Happy Halloween

Tuki LOVED the Holiday this year.....












The darn hood kept getting into her view. She was not a fan!!














A smile that was obtained through antics by all bystanders.














E also joined us in trick or treating.














Once she realized that candy was the prize at each household. This hand in the bucket was her behavior each and every time she was back in the wagon.




















She was constantly hauling out each piece and looking at it excitedly.





















I finally convinced her to wait until we were done. Then she had a treat. Notice the position of her hood.

Today in Haiti

Read this post from a blog posted at left. The family is in Haiti for a week or so. They are experiencing the effects of Hurricane Noel.

http://josiahstephen.blogspot.com/2007/10/rain-has-not-stopped.html

and

http://providenceinhaiti.blogspot.com/2007/10/lapli-ap-tonbe-anpil-its-raining-lot.html

TWENTY-THREE MONTHS TODAY

E and Tuki on the day of our state CC meet.

Only 1 month left until she is 2 years old and no longer eligible to fit in the category of age that is tracked in months.......................

Geography 101

"the fact that geography is a factor in determining whether she lives or dies...and what kind of life she will live."

Written by Greg and Terri, visiting Dr. Jen in Haiti (linked on the side)

The quote is the very idea that is and has been pounding in me since the day, year 2000, I returned from visiting 3 countries in Africa. It is ever present in my mind and I seem to sift every action and word that others and I make through this thought.

Why do I adopt internationally instead of domestic....for me this is the number one reason why. I believe only people who have not traveled outside of the USA to a developing country will condemn those of us who have, and have chosen to bring a child from another country into our family. Will it change the situation for the majority of the people, NO, will it change the situation for a few, YES, and it has and will continue to change me, and move me into more action and perhaps others that become more aware ... hopefully a global view of this world.

Do children in the USA deserve to be adopted, YES, but I was called, led, impassioned whatever you want to call it, to international adoption... other people have other callings.

Am I saving the life of child, I don't really know, saving them from a life of little to few choices, probably. Do I want them to feel grateful to me for that, NO, but I do hope that they grow up to be content and grateful kids that want to make a global change in this world for others and the environment. Will that happen, I guess I will have to wait and find out as they mature and become adults.

Am I robbing them of their culture, people and heritage, perhaps, but yet I am confused as to the reoccurring discussion by other adoptive parents and others in general..."we are robbing them of their heritage" (developed world perspective), yet when I have traveled to these countries (third world countries), many, certainly not all, want so desperately to come to America, England, etc., to have choices, education, food, care for their children, have no children, etc., The same reason many of our ancestors came to America.

But even though I don't understand this discussion, I am/will purposely be exposing my children to their culture and heritage so that my they can choose how important it is/will be to them. Another choice that they will have.

I am grateful each and every day that I was born in the USA, I could have been born literally anywhere in the world, I could have been living the same life as some of these people do, in other countries, in which every day is a struggle. But I PRAISE GOD, I wasn't. Is it fair, NO, but it is what it is, and believe me I am grateful and I try hard every day not to abuse this situation. I am not dismissing the beauty that also exists in Haiti, Guatemala, Uganda, etc., but for many, every day is a struggle. We take so much for granted, so much, it makes me sad, angry, guilty, overwhelmed, and ashamed, and yet I am grateful too.

I am not really sure what I am saying, or even if I stated it well, but I am for sure just sharing some intense inner thoughts.

Be grateful for what you do have and let the other junk go...........

A Day to Remember

Tuki decked out in our school colors.........

Friday night was jam packed with parties. First, there was a party at two of the runner's (sisters) parent's house. Tuks and I stayed for a about 1 1/2 hours and then on to my BIL birthday party. We stayed there for several hours because Tuki and cousin N played, and played and played....We arrived home around 9;30pm, 3+ hours past Tuki's bedtime. She crashed as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Then today was our state CC meet. We arrived at the head coach's house to eat pancakes, then came home, prepared Tuks travel bag, relayed Tuki care info to E, then off to the meet in the team bus. The girl's raced, we placed 19th, E, neighbor A, and Tuki show up AFTER the race(in order to allow E his dignity, I won't get into the details as to why they were late, HI E!!!), then we hang out at the meet until after our school's boy's team races. I come home with Tuk's and her guys and we have pizza for supper. Tuki didn't have a nap all day, and so she really fought the bed at night..overly tired, but she was amazingly adaptable and happy all day.

Even though we did, well not so good at state, it was really a pleasant day, and once again I appreciated E's and A's help in getting Tuks to a meet to enjoy the runners and beautiful weather. Tomorrow afternoon we will go trick or treating, so I will post more photos to capture the moooooooooment, whooooooment, boooooment!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's in their eyes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER J

Panda in the dark blue, she looks to be doing better than a few months ago

BUT

Cheetah in the pink appears to be much less happy than a few months ago.

This confirms to me what I will be doing in the next few weeks. Assembling a new dossier for Cheetah. I was planning on re-using the same as Panda's. The word was Cheetah would then come home 5 - 7 months after Panda..BUT after reading this post by another adoptive parent:

"i hope you don't mind me poking my nose in here, but we struggled
with that same question when we tried to add our daughter D to
our file already in IBESR ~ we were told we could, then we tried &
couldn't & then were told we could resubmit the dossier for her after
we were out of IBESR...nope, then they said after courts...nope, then
they said after legalization...nope, then MOI...because everyone else
along the way wanted to see it...finally, we were able to resubmit it
14 MONTHS later...she has now been in for 3 weeks...

i guess what i'm saying is that i *highly* recommend you go through
whatever it takes to assemble a new dossier...i have kicked myself a
million times for not going with my gut & doing that instead of
listening to the "people who know" who kept saying "just a little bit
longer"..."

I have decided that I will be assembling and paying to set up a whole new dossier for Cheetah...I don't think either of us can wait 14 + more months for her to come home.

ASSEMBLING WE WILL GO!!!!!!!!!!

Pumpkin carving and a great weekend

This weekend started out Thursday night. I received a call from my daycare provider telling me that she was closing Friday because her son was running a fever from the surgery he had on Wednesday to correct his lazy eye. She had informed us of this Wed. date way back in August, so I had scheduled a Dr's appointment and stayed home with Tuks on Wednesday. Soooo since I had already taken off 1 day last week and we are nearing the end of the quarter, and I didn't want to use up all my sick days (saving them for when the girls come home from Haiti) for problems not related to me or Tuks, I was desperate to find someone who would watch Tuki on such a short notice, and THANK YOU A MILLION times to Gabi's Mom, linked on my side bar, for agreeing to watch her on Friday. Gabi's Mom runs a daycare in her home and had offered me via blog comments to watch Tuki if ever I needed it, and boy did I need it. SO THANK YOU AGAIN!!!! Another plug for blogs!!! Tuki had a great time there and she was able to spend time with a fellow Guatemalan baby.

Then Saturday, we had our CC sectional meet, and I am happy to say we qualified for state, but by only 1 point, too close for comfort, yet we did make so another week of coaching.

Today we went to church, both took a really long nap, and then we (I) carved pumpkins because trick or treating is already next weekend.














This is what she did while I was carving!!!!!!!




Her key that she uses in every key hole she can find.

















She crashed and burned her car.












Attempted to sweep the garage.


I kept the pumpkin guts because I wanted to cook the seeds, but then Tuks found the bowl.


Cooking. The watch on her arm is my old watch. She likes to wear it because I wear a watch for coaching..the only time I ever wear a watch.........


Separating


Clapping her hands between each handful to get rid of the stickiness.


More separating


In need of nourishment..this is hard work.


Howling like the dogs and hooting like the owls.