Celebrating the Little Things

This is such a small achievement, but represents something so big, I just had to write about it. This morning the Magster woke up in her crib and rather than crying, she called me. I sprung out of bed when I heard her little voice call, "Mama". She has been saying "Mama" for sometime, but this was the first time she called me. This little milestone was reached in less than 90 days. From screaming in terror at the site of her crib in our hotel room in China to sleeping peacefully through the night in a crib and now to waking up without crying..just amazing.

Probably more amazing is when I reflect back on her transformation, the time we spent in China, no matter how difficult, did provide us with valuable insight into her personality. When she is excited, tired, emotional, etc., I have learned she doesn't eat. No wonder is didn't eat for the first 3 days. I have learned it takes her a while to warm up to a new environment. No wonder she didn't like the hotel room. I have learned she likes to lodge all of her complaints immediately upon experiencing a problem. No wonder she cried so much, we were rookies with her and were causing her nothing but grief.

It is funny when a baby is handed to you and you don't know that baby, it takes a while to figure out the difference between a transitional issue and a personality trait. As Maggie continues to blossom and the transitional issues continue to subside, it is getting more and more fun to watch the personality emerge.

Now if I can just figure out how to keep her off the kitchen table....

Brief Follow Up

Anyone watching the Channel 7 News at 11pm last night may have spotted La Nina and her buddy Brynli watching the entertainment at yesterday's New Years' celebration. You have to look fast they are only on their for a few seconds.

Celebrating the Year of the Rooster

We had such a fun time today. At the last minute, we decided to take our girls to the Family with Children from China (FCC) Between the New Year's Party, celebrating the Year of the Rooster. I couldn't think of a good way to explain the party to La Nina; she already celebrated the New Year and heck, the concept of China celebrating a different New Year based on the Moon cycle is complicated. So I told her it was a birthday party for a Rooster. She seemed to get that concept, but spent most of the party searching for the birthday chickens.

Lost chickens aside, the party was a blast. More than 200 adoptees and their families were entertained by Chinese Dancers, singers and even Lion Dancers. At the end, the girls formed a dragon to parade around the Clark Kerr Conference Center Auditorium. Several dignitaries were present at the event, including the Mayor of Berkeley, who declared it China Adoption Day in the city of Berkeley, and the Consulate General from China. The families who adopted from China in 2004 were given the opportunity to introduce our children to him. I had the honor of introducing the Consulate General to our Maggie. I think Maggie was the most recent arrival introduced, but I could be wrong.

Aside from all the festivities, it was so fun to see girls (and a few boys) of all shapes and sizes enjoying the afternoon sun. The girls were running around, selling baked goods for charity, laughing, falling in the water; their joy was infectious. Part of the fun for us was seeing La Nina and Maggie running around with so many kids who share their story.

At one point, I had the opportunity to stand outside the main auditorium and look in at the sea of black, shiny haired girls who were enthralled by the Lion dancing on stage. The girls were all gathered around the stage, some were dancing, some had their hands over their ears, some stood just looking in awe. As I looked at the mass of girls, I felt a pang of loss for China and all their nameless, faceless birth parents. I couldn't help but wonder, what would the good people of China make of this if they could see these girls gathered in one place? What must the Consulate General think when he sees this? What will the Consulate General tell his family and friends back home about our little shindig? Would all their birth parents ever imagine their daughters together attending such an event held a world away?

While I will never know what the others think, I can tell you this. In that room today with all those girls was another group: their parents. And those people had a look of joy on their face. As parents of these beautiful Chinese daughters, we have so much to celebrate as we ring in the Year of the Rooster. We have beautiful daughters in our lives. We have an organization, like FCC, with which we find each other. And mostly, we have been connected to another culture through our daughters. Celebrating China and its culture adds richness to our lives. And that richness is something to celebrate as we ring in the Year of the Rooster.

Just When I Think I am Starting to Get it Together....

Ever since our double dose of the RSV virus, the weeks with two kids have seemed easier. I don't feel so completely crazed. In fact, this week I have been rather proud of myself. The girls and I have been productive, I haven't been screaming like the Mom's you see on Nanny 911 and
the house has stayed neater. I have even had moments when I think , "Ah...the bliss of two children."

