9/30/2007

Funnies...

You know, Andy really sounds like he has an excellent command of English. He has a huge vocabulary and talks all the time. Literally!

The past few days, however, I am really noticing that he is using words in situations he feels are appropriate and for the most part they are. Just because he is using words appropriate to the situation, however, is not meaning that he UNDERSTANDS them....

A few days ago, Aubri was crying because she did not want to go change her clothes to put on a bra and because she said her stomach hurt. She still has an enlarged spleen from her mono this summer and it makes her uncomfortable at times. Andy walked in and being the mimic that he is, he immediately started whining that he had a tummy ache too and that he NEEDED a bra! Yep.. he needed a bra, even when I asked him if he was sure that is what he needed. When I went and got him one of Aubri's, he changed his tune immediately!! Somehow I doubt he lives this one down with Aubri. It certainly stopped her tears and brought her to giggling quickly!! Maybe that is why he did it????

Today he met a friend of mine at Walmart. He has to always be the center of attention and kept interrupting us by telling my teacher friend that he knew her from college!! Where he heard that I have no idea!! Must have been on TV sometime when two people were talking. I don't know ANYone here from my college days!

He was also very indignant when my friend told him this morning that he had spilled jelly while buttering his toast. He replied very quickly, " I NEVER butter my TOES!".

'Never a dull moment around here!!!

Grandparent's day dancin'

9/28/2007

New Photos!!







A family who recently traveled to bring home their daughter from the Changchun Center, where Sera is living, graciously posted photos on the IAAP group this week!! I am thrilled beyond words!! This little one has such a spark of life in her eyes now! Such a different child from the child in the Datong SWI photos a year ago!!

9/25/2007

Change of plans!

Well... I originally was looking for plane fares for the 26th of October.... Now I am looking at the 3 rd and 4th of November. Our consulate appointment was not the one Cheryl had told me they would be asking for and it is now the 15th !

That is good in that Aubri is happy to not miss Halloween, Andy is happy we won't miss Halloween with him and I will not be playing catch up for parent teacher conferences. It is also super news that we will be in GZ with the same family we traveled with to go get Andy! I cannot wait to see them and their new son! It is sad, though, in that we will not have Sera sooner... I know that makes no sense, having waited this long. It isn't an insurmountable sadness, but I had been feeling such a sense of relief that she would finally be in my arms within the next month. OK, it is just a week or so difference....I can/will cope!

We sent off another care package, this time to a bit different address for the Dr who helps with the center. Hopefully it will arrive and Sera will know us when we arrive. I know she will be so scared. I just cannot imagine the fear....

I was moaning today to colleagues and worrying about being in her province for a week without much English around and feeling frustrated with communication, like it was last time. I then sat back and realized that she is leaving everything she has ever known and won't even have many familiar possessions for quite a while. Andy left people who loved him, but he also had experienced so much in life already. He had traveled, he had vacationed, he had been to amusement parks, he even had dance and gymnastic lessons with his foster families. Sera will have spent her time working on skills she had never learned, but will not have been out much, will be frightened of new things like grass and will be stared at and have negative comments made about her, due to her facial deformity, to boot while she is in China. It definitely puts my concerns about our time there at a trivial level, at best...

Lots of things left to do. At least I have another week! Having been really ill with kidney/colon problems at the start of school and just barely able to go to work, let alone get anything done at home, has put me behind in so many things and I am just now starting to begin to catch up. I feel much better now and am finally no longer drinking caffeinated or sugar free drinks. I was really messing up my health that way and now I really am starting to feel like a different person and have more energy. Good thing!! I know I will need it with 3 little people here!!

For some reason, my dad decided for me that I should also have my back porch rescreened in with windows instead of just screens, so that is underway right now, on top of everything else. All dogs, even our old Pasta doodle, had to stay in the house all day ( 11 hours) today , without access to a dog door and they actually did great. I had no extra messes!! I am cleaning out the closets to have room for Sera ,and getting rid of things that are no longer needed and really in the way, and have a pile of laundry a mile high tonight and am absolutely worn out.

I hope I get this all done before I have 3 kids to keep me falling behind further! But right now I am bleary eyed and crashing...I guess it time to quit, even this ,and it is bed time. More can be done in the am. A..n..d I have one more extra week to get it done...

9/22/2007

Travel approval!!

Well.... the call came when I least expected it! I had heard the phone ring in the classroom but was busy with a student, as were my staff, so I let it go to voice mail. When I was free, I went to check the caller ID and saw an unfamiliar number and just figured it was a wrong number. I truly did not expect a TA call for a while. NOPE... It was Cheryl, who called again a few minutes later! I was initially ecstatic, thinking she is going to tell me that I have TA, but she was silent and laughing a little at my reaction to her calling, I guess. I immediately panicked and thought, " Oh NO! What if China has changed their minds and this is not a good call!?" Wrong again... It was Sera's TA call and Cheryl gave me the 2 options they had for travel.

One option was to travel almost immediately and I knew that was not at all possible, since I had so much to do, funds to get raised still and shifted around for travel use etc... to say the least of costs for traveling that early in October being triple what they would be for the second option.

IF the CA is approved by the US consulate, we will take the second option and travel and be home much sooner than I had previously imagined. I had thought I would try to be in China over the Thanksgiving break, in order to save my deductions I will have to take when I am off work. I cannot use sick time since I am not giving birth...., do not have that much personal time and will have my pay deducted for the days I am gone. Not the best option, BUT it is one I will happily take to bring this little doll home!! She will be home and may even have her needed surgery by Christmas!!

Aubri is excited to go but is really bummed that she will miss a friends birthday and Halloween. Andy is bummed period. He does not want us to go and cries every time he thinks about it, or gets really naughty and touches and turns everything in sight, which is his stress mode. It makes me cry to think of leaving him too. He just doesn't want to go back to China and prefers to stay with grandpa and go trick or treating with friends. I really can't figure out why, because he knows he will come back home with us, but he still refuses. I will miss him terribly and we will be calling him daily. Aubri is leaving him her pink blanket, which she has to have to sleep, so that he knows we will be back. He "wants" to take my pillow to grandpa's and he has a pillowcase with all of our photos. He uses pilow cases like a lovie, and folds and refolds them before just touching and rubbing the edges as he goes to sleep.

The excitement in traveling this time is so very different! Last time it was an adventure into the unknown and somewhat of a vacation in that we did some touring. Now we know just how hard the trip can be, have limited time to do it in, and will be separated.... Andy is so sweet though, because he will say, "Mommie, Sera will be scared. I guess you got to go ride that plane with her. She will be tooooooo pretty scared if she ride it alla by herself." He is so right! This trip has one purpose only! Bringing Sera home!

It will just have to be done! I have a million things to do to get ready. By 4.30 pm, as soon as my kids left, I had called my Dr and scheduled my shots in my knees before traveling, set up an appt for Sera when we come back, made sure the daycare is in place, checked prices of flights, wrote out all of Andy's necessary info for people caring for him, paid his lunches, talked to my principal, squealed with excitement and even danced around my classroom while trying to figure out what to do next and then came home double checked my lists and suitcases that I have everything needed for traveling. ...We just have a few prescriptions, some foods, a few gifts, a coat for me and a new camera to get ( mine died ) and we should be good to go there. I have made my lists of things that need to be done at work and have several done or started at least, to prepare for being gone. I am sitting with my dad today to go over HIS lists... I think I come by list making quite naturally. Now if I can just get everything on those lists DONE!!

Whew!! I know it will be less of a panic soon and I will just be eager to go get on the plane and just get back home!