruits and vege's. But this gal does love starches like crazy. Except rice. Seriously. Plain white rice she will just toss on the floor. Loves wild rice though. And loves eating daddy's spicy foods. I am still the only wimp in the household with spicy.
• She is active, fond of listening to music and playing with toys. Active? Active? More like non-stop movement at all times! Emi continues to be quite busy all the time and very involved with whatever she is doing. She still loves and adores all music, and has just recently started to dance whenever she hears it. Very cute. Her toys are her world, and if she is gone all day we always need to remember to allow time for her to play with them before we do anything else (like bed!).
• She is closest to her caretaker (very good news!). We were so very fortunate that Emi had close bonds with her nannies and foster mom. Her transition to us was very smooth, and her bonding has been amazing. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that she has firmly attached to both Jeff and I. Lately, she has been instigating kisses and holding us tight around the neck. She will pull our faces to hers for kisses.

With her photos and the above information also came her measurements.

At the end of May (2007, she would have been just shy of 4 months) she weighed 5.2 kg (~ 11.4 pounds), and was 57.5 cm (~ 22.6 inches) long.

At her first doctor's appointment here in the States she weighed 17.8 lbs, was 27.2 inches long and her head was 42.5 cm.

At the end of August at her (late) 18 month well-baby visit, Emi weighed 23 lbs 9 oz, was 30 inches long and her head measured 46.8 cm.

We are thrilled with Emi's growth and development. But really, we are just thrilled with Emi. Emi continues to brighten our days, filling them with love and laughter. She is so curious and happy, a true love-bug.

A year ago today I thought was one of the happiest day of my life. Now, every day is. I have a wonderful, amazing, sweet, caring husband. And a sweet, gentle, crazy, happy, loving little girl who is our daughter.

Interesting, how life can change in an instant.

Re-Adoption

This past Friday, July 25th (which happened to be Drew's birthday - Hi Drew!) was our court date for Emi's re-adoption. It's a requirement in the State of Washington so that we can get a (an? whichever) United States (or rather, WA) birth certificate. Drives me nuts, as she is *already* a US citizen and we should not have to go through this step (not every state requires it, and every state is different on how they handle this). But, it is what it is, so we did it.

We had our post-placement visit the week before, which thankfully went without a hitch and we really enjoyed Melissa's visit (if you are in WA and live on the eastern side of the Cascade's and are looking for a very nice social worker, email me -- I will get you Melissa's info).

Friday went quite well. We were actually (gasp) on time, but you'd think if we had I could have taken three minutes to look at my hair. When we arrived at the courthouse, I made sure Emi's hair was perfect, checked her diaper, straightened her dress, checked her arms (at least 15 times!) to make sure she wasn't cold, gave her a snack and her sip (water bottle) but never ever ever did I even think to look into a mirror for myself. How is that? So my hair, which actually looked quite great at home, looked horrible (flat out horrible, in fact) for court and the photos. Drat and double drat. Oh well, not a thing I can do about it now.

The judge was wonderful, asked all the questions that we've answered a gazillion times and I *still* teared up. This was a formality at best, and still. But, at least I didn't cry like I did when we took Emi's citizenship oath! :)

The judge was charmed by Emi (of course!) as were the three folks in there (not sure what all they were doing, some function I am assuming, as it was a closed court proceeding). The judge even gave Emi a sweet, very soft, stuffed bear. Of course, she wouldn't touch the darned thing. Kids. After photos and thanks, we left. We got out into the hall and Emi demanded the bear and wouldn't let it go all day. In fact, she loved on it so much ... the bear's head sort of popped off and now I have to find a way of sewing it back on! I did however, get a picture of Emi with the bear in the courthouse but she was moving so fast and I was trying to get the picture quickly ... both pictures blurred. But there again, I did get them. (Here's the best of the two.)

(Oh, and doesn't she look so grown-up with the new hair cut? I didn't do as bad a job as I thought I did!)

We are now, officially ..... DONE! We have no other reports to file, no other home visits (we are not required to do the twelve month report), nothing. It was so good to know that now, we can just be a family. A nice feeling. Very.

BTW, it's sort of hard to tell (and I have to get a better picture at some point) but I found Emi the perfect dress for the event. It's red, white and blue with a cherry motif. Perfect for the U.S. and Washington!

