Shameless mommy brag

Sophie got tested for reading at school. She's in first grade and tested in the 91st percentile, or at a 2nd grade 5th month level. This means she's about two years ahead since she should still be in Kindergarten. She brought home all As and one A+ on her latest report. I'm glad I did not keep her in K last year as she would be bored to tears.

Meanwhile, Little Miss M. is working on potty training. We're trying to sit her on the tiny potty in the evening and we've had some successes. Shame that I did not keep up the whistling training they had done in China!

Irritated with ballet school and loose hamster

I tried to sign up Sophie last trimester and the Thursday class in our neighborhood go canceled. Because Sophie was in soccer, I could not move her to Saturday morning (the only other class that would have worked for working parents). Now I tried again this month, the Th. class gets canceled - again - so I move to Saturday morning (soccer season is over). I order the supplies from the online retailer they recommend - they don't show in time. So, yesterday I make a last minute run to the dance store and I get an e-mail today saying the classes are canceled today due to weather conditions! What weather conditions? Looks fine outside to me. An e-mail a couple of hours before the class is due to start. That's pretty lame if you ask me.

Other topic - Teddy the new hamster thought it was a good idea to get out of its cage while we had both cats, and the dog, sleeping in the house. He must have a hamster guardian angel because we did find him alive.

Margaux signed up for Pre-school

I can't believe my baby is going to go to preschool in just a few short months! I went ahead and signed up Margaux for the 2-yr old class starting in August at CTK. That's where Sophie has been since pre-K4. I love the pre-school. It is really bittersweet to see her growing so fast. I was watching an episode or "rediscovering China" and I'm almost thinking I would like us to go back and adopt a SN (cleft) boy. Okay, I am not really seriously thinking that, 2 is plenty for us, but it has crossed my mind.

The week has been pretty quiet. Margaux has slept through the night last night for the first time in several weeks. She's had a runny nose and keeps on waking up.

Sophie celebrated the 100th day at school. She still seems to enjoy first grade. She's starting ballet tomorrow. We'll let you know how it goes!

I forgot to post the pictures we had done on Jan 2 when my mom and step-dad were here. You can see them below this post.

We also had Chinese New Year with FCC this past Saturday and I need to post some pictures of that. It's nice to finally have a little one to take after 4 years of going to this event!

New favorite word

Margaux has a new favorite word: "Alright!". Everything is "alright". Her language has really exploded lately and she probably has 20 to 30 words. She also said her first two word sentence "no, mine!" while arguing over a toy with sissy. She just went to an ear check-up appointment and weighed a whopping 24.8 lbs! Yikes, she's put on a couple pounds in a very brief period.

We are getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year this weekend and I am looking forward to dressing the girls in their Chinese outfits we bought while we were in Guanghzhou.

Oh yeah, and daddy locked Margaux in the car yesterday after leaving the doctor's office. I had to rush back out with the extra key to let her out.

The crib was taken apart a couple of weeks ago. Margaux is sleeping on a full size bed. She's been doing a little better, but she sill wakes up once or twice a night. I miss the times a few months ago when she slept the whole night through. She really has not done that ever since she got sick with hand, foot, and mouth.

Time to go help Sophie with her homework.

One year ago today!

One year ago today, we received the long awaited "call". It was a very surreal moment for us. After all this time waiting and waiting, CCAI called (our agency) and gave us some details about our new little girl. A few minutes later they e-mailed a picture. Of course it was love at first sight! :) We could not see much on this tiny mug shot taken when she was 6 months old, but we got a couple more pictures the next day via FedEx. It has been a crazy, busy year. First we had to prepare for the trip, then we were in China for 2 1/2 weeks, then we had to get used to being at home. Margaux had a hard time with the time change. Sophie had to share mommy and daddy. All in all, everyone fared pretty well even though Sophie had written her list of prospective new parents for Margaux.

Margaux has blossomed into a beautiful, happy, headstrong, healthy little girl and we are so thankful to have her in our lives. My thoughts at this time are with the families (and the children) still waiting. In exactly one year, China has only referred three months of LIDs. In retrospect, I realize that if we had encountered even more paperwork issues or if we had procrastinated we would still be a family of three today!

Hugs to everyone still waiting. May your children find you very soon!

"Ten Things Adoptive Parents Wish You Knew...but would never tell you"

This is borrowed from a friend's blog. She and I knew each other several years ago and she has a couple of kiddos adopted from Russia as well as a bio baby.

1. We hate the word "real" when referring to biology. We are REAL parents, with REAL children, who have REAL emotions. Our children are REAL siblings, even if they do not share DNA. As parents, we have our fair share of dirty diapers, late night ER visits, and worries. We've been pooped on and puked on, often times in a foreign country with no hot water. There have been tears of sadness and tears of joy, all an amazing part of being a parent! So, when referring to our children's biological parents, we like the term "birth parents." Our children's birth parents are very real, but so are their adoptive parents and siblings!

