Why it is taking me so long to start a family

This is an example of the speed at which I make decisions:

I have owned 2 chairs for a long time. They were originally Mom and Dad's; they inherited them from my aunt and uncle as starter furniture for their first apartment.

By the time they came into my home the upholstery was shredded, the trim was falling off, and when you sat in them you were lucky not to go through the seat.

So again and again I've said, "I need to get those chairs redone", "I really want to fix those chairs", etc.

They were permanent To Do list items. Right along with "move to a house by the ocean" and "get a personal trainer".

I finally sent the chairs off for repair and reupholstery and last week they came back.

It only took 20 years.

It takes a while for my ideas to come to fruition.

One of the chairs today

Me in the same chair a looong time ago.

m

Nursery beginnings

What I've learned from my puppy (aka practice baby)

1. Little teeth can really bite.



2. Baby's early bedtime is because you're tired, not the baby.



3. All natural, high-quality organic = really foul, messy poo.



4. The more beloved the toy, the more noise it makes.



5. That giant hamster ball idea isn't so bad. At least the house would stay clean.



6. I really don't need all those shoes.

m

The nursery transformation begins (did I say that before?)

What is the motivation you ask?

Actually it is thanks to Fergus and his house-messing compatriots, Thing One and Thing Two. They've managed to make a few of the rooms in the house dirtier than my growing OCD can tolerate.

Time to clean some carpets. Cleaning the carpet in the nursery meant dealing with the giagantic/ heavy/ hair-covered bed.

1. Out went the old bedding,
2. Out went the damaged mattress,
3. And out went the bed! (dismantled and moved to the basement for storage)

WWWHHHHEEEEE!!!!!!!

Now the question is, in light of the 3 pets and a baby, should I invest in a rug cleaner or just rent one?

Pictures to follow.

m

Another Year Has Gone By

Last Sunday was the 2nd anniversary of my login date (LID). I wrote and rewrote a message for that day, but the right words never came so I didn’t post.


Maybe it was because I’d watched the Olympic opening ceremonies on Friday. All those images of China’s children: the group of kids presenting the Chinese flag, the pretty girl in the red satin dress singing (okay, lip synching to another girl’s voice), and the little boy who survived the earthquake walking with Yao Ming and then sitting on his shoulders for the finale. I think it was all too much for me.


So, what do I have to say now? Two years is a long time. Thirty-three months (November ’05) since I filled in my first piece of paperwork is even longer. Some days waiting isn’t so bad; more time to work on other things. Other days I question why I’m doing this and why I’m still waiting.

Many of the waiting parents I met early on have changed their situations. They switched to the special needs program, pursued domestic adoption, dropped out due to personal circumstances, and some dropped out of Chinese adoption completely.


In the twenty-four months since my LID, 6+ months of referrals have been processed. Half of the login dates before mine have received referrals. The wait time has increased from 14 months to 31 months. Depressing statistics all.


My response? I’m still here. Enjoy the following platitudes:

~ Everything happens for a reason.
~ Everything happens in its own time.
~ Let things flow naturally.

m

No need for that countdown the Olympics clock anymore

It's 8-8-08, the luckiest day in the Chinese calendar and the start of the Games.

I just hope this year the press doesn't report results before the events are televised in the U.S.

It's a downer to open SeeNN.c0m looking for a news fix and catching a glimpse of "Major Upset! ____ took Gold and ____ settled for Silver in the _____ competition today!" - the event you were all set on watching that evening.

Boo! Bad news agencies!

This year I kind of want to watch the synchronized swimming and diving competitions. Does that make me a geek? Would confessing that I watched curling at the Torino Winter Games confirm that I'm a geek?

m

What I did on my summer vacation

I'm calling it a vacation even if it was really only a two-day road trip. That clarification out of the way, I will tell you what I did.

I went home. To my first home.

Previously I’d mentioned that the infants home were I was born was undergoing a re-purposing, turning it into a senior living complex. The pictures that had been available in the Internet disappeared. The more I thought about it, the more I was concerned that I wouldn't have any pictures for my lifebook; I was concerned the renovations had changed the building too drastically.

Finally, I decide to drive up there and look at the place in person. I wanted to see where I was born, baptized, and taken care of for the first few months of my life. It was a fast trip but I did see everything I wanted to, take some pictures, and got a feel for the place.

I don't say it enough, but I am so thankful of everyone in my family and of everyone who made my life possible. While in the Basilica, I lit candles in memory of my parents, my birth parents, and those people who cared for me while I was in residence.

I said a few prayers and lit a few more candles for my little Beach Baby and all of the people who will be in her life before me. I lit another for my friends who are waiting for their own children. I lit many, many candles. Oddly enough, I just realized I didn't light a candle for myself. Maybe I am hoping someone out there is lighting that candle for me.

That is what I did on my summer vacation.

m