I realized I am delusional yesterday. The reminder of my truly addled state came early in the morning. You see, the day before yesterday, I had stopped off at the meat market to buy flank steaks. I bought 2, so I could cook one and freeze one, 'cuz let's face it, trips to a special meat market are a luxury. The day I went to the meat market was busy. I had been to Whole Foods, then the meat market, then I had to pick up La Nina at school. So, when we got home, I had groceries and 2 kids to unload from the car. I dashed into the house with the steaks, set them in the laundry room with my purse, then I dashed back out of the house after the girls, who were running down the street shrieking like banchees.

After herding the girls into the house, unloading the groceries, feeding Maggie a late lunch, getting La Nina down for her nap, I still had work to do. I was having a friend for dinner that night, and wanted to get some spaghetti sauce started, the house cleaned up and Maggie down as well. I started the sauce, put Maggie down and was about to start cleaning up, when I discovered my vacuum cleaner was in pieces in the laundry room. I was trying to fix the vaccuum, when La Nina woke up screaming. She had an accident during her nap that is always upsetting for her. I changed her, calmed her down and went back to the spaghetti sauce, figuring the vaccuum would have to wait.

Then before I knew it, Maggie was up, the friend arrived and we had a completely delightful evening. After my friend left, I had girls to put to bed, a kitchen to clean and a dozen emails to answer. I discovered my steaks in the laundry room while I was feeding the dogs the next morning. UGHH!!! Maybe I don't have it together after all...

The D Word

Around our house, Disneyland is referred to as the "D" word. You see, La Nina is not only obsessed with swings, but she is also obsessed with Disneyland. For those of you who think 2 year olds don't get Disneyland, I would like to introduce you to La Nina. We took her to Disneyland last year for her birthday and she has not stopped talking about it. In fact, as her birthday draws near, the chatter is increasing to a fever pitch. Every night the conversation is the same.

She innocently begins, "Mommy, where does Cinderella live?"

I answer her, "In a castle with the other princesses." (There is no need for me to use the D-word.)

She continues, "You mean, with Belle, Aurora and Snow White?"

I answer, "Yes."

Then she boldly states, "Is the castle at Disneyland?"

I answer, "Yes."

Then, she offers up, "We went there once and I like it very much. "

So, I counter, "It is a nice place."

Then the big question, "We go there again?"

And I say, "Yes sometime later."

Of course, this is followed by her asking when, and I am evasive. Now, La Nina watches TV and sometimes the Disney Channel is on for the Wiggles, but her TV viewing is restricted to mostly PBS in the morning. Therefore, I know she rarely sees a Disney commercial. She really likes Cinderella, but Dora is her favorite and Dora isn't a Disney character. Each night at bath time we do listen to Princess music, but the songs are from the movies and make no mention of Disneyland. She reads some princess books, but lately she has been more interested in library books about dogs, not princesses. So, while I search for the source of her interest, she dreams of Disneyland.

Her lack of exposure to all things Disney leads me to believe she remembers our trip on her birthday last year and is associating her upcoming birthday with Disneyland. I have to laugh. What have we started? Does this mean we are going to make a trip for Maggie too in the Fall? The funny thing is, we are going to Disneyland for her birthday and we haven't told La Nina about our trip. In fact, I don't think we are going to tell the girls until we walk into the park. To my knowledge, I haven't discussed these plans in her presence, yet somehow, she knows. I guess it is just Disney working its magic.

A Mother's Dilemma

My dreams of playing with my girls in the wonderful local parks were dashed recently by the reality of taking two real kids to the park. I am cursed with a child who is obessed with swinging. Yes, La Nina is a swing addict. She knows the location of every big girl swing in town and informs me of the presence of swings every time we pass a park. "Mommy, that park has big girl swings" is a common phrase heard from the back seat of our van.

Before Maggie, this obsession was never a problem. A little tiresome, yes, but a problem, no. Now with Maggie, I can not stand in one spot and push La Nina to her heart's content. You see, Maggie is decidedly unimpressed with swinging and would rather run around. Therefore, I have a soon to be pre-schooler begging to be pushed and a toddler with no fear running wild into the swing's path time and time again. This is definitely a no-win situation for me.

