Our BFT (Part III -- Visiting a Dear Friend)

Sunday was Sarah's birthday, and she spent most of it in the car.  We packed up and left C*ncinnati early for the nine-hour drive to R*chester, NY, where my dear college friend Alison lives with her husband and two boys.  Sarah slept for the first two hours, then woke to open a present on-the-fly.

We arrived at Alison's a bit before dinner, and Sarah had more presents waiting for her.  She also got a bunch of great hand-me-downs from Jackson and Joseph, including a Step 2 ride-on car.  She loved being pushed around in it.  Don was skeptical about fitting it in the car with all of our stuff, but he managed, so we've gotten it at least as far as my mom's.  Sarah also had fun on the slide, which was a lot higher than any she'd been on.  She wasn't daunted and climbed the ladder herself, over and over.

We left for my mom's mid-morning on Monday -- much too soon, but that's how it goes when you're trying to see everyone in one big trip.  It was wonderful to spend a little time with Alison and her family again.  I wish we lived closer (I can say that about all my family and friends)!

Our BFT (Part II -- Our China Family Reunion)

Friday, we celebrated Sarah's 2nd birthday at a store where the kids pick out an animal and have it stuffed.  It was so fun to party with all the little girls and their families.  Try as she could, Sarah couldn't blow out her candle, but she entertained the crowd with her attempt.  She chose a big golden retriever as a keepsake.  It looks suspiciously like her beloved Va-va.  The group was so sweet -- they pitched in and bought an outfit for the dog, complete with frilly skirt, sneakers, and hat.  She looks adorable.

After the party, we went to the aquarium, which Sarah LOVED.  One of the families has three older girls, and six-and-a-half-year-old Ava stuck with us throughout the tour, pushing the stroller and entertaining Sarah.  She sat with us at dinner, too, which allowed Don and me to enjoy the meal a little more than usual.  It was the closest we'll ever get to having an au pair.

On Saturday, we had planned to visit the C*ncinnati Zoo, but the weather forecast was for record heat and humidity, so we switched to the C*ncinnati Museum.  It's in an old train depot and very impressive.  This time, Ava's older sister Bella hung out with us and doted on Sarah.  We saw the natural history museum in the morning and the children's museum in the afternoon.  The children's museum was incredible -- so many fun things to do.  Sarah loved the big net enclosure with thousands of balls to load into machines and shoot around.  She also enjoyed the slide...the girl loves to slide.

Saturday evening, we all ate at a Chinese restaurant.  It was chaos, with seven toddlers enjoying their meals (notice I didn't say "eating") and running around.  I'm sure our section had to be closed for industrial cleaning after we left.  After dinner, we took some group photos.  Last year in China, the girls had a red couch; this year, they had a black curb.  Oh, well.  Sarah was completely different this time around.  She worked the camera like a seasoned celebrity.

Here's last year's photo:

And this year's:

And our China "family":

It was so much fun seeing all of these families again.  We share a special bond that will only tighten over the years, I believe.  The girls aren't old enough to play together too much, but I know they'll grow close in time.  We're all part of a magical experience powered by love.  It's a gift to us all.

Our BFT (Part I -- Getting to Cincinnati)

We've been on the road for four days now.  Sarah keeps signing "home?" every time we get in the car.  I keep trying to explain that we're not going home for a really long time (two weeks) -- we're on a trip.  I've started calling it our BFT (Big, Fun Trip).

We spent Wednesday night at Emily and Omar's in W*unakee.  Sarah was excited to see them again.  She says their names pretty clearly now.  She and Sophia had a good time dancing, playing the piano, and riding Sophia's trike.

We left early Thursday morning and, nine hours later, pulled into Cincinnati.  Sarah was pretty good the whole way, although she needed to be entertained constantly (I don't know how many times I had to unbuckle my seat belt to assist in the back seat).  Two-and-a-half hours seems to be her limit before she starts screaming and needs a break.  She liked the travel pillow I bought, although it seems to push her head forward, rather than back.  :(

Thursday evening, we had dinner with five other families who traveled to China with us last summer (one family didn't arrive until Friday).  Sarah sat in her chair eating while the other girls ran around.  It takes her a while to warm up in social situations.  After dinner, she got down and interacted some, but she was still tentative.  She was particularly put off by the advances of three-year-old Grant, the big brother of one of the girls.  He wanted to kiss her and pat her cheek, and she wanted none of it!

More later....

Playing with the Big Girls

Saturday night we had a local family with two little girls from China over for dinner.  The girls are 4 and 9.  We had dinner at their place a few months ago, and Sarah was shy at first but then warmed up.  This time, she was pretty comfortable from the start.  She was soon holding hands with them and leading them around the yard showing them the animals.  It was SO cute!  She even got the older one to carry her around.  After dinner, the younger girl was doing cartwheels and dancing around the rec room.  At bedtime, Sarah was flinging herself around her room, doing high kicks and rolls.  Needless to say, it took a while to get her settled down and asleep.

