Happy New Years and Mim in 2009

Remember this post, and this post from a year ago??

Well one out of two isn't bad. So now 2009 is about bringing Mim, my last child home to her forever family in the tundra.

I am looking forward to about 1 month or so AFTER Mim has been home. It is then that I can FINALLY after 4+ years (my adoption quests started in December 2004) settle into being a complete family.

I can finish paying off all my bills that I have incurred from the processes, and start looking at other dreams with expenses, such as where to plan summer family vacations. Do I stay living in my current home, or find a more spacious place with several acres of the out of doors. Look at purchasing a new used vehicle..OK, you get the picture..dreams that go beyond just building a family, but rather now work on growing/raising a healthy family.

Oh yeah, and be more aggressive about my retirement nest egg..That's a laugh right now with the current economy...but one can dream, and boy that is me, a big dreamer and planner. Thank God with God's help, I am able to see many of my dreams come to fruition, at least for a little while any way. LOL

Happy New Years to Everyone in Blogland!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Learning

Tonight while reading this book, Ve pointed out the two cats in the book and called them Beatrice and Hubble. They are not just Mimi's anymore, but rather her beloved pets. SWEEETTTT

I have noticed since the day Ve came home that she purposely, not accidentally turns books upside down when pretending to read them. At first I thought there may be a problem, but then I realized (I hope this is the issue) that in her experience of reading books, I am almost 100 percent sure she was always on the top end (so the pages appeared upside down) of the book when she was read to or was looking at a book with the older kids. To her upside down is correct.

We have been working on correcting that habit and her habit of yelling as well. I mentioned in my June post about her yelling and as to why I think she does it. But with guidance and new words to use in place of the yelling, it is slowly becoming more like children playing rather than one yelling and one saying "I not do nothing wrong".

Ve also can count up to 40 in English and sing the alphabet song, but can't yet recognize the letters or numbers. This is a little behind Tuks and I can see Ve tries harder when she sees that Tuks already knows more than her. I guess Tuks is a good motivator and she really encourages Ve when she tries and gets things correct. It is really cute to watch. Ve loves the praise when she "gets it", which I am glad to see because I also mentioned in the June post that at that time she did not show, at least to me, any interest in learning. Now it is totally different. I told her tonight that she will start going to school on Monday. Her reaction was all smiles!!

Just like I let Tuks take a book or two to bed with her, Ve is starting to take a book to bed with her as well. To me it shows a love of books, thus hopefully it will transfer into reading.

Today they were really playing, just like well bonded and loving sisters. I really do feel deeply that bringing sisters home for/with Tuks was the best thing I could have EVER done for her...EVER!!! Even on the days she may not see it clearly, I still do.

Snow Epic

Picture is not from around here, just thought it was beautiful!!

I need to note our record snowfall this year for history in the making. We have had snow either daily, or every other day since December started. It is unreal. Some days I have had to shovel twice. Hard to believe there is 2 - 3 more months of this. Good thing is that it has been above 10 - 15 degrees the last week. Believe me that makes all the difference in the world in how easy winter is to take on a daily basis.
Another 3 - 6" predicted tonight!!!

Busy Doctor Day

sMurph, Beatrice, and Hubble

Busy day at several doctors today. Hubble was neutered, and since Beatrice was spayed 1 month ago she only had had her second vaccine. The girls were very happy when we returned this afternoon to pick Hubble up. He is a loved by all who knows him.

Ve had her first set of vaccines. It was horrible. She HATES shots!! Did I say HATES them. She was screaming, fighting and crying the whole time. It took several of us to hold her still enough. She needs her second set in 1 month. Whew!!! I am not looking forward to that any time soon.

Other than she seemed a little sad this morning after we talked about Mim, she is still adapting very well. She seems to do a little better with each passing day. Not that she really ever had a bad day, it's just that it keeps getting better for all of us for every day that we have to gel as a family. It feels more normal now. I guess I will see what I have to say once school starts for Ve in one week.

We did it!!

