Nothing Says Chinese New Year Like...Elvis?

Today we took the kiddos to our city's Chinese New Year Celebration. We had no idea what to expect and I'm glad because it was certainly underwhelming. It was disorganized and at times, resembled a red and gold garage sale. I'm not really complaining though. It was only the 3rd annual CNY event for our city and I'd say there were a few hundred people who showed up. Not too bad for a medium-size Southern city with a small Chinese population. Being surrounding by Chinese families for most of the afternoon made me sad that Kai has lost his first language. His Mandarin was very good (for a 2 year old) when we adopted him. In China, Kai would tell our guide things like "I had eggs for breakfast" or "Daddy smashed my finger in the stroller" (which was a true statement that's funny now but most definitely was not at the time!) If nothing else, the CNY celebration gave me the incentive to do some research on the Chinese school in our area.

By far the most interesting part of our afternoon was watching a Chinese Elvis impersonator sing "Suspicious Minds". I love that song as much as anyone but Chinese Elvis had me cracking up! Now that I think about it, what says Chinese New Year like Elvis?

Wet Pants, Time Outs & A Tired Teacher

The dentist gave me a balloon, a sticker and a new toothbrush. Amazing!

Guess who went to his first dentist appointment today and had NO cavities? Well, your guess is as good as mine because it certainly wasn't one of my children. In all honesty, Kai did go to the dentist today and amazingly, he was a good little boy. Unfortunately though, he did have a big stinking cavity in one of his molars. Who wants a perfect kid anyway? That would make life so boring. And while we're on the topic of flawed kids (who match their flawed mother so perfectly), I thought I'd let you in on what Kai's teacher wrote on his take-home sheet yesterday. "Kai has been wetting his pants and thinks it is funny. He also had to go to time out today for not keeping his hands to himself and disobeying the teacher. He smiled and laughed when he got into trouble. Especially when we told him he had to do what the teacher said." Wow! Could they possibly be talking about MY little angel? I don't think so. Maybe if I just bury my head in the sand and pretend it was another (bigger, meaner) kid they were talking about, it will magically go away. I'm laughing today but yesterday I was quite ticked at the toddler (yes, Kai's "the toddler" when he's in trouble.) He had several privileges taken away and we talked about his disobedience at length. I know that taking privileges away from a 3 year old is a stretch, but it was either that or beat him with a stick. I think I made the better choice. I'll let you know how preschool goes next week and of course, if you have any great parenting tricks, leave me a comment (particularly about the smiling when getting into trouble. That absolutely drives me crazy.) At this point, I'm up for trying just about anything.

Disclaimer (for all you social worker/DHR types): No, I don't really beat my children. It's just that humor goes a long way to make our crazy lives a little more bearable sometimes!

Had a Bad Day

Don't I look happy?

I had a seriously bad day today. After this post, I am confident that I will be returning my "Mother of the Year" award. I might even get a visit from the talented social workers at DHR (our state's social services.) But I don't really care right now. Today really stunk and I'm writing about it. To explain, I must go back to last Wednesday. Wednesday happened to be my last day at my new job. I was layed off (yes, after only working for 2 full weeks, I was informed that the office had a new nepotism rule that prohibited me from being hired in the first place.) Frigging Awesome!

But I digress...

This morning I take the kids to school and I have nowhere to be (since I had to quit my volunteer jobs to take the "real" job which I no longer have.) Having nowhere to be is very unusual for me and quite honestly, I don't quite know what to do with myself. After a good bit of thought, I decide to have a day to myself and jump back into bed with a bowl of Froot Loops and the tv clicker firmly in hand. Here's where my day gets really pathetic - the next thing I remember I am rolling over to look at the clock (which says 12:10pm) and Jon and Kate plus 8 is blaring on the tv. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have inadvertently taken a 3 hour morning nap and now have just enough time to jump into the shower and race to pick up Kai at preschool. I know, I'm such a winner and you wish you could be exactly like me!

I get Kai and together we wait another full hour until Piper and J.D.'s schools are out (which interestingly enough, puts Kai in his car seat for over 1.5 hours. Can you say fun?) J.D. thoughtfully informs me that he has a lot of homework and he hopes we aren't busy tonight. The good news is that we aren't busy tonight. The bad news is that David is out of town so I get to do everything myself (my apologies here to anyone who is a single mom. I know I am a complete wimp.) We work on J.D.'s homework all night (which consists of a 4 page study guide on Matter and The Periodic Table of Elements, a project on Benjamin Franklin, and a D.A.R.E. essay.) During that time, I actually go into my bedroom, close the door and punch a pillow several times because I am so angry that Kai has peed in his pants right after he has spent 15 minutes sitting on the potty. Piper is whining that she misses her daddy and declares that she is going to pray tonight that daddy comes home tomorrow (which he isn't.) Secretly, I am praying for God to let this day end with no one being hurt.

