new website

Well, it looks like blogspot will be blocked in China unless I get new software. Because I'm pretty low-tech, I decided to go w/a different site that I can use while in China. The link is below.

http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site?ID=31050

Sorry for the last minute switch! Let me know if you can't access the new one.

Lizanne

Right side up...

New pix & attachment

Okay, I'm sure there's a way to turn these pictures around, but they were saved as Read Only, and I can't figure it out.

That said, here are the photos we received last week! I esp love the second one, where you can see her reflection. She seems so calm. A calm toddler? I love, too, that you get more of a sense of her face than the mug shot.

I'm going to post about attachment. As w/Josie, we're going to do attachment parenting. This means that only John or I (and sometimes Josie) will hold and care for Gemma YingLian during her first few months w/us. This includes feeding, changing, rocking, and all the other wonderful bonding activities that parents and children do.

We will be somewhat hermetic in our home at times. It is winter, of course, so that's not unnatural. But we're also going to avoid too much stimulation for Gemma YingLian and focus on becoming a family of four. We won't take her to places that are esp. loud or crowded or might be disorienting (WalMart...).

We're taking this approach because Gemma YingLian will not understand the idea of parents. She will be familiar w/caretakers who are interchangeable, who make sure she has what she needs then move on to other children. When we care for her initially, she may think we're her newest set of caretakers.

Families, though, are quite different than institutional caretakers, even the finest institutional caretakers. We'll be her forever family. It will take her a while to understand that. By being the people who consistently meet her needs, we will help her see what a family is.

I know that for some people, not being affectionate or offering treats to a cute little toddler is antithetical; we experienced this w/Josie, and sometimes had to back off for a bit bc our priority was Josie. One of the most important elements of our new family is to help Gemma YingLian to bond to us AS parents, as a sister.

As time goes on and our new daughter understands what parents are, we can be more open about letting others hold her or feed her.

The six-yr old next door has apparently been drilled on this topic by Josie, and she gives a great, abbreviated explanation.

We may get one more set of pix before we go.

Introducing Gemma YingLian

Got the call at work at 11:30 central time. Our new daughter is Gemma YingLian. Her Chinese name means "outstanding person" (Ying) "lotus flower (Lian). She is 2 yrs and 2 months old, born in July of 2008. This is the Year of the Rat--a year we know we like bc my dad is a Rat (meant nicely!). She 31" tall and 25 pounds.

Gemma YingLian is from Guangdong province. This means we will probably remain in Guangzhou for our two weeks. We'll travel in 5 - 8 weeks.

She's shy and introverted, likes picture books, games, and music, walks steadily and can climb stairs, and is a deep sleeper. The woman who called from CCAI kept telling me that the pix we'll get tomorrow (not the mug shot above but little photos) are very, very sweet.  

Josie was in the office w/me when the call came. At first, she was elated, crying "she's so sweet!" Then she just cried for her loss--no longer the only one. Now I've bribed her w/McDonalds and television (sad but true) so I can start making calls.

We are elated!!!!!!!!!

THE STORK IS FLYING

According to our very conservative, mum's-the-word agency, matches have been mailed. That means that, by week's end, we may have a picture and some background about our baby (aka a referral).

If I appear to be a complete basket case, I am! I don't know whether to remain stoic or burst into tears, and this is just while I walk across campus. I've done some of both today.

The process: our agency translates the file before calling us, meaning that referrals will arrive, and it will be at least 24 hours before we get THE CALL. They have been giving famlies a pre-call to let them know when to be ready. I have sheets for questions to ask when we get THE CALL posted at home and at work. My first instruction to self is "breathe."

I'm sort of stunned. After all this time, it's hard to imagine that there is actually a little person at the other end of this long wait.

More when we know it.

No referrals in September

If the blogosphere and the agencies are right (and it stands to reason they are), the CCAA will not send referrals in September. FYI--there are usually abt 32 days bw referrals, so once a month is the norm. The last set of referrals arrived on 16 August.

A CCAA delegation is visiting the US. It's unclear to me if anyone who signs off on referrals is in that group, but that's probably not relevant. September was skipped last year as well. November is the end of the fiscal yr in China, and the slow down probably relates to balancing records.

As is, it is now Mid-Autumn festival in China, a wonderful holiday that features mooncakes and perhaps a re-telling of the tale of the Lady in the Moon: Tale of the Lady Chang Er I've read that you can order mooncakes at Starbucks in China. They look delish.