MPM (July 13-19) and Last Week

Last week, nothing much happened. Nothing blog-worthy at least. The fence, that was on it's last leg and was scheduled for replacement, blew down. Luckily we were already on the fence folks' schedule. Jeff called them and they said they'd move us up in the schedule. Thank goodness! Other than that, the weather started off too hot to go outside but then by the end of the week it was nicer (from 106 to 85 in a week!). Didn't really matter as Emi and I have been battling whatever it is that is going around. Not near as bad (thank goodness) as Casa Salsa, but bad enough to keep us both wanting to stay close to home and not doing much. Just lazing around in pj's, reading books, coloring, watching a bit of Diego and Backyardigans.

Wednesday we have our six-month post-placement visit (yes, to those counting the months, we are late). We have been trying to neaten up the house for that, but really, we live IN our house. It's not a show-place and it's not going to pretend to be one. We love our little house, and it looks like us ... well lived in and happy. At best, my house is clean. Things mostly end up in the place they are supposed to be. That's another reason we are tossing and Goodwilling up a storm. The less stuff we have, the neater our house is. Plus, we just don't need all this stuff. Living overseas taught us just how much we don't need.

Also, the Before & After has been postponed ... and not by me! Seems BooMama has something previously scheduled for then so she is giving us a bit more time (whooohooo). I have added and added and added to my list (poor Jeff), so I can't wait to show off all we've done. But I am going to wait to post any photos of our progress until the B&A date, tentatively rescheduled for Labor Day weekend. I can't wait. Our house is really coming together and I am loving it!
Back to MPM, I didn't even cook ONE meal last week! I did make the Oriental Salad as it's super easy and Jeff likes to take it for lunch. But other than that, nada. I am tossing together the Almond Chicken Salad for lunch today and the Hawaiian Skillet Chicken is the plan for tonight. I have big plans for cooking for this week. I've missed it (yeah, I know, sick huh?!) and really like the whole menu plan thing. It makes it so easy. I rarely make the meal on the day it's listed, maybe I should just list the meals and no days. Hmmmm, going to think on that one. But I love having the week's meals figured out ahead of time and, usually, the shopping planned out or even done for the meals.

So, that's our week in a nutshell. Here's our planned menu for the week. Hope I can do all this! Don't forget to stop by I'm an Organizing Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday!

• Sunday: What I Didn’t Get to Last Week
• No matter how much I plan or promise myself I won’t laze out and just say “scrounge night”, it happens. At least once a week. So, I end up with a menu and (usually) ingredients for one meal (sadly, sometimes more than one). So here is my plan to not waste anything and to use up that meal. If, on the other hand I am fabulously organized and manage to make all planned meals … I hereby declare Sunday nights PIZZA night. Order in, Kiy does nothing, Pizza night!
• This week it’s: Hawaiian Skillet Chicken, steamed sticky rice, vege
• We are having the Almond Chicken Salad for lunch today, I never got to it last week! It was actually pretty darned easy to make (gotta love that) as I used a pre-roasted chicken from the grocery store. It was light and summery, and definite addition to our summer menu ('course I had to taste it while I was making it!).

• Monday: Breakfast! Eggs, grits, turkey sausages and Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole

• Tuesday: Quick Spinach Roll-Ups, bread or rolls, green salad

• Wednesday: Chinese Appetizer Dinner: Homemade Egg Drop Soup, Egg Rolls, Sesame Chicken Satay, New Year Dumplings

• Thursday: Leftover Buffet

• Friday: Asian-Style Grilled Tilapia, wild rice, carrots

• Saturday: Free Nite
• We tend to go out one nite a week, or need a night of not making dinner for various reasons. I am factoring this in my menu plan each week, but it won’t necessarily always (or often) be on a Saturday.