I put Kai to bed 15 minutes early. Since I can no longer get the squirt to take a nap, 15 minutes isn't too bad. An hour later, I joyously put J.D. and Piper to bed. But do you really, honestly think my night's over? No way, Jose! Piper just came downstairs to inform me that she's hot, has a sore throat and can't sleep. Ahh. Don't you just love life sometimes. I sure do.

P.S. Seriously guys - I have great kids, a great husband, and we're all (relatively) healthy. I know I'm blessed beyond belief. It just takes a really bad day every once in a while to make you truly appreciate all the good ones.

25 Things About Me

Shannon at Here We Grow Again tagged all of her loyal followers to list "25 Things About Me." I will admit that this feels a little self-indulgent, but I'm going to do it since I'm not one to turn a cyber-friend down (and it will probably be a bit cathartic too!) So here goes...

25 Things About Me

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I got married at 21 (way too young.) Many of our friends didn't think we would ever make it. I think the last 16 years have proved them wrong!

2. I can not multi-task. I have a one track mind and must finish one task before I start another.

3. I am a horrible procrastinator. I can barely remember the last time I finished anything early.

4. I love fun and adventurous jobs. If I'm interested in something, I usually go for it. My 2 favorite jobs (so far) have been police officer and flight attendant.

5. I think parenting boys is 10 times easier than parenting girls. You don't have to worry so much about their sensitive emotions and boys seem to deal with a lot less peer pressure (girls can be so nasty!)

6. I'm a fast reader. If I really get into a book, I usually finish it in under a week (of course, some great books get finished in a couple of days.)

7. Years ago, when JD was a baby, I thought I was losing my mind staying at home with him. Now, I am truly enjoying my position as a stay-at-home mom. It's funny how time can change a person.

8. In my mind, I am still super cool. In reality I'm a middle-aged, minivan driving, soccer mom of 3 (almost 4) kids. I love how my mind plays tricks on me!

9. I have met some of my closest friends online, because of adoption (I stole this from Shannon's list but it is completely true for me also.)

10. I truly have a heart for adoption. If we had the money (which we definitely do not) I would love to adopt several more children (boys, girls, younger, older - it makes no difference to me.) Unfortunately, as it is, this will be our last adoption due to finances.

11. I am addicted to Diet Pepsi and I am working extremely hard to wean myself off of Little Debbie snack cakes. I know, I know, you had no idea what a health food nut I am!

12. I was really skinny until I birthed JD - 11 years ago. They say it takes 9 months to lose all the weight you gained during your 9 month pregnancy. I think "they" are complete idiots! I say it takes at least 9 years to lose the weight you gained in those 9 months (and by the way, since I have birthed 2 kids, that's 18 years.) I'm planning on losing all of my baby weight sometime during the next decade. I'm thinking I might be a really hot 50 year old!

13. I am a strict parent (and so is David, for that matter.) Please and thank you go a long way around here and talking back deserves the death penalty. A whiny child NEVER gets what they want in our house - no exceptions.

14. I went several years without crying. I don't know why, but in general, I just wasn't a emotional person. That was then. Now I find myself crying every month. It can be a song, a movie, a stupid commercial or something one of my kids say, but sometimes I just can't turn off the waterworks (and you have no idea how bad that irritates me!)

15. I'm going to have virtual twins very soon! Kai and Cooper are only 7 months apart. We are going to have so much fun around here.

16. I really want to be on "The Amazing Race" one day. I think David and I would have a good chance at winning.

17. I know this is very un-Christian of me to say, but I think people who put their daughters in beauty pageants are completely screwed up. Enough said.

18. I love to blog. It makes me happy and is my biggest hobby these days (since I don't' have a "real" job.)

19. I really want another dog. Kai was terrified of our Australian Shepherd, Indy, so David's parents were nice enough to let her move in with them last year. For me, living without a dog is like living without my left arm. But I have vowed "no dogs" until Cooper comes home.

20. I am a domestic misfit. I can't cook, sew, craft or clean (okay, I CAN clean, I just hate doing it.) It's a little disturbing to be a domestically challenged stay-at-home mom (working moms can get away with this so much easier.)

21. I love living in the South but I also want to live where it snows. If I won the lottery, the first thing I would buy is a house in the mountains (but I don't play the lottery, so I guess my chances of this happening are a tad slim.)

