Yum-my!

I'm in love! Chris Richardson is my new favorite American Idol contestant. At least on the guy side. He sounded so good that I actually had to rewind his performance tonight and play it again. And it didn't hurt that he's so easy on the eyes. Is he not just absolutely delicious?! He does have that JT look about him. (That's Justin Timberlake for you uncool people.)

And yes I am a grown woman well over the age of 30. So what! You're never too old to have a crush. Especially on a boy this yummy............

As Connie pointed out, I do have a weakness for the young ones. My last steady was 10 years younger than me and just out of college. Seriously. Don't laugh. It's all good as long as they're legal. :)

Celebrate Freedom!

I've noticed the winds of change blowing in blogger world for some of my friends. Several have reached the one year mark for their LID's. Next month will be nine months down for me. I've seen more of an acceptance with this wait. A kind of peace with it. Not so much stress and sadness. This is a good thing. I am very much an optimist. I've always tried to view this wait as positively as I can. I see it as a blessing in many ways. I know that my baby IS on her way. I know that my life will drastically change when she gets here. And I'll welcome this new lifestyle.

But in knowing that my complete sense of freedom is coming to an end, I've learned to appreciate it so much more. Right now I can still be spontaneous and crazy. I can go away for the weekend at the drop of a hat without worrying about babysitters or if my daughter will be able to handle the trip. I can enjoy the quiet because pretty soon I won't have much. I can sleep late and take long, leisurely bubble baths because pretty soon I'll be sleep deprived and will no longer pee alone..... ever again. I can spend time with my girlfriends and have a few cocktails. And if we're still having good conversation at midnight, I can stay until 4am and finish it if I want to. I can go to the grocery store or to get my nails done with no prior planning, packing a diaper bag, or awareness of time management to accomodate nap or poop schedules. I can shop for hours without having to drag a giant stroller through the aisles. Or deal with a little one getting fussy, having a meltdown, pulling clothes off the rack, or constantly whining about being bored. I can eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I want because I don't have to worry yet about fixing a well balanced meal or setting a good example. I've found myself saying yes to a lot more invitations because soon someone else will manage my time and my answer will be "Well, let me see how Mia feels."

Of course, we'll welcome our children and the changes to our lives that they'll bring. We'll be content in our new sense of normal. We'll be happy in our sleep deprivation, showering with bath tub toys, cheerios on the back seat floorboard, sippy cups in the sink, and snot on our shirts. We've all waited a long time for this. But to truly appreciate this part of our lives, we must also appreciate the freedom that came before it. Because soon it will be gone. And once it's gone.... it's gone forever. So don't wish it away. For all of my childless friends who are enduring this wait with me......please enjoy your time! Relish in your freedom and celebrate it!

Birthday Presents are the Best!

I just have to share some of the cool birthday goodies I've gotten. This came from my June '06 DTC Secret Pal. Our group is very active. We've even had merchandise made with our "June Bugs" logo on it. Well, somebody did anyway. I can't take credit for it but I love the tee shirt! Thanks Secret Pal! You make this wait a lot more fun with all of your wonderful gifts.

This came over the pond from fellow blogger and China waiting mom, Lee-Anne, who's way over in Australia. I love that she included a quilt square with a penguin on it for me and one with a koala on it to remind me of her. Because how can you think "koala" without thinking "Australia".
She also sent along this cute penguin book for Mia's collection. I can't wait to read it to her. Thanks so much for thinking of us Lee-Anne!

This came in the mail today from another fellow blogger and China waiting mom, Tracy. I know what you're thinking. I was also trying to figure out how the bottles didn't break on their commute from Florida.

But she tricked me... this was inside. They must've heard about my little penguin collection down there. How cute is this stuff?! A tray that makes ice cubes in the shape of PENGUINS! Another sweet little book for Mia's collection and even a funny card with a penguin on it. But check out the basket! It's adorable.

And look what's written on it. My girl has a place for her stuff! Sniff... I'm all choked up at your generosity, Tracy. You made my day. Thank you so much!