A Good Week

I frequently say that I don't know where the week goes. And often I don't, but this past week I do. Emi and I played ALL.WEEK.LONG. And it was fabulous. We were at the park (the same one from my Father's Day post) almost every day. We had a picnic lunch there one day, but the other days we just went for our walk/run and enjoyed the cool breezes coming off the river. Our usual walk is now Mama pushing the stroller (with child in it) on the way 'there' (wherever there happens to be that day). Then we sit in one of the swings for a bit, maybe have a snack and definitely have some water (this gal drinks water ALL day long ... we should weigh a full diaper sometime). We swing, chat, talk about what we see (we worked on bird last week, as the seagulls were sure Emi was going to share whatever she was eating ... NOT!). She repeated, sorta, the word a couple of times but has yet to repeat again. Ah well, talking will come in time and then I will beg her to be quiet! {smile} After the break, Mama again pushes the stroller ... while trying to keep up with Miss Emi who is now on the loose! Mama's only *very* strict rule is that Emi is not allowed on the grass between the walkway and the water (well, and not rushing up to dogs, but Emi doesn't know that yet, Mama just picks her up for now). Mainly as, if she is in the grass and stumbles it would be too easy for her to keep rolling right into the water. It's a safety thing, and Mama is quite strict about safety. Something that Emi is learning even at this young age. Other than that, she can run on the other side of the walkway in the grass, run on the sidewalk (and yes, we've had a few scraped knees, she will learn) and met some pretty fun people. She spent almost 30 minutes one day last week with two gals (about 17 or 18) who were sitting on their skateboards talking to their mom and her friend. While I chatted with the ladies, Miss Emi got over her shy and had the time of her life with the two gals *and* their skateboards. She was able to get across to them that she wanted to stand on the skateboard while holding their hands and then wanted to walk from one skateboard to the other, without touching the ground. She squealed with delight when they understood what she wanted. Got down, clapped at them, got back up and did it ... again and again and again. Wish I had had the idea the snap some pictures of this, darn it. But she so enjoyed herself and I enjoyed talking with adults!

Note: The photos are from Tuesday the 17th, and yes, it's all about the accessories.
Just ask Emi.

The other thing that we did last week was to visit the County Clerk's Office. We even took daddy with us! That is the first step in the readoption process here in our county (and as I've been told, each county in Washington has different steps/requirements). Now that we've filed our paperwork and been given a case number, we can schedule our post-placement visit with our social worker. We have a court date in late July when (one would hope) Emi will be declared ours, again, and she will receive a Washington State birth certificate. After that, we will get her passport (which we could have done before this, we just choose to get her State ID first instead) and then ... ta da!, we are done! She had a great time in the clerk's office, charming all the ladies and even the grumpy guy who came in to pay his speeding ticket. After that, we dropped daddy off at work and went to lunch (daddy didn't have time that day). Then, back to the park! A great day.

However, by Friday we needed a day to just be. Laundry was piling up (how could two and a half people go through *this* much laundry?!), the house was in shambles and Emi was missing her toys. While she loves to go and do, she also loves to play with her toys. When we would get home each day, no matter what time, she would greet her toys like long lost friends and play play play (too cute). So, Friday was spent catching up. Mama with the house and Emi with her toys. Another good day.

Saturday, Jeff and I tackled some more of the house, working on my Before & After project along with a couple of other projects (a run to the recycling center to drop off a bunch of stuff and a run to the Goodwill drop off truck, with another run planned for today). I realized (and made the correction on my post) that BooMama was giving us a month to get our lists done, not the week I thought (duh Kiy, reading comprehension!). So I decided to do each thing on my list a bit more in depth. Forever ago I purchased three (to start) large plastic stacking containers with lids. One each for Christmas, Fall (Fall, Halloween & Thanksgiving) and Spring (Spring & Easter). As we were working on item #2 on my list, I would add things to the boxes. It's something I have wanted to do for months and I am quite pleased to have that project done! They are now in the spot where there boxes were, as right now I don't want them in the garage. But at some point my goal is to have everything that is being stored in containers like that, and labeled! Emi helped and played with her toys, so she also enjoyed the day. Although I think today, while we hope to get a few more things done, we are also going to try to get to the park. Daddy needs to be walked, after all!

Keeping her close

By now, I have to think that there isn't a person out there that has been touched in some way by adoption that hasn't heard about little Maria Chapman. I wasn't going to blog about this, many have and I didn't have anything to contribute that hadn't already been said.

However, the family keeps coming to mind over and over, all day long. I hurt for Maria, her parents, siblings, family. But it's her brother I cannot get out of my head, and my heart. To have that on him for the rest of his life, I just cannot imagine. I hope that someone close to the family suggests counseling for everyone but especially for the son. I know they are close-knit, and I have to think that as a family they will work through this. But still. I hope they get the help they need.