Two recent outings were a complete disaster. The first time this issue arose, La Nina ended up in tears. I had pushed her for 10 minutes and I was tired of pushing with one hand while holding Maggie in the other. Maggie wanted down and frankly, La Nina was ungrateful for my efforts and kept asking to be pushed higher, which was impossible one handed. So, I told her I was done pushing and when the swing gradually settled into idleness, the tears flowed. I tried to encourage her to join Maggie and I on the slides, but the tears escallated into a full, body-flopping melt down and we left the park 15 minutes after arriving.

The second troubled outing was Friday. Trying to stem the tears, I advised La Nina that I would only push her for 5 minutes when we arrived in the park and for 5 minutes before we left the park. I explained the situation with Maggie and advised her the park outing was supposed to be enjoyable for everyone. I told her she was expected to entertain herself with her friends during the break between swing sessions. She seemed to understand and accept the conditions of our park visit and enjoyed her first swing session. However, when I stopped pushing, La Nina proceeded to sit in the tan bark and wait for the next 5 minute session. She refused to join in the fun of play group. The ground was wet, the air filled with fog and after about 20 minutes, she was shivering. After 30 minutes, she was miserable and wanted to go home. The entire outing lasted 45 minutes.

This weekend I solved this problem by going to a park that doesn't have swings. When we pulled up, La Nina commented, "Hey, this park doesn't have swings." I barely contained my giggle. But you know what? She had fun. She climbed on the structure and slid down the slides. We pretended to bake cookies and we learned to play tag. We were able to include Maggie in everything and the outing was delightful. This won't fix the problem for our playgroup outings, but it is a temporary solution for weekends and afternoons.

The funny thing is: I am so surprised by the number of Moms with this problem. I mentioned it twice and both mom's groaned in sympathy. Each Mom elaborated on their attempts to teach 2 year olds to pump their own swings. Believe me, I was taking careful notes. Until La Nina can pump her own swing, the swing problem is going to continue.

This is one of those little dilemma's of motherhood I just never anticipated. Pre-kids, I always saw families at the park, the mom's happily chatting on the bench or maybe pushing a swing, the kids running around. It all looked so perfect. Little did I know, there was a dark side to the park. Yet another image of parenthood crushed by reality.

Success in the Lab

Today, Maggie was awake and ready for fun early. Little did she know, this was the day we were going back to the dreaded lab. Following the doctor's advice, I gave her the proper dose of benadryl and waited nervously to see if it worked. She fell asleep for her morning nap on time, but I could tell this was no normal nap. She was zonked. Therefore, it was show time.

It is a bad sign when you walk into a place and you hear the workers whispering. Maggie was quite notorious. The technicians at the check in counter if I had sedated Maggie and I swear the relief was audible when I said yes. There I sat waiting our turn with this sweet baby sleeping in my arms. All the other patients were admiring Maggie and patting her on the head. And under most conditions, she lives up to all those compliements, but never in the lab.

When they called Maggie's name, the nurses were ready for us. We were escorted into a private room in the back of the lab, the equipment was at the ready and the nurses had obviously discussed some strategy. The nurses had me lay Maggie down and hold her shoulders. Maggie woke up as soon as she felt the tourniquet. She screamed to high heaven, but didn't have the will to fight, thank goodness. In the end, the draw was uneventful. I swear the entire lab applauded when we walked out with all 5 vials full. The other patients had no idea why all of us were so excited.

What a relief to have that behind us. I hope this kid stays healthy, because no one wants to deal with her in the lab again!

The House Gets Back to 'Normal'

Well, La Nina walked into the family room yesterday morning and announced, "I am wearing a dress and tights and my black shiny shoes to school today." With that, we officially declared her back to normal. The rest of us are getting back to normal too.

As for the Magster, the virus didn't hit her as hard as La Nina. While she was definitely not herself, she never developed the fever or the lethargy (darn it) that her sister did. During the height of her illness, she cut her first molar and is about to cut her second. So, not only was she sick, she was teething....poor kid.

So far, it seems like the grown ups are dodging this bullet. But I hate to even write those words for fear my throat will start hurting tomorrow. The other thing that is good: After last week, this week life with 2 kids seems so easy. There is no drama. Well, there is ordinary drama, but no high drama. My laundry is half of what is was after last week without the accidents. Maggie goes down in her crib, by herself. The girls take their medicine without a fight. Maggie still fights a nose wipe, but she wouldn't be our daughter if she didn't. I keep wondering when this is going to dissolve into chaos.