This was the birthday gift from my mom. It's a tee shirt and little tote bag that says "Aunts are God's special gift to children". She also added Shaoey and Dot to Mia's library. I love books. I have a big, comfy chair picked out for her nursery that I intend to buy. I have visions of reading many books to her all snuggled up in that chair together. But best of all, my mom got me a very generous gift certificate to Pottery Barn Kids. Yes, I know they're ridiculously overpriced. But I wanted to get a bookcase for Mia's room to hold her growing library and cutesy knick-knack stuff. After I figured out the position of the crib and the dresser/changing table, I realized that the only place for the bookcase was on the wall with the vent in it. Well, that wasn't going to work. Then I found this tower/bench combination in their catalog and fell in love! Not only is it a perfect solution to go on the window wall instead of blocking the vent....but I always used to dream of a window seat when I was a little girl! I just thought it'd be so special to have one. So since I never did, my girl will. And then when I saw the name written on the chalkboard in this catalog pic .....I knew it was meant to be! Thanks Mom!

Thanks again to everyone who thought of me on my birthday. I guess turning 35 was worth it.

Hangin' Wit My Homeys

Saturday night I took a road trip a bit south for a bloggy mama get together. We definitely celebrated the coming "Year of the Pig" by eating like a bunch of them. Geez... so much for my diet. We met up at Connie's crib. In attendance were fellow bloggers Sam, Stacy, and Robin. We're all waiting for our daughters from China except for Sam, who's been home with Kieren for a little over a year.

Stacy made this blanket for Connie for her birthday. The three of us and Catherine went to Detroit last November. The fabric for this blanket was purchased there. It suited Connie's ducky LID countdown.
You can tell we're bloggers because of all the camera flash. All five of us were literally taking photos of each other at the same time. This is Sam and Robin but you can see Connie and me in the reflection. Well, you can see my camera flash and my arm. What a bunch of dorks we are....
Since Connie and I were celebrating our birthdays, Stacy brought us a cake. Isn't this cute? I think that's Jadyn and Mia depicted there in the frosting. We actually ended up with three chocolate cakes! I think we may have a bit of a problem with chocolate.
I got a few birthday gifts as well. This is from Connie. Cute candle thingy that is now living in the computer room.
A bib from Stacy for my daughter. I love the comment on it. It certainly fits cuz if Mia is anything like her Momma she'll be a smart ass, too. She made this gorgeous hat for Mia. I'm so not creative with things like this that I actually said "This is called knitting, right?" Uh yeah... genius!
A beautious scented candle from Sam. I love candles. I'm always burning them so my house smells purdy.

We had a fabulous time gabbing, trading stories, looking at Sam's China photos, and gorging on all the delish food and drink. We learned that in China they serve a lot of the meat dishes with the head of the animal still attached. This seemed to disgust Connie. In fact, she insisted that nothing with a head was going into her mouth. But we knew better....wink wink, Candy! Of course now she won't be able to travel carry-on-only since she'll need a suitcase full of Power Bars to keep her from starving over there.

Sam and Robin drove back home late that night. Stacy hung out until about 3am. Then Connie and I stayed up talking about them until 5am. Just kidding girls! It was a blast and I can't wait to hang out with all of you cool people again soon. To check out some more pics of the fun click here , here and here.

The Year Of The Pig

Today is the start of the Chinese New Year. Each year, the Chinese New Year celebration falls on the date of the first new moon on the Chinese lunar calendar, which can be in late January or early to mid-February. Arrival of the New Year is an important celebration on the Chinese calendar. It’s a time for cleaning house, repaying debts, enjoying feasts, remembering ancestors, renewing family ties and distributing “laisee” packets (red envelopes that hold gifts of money) which Chinese tradition says brings luck to both giver and receiver. The new year festival lasts for at least 15 days, until Yuen Sui, or Feast of the Lantern.

The new year is also considered “everyone's birthday,” a day on which all become a year older and gift giving is prevalent. “Gong Xi Fa Cai” is a typical greeting and means “wishing you luck and prosperity.”

Legends surrounding the origins of the ancient holiday abound. One well-known story says the word “nian” (or “year”) was the name of a man-eating dragon. Nian terrorized the country until a wise man convinced the dragon to eat other beasts, then advised the people to put red decorations on windows and doors to scare away Nian, in case the dragon changed his mind. Families put up red paper decorations, set off firecrackers, and beat drums and gongs in parades to scare away Nian. Houses may be decorated with symbolic flowers, fruits and colorful pictures to welcome the new year. The color red symbolizes the celebration and gold appears as a tribute to the brilliance of Chinese culture.

The 12-year cycle in the Chinese calendar recognizes each of a dozen animals in the Chinese zodiac – rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. 2007 is the Year of the Pig. But some say this is no ordinary pig. Claims that 2007 is the "Year of the Golden Pig," which occurs every 600 years, have been made by fortune tellers but unconfirmed by folklorists. Legend has it that anyone born in the "Year of the Golden Pig" will have good fortune and lead wealthy, comfortable lives. I wonder if Mia will be born this year?