All to say, we probably will not hear anything until 1 October or so. Huge sigh of disappointment.

Closer, closer

First, a celestial picture of Josie, taken & manipulated by Laura (I omit last names for privacy purposes).

This has been a strange week! Monday, some in the adoption community expected referrals. The CCAA (Chinese adoption central, that is) sent a delegation to the US, so it was assumed that referrals (for us) and travel approval (for those referred in August) would arrive.

Nope. In fact, Monday was devoid of rumors.

Now, I was not a fan of adoption rumors during the first couple yrs of this adoption. I checked on RumorQueen (now ChinaAdoptTalk) periodically.

For the last few weeks, though, I've been relieved to be able to retreat to the chatrooms full of others who understand that alternate universe AKA adoption from the PRC. It's a supportive group where you can "talk" endlessly abt frustration w/the process, ask questions, vent, etc.

In the end, the process is obviously worth it. In the meantime, though, it is as if a group of people were told to run a race. After runners reached the finish line, they were told to repeat the last lap. Again. Again. One more time w/feeling. Then the rules to the race were changed; some new hurdles were added. Then the judges all moved to a centralized location (okay, that last one doesn't work very well).

Given who John and I are, given who Josie is, we are confident that the match will be right for our family. We just wish it didn't take so long.

I think we'll hear something w/in a week. Or not. But it's looking more promising, sort of.

Wonderful weekends

We've had fun company the last two weekends. At the end of August, John's fellow mentor, Philip, joined us with the two Chinese scholars from Sichuan province. Josie enjoyed practicing her hair-styling skills on Debora (who was a very good sport) and rocked the hammock w/Kate and Debora.

The next weekend, my father and his wife JoAnne visited for the Labor Day holiday. We went to Little Balkans Day, the annual street festival celebrating our town's heritage, and Josie got her face painted. Here she is w/the neighbors, showing off her rockstar make-up. They make a very photogenic trio.

We went out for dinner that night, Josie still in rockstar form.

I also got a shot of Gator fans, two in their rah-rah hats and t-shirts. Whatever.

In the meantime, school is underway for all of us. Josie has made a good start at her new school. I am re-adjusting to the pace of part-time teaching and college students. It's far less hectic, and it feels like I'm cheating to have all this freedom. Oh well. Sleep deprivation is on the horizon, so I'm enjoying the extra time to myself. John and I walk to school most days, and have a once-a-week lunch date (he treats).

We are probably one to two weeks from referral. No rumors yet today. I am trying to remain even-keeled as there have been hitches throughout the entire process. We had a giant hitch w/Josie when our referral didn't come when the others in our group did. All to say, I'm not buying any baby things (what if she's two?). Planning to shift to hyperspeed when we finally know who our number four will be.

More as we know it....

One giant leap for Franklinkind

Our home study arrived today! 

I emailed the SW to see what was up this a.m., and she said she thought we'd already have it. Taught, held office hours, went home, and there it was! I proofread and assembled papers, ready to mail it.

In line w/the process, I had forgotten a step: I needed John's sig. on the application. Got it. Mailed.

Got home and reviewed my checklist. Uh, forgot to send a copy of the original home study. Called the federal agency that handles this paperwork and asked if they could put a note in our file that info would arrive in two packages. No problem. Mailed the original home study.

And now, we wait. But this is HUGE. HUGE.  HUGE!

Now I can start getting excited about a baby. Hunh? A baby? I thought this was all about paper.

Fun, fun, fun

Over the last couple of days, I have had more fun than I can say. Insert old-fashioned sound of nails on chalkboard.

Here's a cute photo to offset the rest of the message (Josie at Rosenblatt field):

Sunday, I accosted my doctor at church to find out what had happened to the letter required for our files, the letter I had called about all week. Is this a mortal or venial sin to harass your doctor after mass? She was relaxed and pleasant--oh, I wrote that last week; check back first thing in the morning if there's a problem. Hmm, so why didn't the SW have it?

Sunday night, the SW said her home fax machine was broken. Sorry. We could email the letters instead.

Monday a.m., I called my doctor's office. They couldn't email the letter bc it wouldn't include the doctor's signature. No, of course not. I emailed the SW: I will pick up these letters in person and fax them to your agency.

Monday a.m., I also began my new/old job as a college English instructor. Spent the day running around--to the university, to doctors' offices, to Josie's school to eat lunch w/her class, to campus to fax doctors' letters. Teaching a morning and a night class bookended the day with an office hour in there somewhere.