We did it, it may have taken most of the 30 - 40 minutes getting dressed, but it was so worth it. Tuks loves the winter, Ve is getting use to it, and use to it she will have to, since I do love the out of doors, and yes, even in decent temperatures in
the winter..That is usually anything above 25 degrees. I have come to realize the reason I have struggled with the winters the last two years is because I have not been able to get out into it because Tuks was so little. I didn't want to force the issue and then make her hate being outside in the winter altogether. I am trying to reign in my enthusiasm a little this year as well so Ve can learn to love it. I like to hike, snowshoe, CC ski, and I would imagine sledding and tubing will have to come back into my activities as well since kids like those activities.

So enjoy, because we sure did.

Calgon...take me away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuks has been struggling lately.

Is it because she is 3, or is it because she is reacting to her new sis Ve. Or both, probably the latter!!

I don't know for sure, and I sometimes I don't handle it as well as I'd like, simply because I am adjusting to everything as well. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I know she loves Ve being home because she says all the time she is glad she has a sister, but sharing me, toys, time etc., has been a whole 'nother story.

Tuks can be quite a hot head and quite stubborn at times.

If you haven't surmised this by now, LOL, I'd thought I tell you it.

Thus her and I can get into some fierce wrangles sometimes when I ask her to do, or not to do something and she refuses to do it or to stop doing it...if that made sense.

She will sometimes just hit Ve for no reason, I know it doesn't hurt Ve, but Ve will just start wailing when this happens. I ask Tuks if she hit Ve, she says "yes". I ask her "why" Tuks says "because". I guess not quite able to articulate what she is feeling so I just emphasize with a time outs and stern lecturing that hitting is naughty....

and me I have to keep telling myself to remain calm (doesn't always work) and attempt to help Tuks and Ve through the situation..

Calgon...take me away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas was a hit!!!

Being it was Ve's first Christmas here and her birthday, we played up the Christmas, but played down her birthday since I thought it may be too much for the first year and not even home 2 weeks yet. She handled the day fine and enjoyed playing with her uncles and cousins just like Tuks and cousin N does.


Christmas eve, after Santa came


Christmas morning


Both received 1 big item, Tuks a battery operated piano, Ve a battery operated guitar with microphones


Both were equipped with snowshoes and winter gear...


Lincoln Logs for both


Christmas party at my house...17 people this year, it was full, loud and fun, but whew I am glad it is over for another year


Opening more gifts


And more.....


brother W & girlfriend J


Being the hostess with the mostess


Girls just having fun

Birthdays

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VE, 5 YEARS OLD TODAY!!!!!

Happy birthday Jesus!!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!

Since I will be hosting 18 family members for Christmas tomorrow, I wish all a Blessed Christmas tonight. Photos were taken at our Christmas eve service at church... Enjoy!!


this first photo, I should toss, but for some reason I really like it, because this is REAL life with a 3 and 6 year old....

The happy sisters


Grandma and the girls


Me and the girls.

As you can see it's hard to get a good one of Tuks these days!!! LOL

and now I am off to wrap presents and clean the house.

TukiLogic "To the Moon"

Hanging with Beatrice. Not much to say except she is more relaxed, and doing better with each passing day. She even says "Thank you" and "may I be excused" within context and all on her own without any prompting by me.

Several weeks ago, before Kiki went on his six month sabbatical (he left the same day Ve came home so he has yet to meet her) 600 miles south of New Zealand, Tuki felt the need to set up our next trip.

Tuki: I am going to the moon

Me & Kiki: How are you going to get there?

Tuki: When I get bigger, I am going to take a rowket and fwy to the moon. Do you want to go with me Mama?

me: Yes I do!!

Tuki: Do you want to go with me Kiki?

Kiki: you bet!!

Me; Ok, it sounds like a plan, when you get older we will fly to the moon.

Now lately Tuks includes Ve as a traveling companion along with me & Kiki.

Funny thing is, I didn't even she knew what a rocket was, and now her favorite Barney video is "Outer Space"

I don't prep her for all this science stuff, she really does come by it naturally!!!

Weekend Update

HAPPY SOLSTICE!!!

the shortest day of the year and the official first day of winter

Yesterday I asked if Ve could be in Tuk's gymnastics's class to see if she could handle the structure. She was just fine. So now my dilemma is do I enroll both into another gymnastic class or let them try a Rookies basketball class starting in January. Tuks is a little young for both classes, but I have been given the OK to enter her. I may go with the basketball so they can get a feel for which sport they like better.