Tomorrow, we are trying the lab again. My fingers are crossed that the Benadryl works and we get the blood drawn. We have to take her back for her 15 month appointment soon. It will be a little embarrassing if we don't have the blood work complete by then. More tomorrow...

Maggie's starting to feel better!

The girls recuperate together on the couch.

Maggie and Carly spent the rainy days last week trying to conquer both a virus and cabin fever. A little painting project helped...

Carly wasn't herself last week. I guess pneumonia will do that to you...

Two Month Update, etc.

In honor of our second month anniversary with Maggie, we recently watched the video of our family union. I always knew Maggie was frightened when she was handed to us, but I never realized exactly how terrified she was until we saw the video. Now I know she didn't cry at first, because she was too afraid to cry. Poor thing. When she did finally let loose and scream it is little wonder she screamed for hours.

Seeing the video makes Maggie's transition into a happy, boisterous toddler even more amazing. It doesn't seem like two months since Maggie joined our family. She fits in so well, it seems like she has always been here. I just wanted to update everyone on Maggie's progress.

Maggie is sleeping in her crib at night as well as for naps. No more futons and strollers! It was a very painless transition. I waited until I knew she was comfortable in our house and made the change over a week. She really did well. A few screaming fits, but far fewer than I expected.

Maggie has started to drink fluids other than formula. I started with whole milk and have recently had success with juice. I can even get her to drink water if I give her a cup. So, again, she has made great progress on her little drinking "problem".

Maggie is still a very selective eater. If Maggie had it her way, she would only eat crackers. She loves all crackers and doesn't willingly eat much else. She will even fight me on food I know she likes until I get the first bite in her mouth, then she will relax and eat. Maggie also wants to use a spoon. Tonight I forgot to give her one and she threw her food on the floor in protest. Once she got her spoon she was fine and ate her dinner with her hands. She just wanted that spoon.

All in all, Maggie is a delightful, spirited 15 month old. Incidently, she currently has bronchilitis, not to be confused with bronchitis. It is the result of a virus called RSV (the family who emailed me privately should get a kick out of this). She most likely got it from La Nina and this virus is most likely the cause of La Nina's pnuemonia. Maggie is doing well. She is a tough patient (she has no issue letting me know loudly when she is uncomfortable), but seems to be responding well to all of her medicine.

You Can't Make Stuff Like This Up...

I offer the following true vignettes from my life over the past couple of days.

Time: 6:30AM, Wednesday
Players: La Nina, Maggie and Me
Situation: I am trying to give a very resistant La Nina her antibiotics which must be taken with crackers. Maggie is wandering around left to her own devices.
Action: I begin to pin La Nina to get the antibiotics into her. It is a simple straddle pin I use frequently to brush her teeth and she hates it. (You would think she would learn to cooperate.) La Nina is screaming bloody murder, just then I hear a choking sound from behind me. Maggie has attempted to eat the crackers La Nina is supposed to eat in the 3 seconds it takes me to give La Nina her antibiotics. I must stop, grab Maggie and dislodge the cracker. Dad walks in right in the middle of this and runs.
Resolution: Maggie doesn't choke. The crackers get moved. La Nina gets her medicine.

Time: 1:45PM, Wednesday
Players: La Nina, a colleague from work and me
Situation: I am on the phone, hearing the news from a colleague at work, Maggie is napping and La Nina is playing on a block.
Action: La Nina falls off the block and starts screaming "pee-pee". I think this means she needs to get to the bathroom. Like every good multi-tasker, I scoop her up, start heading to the bathroom and continue my conversation. Unfortunately, this time she meant she was going "pee-pee" and I was "pee-peed" on, while I was on the phone. Needless to say, my colleague kindly let me go.
Resolution: A new outfit for everyone.

Time: 3:45PM, Wednesday
Players: Maggie, La Nina, Pete the Dog, Me
Situation: La Nina is eating her first Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich in 4 days (a record for her), Maggie is having a snack, I am in the family room trying to clean up the carpet from the earlier "pee-pee" incident.
Action: Maggie drops her spoon and La Nina opens the kitchen door to tell me about it. Pete, always looking for an opening, dashes past La Nina and in one giant leap snatches her sandwich and Maggie's yogurt. I didn't actually see the "snatch" but I know how he works and he is really fast. From the other room, I hear the door open, a crash then, I hear is crying and La Nina sobbing, "My sandwich, my sandwich..."
Resolution: I make La Nina a second sandwich, I get Maggie a second yogurt, Pete goes to the yard where his paws get muddy.