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Birthday Tanner!

Today was Tanner's 10th birthday. He's the oldest of my mother's grandchildren. The first born of my sister. This year his parents decided that he should pick a restaurant to go to for a special birthday dinner. He chose Mexican. What he didn't know was that a cake was snuck in before his arrival and arrangements made with the waiter for a big birthday surprise.
This is Teagan hamming it up with Daddy. He's the baby of the T's. He'll be 2 next month.

Tatum with her Momma in one of her sweet little girl moments. Which in a family with 3 brothers is few and far between some days.

The birthday boy and his Grandma. Aunt Krista and Grandma enjoyed a pitcher of margaritas during dinner which made the party so much more fun!

Big Travis and Little Travis. The big one is our younger brother. The little one was named for him.

The cake was a great surprise. The waiters sang "Happy Birthday" to Tanner as they brought it out. And, of course, they made him wear the sombrero. Very cool! Later Tanner opened his presents while Travis (the little one) placed his order for what he expects for his birthday which is in 10 days. While we were leaving the restaurant, the kids gave their kisses and hugs as usual. But Tanner decided that he's too old for that.....now that he's 10 and all! I hugged the little booger anyway.

Happy Birthday Tanner! I hope you had a great time and a very memorable decade old birthday party.

Nine Inches

This is why I spent 4 HOURS shoveling snow yesterday and can barely walk today. My sweet retired neighbors (on the other side of me who are also wonderful and who also sadly have their house listed for sale) finally took pity and let me borrow their snowblower. I think they got tired of hearing me outside their dining room window grunting and groaning. There was no way I was getting the whole thing done so I just made myself some tracks. I mean c'mon... look how long that freakin' driveway is! I had to make sure I got all the way to the pavement near the bottom cuz my driveway is on an incline. If I don't get traction when I first pull in I'm screwed. Unfortunately, my street is so narrow that the big snow plow trucks can't get down it. Which explains why I hear my neighbor out front spinning his tires right now. I did manage to get to work and back home today. So that was good.

Today also marks the 1 year anniversary of the day that I accepted the open single's spot with my adoption agency. This is the day that I officially started my journey to Mia. It's crazy how much your life can change in a year. Let's hope that next year when I type this, Mia is playing quietly on the floor right next to me and I've hired some big, handsome, strapping young man to shovel this crap.

The Aftermath

Yesterday was not a total waste. I did get quite a bit of painting done in my bedroom. Although now I have a serious paint fume headache. Maybe not a good idea to paint when you have to leave the windows closed. And it's becoming clear to me that I'm going to run out of paint. The entire room is going to need a second coat. What a b*tch that is!

Just look how long that wall is. It really sucks doing this by yourself. That's why it'll probably be several more days before it's completed. Plus I have to figure out a way to get all the really heavy furniture away from the walls. The color is nice. It's actually a raspberry, though it looks red in the pics. Going to be a dramatic difference in that room after 10 years of the same. It's definitely time for a change.

I took a break in the evening to celebrate my birthday. Yes this is a pitiful attempt at a birthday cake. It's one of those frozen diet jobs but it was still tasty. I'm sure you can all figure out what I wished for. :)

So here's the storm aftermath. I actually had to push snow away from the door to get it to open. And I have a huge front porch with a roof over it! So you can see how bad the wind was blowing to have snow this far up.

Remember the bumps that were decorative lights in yesterday's pic. Completely buried today. As you can see, I made no attempt to shovel yesterday. I'm sure I'll regret that when I'm out there all day trying to dig out. Yep... I took another vacation day from work. Hey, even the news guy said not to drive unless it was ABSOLUTELY necessary. He said it was dangerous. So I heeded his warnings and stayed home again today. Hee hee.

Poor Griffey. He's not a happy camper. That's my fountain back there covered for the winter. There's also decorative lights around that thing that stick up at least 8 inches. But where are they? So for a little dog to go outside in that mess to "do his business" was not working so well. He was completely buried up to his belly which means his little .... well you get the idea. Last night it sleeted which created a nice crunchy top to all the snow this morning. So today he was able to walk gingerly across it and stay on top. Every now and then he'd break through and get stuck and have to pull himself out. Poor little guy. I wasn't cruel enough to photograph it for your amusement. But it was kind of funny....
So I'll be spending my valentine's day digging out and doing some more painting. That's the life of a single independent woman, I guess.