I also took Ve to church this morning and she spent the time in the nursery with Tuks. She loved it!!! I think I will let her stay in there for a few weeks and then try her in the kindergarten class at church.

Lastly, something that is WAY COOL!!! I was attending to Tuks in the bathroom, while Ve was singing and dancing (two things she does a lot during the day) in the next room. BUT then I realized the song she was singing was "ring a round the rosie" AND are you ready for this....IN ENGLISH!!! Home only 8 days and already singing a song in English. WHAT AN AMAZING KID!!!!!!!

The girls at class. Not too great of photos, but you get the idea!!! The class is for 3 - 5 year olds and look how much taller Ve is than the rest of them.

I love you........

Ve said "I love you" (in english) to me when putting her to bed tonight.....yes I know she was only copying my words, but still, it was nice to hear.

Thanks Mandy for taking the time in showing me hair styles. I have much to learn, but Mandy gave me a couple of styles I can do with Ve's hair to make her at least presentable for school and church!!! Thanks MUCH MANDY!!!!!

You ARE tagged!!!

The five bloggers that I tag have inspired with their strength, their support and acceptance in the almost two years that I have been blogging. Each has had and will continue to have incredible stories to tell. Please check them out to follow the growing of their families. See directions at: here

Me at Casa de King, she doesn't really like tags, but I am choosing her anyway. A wonderful woman whom I have had the opportunity to meet and travel with. She has the best sense of humor and a kind heart!! She will be an EXCELLENT Mom!!!!

Small town girl at Stumbling on Happiness, Another wonderful woman whom I have had the opportunity to meet and travel with. She is a constant source of strength and support.

Sarah at 5 Frozen Chamorros. She is from my home state and has been extremely helpful in patient in walking me through the paperwork.

Mandy at the Joys of Asha. Mandy and I have only met a few times but she is a wonderful and dedicated mother to her daughter Asha and I am especially thankful because she is coming over this afternoon to show me hair styles!!

Brenda at RAD, I have never met Brenda but I started reading her blog awhile back in preparation of a "just in case" scenario with my two Haitian daughters. She seems to be a great woman, wife and mother.

Fabulous Tag

I feel better today than I did yesterday, so any readers and commenter's that I scared away by my honesty, you can come back now!!! LOL





Kerri tagged me:
what she said about me:
Aves. I've never met Aves in person but I've followed her blog for a long time and love the way she makes me think about things. I know it may take her a while to post since she's awaiting the arrival of her newest family member...Yay!!!...but hopefully she'll have time one of these days. Some things she said back when I was thinking about adoption #2 really helped me come to terms with having kids from two different countries.

Anyways, here are the rules to receiving this award:
You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous bloggers in a post.
You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.
You must copy and paste the rules and the instructions below in the post.

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.

All right - here we go! My Five Biggest Addictions:

1. Exercise: I need to do it at least several times each week otherwise I get depressed. I love to sweat, make my heart pump, breathe hard and get a good buzz from a great workout. I love to be in the "flow", where I am just breathing and moving in a natural easy rhythm...I just love it, just thinking of that feeling makes me smile....

2. Coffee: I NEED it and crave it every morning. LOVE that first cup of coffee.

3. Analogies: I teach with analogies and I think in analogies all the time. Especially when I am attempting to understand something myself. For example; I have been tossing around, analyzing my feelings about transitions, since I am head deep in it and since it is my second time around, I am not panicking like the first time, so I can actually think about it, being proactive rather than reactive to it. So this is my analogy to help me be OK while wallowing in the feelings.

Transitions are like being a beginner runner. When you start running, you put your body in distress, even though running in the long term is great for you, initially it SUCKS the big one. Your heart starts beating rapidly attempting to get oxygen through out the body that is screaming for more. Your brain is saying "what the h*** are you doing?". You start telling yourself to "stop right now!!!, but you don't, even though your breathing is rapid and shallow. You have to think and remind yourself to take a deep breath, hold it in, then let it out slowly. Slowly get control on your thoughts and body. In time your body acclimates to the transition, your breath becomes deeper, more controlled, and you are finally flowing without even thinking about taking the next step. That is what it is like for me during the transitions of my children as they are new to our family and household.