We leave Wednesday for Cincinnati to attend a reunion of the families we traveled to China with last summer.  There will be seven of the 12 little girls there.  Can't wait....  We're going to celebrate Sarah's birthday with them.  Our little girl turns 2 next Sunday!

We then go on to M*ssachusetts to visit my family, including Sarah's three boy cousins.  I have a feeling that after this trip, Sarah will be doing and saying a lot more.  Being around other kids seems to light a fire under her.

Contest

I'm trying to win a giveaway of a Shutterfly lifebook template, so I'm posting the info here.  Lifebooks tell an adopted child his/her story from birth through adoption and beyond.  Bio kids like them, too!  Here's the link, if you'd like to enter: http://mystorylifebooks.blogspot.com/.  The deadline is July 31.

In the Swim

For the last two weeks, Sarah and I have been taking Parent-Toddler classes at the town pool.  The good part is that they're free; the not-so-good part is that you get what you pay for in terms of instruction.  We had a different college-age lifeguard leading the class each day, only one of which actually got into the pool with us.  My favorite was the guy hiding behind oversized Ray-bans who busied himself with some important paperwork on a clipboard the entire half-hour and failed to tell us that the last day of class had been cancelled due to the annual Catfish Days festival in town.

At any rate, it was a great opportunity for Sarah to experience a large pool for the first time.  For the first few days, she wrapped her legs around me with an iron grip and clutched a plastic Nemo fish toy for security.  On the fourth day, the collegian-on-duty was engaged enough to suggest we try the wading pool to see if the kids would be more comfortable (we had gone from four participants to two by that point).  Sarah was much happier there, although she was still cautious.

On Wednesday, we went back to the adult pool, and she started to loosen up.  By the next day, she was kicking her legs, blowing bubbles, and leaning back moving her arms under water, while entrusting me with Nemo.  She even tried to talk herself into scooting off the side of the pool into my arms, but she couldn't quite muster the gumption.  I had high hopes for our last day on Friday, but, as noted above, we arrived to find the gates closed.

We're heading to Cincinnati in a couple of weeks for a reunion of the families in our China travel group.  I'm eager to get her into the pool again and glad she had an opportunity to work through some of her fears beforehand.  In the meantime, we'll practice in the plastic wading pool at home.  Whenever we mention "pool," she goes through all the motions for kicking, putting her head back, and blowing bubbles.

Here are some shots that Dad took on her last day:

Master Builder

The other day, I had to send a quick email, so I asked Sarah to build a tower with her nesting blocks, thinking it would buy me a few uninterrupted minutes.  Moments later, she was reaching for the keyboard, so I repeated my request, and she gave me a blank look.  I glanced over at her play mat, and this is what I saw:

How am I ever going to keep up with this kid????

Sarah's 1st 4th

It was a rainy day, and we had no special plans, but I couldn't let Sarah's first 4th of July as an American citizen pass without something out of the ordinary.  So, we headed to Coldstone Creamery for her first ice cream cone (she's had plenty of ice cream, just not in cones).  She thought the chocolate with M&Ms mixed in was A-okay.

When we got home, we took a few photos by our front steps.  She's an all-American girl!

Go, Brian, Go!

My sister Heather was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago at age 32. Five years ago, it spread to her bones; three years ago it spread to her brain. She is currently on a treatment study that so far is working very well and keeping the cancer in remission.  She is a tremendously strong person, and you'd never know by looking at her that she's been sick.

All of the treatments Heather has benefitted from over the past seven years are the direct result of research funded by the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Pan Mass Challenge, an annual bike ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown (Massachusetts) sponsored by the Jimmy Fund. Without the money raised through the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber, these treatments would not have been available.

On August 7th and 8th, my brother-in-law Brian will ride in the PMC for his fifth year, with more than 5,000 other cyclists. With the tremendous support of many friends and family last year, he raised $10,000 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, bringing his total to almost $40,000 since he started.

I know you care enough about Sarah and me to read this blog, so I'm hoping you can extend your concern to my sister and consider supporting Brian with a donation.  You can visit his web page(http://www.pmc.org/BH0094) and pledge with a credit card.  No donation is too small.  The entire amount will go to helping patients like Heather.  Thank you.

(My apologies to Brian for lifting much of this text from his email.  He said it well the first time!)

How's a girl supposed to get any sleep around here?

Now that Sarah's sleeping so well, you'd think we could all get some rest.  You'd think.... 

Sophie the Calico Cat is an indoor/outdoor type.  She loves to roam the yard and pretend the native prairie plantings are her jungle.  Our property is heaven for a cat, with lots to explore, and occasionally pursue.  She kills the odd English sparrow or meadow vole, but, other than that, she's pretty easy on the wildlife. 