How this has affected me is to keep pulling Emi close. I want to cuddle her more, sit quietly and read books, listen to her breathe, watch her sleep. I was always doing these things, but now I just cannot seem to be close enough to her. In an interesting way, I think she feels something that is going on with Mama. She has sought me out more for snuggles and cuddles. While watching her tv shows, she now tends to want to sit with me, instead of dancing and singing with the show. She is bringing me her toys to play with her, holding my hand more, that kind of thing.

Last night we had a rough night. She kept waking up crying, needing to be held but still thrashing around. We finally decided she was teething (duh us) and gave her some baby Motrin. Thank goodness for whoever realized that liquid form med's for little ones get into their bloodstreams faster. In the middle of a cry (big sad tears!), she passed out! Poor baby. But, I kept sitting there, rocking her. I just couldn't seem to let her go, didn't want to put her back in her bed. I finally did, and then just lie next to her, watching her sleep for the longest time. I did finally drift off to sleep and she slept the rest of the night through.

Happy Emi woke up this morning and crawled in bed with us. Chattering in Emi-speak, all smiles and personality. She never seems to have ill effects after nights like last night (unlike Mama and Daddy), which I am grateful for.

Nothing special is planned for the long weekend. Just working around the house and yard. The big project of the weekend is finishing Emi's room (finally!). But, I have to think that the bigger project of the weekend is going to be lots of snuggle time with a certain special little girl.

I cannot begin to imagine what the Chapman family is going through. But my thoughts and heart go out to them.

Itinerary!

I am back and have something in the works about my trip, and it's HUGE! But I wanted to get this posted as some folks have been asking where we will be when ... and we finally know.




Ignore the arrow to Yinchang, I found this on a travel tour site. While not a perfect match to our travel it's pretty darn close!

• 25 Oct - Leave for China via Seattle
• 26 Oct - Arrive in Beijing (staying at the JianGuo Garden Hotel)
• 27 Oct - The Great Wall (scheduled by our agency, optional)
• 28 Oct - Forbidden City & Tian An Men Square (scheduled by our agency, optional)

• 28 Oct - Depart Beijing, Arrive Chongqing (staying at the Holiday Inn Yangzi Hotel)
• 29 Oct - EMI DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whooooohooooo!
• 29 Oct - Dr. Nasenbeny physical for Emi (agency accompanied doctor, very nice perk!)
• 30 Oct - Registration, passport application @ (Chinese) Civil Affairs office
• 31 Oct - Notary
• 01 Nov - Rest / Free day
• 02 Nov - Sightseeing (scheduled by our agency, optional)
• 03 Nov - Rest / Free day
• 04 Nov - Sightseeing (zoo) scheduled by our agency, optional
• 05 Nov - Receive Emi's passport, PACK!
• All of this is for the Chinese government, once we leave Chongqing, Emi is ours and we are her's in the eyes of China
  

• 05 Nov - Depart Chongqing for Guangzhou (staying at the White Swan Hotel)
• 06 Nov - Visa physical and Sightseeing (scheduled by our agency, optional)
• 07 Nov - Visa Interview (US requirement)
• 08 Nov - Citizenship oath at the US Embassy Guangzhou
• 09 Nov - Depart Guangzhou for US (we will go through customs in Portland, where Emi we become a US Citizen the moment she touches US soil!)
• 09 Nov - Home :)

All sightseeing scheduled by our agency is optional, so that if one of us is not feeling well or the baby just doesn't seem up to a long tour, we can opt out. We hope to go on many of the trips but our main (only!) reason for visiting China right now is Emi! It is our hope to return when she is older and at that time will see more of China. But right now, she (and we!) will be dealing with a lot of changes, so we will take our lead from her.

This is a longer trip than most, we seem to have extra days in Chongqing. Not sure why but I like the fact that we have a couple of 'free' days. There are things that we would like to see while in Chongqing, if Emi is up to it. Especially the area of the Three Gorges Dam (and museum) and hopefully take the cable car ride over the river. Sometimes (we've heard) getting out and about is good for these little ones, sometimes it's not. Guess we will find out .... soon!

We have been doing quite a bit of reading and watching (Discovery Channel's special awhile ago) on the Three Gorges Dam project. While we are not huge believers in the red thread theory for adoption, we do find it interesting that Emi is from this area, that holds so much interest for Jeff and I. While I had so wanted to go to Xi'an as the Terracotta Warriors fascinate me, I really wanted to see the Yangtze River and the dam also. How lucky our daughter was waiting for us in one of these two places. When we go back, we hope to share both with Emi.