22. I really like my in-laws. I know, you think it's impossible. But I truly like spending time with them. They're smart, they're fun, they love my kids - what else could I ask for?

23. I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I did in the past and I never kept a single one of them. My willpower is next to nil. I'm sure that says something about me that I'd rather not know.

24. I love my house. We built onto it last year and I think I'll probably die here (unless of course, the lottery thing comes through and I move to my chalet in the mountains.)

25. I don't talk about my Christianity on my blog very much because I am so flawed. I worry that I will be seen as a hypocrite and a bad example. Regardless, I am trying to follow Christ, to get to know Him better, and to allow Him to transform my life. Goodness knows I could certainly use the help.

Like Shannon, I am now tagging all of my readers. If you enjoyed my list, make one for yourself and leave me a comment. I want to learn all about you!

Bones & Gardens

Look at those bones! We went hiking this weekend in a wooded area behind David's parents house. There are no trails there and the by the look of things, no one had explored the area in quite a long time. J.D. and Piper spied a single bone at first. It was a vertebrae and we were all shocked to find something that could be human remains (I know, we're a little sick in the head.) The kids were so excited that they began to walk back and forth, clearing the ground, hoping to find more of the skeleton. After 30 minutes of intense searching, they showed us their loot. Amazingly enough, they had found the good part of a deer skeleton (skull, both femurs, pelvis, and 12 vertebrae.) They also found a turtle's shell which Kai particularly likes. Honestly, we could have sat and watched paint dry all weekend and that one trek into the woods would have made it all worthwhile!

On MLK day (which by the way, is also Robert E. Lee Day here in Alabama - don't even get me started on how stupid I think that is) David had to work so I packed up the kids and we headed to a new botanical gardens in town. The kids needed to get outside. They were driving me crazy and I really wanted Kai to get tired so he would take a nap. Since it was a safe place to run, we let Kai lead our expedition (such simple pleasures.) He ran and ran and ran until of course, he fell. Yes, my sweet Kai had pebbles embedded into his cheeks and looked like he had been eating dirt as we exited the park. I can't believe I forgot to get a nice picture of dirt boy for the blog. Since it's winter (even here in Alabama) and everything is dead outside, the "gardens" were nothing more than nicely groomed trails around stagnant plants and dead leaves. To be honest, I know nothing about gardening, or flowers, or plants and I'm just fine living with my ignorance of such things. The kids got to run and explore and that made our trip a huge success to me.

And the Oscar goes to...Me!

My Lemonade Award

Okay, so I didn't really win an Oscar, or an Emmy, or even a Grammy. What I did win is actually better (and I didn't even have to buy a fancy dress for the ceremony!) I won a blogging award from the awesome Denise at There's Always Room for One More. She thinks my little ole blog shows (and I quote) "great attitude and gratitude!"

All of my friends and family know Denise. Have they ever met her you ask? Well, no. Have I ever met her? No on that one too. But everyone who knows me has heard about Denise. It usually starts when someone tells me a funny story about their kids or about a really bad day they had. Instead of relating a story of my own, I often tell a story that Denise has written on her blog. She is hilarious, real, and isn't afraid to show a flaw once in a while. I love her! One day we are gonna leave our kiddos at the kennel get a babysitter and take a girls-only trip together (of course, other bloggy friends will definitely be invited.) I'll stop there because I just realized I'm beginning to sound like a stalker.

So to Denise, thanks for the shout out. You're the best, girlfriend!

Not Me! Monday

Once again, I am delving into the world of "Not Me!" Monday. I was asked by a family member why I would admit such horrible things about myself and then proceed to tell the world. My answer is "if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand." I love you anyway, dad. But to save the family reputation, go ahead and skip this post for me.

This week...

I did not start a new part-time job only to find out that I have absolutely no dress clothes that my body will squeeze into. That could not have happened to me because I am exactly the same size today as I was when I got married 16 years ago (It'll be a miracle if I'm not struck by lightening tonight!)

There is no way that I enjoyed creaming my sweet, kind-hearted daughter in a game of Wii tennis. It would be absolutely ridiculous for me to be that competitive!

I did not go without telephone service for 4 days this week and absolutely love it. You know my aversion to telephone conversations can not be THAT bad!?!

I most certainly did not tell my kids that they could not split the last piece of chocolate pie because it would make them fat and then consume said piece as soon as they went to bed.

And, there is no way that my adorable toddler has consistently been acting like a snothead for an entire week (following 2 days of general anesthesia.) No way, no how. Kai is much too obedient for that!

If you'd like to see what other moms absolutely did not do this week, skip on over and see MckMama at My Charming Kids.

