This is the Hat

This is the hat that Jennifer made.

This is the hat that Jennifer made after Jennifer made the hat that looked like a frisbee.

This is the hat that Jennifer made after Jennifer made the hat that looked like a frisbee, which made Arny laugh histerically as Jennifer ripped apart the frisbee.

This is the hat that Jennifer made after Jennifer made the hat that looked like a frisbee, which made Arny laugh histerically as Jennifer ripped apart the frisbee; after she made the hat that looked like one of those seashells with the ridges.

This is the hat that Jennifer made after Jennifer made the hat that looked like a frisbee, which made Arny laugh histerically as Jennifer ripped apart the frisbee; after she made the hat that looked like one of those seashells with the ridges, which made Arny laugh as she ripped out the seashell.

This is the hat that Jennifer made after Jennifer made the hat that looked like a frisbee, which made Arny laugh histerically as Jennifer ripped apart the frisbee; after she made the hat that looked like one of those seashells with the ridges, which made Arny laugh as she ripped out the seashell. after she made the hat that looked like.................well, I don't know what the hell it looked like; only it certainly didn't look like a hat and Arny laughed.

Well, he's not laughing now!!!!!

Ladybugs

Not that I believe in all of the ladybug crap, but I want to go on the record as having seen one on Saturday, August 20th.

I can, I can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a test, part 2

I understand that China has been blocking access to blog sites. Since the whole point of this blog is so interested parties can follow along on our trip, this could create a problem. I read I can email an entry and it will show up on the blog. So this is a test to see if I can email a blog entry

Practicing

When Arny and I went to our first meeting with Rabbi Renee, the rabbi performing our wedding, I cried as she read various passages she might include in the ceremony. I apologized for the leaky eyes and was embarrassed that I couldn't hold it together. I thought "how am I going to make it through the actual ceremony if I can't even listen to her read sitting at her dining room table?". I vowed I was not going to be a basket case at my own wedding, so I practiced. She sent the draft of the "script" and I would sit in front of the computer, reading and crying. Over and over I would read, until I could get through the entire thing without a tear.

It worked. The night of the ceremony, not a tear fell (at least as far as I can remember).

Now I am practicing again. The phone call, saying our child is ours, the day we meet our child for the first time- I constantly imagine how each will go. And I cry; on the subway, waiting for the subway, in the elevator, walking down the street. First my eyes tear up and I quickly start thinking of something else. Sometimes it works, but most of the time at least one tear makes it down my cheek. I wipe it away and pretend nothing has happened. I have about 7 months to go. I wonder if that will be enough time???

Further Adventures in Food

mmmm, mmmmm, good!!

kind of kiwi like....

Adventures in Food

This is a DragonFruit. Scary, huh?

I was walking through Chinatown today and saw a pile of them sitting on a fruitseller's cart. Remembering Pam's talk yesterday about trying this amazing fruit at the Great Wall, I just stood by the cart and stared for awhile. Now, I wasn't sure if this is what she had or not, but it looked interesting. As I was thinking I ought to be adventurous and expand my fruit repetoire, the vender looked at me said "you want?" I said "how do you eat it". He replied very patiently, this being Sunday and me being just one more caucasion tourist out for a little culinary adventure, "you peel it, like a banana - very sweet". "How bad could it be" I thought and $2 later, I was walking away holding my little dragonfruit, ready for my first taste of mystery fruit.

On the way home with my fruit and several bags of ginger candy, which I have developed a liking for, I passed a "Celebrate Chinatown" street fair. The vendors were mostly for services like healthcare and banking in the neighborhood, so I was more interested in the stores than the fair. I passed a beef jerky store that I have to tell my cousin Woody about. He made it once (and I actually ate it - it really wasn't bad). Right next to the beef jerky store was a dumpling house which claimed their dumplings were just as good as Joe's Shanghai. Next time Kelsey and Jed are in town, we will have to find out for ourselves.

Finally, nearing the end of the festival I started hearing the song "Celebrate" by KC and the Sunshine Band. What they were doing playing this at a Chinese festival I don't know, but following the sound I came to a stage where about 25 older chinese women, lined up in rows all wearing yellow t-shirts were doing some sort of line dance, awkwardly but most enthusiastically dancing to the music. I almost started crying it was so funny.

Waiting Family

Yes, that is what we are now.
Waiting.
A waiting family.
We went to a meeting for all of the waiting families with our agency. Some still had the paperwork to fill out and others had gotten their referrals. We met a couple, David and Ann, who just got theirs last week. They had the referral pictures with them and were proudly showing them off. Ann and I had a lot in common; mostly we both tear up over just about anything having to do with adoption. The two of us were sitting there with tears filling our eyes and then spilling over as the director spoke of her recent trip to China and showed us all pictures of CCAA officials and the piles of dossiers waiting to be logged in. Ours was one of them. Ann and I laughed about it as we cried. Pam passed around a sample of the referral paperwork we will get - pages of information on our child; health, abilities, likes, dislikes, habits. Ann and I laughed more as the tears fell.

Arny is used to the tears by now. Whenever he sees me sitting at the computer or reading a book and wiping away tears, he says with a sympathetic look, "you're reading adoption stuff, arent' you?". "Yes", I reply, wiping away the tears. I just can't help it.