Another LID-versary

As of today, I've got 8 months down. The wait is currently at 16 months. You can look at the wait time theory 2 ways.

Optimistic (or delusional depends on how you phrase it) = I'm halfway there.

Not Optimistic = The CCAA sends out referrals once a month. They've only been batching roughly 2 weeks worth of LID's each month. Which means it takes 2 months to get through 1 month of LID's (log in dates). So in this math equation, I need to take the number of months logged in before me (which is 8 since they're up to Oct 13, 2005 right now) and multiply that by 2. Which is 16 months. That's 16 MORE months of me waiting.

Yeah that theory sucks.

Birthday Blizzard Of "07

I gave up. I got up early, got dressed, did my hair, put on make-up and the whole nine yards. But as I was standing out there in ankle deep snow being pelted with flakes the size of quarters trying to dig my car out I realized .... "What the HELL am I doing? It's my freakin' birthday for chrissakes! Is there really anything that is so pressing at work today that can't wait until tomorrow?!" Of course, the answer was no. I was hoarding all of my vacation days on the very slight chance I might actually go to China this year so I tried to suck it up and go. But in the end, the blizzard won.

See the evidence of my valiant effort in my little snow tracks. I have no idea how much we have on the ground right now but I'd say it's quite a bit. It really was up to my ankles and see those little bumps off to the left. Those are my decorative lights. Well, they're buried under there. So today I'm snowed in. Hmmm... what am I gonna do all day? Maybe I'll work on the painting project in my bedroom. But I definitely see the possibility of a nap in my future.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. They are very much appreciated. I don't actually turn 35 until 11:51pm. My mom tells the funny story of how the doctor kept telling her to hang on a few more minutes so she'd have a valentine baby. Her response to him was something like "GET THIS THING OUTTA ME NOOOOOW!!!" Oh and I was already a couple of weeks overdue. So my running late issues started in utero. LOL! Happy snow day everybody!

Goodies in the Mail

I had some goodies waiting for me when I came home from work today. This was sent by my blogger buddy, Colleen. Apparently, it was gifted to her and the hubs at Christmas time. She said it was full of candy when they got it and apologized that they had polished it all off. But instead of throwing the container away she passed it on to me because she knows of my serious penguin adoration. I just realized as I'm sitting here looking at this pic that all the lids are a bit askew so he looks all sideways.
Anyway, I noticed that the little gift box was secured to the penguin guy's hands with velcro but one side had popped off. I was checking it out and contemplating how to glue it back when I noticed that the little gift box seemed a bit weighty. With my keen observation skills, I found that the lid was taped shut. Now why tape a box shut if there is nothing inside, right? Sure enough... they missed this!

Then look what happened! It was a bit frozen since it traveled all the way from Connecticut and then sat on my porch all afternoon. Sadly, I realized this after the first bite. So after a little thawing... it was still delish! Thanks Colleen! And I'm glad you guys overlooked the truffle. It was an unexpected surprise! :)

Then my wonderful Secret Pal sent some goodies as well. It was just a penguin kinda day! A cute shirt and a pair of pajamas for Mia. As far as I'm concerned a girl can never have too many pairs of penguin pj's! Thanks Secret Pal!

Now I'm hunkering down for the big blizzard expected tomorrow. It's supposed to start snowing around midnight and go all night and day. They're predicting 6 to 10 inches. Oh but wait... it gets better. Mixed in with that will be some sleet. Which means the roads will ice up and then get more snow on top of the ice. Wow! Getting to work and back will be an adventure. What a way for a gal to spend her birthday. Yuck.

Lordy Lordy!! Look Who's.....

still not looking a day over 25!Today is Connie's birthday!!

Here's 40 things I know about this woman.