John said he would drive to the social worker and her agency himself (150+ miles) to deliver the doctors letters if we couldn't get this settled.

Somewhere in there, the SW called me. Gosh, she didn't know what was going on, but her fax does work and it probably always did and she didn't know why her friend couldn't send her a fax so we should send everything to her. I said I would do as I'd said in my last email: fax the letters to her agency. I would also continue to fax to her home in case her machine did indeed work. And I would send physical copies by express mail or by my express service (John T Franklin) if that didn't work.


John's dr had the letter ready when I went by; mine couldn't find it (yes, I called first), but called me later, and I returned for it.


My fax to the SW's agency wouldn't go through. I called the agency. The fax number was wrong. I had included it in our emails when I told the SW I would fax her agency. Once I called the agency and had the correct numbers, the fax went through. Last night, SW also emailed that she had the faxes at home.


I don't know why that became so complicated, but it is almost over. Our agency proofreads; the SW and her supervisor sign it; it is sent to us where I have all materials assembled.


And then, hopefully, that nails-on-chalkboard sound takes a hike.

Bonus episode--no FB liner note

Scott Simon's story on adoption from China (twice), leading to an excerpt from his new book, Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129301982

Today--
* Josie started at a new school (loves it!)

* Had an email from the SW--no clearance for me yet; no doctors' letters for Josie or John

* Repeatedly called my dr. to fax a note that Josie is healthy to our SW (no answer; have called almost every day this week to request this)

* Called John's dr. and was told that he probably won't write the letter if John doesn't schedule an appt. Okay, I started asking for this letter almost two weeks ago. Why didn't this come up before?

* Called our agency to find out what exactly we're supposed to provide for this homestudy in terms of medical letters; learned that exams were probably what we needed (this is not what I was told, not what I've told our doctors) but there is a state-by-state requirement and they didn't know for ours. This time, the agency person sounded concerned that this is dragging on and told me to be persistent.

* Called John, who had followed up with his dr; the dr was not in the office, but responded to a call from his office and the fax was being sent today

* Called a SW agency to find out if I'm on the right track or not with these medical letters; left a msg for the SW a friend liked who does intl adoption.

* Called NBC, the centralized agency that handles all these forms, and talked to a very nice rep who told me we should probably have had exams and w/in the past six months, that our form would probably be returned to us if it didn't reflect this, but she didn't know our state regulations

* Realized all that convo w/John's dr.'s office might've been futile as he might have to go in for an exam ASAP

* Put an SOS msg on a state intl adoption list-serv to see if anyone knows what we're supposed to have in our medical letters

* Intermittantly worked on syllabus and first day class plans

* Received an email from SW that my KBI/FBI clearance came through: YES!!!

* Met John for lunch at 2

* Waited for Josie to get home; chatted with one of her old friends (since age 2!) and her mom from the 'hood

Long weekend ahead. Monday, school begins (new/old job for me), and I can't put as much time into this. I really need it in the mail and on its way.

When life throws tomatoes at you, make sauce

The tomatoes were not thrown, but kindly given to us by neighbors who garden. And I am making sauce. I'm even reading about sauce--Giulia Melucci's entertaining memoir of long-term singlehood, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti.

But the freaking tomatoes just keep coming. If anyone says anything to me like "look at the larger picture" or "don't sweat the small stuff," I might have to throw something (though, as my brother will tell you, you're in no danger unless you're standing very, very close to me).

We called our respective doctors this a.m. to get their notes on the way. My dr had sent in my info, but I had to ask for Josie's in addition ("it's Monday, I doubt she'll get to it today," said a receptionist who sounded world-weary at 9:15); John's doctor hadn't gotten to his yet.

Then I called the check on our clearances: SRS child neglect & abuse registry; KBI/FBI fingerprints. The SRS person told me our clearances were sent out Friday; our SW later confirmed that she'd received them. The KBI person told me my prints had gone on to the FBI for further processing because they're bad.

Yes, somehow I knew this. I have flat whorls that don't show up nicely. What I don't understand is why I have been printed multiple times as an adoptive parent and as a teacher, come up with "bad" prints, and am thrown back for re-runs which yield about the same results. Same hands, same flat whorls. What do they expect me to do--sprout new prints? After years of this, I am truly fed up with how idiotic the whole fingerprinting process is. These are my fingers. This is all they yield.