4. My computer and blog buddies: I need it and you, now and in the future as we navigate through this many times poorly understood world of adoption.

5. Being surrounded by the outdoors and my pets (since I only get 5 addictions)- it refreshes my soul and again I feel a part of me needs these connections OFTEN, or I get lost in my world. My soul needs these like my spirit needs the Holy Spirit.

Notice how times I said "I need", maybe I am more high maintenance than I have believed I am. LOL

I will edit this post later with the 5 I tag...so stay tuned.

Random

Little tidbits that I have forgotten to mention.

Ve has the morning routine down extremely well, and she gets up early, like 5:45 am to 6:00 am with Tuks. She also wakes up calmly just like she now goes to sleep calmly. This also makes her very tired by the end of the day since it is about 2 hours earlier than when I remember her waking in Haiti.

She is slowly trying new foods, but doesn't like a variety. I knew this in Haiti. Mim is a picky eater as well. Anyway her mainstay foods if she won't eat what I have served is cereal with milk or ww bread with peanut butter. She loves to eat both at any time. I am going to make rice and red beans tonight and we'll see how that goes.

Last night, I took both girls to a gymnastic meet held at the local High school. They lasted for about 1 hour until they became restless due to the fact it was past their bedtimes. We came home and they both immediately fell asleep.

Longing to breathe

Ve is starting to like puzzles. I taught her to turn the piece around when it doesn't fit right away and now she does. She is progressing well, and I think she is just learning about shapes and fitting pieces because the first day I worked with her, she had no idea how or why to fit a piece in the puzzle board.

She had a few meltdowns today, considerably less than yesterday and the crying was very short-lived.

I think Ve gets bored with just me during the day. I have taken her to Adventure Alley at the Y for about one hour for 3 days in a row and she just lights up when we go and she lights up when I tell her we are picking Tuks up from Angie's school

As for me, I am going to talk a little about my transition. We don't talk about how we, as parents are doing with the transitions because it is hard to admit and quite frankly sometimes it is hard to read, especially if you are still waiting for your children. But I am going to talk because I am going through the same feelings I did when Tuks came home so I know that they only last for a short season and the feelings don't scare me so much this time around.

First I am mentally tired. Matter of fact I have been since I found out that Ve was coming home in mid-November. I like to sleep so that I can shut off my mind. I knew then, what the transition phase would be kind of be like. It has actually gone extremely well, but I don't feel like I can BREATHE DEEPLY. The deep breathes of relaxation WILL come back slowly like with Tuks, slowly and subtly I was breathing again and not worrying about getting through each day, days eventually became weeks, weeks became months etc., I long for that again....I also miss talking with someone speaking my language during the day. Yes, I know, I can only imagine how Ve feels in finding no one else who speaks her language well. She must feel what I feel but only intensified 100 fold. I am glad when Tuks comes home so we can have a conversation, even though it is only at a 3 year old level. LOL

I hold on to the fact that each day is and will continue to get better....and yes, I would be sore remiss if I didn't acknowledge again and again how lucky I am she is home, and how lucky we are in that Ve is acclimating so well. That's all for now...

Testing

Today was eventful on many accounts.

We went through the alphabet and she repeated the letters after me. I will do this daily in hopes of her retaining some before the first day of kindergarten on January 5th.

We also registered Ve for kindergarten and walked through her school. The lady registering her was awesome about her age. She said she wasn't worried about any BC, just the doctor's letter and a copy of her VISA passport. She held up the copy of the VISA passport and said "I know you had to really jump through hoops to get one of these granted, so just send in the corrected BC and legal name change in 6 months". I told her "Thank you for understanding that, because not everyone seems to get the fact that her adoption is all legal and finalized"

Ve was REALLY testing me today. I think on nearly everything she took in stride before. I am sure to see if I mean what I say. In addition, My gut feels she wants me to react to her offenses (for lack of a better word) in the same way I react to Tuks. I think it gives her a sense of belonging. They belong and are loved just the same by me. When ever I asked her not to do something, she'd continue it with a devious smile on her face until either I had to take the object away or move her away from the problem area. THEN, she would wail, and wail while flinging herself around on the floor. I would pick her up and just hold her until she quit crying, and then ask her if she was OK, sometimes she'd shake her head yes, sometimes no, so we'd sit longer. This happened maybe 4 - 5 times. I decided I am going to remain firm in my expectations even though she is so new to being home. I am constantly aware of the fact that I have a 3 year old always watching, just waiting for me to keep my expectations the same, or believe me, I will see the ugly results.