Warning! Profanity Ahead

Last night these words actually came out of my 3 year old's mouth, "Momma, I no kick ass."

Before you judge me as the worlds most heinous mother, let me explain. Since the day our kids found out that we were adopting another little boy, J.D., Piper and Kai have called him Ash. J.D. started the trend because he absolutely loves the name (he has told us many times that if we adopt a girl, her name will be Lily and if we adopt a boy, his name will be Ash.) J.D. is stubborn and obviously persuasive, because Piper and Kai jumped on the "Ash" bandwagon pretty quickly. I truly like the name Ash. It's different and unusual but not too weird. Yes, it reminds me of the more feminine name, Ashley, but I can live with that. What I can not live with, is Kai's pronunciation of Ash. As you have probably figured out by now, Kai says "Ass". Houston, I think we've got a problem.

So last night Kai and I were talking about how he and Cooper (aka Ash) will be sharing a bedroom soon. Kai began explaining how he will love Ash and take care of Ash and never hurt him. Then he blurts out, "Mommy, I no kick Ass!" I lost it. I mean truly, how funny is that. Kids, don't you just love them...

It's a Sumatran Rhino, Silly!

Did I mention that it's cold in Cincinnati?

Since I know most of you couldn't care less have not been able to sleep without knowing what kind of animal was in my last post, I'm going to spill the beans. It is a Sumatran Rhino. Now, don't go thinking this is any ole' rhino. This thing is prehistoric. And in case you didn't read the picture posted above, this rhino is seriously endangered. The Cincinnati Zoo is famous (in zoological circles) for successfully birthing the first Sumatran Rhino in captivity in over a Century. I bet that's something you didn't know. Vi sting this blog is sure to boost your IQ (or at least increase your chances of winning a game of Trivial Pursuit!)

We have scheduled Kai's surgery for March 12th (the first date available) so we have a two month hiatus where we don't have to worry about doctors or hospitals or yucky, painful things. Although I would love to get the whole thing over with, it does give us time to make some big decisions. I also don't think the timing will interfere with our trip to pick up Cooper. I have two dear friends with our agency who have been waiting (get this) 143 days for their LOAs. Ugh! They have been amazingly patient and gracious during this time and I can only pray that if our LOA takes that long, I will have the half the sanity they do.

***Yes, I'm talking about you Elaine & Heather!***

On a different note, if you've got a minute shoot over to There's Always Room for One More. Denise is having one of her fun giveaways and all you have to do to enter is leave her a comment. (Okay, I admit it. I get 3 entries for sending you over there, but she does have great prizes and I am absolutely addicted to her blog.)

Not the Best of News

Kai with the wonderful, amazing Dr. Levitt

Kai with his "Get Better Alligator"

Breathing treatments before surgery

Bored with nothing to do

How long to I have to wait for surgery?

We're home! After driving 8 hours through torrential rains yesterday, we finally made it. Our goal to was to get home before the kids went to bed and we made it just in time. I missed them so much and we were only apart for 5 nights. I'm not sure if I can handle going to China without them. We may just have to beg, borrow, and steal to take them with us again (Okay, maybe we won't actually steal. That would be wrong. Yes, stealing is wrong. I will keep telling myself that.)

Unfortunately, as you can see by the title of this post, we got some bad news at the hospital. Dr. Levitt found a large fistula during Kai's cystoscopy that absolutely has to be repaired. I've debated how detailed I should be about this on the blog, but I know several of you also have kids with imperforate anus and really want the nitty-gritty. If you don't care about the gory details, skip this next part. We discovered that Kai's fistula was there from birth, not an injury he incurred during his original PSARP surgery. The fistula never closed but wasn't needed after the surgery in China (and thus we didn't know it existed until recently.) While Kai is having the fistula repaired, Dr. Levitt is going to do a PSARP redo and possibly a Malone (I'll be contacting those of you whose kids already have Malones.) We're hoping to get the surgery scheduled quickly but Dr. Levitt's schedule is packed and quite frankly, beggars can't be choosers. I just pray that the surgery can be done soon so Kai's recovery does not overlap with our trip to pick up Cooper. I can only handle one major life event at a time!

Amazingly enough, I feel pretty good about our trip to meet the wonderful Dr. Levitt. He was able to answer so many of our questions. After the initial shock wore off that Kai did indeed need major surgery, I was okay. Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly looking forward to the surgery, but it's as if we've finally solved a puzzle (the puzzle of our little Kai.) There's a real satisfaction to that. So for at least a little while, I'm puttting "Mommy of sick Kai" away and bringing out "Fun Heather" again. I've really missed her and I'm sure you have too.