When I said we don't have 2 - 4 weeks to wait for further processing, I asked the KBI person if I could speak w/her supervisor; she gave me the supervisor's number in case we were disconnected. Worth noting: I was not sarcastic or unpleasant and the KBI people were genuinely nice and efficient. The supervisor said she would ask about having my prints rushed, and our social worker's agency would know more later this week.

This shocked me. I couldn't believe I'd actually moved the process forward a little, esp at that level; I expected to hang up and burst into tears. Of course, it remains to be seen if anything gets sped up, but I'm hopeful right now. Another month would be a nightmare as far as getting everything done in time. Two weeks would be agony. Really, every day that the paperwork isn't sent in for processing is hard to take. We are so close but we still have to send this stuff in and see if it passes muster. Our home study has been returned before bc it was missing information or information wasn't worded properly. They don't just get it and stamp it nor are we the only family waiting in line.

On the upside, I've changed the referral info. Today, people w/LID dates up to 5/15 are getting calls. This is part of the reason I'm getting frantic. We're next!

Anniversary number 9, number 9

Monday morning, I called our agency to request instructions for finishing the home study information packet; typed, stamped, and drove letters to doctors' offices for our home study; mailed tax info to our social worker. At 11 a.m., we were finally on our way to Omaha.

And for five blessed days, I did not obsess about getting this paperwork finished in time (we've already missed the ideal deadline of 12 August).

Omaha is great! Who knew? In the picture on the left, John and I have just purchased our anniversary gift to ourselves, a beautiful bowl that I won't attempt to describe. Nine is pottery or leather, and we chose pottery.

The drive took six hours on the dot, including a lunch stop and a coffee/ice cream break. We checked into our hotel and headed to Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the Omaha Royals as well as the College World Series. Someone wore his Rice University National Championship shirt with great pride. This is the last season of games at that ballpark before a new one opens in 2011.

Josie did front flips in the bouncy castle, then it was on to eat dollar dogs and watch the Royals blow out the Tacoma Rainiers. I guess it's dated to think about attending a ballgame or movie where people entertain themselves before or between the action: constant stimulation! But, on the upside, the sound system wasn't obnoxiously loud, and the place was comfortable and family-friendly.

Josie really wants to sit in foul ball territory next time, not the primo seats behind home plate that John favors. He promised her we'll change up next time.

The next day, we went to the Henry Doorly Zoo, arriving before the gates opened. Again, big fun! John took pix with his Olympus 35 mm so I don't have digital shots to post. Josie has decided that she is too old for the carousel; she thoroughly enjoyed the SkyFari--a sky-lift style ride that carried she and John over cheetahs, giraffes, and monkeys. Josie loved the seals, John the desert dome, and me the little sprinklers systems everywhere that doused you. We stayed all day.

Wednesday was our anniversary. We headed downtown to the Hot Shops--96,000 sq feet of warehouses that contain a metal forge, a ceramics studio, glassblowing facitilies, etc. Our second destination was Old Market, a funky downtown zone w/cafes, shops, etc. (ball game = John; zoo = Josie; artsy stuff = Lizanne). 

At the Hot Shops, each artist we encountered explained the craft and demonstrated and/or answered questions. The potter (who was from Parsons, KS) showed Josie how he designs a pot as he throws it; one of the artists in the metalworking area gave Josie a small plaster figurine of J. Doe, a reproduction of the lifesize J. Doe statues that appear around Omaha with different decorations, like the cows in Kansas City. She can take it home and decorate it. Josie chose a small metal shell from that area, and John bought it for her.

We then went ISO a parking space near Old Market. A very helpful woman at Omaha Visitors Info Center directed us to free parking, and we continued our quest for an anniversary gift. Well, first, we ate lunch at a Persian restaurant called Ahmad's in Old Market, then found the Artists Cooperative. Looked in a couple other places, but we really liked this one bowl that I won't try to describe (again). 

It was incredibly hot & humid. We stopped for homemade ice cream at Ted & Wally's, and Josie learned how it is made from an employee as she stood in front of the churns (yes, it was a day for process).

For dinner, we ate at a local steakhouse called Jericho's rec-ed by the woman at the Visitors Center. Some businessmen came in saying "geez, they still make Naugahyde?" It did look very old school, a place that had probably seated people by smoking pref (heavy or light?) until recently, but the food... Even I, the former vegetarian, loved the steak--a 20 oz. T-bone for John and Josie, a petite filet mignon for me. We had mentioned that it was our anniversary dinner--if you've met John, you know that he shares a lot with complete strangers--and we were brought a vanilla ice cream drizzled with creme de menthe and a candle for dessert. Very yummy!