She also let me feed her at supper and she likes to cuddle and sit with me like a baby on the rocking chair. It seems she is going through all these phases that I have read about in transitions in warp speed. I hope this continues to the point where it feels comfortable to her and us. I can't help but notice how mature Tuks looks in comparison, but I do understand why. One time when Ve went into a wailing mode, Tuks gathered up all Ve' hair gadgets and kindly and quietly put them away in the bathroom. Their roles are definitely reversed right now, but I also know logically that in time Ve will catch up and surpass (maybe) Tuks maturity level. I say maybe because a friend tells me all the time how she can't get over how independent Tuks is at only 3. I am sure partly due to my raising her as a single Mom and her observing me handling most things myself, and partly because of her personality.



Hubble, Ve's true love right now. Yet to think the first night she was terrified of the cats.

Kissing!!!!

Ok, I know I probably shouldn't have let them bathe together, but I initially put Tuks in the tub, and then was planning to put Ve in after Tuks was finished. Well it didn't quite work that way. Ve wanted in, in the worse way, so I let her. Hopefully, any poopy concerns I have will be for naught since Ve's poops are looking good, but I still need to take one to the doctors to be absolutely sure. BTW - the water isn't as dirty as it seems to appear in the picture....


You may be wondering how I have all this time to blog. Well I wait for a quiet moment, or one when the girls are playing, or like now when BOTH, yes I said BOTH went to sleep peacefully. Now mind you, Ve fell asleep as I was rocking her and Tuks was watching Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree, but hey, whatever works. Anyway, blogging is therapeutic for me right now since I have little contact with other adults (Ve home and the extreme cold). It gets on my nerves and I need to communicate with the outside world, thus the daily blogging...so please leave comments or emails. I sure appreciate them!!!!!


Ve kissed me today, yes right on the lips on her own volition. I couldn't believe it. I'm not sure if it was because she was happy with me or happy that I told her we were going to go pick Tuks up. She also kissed Hubble (cat) many times today. She has my head spinning. if I didn't know rightly, and the nights and communication were better, I'd say she has been here a long time already. OK, don't get too excited, tomorrow may be a day of h***, either due to Ve OR Tuks. LOL

Interesting

Two years ago (2006) I (a man named Bob, who is part of the Guatemlan adoption group BIG LIST) compiled some statistics based on publications
from the World Bank, the CIA, and other sources. From those numbers I
was able to calculate the following facts:

Out of 100 children born in Guatemala:

1 has been or will be adopted by a US family
5 will not make it to their 5th birthday
16 will be born with low birth weight
22 will never see the inside of a school
28 will never learn how to read and write
54 will grow up in extreme poverty and malnourished
74 will never make it to the 7th grade
84 will need to travel over an hour to reach a health care facility

By eliminating adoptions in Guatemala the government has solved the
"crisis" for 1 out 100 of their children. What about the rest of them?

Helpers

A Mama's helper, just like Tuks. She loves to help me clean, wash dishes and fold laundry, etc. It takes a great juggling act for me keeping them both from making any major messes while helping me to clean. LOL

I am taking Tuks to Angie's school all this week to keep some normal routine in her life and then starting next week I will keep her home until after Christmas. Both girls were upset when I dropped Tuks off this morning. Definitely a step in the right direction considering all the changes and because they have been spatting a little more lately. Yes, normal between sisters. Ve has even pushed Tuks (mostly accidentally), yet Tuks greatest concern with her sister coming home. Trust me, there are many tears when that happens.

Ve is showing interest in learning now that she is home, but not while in Haiti. I am starting to think it was a good thing Ve came home separately from Mim. I think it gives her more freedom to try things without the pressure from the other kids at the O. In some ways she is almost a different kid from the little I knew her in Haiti.

