Crazy Rat Lady

One of our neighbors got a goose last year. Yes, a big, nasty goose. And we do not live in the country. To the contrary, we live in suburbia. This neighbor is wacko for her goose. She stands outside with her goose for several hours each evening. It squawks and chases runners (and tried to kill our wimpy dog), but the neighbor still loves her goose. In the daytime, the goose lives in her upstairs bedroom. I know this because I can see the goose staring out of the window all day. The goose is mean and creapy and the neighbor is not much different. We have affectionately named this neighbor the "Crazy Goose Lady" (I know, not very original.) Unfortunately, Crazy Goose Lady has now been upstaged by "Crazy Rat Lady". That's right, I am the one and only "Crazy Rat Lady".

Here's the story. For his 10th birthday, J.D. asked for a small furry creature (i.e. Hamster, Gerbil, Guinea Pig.) Being the anal-retentive nut that I am, I decided to research what rodent makes the best pet. Over and over again I read (and was told by pet store employees) that rats are by far the best rodent-like pets to own. I was told that they were smart like dogs, clean like cats, and that they loved people. I was told that unlike gerbils and hamsters, they do not run away when they are let out of their cage. I can not believe we did it, but in a weak moment we bought J.D. two rats (they are very social and must have a friend to live with.) You can tell that I bought all of this hook, line and sinker!

Here's the kicker - I LOVE the rats. Yes, I play with Skit and Lilly (J.D.'s names for the little guys) every night. And the experts were right. They are some of the best pets we have ever had. They are out of their cage several hours a day and they never run away. They are friendly, clean, and the happiest little rattigans you have ever seen. So go ahead, call me "Crazy Rat Lady". I don't really care. At least I've got two rats who love me.

Word of the Week

Our morning weather girl has a new segment on her forecast called the "Word of Day". Here in brutally hot Alabama the word is usually something like "scorching" or "unbearable". I've decided to upstage the weather girl with my own word of the week. This week my word is "busy". It's a simple word but when I tried to think of a synonym, nothing really fit. I know every working mom is busy (and yes, the stay-at-home moms are probably over-scheduled too), but sometimes it just gets a little crazy around my house. There are dinner plans, housework, homework, football practice, soccer practice, PTA meetings, furniture shopping, Sunday school preparation and China travel plans to work on - all after a long day's work. This makes 5pm to 8pm kind of like Grand Central Station at my house. How can anyone accomplish what they need to do (outside of work) in 3 measly hours a day? If you know the secret, please pass it along to me. Gotta go now - I have no idea what we're gonna eat for dinner.

The Waiting Game

Today marks 37 days since our LOI (Letter of Intent) arrived in Beijing. Now we are waiting for China to mail us our LOA (Letter of Acceptance). My best guess is that we will get our LOA in October (just a guess, China works at their own pace.) When we receive it, we will immediately sign it and return it to China. The LOA is actually a ridiculous document. To paraphrase, it asks, "Do you REALLY want this child that you have searched for, prayed about, and spent enormous amounts of time and energy to bring home?" I don't think many adoptive parents get their LOA (after years of working toward this child) and decide "No, this was all a huge mistake. We don't know what we were thinking. Take us off your mailing list."

After returning our LOA we will wait for our TA (Travel Approval). The TA can come anywhere from 4-8 weeks after the LOA. When we receive TA, we will schedule a CA (Consulate Appointment). *Feel free to sing the alphabet song here. I felt the need to after reading this post* The CA will decide when we actually leave for China. As I said before, China works at their own pace. Some families fly through this process while others seem to languish in their own private waiting hell. There is no rhyme or reason as to who gets their LOA quickly and who does not. Believe me, thousands of adoptive parents have tried to discern a pattern to no avail.

As for my prediction, I have a motherly sixth sense that we will be travelling to China around Christmas. It would be hectic and crazy but there would be some advantages. Most importantly, the kids would be able to take less time off from school. Although I whole-heartedly believe that 2 weeks in school can not even compare to the experiences they will have in China, I am still concerned that they may fall behind in some area (particularly J.D., who is now in 4th grade!) Regardless, the whole family is travelling. We are even bringing Dave's parents to help in case of an emergency.

Time Flies

Yesterday was a special day for J.D. as he turned 10 years old. My, how time flies. I remember when my children were babies and thinking that it would be forever before they were "big kids". Well, what was supposed to take forever has happened in the blink of an eye. Later this week Dave and I will drive the kids to school to meet their new teachers. J.D. will be in 4th grade and Piper in 2nd. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time - o.k. kids, no one grows for another 2 years! It just happens so fast...

I haven't blogged for a week because we have been having an incredible time at Disney World. Yes, the same Disney I railed about last week, I am now praising. This time was different because I was with my family. We have officially become Disney experts. I say this because we have learned to successfully navigate the parks even in the most hot and crowed month of August. In only 4 days, we road every ride once and the best ones twice (ie. Soarin, Test Track, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean.) Unfortunately Space Mountain was having "technical difficulties" when we returned the last day to ride it for the second time. Needless to say, riding malfunctioning roller coasters is not our cup of tea. We played until we dropped into bed every night and then woke up early the next morning for another full day. It was an awesome way to finish up what has been a truly great summer.