Days 2 & 3 - Cincinnati

Trivia Question of the Day: What is this?

Feeding the lorikeets

Kai and a gorilla

Kai, mom, and a polar bear

David, Kai and downtown Cincinnati

We're having a nice weekend here in Cincinnati. Yesterday we went to the zoo (quite interesting) and today we visited the Newport Aquarium. Our zoo experience was funny. We arrived around 10:30am on a Saturday morning. Where we live, the zoo is always busy on weekends. Not in Cincinnati. I promise there must have been no more than 50 people in the entire zoo. It was crazy. There were times when we could not see another human being. We couldn't believe that 33 degrees was too cold for these tough Northerners! I don't know, maybe there were news reports of a rabid zoo animal on the loose. Nevertheless, we had fun and we were (just a little) proud that us wimpy Southerners braved the weather. On a side note, I have to tell you that this zoo has some of the most interesting animals we have ever seen. I'm posting a picture of one such animal above, and the first one to correctly identify it gets a super prize (as long as the self-satisfaction that you are smart is a super prize to you!)

After the zoo, we took a nap and skipped dinner in lew of a movie. Two thumbs up for Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler.

We spent this morning at the aquarium right next to our hotel. I had been told that it couldn't compare to the Atlanta or Chattanooga Aquariums so I went in with low expectations. It was very nice and we had a good time. No, it's not as big as other aquariums, but how big does an aquarium really need to be? I probably shouldn't admit this but aquariums make both David and I very sleepy. Our very low-brow theory is: If you've seen one fish, you've seen them all. It was, however, worth the trip because Kai had fun and that's all that really matters.

Tonight we're heading out to a nice dinner. We haven't picked a restaurant just yet, but we're in a high-end area of town and nice ones surround us. Tomorrow morning Kai undergoes more testing and some (minor) surgery. I'll let you know how everything went when we get back to Bama.

Day 1 - Cincinnati Adventure

Trying to wake up after his MRI

On to a famous restaurant - The Montgomery Inn

Mommy & Kai next to the river

Feeling better and eating like a pig

It's bedtime. Do I look tired to you?

Well, day one of our Cincinnati adventure is officially over and it wasn't half bad. Kai had an MRI appointment this morning at 8:00am so we woke up early and headed to Cincinnati Children's. We found out the plan was to put Kai under light sedation and finish the MRI quickly. Ah, how plans change! Kai fought the light sedation like a wild hyena so the doctor ordered a drug she said would put Kai out like a light. The drug went into Kai's IV and David and I were told to leave the MRI room and return to the recovery room in 45 minutes to 1 hour. Since we did not want to eat in front of Kai this morning (he was NPO), we headed to the cafeteria. About 15 minutes later we were startled by a nurse running up to our table (literally out of breath) who said that 3 people were looking for us and that we had to talk to the doctor on the phone (there was NO time to run back to radiology!) I tell you here and now that my heart almost jumped out of my chest. I grabbed her arm and demanded to know what was going on. Thank God, it was not as bad as it appeared. The drug that would surely put Kai to sleep, was not working. He was fighting (again) like a mad man and they needed to put him under general anesthesia now or wake him up completely. Of course, we gave permission for the anesthesia and then proceeded to clean the pee off ourselves where we had wet our pants.

When Kai got to recovery he was no where ready to wake up. The nurses kept looking at his chart and laughed that he might still be there tonight. The kid had enough drugs to tranquilize an elephant! Slowly but surely he came around and we went to finally meet our doc. Dr. Levitt and I have been emailing each other for 6 months. The man is amazing. He (and his mentor, Dr. Pena) are the world's foremost experts on anorectal malformations. Their patients come from all over the globe. Our 8 hour drive to Cincinnati was absolutely nothing compared to many others I have met over the internet. Unfortunately, Kai did not actually meet Dr. Levitt as he was sleeping on his daddy's shoulders during the entire visit. Oh well, at least we got to grill the doc without a wacky 3 year old running around.

We finally left the hospital around 3:30pm and we were STARVING (remember no breakfast or lunch by this time.) We had heard that Cincinnati had a famous barbecue restaurant on the river and we decided to try it. The Montgomery Inn at the Boathouse was incredible. Kai had finally woken up and we were lucky enough to get a table overlooking the water. The food was great and the view was beautiful.

We're back in the room now and David is about to cry because his beloved Alabama is getting schooled by Utah. Who knew they were so good? Ah well, all it takes is a sick kid to put things in perspective. Football, smootball...

Thanks for your prayers. Keep them coming for Monday. We have more tests coming up and a little surgery too. I'll keep you updated.