Thursday, we shopped. This was great for us but not that exciting to read. Family movie matinee--Ramona and Beezus (which we read  to Josie this year).  This day ended, as did most in Omaha, in the hotel pool.

I was sorry to leave today. It was a terrific vacation, and we would all like to return.

And then we arrived home to an email from the agency saying oh yes, we were supposed to include one other piece of information from the dr. in our home study that hadn't been mentioned earlier. ONE MORE PIECE OF INFORMATION? I really want this home study to be completed and mailed off before I lose it. Then, in a month or so, if our referral comes when expected, I can start appealing a nice Senator or Representative to push it through processing bc we're cutting it really close. Rumors have it that referrals will be here Monday for up to 15 or 16 May--very close!!

  

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

For starters, the good stuff is very good.

Friends Nancy & Sophie visited. It has been way too long! The girls are about five years apart, but ended up having a great time together while the moms talked about how amazing and stubborn (and amazingly stubborn) Sophie and Josie can be. After dinner and a walk to the ice cream place, the girls ran around the playground, having fun and doing gymnastics. Sophie actually is a gymnast, and a graceful one, while Josie is going to break an arm if she keeps throwing herself into handstands.

John had prepared a fabulous dinner--smoked pork & chicken, grilled burgers and dogs. He skipped the ice cream and playground but was ready w/a camera afterward.

It was wonderful to talk about lit and daughters with Nancy. I wish we could see them every summer!

More good: John, Josie and I went to a matinee of Lucky Duck in Kansas City a couple weeks ago at the Coterie. We all agreed it was the best play we've seen there yet--a musical re-make of The Ugly Duckling. The Coterie is a professional theater company that puts on children's plays at Crown Center in KC.

One more positive: our fingerprints have been approved by the feds in Wichita! We had two sets of fingerprints for this last stage (one federal; one KBI). Wichita was fun, but I'm happy we don't have to drive back.

The bad and the ugly.... I'll leave you to figure out which is which. As you may know, we delayed then cancelled our usual two week summer trip so we could stay here and finish adoption paperwork. This was a tough decision as we were all really looking forward to visits with family but we decided to instead take a five-day trip to a nearby destination, going at the same time as our social worker's family. I let our social worker know that we would be here to deal w/any details. During the last two weeks, I've checked in w/her on email to see how she was progressing.

At the end of July, our KBI fingerprints were mailed back to us because we'd sent a check in the wrong amount for the required prints; a law passed in 2009 required that we needed both KBI and FBI approval for this set and our SW was unaware of this when she instructed us. I re-submitted the prints with the correct amount. I asked the social worker (SW from here on out) if she could draft our homestudy and send it to our agency to proofread so it would all be ready when the clearances came through. She did so.

BTW, I LOVE CCAI. The child match specialist promptly made recommendations. The SW contacted me with a couple more questions following the suggestions from the child match specialist.

Then, Friday afternoon around 4, I got an email saying sorry she'd forgotten, but the SW needed us to get letters from our doctors saying we're in good shape and a copy of our latest tax returns.

ARG!!!!! That's why we were here all week! To deal with this stuff! That's why we changed our %&#@ plans!

The calm person (that would be John) suggested we stay here on Monday until we've seen our doctors for letters (not an exam) and photocopied our tax returns. Yes. Yes indeed we will. At that point, our SW will have left on her family vacation and our clearances still haven't come so nothing will happen for a week anyway, but I would really like not to have any more little surprises, any more "oh, there was one thing I forgot" messages.

I have tried not to post this kind of stuff here but it's definitely part of the process.

Steaming.

More fingerprints

We're moving right along! Friday, fingerprints at the PPD; Saturday, social worker visit (homestudy); Wednesday/today, fingerprints at Wichita's USCIS (USCIS = immigration); this coming Saturday, a trip to Lawrence to purchase the remaining skeins for the baby blanket.

The Saturday visit w/the social worker went well, but led to a late night discussion about the paperwork. We've decided to wait until this process is as complete as possible (171 in the mail) before taking our usual FL/AL trip to see family. I can't believe I'd rather be in KS than St. Augustine, but leaving the final paperwork in the air would be torture.