Sophie likes to head out for an early morning foray, curl up in the office chair during the heat of the day, then check things out again in the late afternoon.  Our five acres seem to be enough to satisfy her, and she doesn't leave the property.  She's usually good about showing up on the deck around dinnertime.  I don't like her to stay out past dark.  I don't think many predators come onto our land, but there's a nasty quasi-feral cat that likes to trespass.  Occasionally, Don and I forget to check for her return after dinner, and she heads out for another tour. At that point, she's hard to get back in and usually spends the night outdoors, much to my chagrin.

In our part of the country, it gets light about 4:30 a.m. this time of year.  Sophie is eager to begin her day and starts begging to be let out even before daybreak.  Needless to say, it's hard to ignore a cat on a mission.  

Last summer, three days after we returned from China, Sophie persuaded Don to let her out before it was light in the morning.  The wicked wild cat chased her up onto the deck and proceeded to put a claw in her eye, puncturing the cornea.  So, while we tried to adjust to being home with a new one-year-old, we also treated Sophie twice a day and hoped she wouldn't lose her vision.  Fortunately, she healed nicely and has no trace of the injury.

This year, after weeks of naively hoping she'd decide to sleep in, I finally put my foot down and relegated her to the garage at night.  Amazingly, she still curls up on my lap every evening, only to be thrown out the door on my way to bed.  (She must employ the same wishful thinking I was and believe "it won't happen again tonight.")

Monday evening, we missed our window of opportunity, and she failed to return by bedtime.  Although I usually lie awake worrying, I must have been tired enough that I drifted off to sleep.  The next thing I knew, I heard the high-pitched wails of a cat fight.  Cadi the Lab and I jumped up at the same time, but she was closer to the door, so she made it down the hall before I did, barking all the way.  When we got to the back door, I threw it open and saw a blur of fur and fury on the deck (I hadn't stopped to grab my glasses on the way).  Cadi, who knows absolutely no fear, charged out and sent both cats racing for their lives.

Meanwhile, Sarah had started screaming, frightened by all the commotion.  I went in and comforted her, while Don, who was just figuring out what was going on, headed outside whistling for Cadi.  I got Sarah re-settled and returned to the scene as Cadi the Defender trotted back into the house victorious.

I had so much adrenaline rushing through my body that I knew I couldn't sleep, so I decided to lie on the bed in Sarah's room while she dozed off again.  Visions of Sophie's injuries and the resulting vet bills danced in my head.  About an hour later, I checked the deck, and there she was, waiting to come in.  After looking her over for injuries and finding none, I returned to bed, where I lay awake for 2 1/2 hours.  She was pretty quiet the rest of the night, and the next day, which she spent curled up on my pillow. 

Wednesday night was an exciting one, too, and I have no one to blame but myself.  Sarah is growing like a weed, and she's started putting her foot up on the rail of her crib, testing her physical abilities.  It's happened only a couple of times, when we're about to pick her up, but it has me worried about her climbing out.  I know we're close to moving to a toddler bed, but I'm trying to put it off as long as possible, as I think it will present some new challenges, just when we have a good sleep routine down.

Apparently, this has really been worrying me, because in the middle of the night, I swore I heard a thud and instantly decided it was Sarah hitting the floor.  In the split second it took me to respond, I determined it would take too long to get up and walk around the foot of the bed to the door, so I jumped over Don.  I pretty much cleared him, but my feet got caught in the blankets, and I landed on my knees on the floor (from about three feet in the air).  That's when I realized what a crazy thing I'd done, so I yelled, "I'm sorry!" to Don as I sprang up and rushed into Sarah's room, banging the door against the wall.  When I arrived at the crib, there she lay peacefully, looking up at me with bleary eyes, wondering why I was waking her.

I tucked her back in and returned to our room, where Don, still half-asleep, asked, "WHAT was that?"  I had no explanation.  I have no idea how my brain reacted quickly enough for me to dive over him without thinking.  In a way, it's comforting that I can react quickly and automatically in an emergency.  I just need to work on my assessment skills.  I crawled back into bed and pulled the pillow over my face to muffle my laughter.  I'm wound a little tight, as they say.

As I once again tried to return to sleep, I came up with a plan for postponing the switch to a toddler bed while ensuring Sarah's safety and her parents' rest.  Fortunately, the twin bed in her room is actually two foam mattresses from an old couch, so it's very light (and quite uncomfortable).  From now on, whenever's Sarah's sleeping, we'll push the twin bed beside the crib to provide a nice, cushy landing should she decide to escape. 

Come fall, when it will be dark at her bedtime, we'll tackle the toddler bed.  That should give us a few more months of peaceful nights, such as they are.  And I'm hoping I don't end up in the garage with Sophie....