1. She's fiesty and full of fire.
2. She's smart as a whip.
3. She's absolutely hilarious.
4. She's got a raunchy sense of humor.
5. She's kind.
6. She's generous.
7. She's loyal.
8. She's a great friend.
9. She's fiercely independent.
10. She's very handy with power tools and hotmail codes.
11. She's got a very loving heart.
12. She owns entirely too many Fisher Price playsets.
13. Her favorite color is purple.
14. She loves good wine.
15. Her idea of a good sized steak means half a cow.
16. She's a natural redhead.
17. She has a shopping addiction.
18. Her daughter-to-be may have more clothes than momma.
19. She cusses like a sailor.
20. She has a ton of bloggy friends.
21. In fact, she's a blog ho.
22. She has an unheard of number of blogs in her blogline subscription.
23. She cries real tears and sobs uncontrollably when she gets to really lauging hard.
24. She's adopting from China.
25. She's naming her daughter Jadyn.
26. She's a single momma-to-be.
27. She has this delusion that she can go COO (carry on only) to China.
28. Her neck gets red when she drinks like mine does.
29. She delivers babies for a living.
30. She has an alter ego named CJ.
31. She owns far too many pairs of shoes.
32. She has excellent aim when shooting a gun even though she was a first timer.
33. She has an obsession with Propel water.
34. She's got a wild streak.
35. She has 3 cats.
36. She has excellent taste and a natural talent for interior decorating.
37. She's braver than she thinks she is.
38. She's far stronger than she thinks she is.
39. She's still sexy.
40. She's going to be an absolutely amazing mom!

I've been blessed with many things along this path to my daughter. I've met a lot of new people. But I never guessed that I'd make friendships like this. I met this wild and crazy chica through commenting on her blog. Then we started exchanging e-mails. Since we only live 45 minutes away from each other, we finally met in person last summer. I knew immediately that we would be great friends. We have so many things in common including the fact that we're logged in to China and waiting for our daughters. And we're both doing this on our own as single mommas. She's the only person in my life who truly understands what I'm going through in this adoption process because she's going through it ,too.

But that's just the half of it. She's my soul sister. I always have a blast with her. I'm so happy that I have her to experience all of this with. It'll help that she's loggged in 4 months earlier than me so I'll get a ton of BTDT advice when it's my turn. I can't wait to watch Connie get the referral for her daughter, Jadyn, and then bring her home. I'm not sure who'll be more excited... her or me!

Happy Birthday Connie!

I love ya girl!

Any Local Party Girls Out There?

Connie and I both have birthdays this month so we decided to get together on Saturday February 17th to celebrate. We were just going to do our usual hang out thing but then decided that there are so many other blogger adopter gals near-by that we should see if anyone else wants to join us. So if you're near southern Ohio and are free then come look us up. Seriously. Just e-mail me or Connie for the details.

Disclaimer: This is not an open invitation to all the freaks and pervs out there. You must be a legitimate, verifiable person that we are familiar with. I will be conducting background checks prior to your approval. :)

And if you local gals can't make it, we'll definitely schedule some more get togethers in the future. There are at least 5 or 6 of us that live within an hour of each other. It's really about time to meet in real life, dontcha think?

Jeremy Rocks!!

So who needs a husband when you have the most awesome next door neighbor in the whole wide world?!!
They're a young couple with an elementary school aged son and toddler daughter. They doggy sit Griffey when I go away, bring me cookies at Christmas time, and the husband does little odd jobs around my house when I need help. This is the SECOND time this winter that he's shoveled without me even asking! I heard some noise outside, opened the door and there he was. They have their house listed for sale but I secretly hope (for very selfish reasons) that it doesn't and they decide to stay. I'm going to be very sad if they leave.

Did I Say Cold?

This was about 5 o'clock this afternoon and it hasn't stopped yet. The weatherman is saying we may get 6 inches by morning. The roads are awful. They had to shut down I-70 for a few hours because of a major pileup. In Ohio, we should be used to snow. And yet, every winter people somehow lose their minds about how to drive during the first big snowfall.
I'm snug as a bug in a rug right now in my toasty warm sweats and cozy socks. Thank goodness I don't have any pressing matters requiring me to leave the house this evening. Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow. So getting there in the morning is going to be a nightmare. These are the kind of days that I wish I had a husband. I'd send him out to shovel the walks and the driveway. LOL! I won't even attempt to shovel until it stops snowing. So it may be tomorrow evening before it gets done. Sorry Mr Postman. And yes, I'm single but have two cars. Well, technically this one out front doesn't belong to me. It's my unmarked car that I drive for work. No payments, no cost for gas, and when it breaks down I call a tow and get another one. There are a few perks to my job. But just a small few. It has also helped me keep my Rav4 under 45,000 miles even though it's 4 1/2 years old.

I'm really not looking forward to tomorrow. Why can't the police department have snow days?

Baby... It's Cold Outside

According to the Weather Channel, it's currently 0 degrees here. That's right... I said Z-E-R-O! No wind chill temp cuz the winds are "calm". I have a mudroom off my back door. It's about the size of a closet and really doesn't get any heat. All the bottled water, pop, and Lipton diet iced tea I stored out there is now frozen. That can't be good. We're supposed to get snow tomorrow or Weds. Oh joy.

