Friday, June 12, 2009
Fancy-Schmancy
You can now access the blog by typing in www.mysharkbait.com . The current link still works, too, but I wanted to set up an easy-to-remember url because, frankly, I can't remember the other one and, therefore, can't get into my own blog if I am away from home and my bookmarks.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Way to Go, Em!
My aunt, Em, won the weekly NASCAR pool for her large, regional paper. Pretty impressive!
So, Em, is Jimmie one of your standard picks?
So, Em, is Jimmie one of your standard picks?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
First Tooth!!!
Fin lost her first tooth today! It was one of the bottom center ones. The tooth has been very loose for a week and the adult tooth has started to come in already. It took a big bite of a popsicle to finish the job.
Down Day
Fin and I are enjoying a down day today, much needed after a busy week. So, let's go back to Wednesday, our Family Day.
I picked her up at school at 2 and took off the rest of the day. When we talked about what she wanted special for that day, she said, "A Slurpee." OK, you can aim a little higher, honey. "A movie. And the Slurpee." So, I arrived at school, Slurpee in hand, knowing she would be the envy of the kids (and teachers) on a super hot day. She was, too. Then she looked at it and said, "I didn't want this kind." Sigh. I actually sort of expected this. She was out late with my work Sunday and Tuesday, so she was tired and had reason to be cranky. I wasn't expecting the complete disagreeablity, the inability to make up her mind about anything, or the full-on breakdown in Johnny Rockets, but ok. There were good moments in there and we had a long talk at bedtime about how we became a family and it was lovely. Anyway, book shopping, a movie, dinner out, and shoe shopping made up our evening. It was only later that I realized that it was actually MY favorite night out. Dinner, a movie, and someone buying me books and shoes. Maybe next year I will try to get a little more buy-in from Fin.
She made peace with my Slurpee selection. Please pay no attention to how sweaty and filthy she is, I have no idea what they did at school that day... perhaps cattle rustling?
The gigantic chocolate covered strawberry was a hit!
The shoes she wanted to try on:
The shoes we got:
Friday was her Field Day at school, only it rained buckets the night before and they had to have it indoors. Uh-huh, an entire school full of kids hopped up on sugar and adrenaline. By the time I crawled out of there, ducking hula hoops and flying first graders, I could barely hear. It was that muted buzzing you have after leaving a concert as parts of your auditory pathway curl up and die. The kids seemed to have fun, and were exhausted. The parents were in need of resuscitation. The teachers were being awarded medals.
The kids are supposed to keep their finger to their lips to remember to stay quiet in the hallway. It always looks like the poster for a horror movie to me; very Children of the Corn.
Speaking of movies, I thought this was suggestive of King Kong.
They had a fantastic balloon guy. He could do lots of different things and he was fast. Fin didn't really want to wear her heart crown, but she thought it made a great butterfly.
The kids had the most fun when their teacher got up in the dunking booth and they all got to take a shot. In fact, he allowed all of the kindergarten classes to dunk him. And, if that wasn't enough, the kids who couldn't hit the target got to run up and push it to send him in. There is no sufficient medal for that. Click on this picture and blow it up... Fin's expression is great.
Here are a couple of random pictures. I saw that Fin was entranced by something on television. What was it?
That screaming infomercial guy was trying to sell her a saw. I get it. I am fond of infomercials myself. My favorite is the Magic Bullet one where the people are throwing a dinner party of entirely diced and pureed food in tiny portions. How do I get invited?
Saturday, Fin had a gymnastics party for a classmate and then we were both going to a party for a friend who just received her MPA. Fin had alot of fun at the gymnastics party...
... but I think she enjoyed the adult party just as much. Everyone was very kind and played with her and made her feel special. She had a blast.
A dessert picnic.
Being bossy.
Trying to catch fireflies.
Challenging the "monster".
I picked her up at school at 2 and took off the rest of the day. When we talked about what she wanted special for that day, she said, "A Slurpee." OK, you can aim a little higher, honey. "A movie. And the Slurpee." So, I arrived at school, Slurpee in hand, knowing she would be the envy of the kids (and teachers) on a super hot day. She was, too. Then she looked at it and said, "I didn't want this kind." Sigh. I actually sort of expected this. She was out late with my work Sunday and Tuesday, so she was tired and had reason to be cranky. I wasn't expecting the complete disagreeablity, the inability to make up her mind about anything, or the full-on breakdown in Johnny Rockets, but ok. There were good moments in there and we had a long talk at bedtime about how we became a family and it was lovely. Anyway, book shopping, a movie, dinner out, and shoe shopping made up our evening. It was only later that I realized that it was actually MY favorite night out. Dinner, a movie, and someone buying me books and shoes. Maybe next year I will try to get a little more buy-in from Fin.
She made peace with my Slurpee selection. Please pay no attention to how sweaty and filthy she is, I have no idea what they did at school that day... perhaps cattle rustling?
The gigantic chocolate covered strawberry was a hit!