She is putting up more resistance to the putting on of the coat, boots and mittens. She shared with the doctor yesterday that she DOES NOT like the cold. Imagine, it is about a 100 degree difference (esp. with our cold weather lately) towards the negative for her. BRRRRRR!!!!!

Raging ain't pretty

I am glad that I read about raging, because today when Ve entered into one at bedtime, I could handle it ..emotionally, not sure if I handled it well enough to help her feel secure. Tuks even handled it well. I think Ve is missing her home in Haiti and all that goes with it. She had two huge crying (raging) inconsolable spells today. One at the doctors when we gave her the TB injection (understandable) and one again tonight at bedtime. I just got her settled down about 30 minutes ago, and I didn't force a nap today. Was she too tired, has the days built up, was today too much? I don't know but tonight was rough, OR does she just hate going to sleep because she did this meltdown on the last night while I was visiting her in Haiti this summer??

Oops now I need to see about Tuks, because she started crying. I'll be back......

I am back, was Tuks copying Ve, or is she holding it all in and then it is coming out in huge waves??? Another question that remains unanswerable at this time. I read somewhere that children at home that have been adopted have a surge of feelings when a newly adopted child comes home. I know Tuks was only 5 1/2 months, but who knows for sure how the brain works.

I guess Tuks didn't handle Ve's crying as well as I thought in the first paragraph.

Good thing I have time at home to work out these transitions before school starts back up for me.

So today;

The dentist informed me Ve's teeth are in the age range of a 3 year to 5 year old, and also in great shape. He also stated that teeth have a range of being 6 months off from estimated age.

The doctor who is from Dominican Republic asked Ve in Creole how old she was. She said 6, just as I had thought. But the question is; is she six going on 7 on Christmas Day, or 5 going on six Christmas day. On her re-adoption day in six months, I think I will just change her BC to state 5 going on six. Born in 2002 rather than 2004 as it states now. He also felt with her being 3'7", and 37 lbs (little small), and size 11 1/2 feet, that she was also very likely six. So he will write the letter to my school district verifying her age so I can enroll her in kindergarten in January. I really want to get her baseline education started soon.

I am also on a poop quest, and Ve most likely has some allergies. She has a chronic cough, and very dry skin. The doctor called it the Allergy Triad. We are treating her for the cough and I am to purchase some special lotion to help her skin. If her cough is under control then we will begin her immunizations for school.

How am I transitioning?, I guess as well as I can be with a major change in our lives. I will be glad when this new life feels like the old "normal". My chant is six months to 1 year!!!! Everything has really for the most part gone well, but a change is still a change.....

48 hours home, and even more progress

Ve is watching a Barney video as I type this. I read somewhere that kids pick up the language quicker when watching educational videos. She seems to love it. Soon we are off in this -5 degree weather to the dentist, then shopping for 5T's clothes and then finally the doctor visit. After the doctor day we will pick Tuks up from Angie's school for a night of fun!!!

Mama blan, mimi!!!!!!

Our tree, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, without ornaments, so far due to the kittens fascination with anything that hangs.

TukiLogic on Ve's presence.

Tuki: where's Ve's Mama

Me: I am her Mama

Tuki: no, where is Ve's Mama

Me: I am Ve's Mama

Tuki: No, where is Ve's Mama (I don't think she knew exactly how to restate what she wanted, as far as she knows an older kid, who has never been around before, has a Mama}

Me; Tuks, I am Ve's Mama and I am your Mama

Tuks; OH, Oh OK




The Pick-Up
So after working all day Friday, I arrive home to find my friend B at my house, who already drove 3 hours so that she could drive with me another 8 hours round trip to pick up Ve. THAT IS A TRUE FRIEND!!! We hopped in my van and drove to a local car rental and picked up a KIA Sportage(sweet ride) to travel the 8 hours. My van is old and I wanted to drive with a sense of security on the trip in the middle of the night with 14 degree weather.