I was bored tonight so I watched High Fidelity on TV. I have a major crush on John Cusack. He's dreamy. Just how many movies have he and his older sis, Joan, been in together? Remember when they were both nerds in Sixteen Candles? Joan wore the neck brace and John hung out with the geeky main character played by Anthony Michael Hall. Ahhh.. the 80's. Good times.

It's a very clear night. Not a cloud in the sky. I can see the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. I love star gazing. Unfortunately, those are the only constellations that I know. I always wished I could be one of those cool people who can point up to the sky, name a constellation and then tell the story behind it. But alas, I don't have the attention span.

Speaking of attention spans, mine's pretty much all over the place tonight. Maybe my brain is frozen. Nite y'all. :)

FCC Chinese New Year

I've finally joined the local branch of Families with Children from China (or FCC for short.) Yesterday was their annual Chinese New Year celebration. My mom came, along with my sister and her family. It was a lot of fun. The event is very kid focused so her kids had a good time. As usual, there were many kid funnies to record such as this one. Here's a pic of Teagan holding a Chinese lantern I'd bought for Tatum's room. That's my sister's husband, Bobby, in the background. I got the boys a red lantern for their room. However, Travis informed me that these lanterns were only for people in China so he couldn't have one in his room because he lives in O-H-I-O!

Next came the meal which, of course, was Chinese food. Travis is a world class picky eater so he was not happy with the selection. He says he doesn't like Chinese food and wanted to know why they didn't have any Ohio food. (What's with the Ohio references, Carla? Did he just learn this in school or something?) Tanner, who is like a bottomless pit for food, loved it and I believe had 3 plates full. He also proved himself very skilled with the chopsticks.

Tatum decided that if he could do it then so could she. Her approach was much simpler. She just speared her smuggled in Chicken McNugget. Yes.. my sister has been blessed with two VERY picky eaters so no Chinese food for her either.

Teagan tried to give it a go, too. You can see how deep in concentration he is trying to figure it out. He eventually got one speared but then decided it was more fun to make it spin wildly on the stick instead of actually eating it. He may have launched the thing somewhere. I can't remember.
We finally met the famous Kieren. That's her mom, Sam, sitting behind her with her chin on her hand. We met in bloggerville and now can also add "in real life" to that statement. This little one is a hoot! At one point during one of the children's dance troupe performances, she walked up towards the stage to get a better view. Before we knew it, she was up on stage performing her own dance solo right in the middle of them. It was hilarious! Big brother Cullen had to run up and coax her off. I was so distracted laughing hysterically that I didn't grab my camera. Bummer! She's fast as lightning, full of energy and definitely has a mind of her own. I guess this is what I have to look forward to during the toddler years.

Here's one of the dance troupes performing a ribbon dance. It was very beautiful. These were older girls. Probably early teens. It was cool to see so many Chinese girls of all different ages. It gave me a glimpse into what my daughter will be as a baby, toddler, 5 year old, pre-teen and then young woman. I imagined her as a 14 year old and wondered if she would want to play the violin or be a dancer. Or do both like a couple of these beautiful ribbon dancers did. Or maybe neither one. Maybe she'll be an athlete instead of being into the arts. Who knows?

This is the dragon dance at the end of the show. They invited all the little kids up to be a part of it. Travis and Tatum went up. Basically they just followed one of the dads around the room in a big giant conga line as he carried a paper dragon decoration. They thought it was cool. Sweet Tatum was a little confused by all the Chinese girls. I think that at first she thought they were all the same one. She met a little girl named Casey in the playroom when we first got there. So when there was a big slideshow of many of the FCC group's children, she kept saying "Hey there's Casey." It was funny. I had to tell her that they were all different little girls. LOL!

I also met Traci and her family. She brought Jaden home last year. I followed her blog for awhile, too. But sadly, she's not publicly blogging anymore. I got so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot to ask to snap a pic. I loved meeting both of these ladies, Sam and Traci. I can't wait to get to know them better. It's so nice to make these connections with other China adopters. I feel like I'll be so much better prepared for everything with some of their BTDT advice.

All in all, it was a great afternoon. The kids had fun. I had fun. And I was glad that my mom and my sister and brother-in-law came to get a taste of what my life will be like now with my Chinese daughter. So thanks to them for that. Now I'm hoping that next Chinese New Year I'll be bringing my Mia with me to the celebration.