2. Please do not ask personal questions about our children's birth parents. We will share all of the information we have with our children when it is deemed appropriate. However, that information is for their eyes and ears only. It's not something we share with everyone. Our children have a history that solely belongs to them. - Edited to add: for children adopted from China, we know NOTHING about birthparents, it is illegal to abandon babies and the birthparents would go to jail

3. Adoption can be expensive, but please do not ask questions about the cost (especially in front of my children). I really, really don't mean to offend with this statement. People are curious, but it is just not appropriate. No one works for free. Social workers, judges, caregivers, and health care workers who participate in adoption must get paid. The same is true for all of these people in foreign countries. The main expense in international adoption is the travel cost. It's not cheap to fly to (sometimes more than once) and live in a country halfway around the world. Honestly, it's worth every penny. Being a parent to my kids is priceless!

4. Please don't tell me that I got my kids the "easy" way. Adoption is far from easy. When I had my baby, they sent me out the door with her with a wave and a smile (no questions asked). Here is just a small part of the adoption process:
*compiling hundreds of documents, with exactly the right signature, certification, and appostile
*multiple visits from a social worker in order to deem your home and parenting skills appropriate
*health histories, medical exams and fun tests for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases
*having every aspect of your finances analyzed
*being fingerprinted for the state and federal bureau of investigations for a background check-
For our second adoption, this involved being fingerprinted on the bottom floor of the jail with the common criminals. A guy in an orange jumpsuit asked to borrow my pen. Nice, huh?
*waiting for months and months wondering about the conditions of your child
*traveling to and living in a foreign country for weeks at a time
*And finally (at least for Russia), being in a foreign court room (guards with machine guns included) for hours explaining why you are meant to be the parent of this amazing, beautiful, wonderful child!

Sure, piece of cake!

Now, I'm not saying that pregnancy and delivery are easy...but neither is adoption!

5. Please don't make me out to be a saint. People love to tell adoptive parents how wonderful, amazing, blah, blah, blah they are for adopting. The truth is, we did it for ourselves! We wanted a child, so we adopted. There's nothing noble about it. To say otherwise, implies that our children were somehow undeserving of what they were given. I mean, have you met my kids??? We adoptive parents are the lucky ones!!!

6. All adoptive children do not have problems. Let's face it, we all, whether adopted or not, have problems! Just ask Oprah and Dr. Phil. Adopted children have no more problems than the general population. Often times, they've overcome more than most, but they typically go on to lead normal, healthy lives. I am sure that my children will need therapy one day, but not because they are adopted. After all, it's always the mother's fault, right???

7. Adoption does not cure infertility. Okay, I realize that my own family is contributing to this myth. The truth is that couples who adopt after infertility, typically do not get pregnant. The rate is less than 10%. We happened to be one of those couples who were told we might get pregnant on our own (and more quickly with treatment), but we really wanted to adopt anyway. I've had many friends with no tubes, husbands with no sperm, hysterectomies, and sterility from cancer be told they will get pregnant now that they've adopted. You never know what someone's situation might be, and this comment can be very hurtful. The goal for adoptive parents is not to get pregnant. It's just to be parents, and adoption leads them to that goal!

8. Please don't ask if I have children of "my own." All of my children are "my own." Both the one I pushed out, and the ones delivered by Delta. Don't get me wrong, there are days that I'd love to blame their antics on the innocent bystander in Kroger, but my kiddos and their obnoxious behaviors (along with all the good ones) belong to me.

9. We adoptive parents are really just like all parents! We love our kids more than anything in the world! We celebrate their triumphs and dry their tears. We would go to battle any day for them, and we love them with every once of our beings...just like you!

10. If you are interested in adoption, ignore statements 1-9, and ask me anything and everything your heart desires. My life is an open book to anyone wishing to adopt. I will answer all questions completely and honestly and share anything that might help you to make the decision to become an adoptive parent! I'm sure this is true for most of my adoptive friends, and I KNOW it is true for me. So, if you are lurking out there, and you are interested in adopting...PLEASE leave your e-mail and info. I'd be happy to talk with you about the greatest decision you'll ever make!!!

Thanks Kerry for letting me borrow this!

Margaux and Santa

Margaux has not been so fond of the jolly old man. When we were in the mountains in October, she got to meet him for the first time in the Christmas store. She was waiving at him from her stroller, so I thought I'd give it a try for a $5 donation to Saint Jude. The picture of that first encounter is attached. She's seen him 5 or 6 times since then and it has not been better. There's always next year!