CNN.com article
Wikipedia article

Busy Week

First off, my hard drive decided to up and die this week (Jeff is still working on it, I am on his machine at the moment). It wasn't pretty, as everything to run my life is in my computer and we also found out that our backup system wasn't backing up. Ouch. So, needless to say, Kimberly has NOT been a happy girl. If you have recently (say, in the last week or so) sent me an email to ANY of my email addresses and you haven't heard back from me, please resend it. The best one to use right now is the yahoo one. If you don't have that one, using the 'contact me' on this page, it will should get to me.


On the GOOD NEWS front:

We received our Consulate Appointment on Wednesday, which in turn made it possible for us to go ahead and purchase our plane tickets. We leave from Seattle on October 25th and return via Portland in November 9th. Finally, things are starting to happen. I'd be fine tuning the packing lists (yes, plural!) but they are lost in my old hard drive. Keep poor Jeff in your thoughts as he tries to salvage all he can from the old one and put it all in the new one. All while I am whining helping.

Cheers!

TA!!!!

Whooooeeee! I was so excited to receive an email from our agency that TA's (Travel Authorization from the Chinese government) have arrived. Now all we need is our CA (Consulate Appointment with our government) and we can book our tickets.

Life is good.

40 Days

So, a good good good friend said "Don't think of it as 6 weeks. Instead, think of it as three sets of two weeks. Yeah, rationalization through ratios." You know, I like that! I am going with it.

1st set: Sept 13th - 26th
2nd set: Sept 27 - Oct 10th
3rd set: Oct 11th - Oct 24th
Departure Day: October 25th

Yeah, this could work! Serdic my friend, you are brilliant. But then, I knew that. Oh, and during the first set is our anniversary (14 years!!) and the second set is my birthday. Talk about these being good months!

Friends really are an amazing thing. Another friend once said to me "friends are the family you choose". I know it's not original, it's been said by many but when she said it, it really hit home. My family has had a sort of falling out that I am not going to hash out here, just suffice to say that those I am truly close to have dwindled. I have added to my 'family' by building some amazing friendships over the last few years. My mom is far away, which is hard. I am very fortunate to not only call her mom, but also friend. My best friends in the whole world are scattered all over the US and Canada. That too is hard. But, I know that I can pick up the phone or toss an email off to any one of these people and they are there for me. Good times, and bad. They have all shared this journey with us, and while we are all so crazily happy that Jeff and I have this amazing little girl, I will never forget the love and support that came from all over.

Love, no matter how it's found, really is priceless.

Oddly calm

I am not normally known as being calm. I am somewhat overly excitable (quit laughing Serdic!) , often perky - especially in the mornings (tends to tick off most people, yeah, I don't get it either), and tend to run a mile a minute as I always bite off more than I can chew (I think it's in my genes - hi Mom!).

However. It started yesterday afternoon. I don't know where this sense of peace came from, but there it is. Yes, I still have 41 days until I can climb on that plane for China (not that I am counting the days, mind you) but here I am, happy and calm. Part of it could be what I did yesterday.

I folded baby clothes.

Yeah, I know it will get old pretty darn quick but ... gosh, I loved it! I washed everything that my mom and I bought this week. I have a 'few' outfits that mix and match better than any wardrobe I've ever had. Let's just say, we both told each other we were not going to go overboard ("they grow so fast, no reason to go nuts" is something I think we may have said to each other ... 17 or 18 times). I actually had to make decisions on what to leave at home and what to take - THAT'S how many adorable things we found. What's even more scary, 90% of it was pink or had pink as a major color. I am not a pink person. At all. In fact, I despise pink. It's like a pink explosion happened in my family room! Let's all hope that this pink thing is now out of my system and all other clothing I pick out will be non-pink. Yeah, right. :)

So, I know I owe emails – I have not forgotten. Things have been a bit hectic the last few days (my parents have been in town for a quick visit) and I took yesterday to do laundry (and fold baby clothes) and actually neaten up the house (yeah, may be the nesting thing is finally kicking in?). But I promise to catch up this weekend.

Unless I find more baby clothes.