We left Tuesday afternoon for Wichita so we could make it to our 8 a.m. appointment w/ease. Ate dinner at Ghenghis Grill, where you pile up food (protein, spices, veg, sauce) and it's grilled then served to you. We all loved it, esp Josie.

The Wichita USCIS is an efficient, friendly office but they're not too laid back. I had to return to the car to exchange my knitting for a book. Henry VIII (subject of the book) is probably more dangerous than my little #7s but I did understand why they barred me at first. While we waited, Josie listened to Anastasia on her headphones; John edited a med school application personal statement. What a bunch of geeks.

The nice fingerprint technician at USCIS (no sarcasm) said I shouldn't be surprised if they ask me back bc of my flat whorls. She was not calling me nasty names; it's as if I sanded off my prints. Not sure of the benefit of asking me to return, though, as I'm going to present the same set of hands. Bw teaching and adoption reqs, Kansas/Missouri officials have worn my fingerprints off.

John has perfectly good prints, despite the process. He also has perfectly good veins and never needs to ask for the tiny butterfly needle. He's also a much better sport about innoculations and he can drive around strange cities w/o cursing. He wins something here...

To make all the driving and waiting more child-palatable, we went to the Exploration Place today. I never think of Wichita as a destination, but Old Town is charming, and the museums on the Arkansas River appealing (is it Ar-kansas or Ark-an-saw? Dunno). All in all, a nice mini-holiday.

Referrals! Birthday!

First, REFERRALS. It looks like the CCAA has referred up to May 10. This is not yet official but agencies are reporting it and our agency sent us an alert today to get moving on our federal paperwork.

At this rate, we could get our referral in September and travel in November!

Our current federal paperwork expires in November and must be renewed before we leave. I'm caught bw feeling excited by the progress and nervous abt the pace. This paperwork involves many entities--local, state, federal--coming together quickly and efficiently. What are the chances?   

To this end, we'll be in Wichita at 8 a.m. next Wednesday for our latest fingerprint appointment. Look at a map or just take my word for it--we'll be on the road by 4 a.m. I tried to change the time, but it would involve an act of Congress to do so w/o a 45 day wait. I moved from Level One to Level Two of telephone assistance w/o making any headway w/women who were clearly reading from scripts. Sigh.

The BDAY was John's. We celebrated on Sunday, one day early. First, we went to Laura Ingalls Wilder's home in Mansfield, MO, the home where she wrote her books (which she didn't begin until age 65--I love late-bloomer stories). After that, we headed to Spgfld, where we ate at Nonna's and wandered the empty, dusty streets. Finally, we made it to Hammons Field for a minor league game bw the Springfield Cardinals and the Midland RockHounds (Oakland As). It was a great game until the deluge began during the third inning. 

The picture below is Josie and me in front of a stretch limo. If you notice a lot of pink in the background, that is a breast cancer awareness campaign. Even the Springfield players had pink uniforms and pink bats.  

Technology is not my friend at the moment. I'm logging off.

Father's day, or John's vacation from cooking

Father's day? Please. We had a father's weekend. Yesterday was apparently notable because I cooked (John almost always makes Sunday dinner, and then some).

The weekend started with a Saturday trip to Lawrence, where John had requested lunch at the Mad Greek and dessert at Wheatfields (this is not the part where I have three burners going at once; that comes later). As we drove west from KC, the darkening sky was reminiscent of the shape-shifting waves in Ponyo, a Miyazaki movie the three of us watched the night before. A few vendors had stepped outside their shops to watch. The deep blue storm clouds looked like they could have morphed into gigantic cruising whales, a perilous image from the movie, and it was good to get Josie inside, away from a window.

After lunch, we went shopping, including a trip to Yarn Barn (baby blanket in the works), Brits, and Target. John said he was starting to get really excited about the trip to China now that we have luggage for it. BTW, I'll stop linking as we left Lawrence after that, and I was plugging the places we love.

Sunday morning, Josie brought John the picture frame she decorated at a craft shop. The store had a booth where kids could design a frame with camoflage-colored paint. John's not a camo dad, as Josie knows. She drew flowers and wrote with Sharpies: You're awesome! You rule! You're cool! I love you Baba.  She made a card which featured a giant drawing of John's head and endearing messages. Her handwriting is more legible than mine but it is the ideas that really get us.

I was supposed to have help preparing crepes but my assistant blew me off to watch cartoons; she did, however, serve and eat crepes. These were good with fresh fruit, preserves, and/or powdered sugar. Josie ate hers flat like pancakes but John and I rolled ours, and John told us about eating galettes de la mer in France.  More reasons to travel.