Once we had the KIA picked up, we packed it up and then hit the road while drinking mucho coffee. The trip there was rather uneventful except a great time for us to catch up. When we arrived, around 8:00pm, in the city of destination, we realized we were near the Mall of America (ok, probably a little give away of the airport location). B and I both discovered that neither of us had ever been to this infamous Mall. So we ate at TGIF's and then headed over to the Mall (across the street) for around 45 minutes or so. Since neither of us are shoppers, we weren't anymore impressed with this Mall than any other we have ever been in. Around 10:00pm we head to the airport, and find out that the flight was delayed and would not arrive until 12:35am. GAST!! we were already tired, so we found a little nook and promptly rested and fell asleep(a little) on the floor. There are perks to being an au natural gal that doesn't need anything fancy, and the floor was a bonus as far as we were concerned.

The plane arrived on time and while I was heading back from the restroom, I see Ve in the arms of GR. I quickly head to our nook and introduce myself. Ve looked at me, and I saw a spark of recognition. GR put her down and Ve fell into the embrace of my arms and squeezed me tight. She remembered!! GR went over some info from M and immigration. Apparently she had no difficulty in escorting Ve for me. I enticed Ve to put on the winter coat and mitten, but immediately she took them off. She was dressed in a very pretty top and she didn't want to cover it up. I decided I'd not make it an issue until we exited the building...

GR, D and L said our hellos and good byes within 10 - 15 minutes, since they were exhausted as well. They had gone to Haiti to visit their boy and girl that they are adopting from the same O as Ve's.

Once we exited the building, Ve shivered and willingly allowed me to put her jacket on. We hopped back in and took off back to my home. B drove the first 2 hours while I sat in the back seat with Ve. It didn't take long and Ve was sound asleep in the car seat. She didn't fight sitting in it one bit and hasn't since either.

Oh BTW - why no photos from the pick-up trip, well Miss forgetful, me, forgot the camera, but GR has some good photos and she will be sending them to me after Christmas.

Around 3:00am I took over the driving and B sat with the sound asleep Ve. We arrived home at nearly 5:00 am. I got Ve ready and put her to bed, and I also went to sleep with my clothes on and all.

Around 6:15am, I hear MAMA BLAN, MIMI!!! MAMA BLAN, MIMI!!!, I jump up and run to Ve's room, settle her down, chase the cat out, and go back to sleep myself. I'm not sure of the exact time, but when Ve woke again I brought her into my bed and we both slept for another hour or two.

My sister had taken Tuks for the night, so the next day, yesterday we were to meet them at our local Mall because M's daughter, N was in her first dance recital. I was to come early, pick up Tuks, introduce Ve, and then watch the performance.

And guess what...we did just that, so before Ve was home 24 hours she met most of the family members..and she handled it fine. Matter of fact she has handled all of the transition just fine. I'm not sure when the "shoe will drop" but so far, so good. I know we may very well be in a honeymoon period, but I will enjoy every minute of it I can get. BTW she has called me Mama from the first moment. I wasn't immediately reacting to it, I guess just not use to another voice calling for me, but now I do. B left around 2 in the afternoon to head back home. What a trooper!!!

And as far as Ve and the animals...she is warming up real quickly, Hubble is her favorite so far. It seems she can't get enough of petting, holding, and checking out his ears, toes, mouth etc.,WHEW!!!what a relief for me!!!

So what does Ve think of the snow, not really sure yet, can't get a feel for what she is thinking of the whole cold, snow thing. I know she doesn't like winter clothes or boots....LOL


That's all for now.........

Do six year olds still take naps?

Ve was taking naps this summer, but does she still need them??

She sure fights them, and yes, I do believe she is 5 going on six, rather than 3 going on 4 like her BC states.

We have dentist and doctor's appointments tomorrow for check-ups and to verify my suspicion on her age.

I will provide more updates with details of pick-up and transition thus far later tonight, but here are some more pix and little update to hold you over.

Tuks has been amazing with Ve. She introduces her to anyone that wants to listen. She shares, and is patient with Ve.

The only tussle so far is when Tuks and Ve both wanted to play with some items that Ve decied was just hers. I am sure still the survival of the fittest mentality when it came to toys.

Ve does know how to play with toys. She dresses and undresses dolls, sings happy songs, and generally seems to be quite happy to be here.

She is even picking Hubble up many many times. Good thing he is so easy going.

Tuks is mimicking Creole while Ve is mimicking English. It is CUTE!!



coloring Ve


Dr. Tuks








jamming Tuks while singing a song