The shoes she wanted to try on:
The shoes we got:
Friday was her Field Day at school, only it rained buckets the night before and they had to have it indoors. Uh-huh, an entire school full of kids hopped up on sugar and adrenaline. By the time I crawled out of there, ducking hula hoops and flying first graders, I could barely hear. It was that muted buzzing you have after leaving a concert as parts of your auditory pathway curl up and die. The kids seemed to have fun, and were exhausted. The parents were in need of resuscitation. The teachers were being awarded medals.
The kids are supposed to keep their finger to their lips to remember to stay quiet in the hallway. It always looks like the poster for a horror movie to me; very Children of the Corn.
Speaking of movies, I thought this was suggestive of King Kong.
They had a fantastic balloon guy. He could do lots of different things and he was fast. Fin didn't really want to wear her heart crown, but she thought it made a great butterfly.
The kids had the most fun when their teacher got up in the dunking booth and they all got to take a shot. In fact, he allowed all of the kindergarten classes to dunk him. And, if that wasn't enough, the kids who couldn't hit the target got to run up and push it to send him in. There is no sufficient medal for that. Click on this picture and blow it up... Fin's expression is great.
Here are a couple of random pictures. I saw that Fin was entranced by something on television. What was it?
That screaming infomercial guy was trying to sell her a saw. I get it. I am fond of infomercials myself. My favorite is the Magic Bullet one where the people are throwing a dinner party of entirely diced and pureed food in tiny portions. How do I get invited?
Saturday, Fin had a gymnastics party for a classmate and then we were both going to a party for a friend who just received her MPA. Fin had alot of fun at the gymnastics party...
... but I think she enjoyed the adult party just as much. Everyone was very kind and played with her and made her feel special. She had a blast.
A dessert picnic.
Being bossy.
Trying to catch fireflies.
Challenging the "monster".
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Two Years Ago Today
Two years ago right now, I was in a conference room at a hotel in Guiyang, China with my mom, 2 guides, and 3 other families. The elevator door opened and women, men, and babies started to fill the waiting area outside of the open door. The woman next to me said, "I don't see Fin". We had already exchanged referral pictures and chosen names with the other families during the trip into Guiyang. My heart tightened. I hadn't seen her either. Then, Mian Mian was in the doorway held in the arms of a Chinese woman and trailed by several other people. The small, gathering crowd was asked to sit outside until everything was in order and our little group peered anxiously into the hallway. It was like the day of an arranged marriage. We knew the faces and second-hand reports of the one we were going to spend the rest of our lives with, but we were just now meeting on the day we would be committed to each other. It was exhilarating and terrifying.
The woman holding the little girl I was going to call Fin kept pointing at me and saying, "Mama." I had sent ahead a book captioned in Chinese with pictures of me, my family, and our home. The little girl shook her head slightly and dismissively. When the organizers joined the two groups, I can't really tell you what happened. I was focusing on appearing fun and non-threatening. I held out a panda bear my aunt had given Fin and a car I bought on a frantic airport shopping spree when I found out she loved toy cars. I know she was anxious. I know she wasn't interested in me. I know that she wanted to leave with the nice lady who was holding her, and with her foster parents, and with anyone else in that room that she even vaguely knew. It was such a short time, way too short. I spoke with her foster parents briefly. They loved her. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and guilt. Then, everyone Mian Mian knew left and it was awful. I hope she will never again know pain like she felt that night and the days that followed.
In the room, she took a short nap, emotionally and physically exhausted. I sat by the bed staring at her face as she slept. I had looked at her pictures for 6 weeks, trying to figure out who she was from these three baby pictures and a recent passport-type photo. Seeing her face move slightly in sleep, watching her breath, I just fell in love.
I don't know how I got so lucky. I would have been fortunate to know this resilient, clever, riotously funny little girl, but to get to be her mom is something that is a blessing, completely undeserved. Two years ago today I met my best friend and she has opened my heart to boundless joy.
I love you, Baby Girl.
The woman holding the little girl I was going to call Fin kept pointing at me and saying, "Mama." I had sent ahead a book captioned in Chinese with pictures of me, my family, and our home. The little girl shook her head slightly and dismissively. When the organizers joined the two groups, I can't really tell you what happened. I was focusing on appearing fun and non-threatening. I held out a panda bear my aunt had given Fin and a car I bought on a frantic airport shopping spree when I found out she loved toy cars. I know she was anxious. I know she wasn't interested in me. I know that she wanted to leave with the nice lady who was holding her, and with her foster parents, and with anyone else in that room that she even vaguely knew. It was such a short time, way too short. I spoke with her foster parents briefly. They loved her. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and guilt. Then, everyone Mian Mian knew left and it was awful. I hope she will never again know pain like she felt that night and the days that followed.
In the room, she took a short nap, emotionally and physically exhausted. I sat by the bed staring at her face as she slept. I had looked at her pictures for 6 weeks, trying to figure out who she was from these three baby pictures and a recent passport-type photo. Seeing her face move slightly in sleep, watching her breath, I just fell in love.
I don't know how I got so lucky. I would have been fortunate to know this resilient, clever, riotously funny little girl, but to get to be her mom is something that is a blessing, completely undeserved. Two years ago today I met my best friend and she has opened my heart to boundless joy.
I love you, Baby Girl.
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