During the afternoon, John realized that, for once, he didn't have to start Sunday dinner while Josie and I were at church; he could listen to a ball game and work upstairs, which he did. Josie brought him some black licorce. She thoroughly enjoyed preparing for Father's day.

We planned to eat late in the afternoon, but the neighbors were again kind enough to include Josie in their trip to the aquatic center. We owe them bigtime. With temps in the upper 90s, the children had wilted. Josie's pool time gave me a chance to call my dad without interruption, and I really enjoyed the conversation.

By the time Josie arrived home, I had minced and mixed the dumpling ingredients and was beginning to fill the won ton wrappers; broccoli was chopped, rice on the stove. She was disappointed but, as we discovered before, dumplings are not a child-friendly recipe: lots of minute chopping and folding. She tested the first batch--no, not for her, she said, and downed all four.

We finally sat down and ate dinner, polishing off all the dumplings. John had mowed the lawn and graded papers but it was otherwise a relaxing day for him, and a good father's weekend all around.

This morning, normal household order was restored when John made the coffee.

Adoption, camping, Amelia Earhart

Adoption: Referrals came yesterday! The CCAA has referred babies up to 4/26/06. The international labor holiday ("golden week") early in May should bump the next set of referrals forward farther than usual. I continue to anticipate a referral--baby mug shot, background, medical records--during the first week of Sept or Oct.

Camping: We spent four days in Weston Bend, MO last week, camping at the state park. Josie has proudly added "roasted not burned hot dogs" to her cooking repetoire. She is also learning that when the parental units suggest a nice, scenic hike, we might be gone a while.

We once took a five mile hike at Ha Ha Tonka (Lake of the Ozarks) when we'd just planned a little look around. This time, an intended two mile hike along a bluff overlooking the Missouri River turned into a trek at least double that length. Whether she likes it or not, Josie is becoming a good hiker.

The park ranger we talked to earlier in the day suggested we walk the first part of the trail and turn back. I thought she meant we were wimps, so of course we kept going. The trail that should've taken us back to our car was overgrown, looping us onto a new trail. John had the water and the bubble gum, crucial to Josie's enjoyment of the trip, so he maintained her pace while I marched ahead. We encountered a woman with four pre-teen girls in similar straits: we all thought the new trail was the one we were to be on. She and John walked the hilly road back to cars while I stayed with the girls in the shade.

On the trail, we saw the promised dramatic vista of the Missouri (truly worthwhile), deer tracks, a lone cylindrical building across the river (Leavenworth?). Best part was the post-hike treat: a visit to a strawberry field where we ate and picked and ate some more.

Amelia Earhart: Same trip, different day--we visited Atchison, KS, a RR town (Atchison, Topeka, Santa Fe) on the Missouri, birthplace of Amelia Earhart. Went to the historical museum, birthplace home, Trinity Episcopal, an earthworks portrait of Earhart by a lake. It was a bigger deal to me than to John or Josie, a little like visiting the oil slick left in the wake of Pearl Harbor with John--a place one of us had wanted to see since childhood.

Testing, testing

I have been meaning to set up some kind of blog for our second adoption but it seemed pointless during the ballooning wait. Now, we're within six months of referral (I hope!) and starting to realize that it will happen. Started this paperchase October 2005 with all paperwork in (LID) on 5/17/06.

Today, I cleaned Josie's messy closet floor, sorting baby Legos and Fisher Price people into the drawers of yet another rolling storage contraption, surreptitiously tossing the fast food toys--roaches of the toy world. They'll outlive us all, those Happy Meal promotional dealies.

John and I are still figuring out how we'll accomodate another person--probably by trading our room for the girls' when they need the space. Once we know if we have a baby, a toddler, or a little girl, we can do more.

I will be teaching part-time at the college, as I did when we adopted Josie. Not sure how the second adoption will go so I'm on the mommy track for a yr or two. Everyone says that one to two kids is a big shift.

Josie is old enough to be a help, and can be a wonderfully helpful girl. As her first grader teacher put it--"when she's good, she's very, very good; when she's bad, she's... well, you know how it goes." Exactly. Josie and I are singing along to Wicked right now, our favorite at the moment but this is a GOOD part. I hope having a little sister helps even things out for her.

Time for a bike ride or something--it's gorgeous out.