Time: 8:45AM, Thursday
Players: Maggie, La Nina, Me
Situation: I am getting the girls ready for a bath and they are running like naked banchees through the master bedroom.
Action: Maggie gets running a little too fast and falls head first in to the bathtub, giving herself a black eye. That is right- I had a black eye in the house before 9am today. That must qualify for the parent hall of fame.
Resolution: She gets in the tub with her sister as her shiner fills in quite nicely.

Time: Noon, Thursday
Players: Maggie, Me
Situation: Maggie, who really isn't herself these days and now has a black eye, is in my arms while I try to make lunch.
Action: As I begin to stir my tuna salad, Maggie throws up on me and my tuna.
Resolution: I change my shirt and eat a PB&J with La Nina once my appetite returns.

Time: 4:30PM, Thursday
Players: Maggie, Me and La Nina
Situation: I am reading Maggie her library book, "My First Word Book on Hanukah" (Yes, this is really the first book she picked herself) and La Nina is reading on her own.
Action: La Nina decides she wants to read with Maggie and I, so she grabs the book from me. I tell her that is not nice and she must give it back. She hands me the book, but throws a second book across the room, where it bounces off the wall and hits me in the head.
Resolution: LaNina goes to her room for a LONG time out, I finish reading Maggie her book.

The times may not be exactly accurate as I lose track of time, but otherwise, I can't make this stuff up.

The Rest of the Story

I am no more rested tonight than I was last night, but here are some details.

La Nina has been under the weather for a couple of days, but Sunday night she started running a fever. Monday, she was running a fever when she didn't have tylenol, not eating and she had this nagging cough, so I figured it was just a virus. Tuesday, still had the fever, still had the cough, but something seemed different. I called the doctor early and talked myself out of taking her in, I decided to give it another day. By noon, she was refusing liquids as well as foods and that didn't seem right. I called the doctor back, and when I spoke to the nurse, she told me to bring her in immediately.

I have to hand it to Kaiser Pediatrics, when La Nina and I arrived, they were ready for us. We never sat down in the waiting room, we were immediately led to an examining room and had a doctor in the room with us before I had La Nina's shirt off. A quick check on the doctor could hear pneumonia in one lung. Most likely, she has viral pneumonia. We caught it early. She is on antibiotics for precautionary purposes and as of tonight is pretty much back to normal. The past few days were not fun for any of us.

As for Papa, I was supposed to spend yesterday with Nana in a hospital lobby waiting for news of Papa's new knee. Needless to say, other family had to step in as my hands were quite full. The good news is Papa is doing well. He is all bionic in the knee department now. I am sure he will be ready for the golf course just in time for Spring.

As for Maggie, La Nina's illness has diverted attention from her lack of lab work and she is quite pleased with the break. However, having to hang out around the house for 3 days has really cramped her style. As if to demonstrate her level of boredom, she ate three Baby Einstein flash cards. Tonight she was definitely not herself, and I fear it is more than the flashcards. I hope she is getting La Nina's virus.

I must go. I am a little short of sleep and need to get caught up, just in case I have another sick kid tomorrow. More tomorrow if I am able...

No Time to Blog Tonight, More Details Tomorrow

My day in 4 bullets:

• La Nina rushed to doctor, diagnosed with pneumonia.
• Papa has knee 2nd knee replaced.
• Dog tracks mud all over house, my fault, but still a drag.
• Maggie goes bonkers from being inside for two days straight with a sick sister.

I will provide details tomorrow. Now, I must mop the floor and have some wine.

The "New" Clothes in My Life

So many aspects of my life have changed dramatically over the last two years that I often fail to notice the changes. Recently, while I was hiking with friends, we started talking about clothes. We were lamenting the current trend: low-rise jean, tight fitting shirt, bare belly. 'I mean really those young girls who wear that look...' But you know we would have been wearing it too if we were 20 years younger. This whole conversation started me thinking about my clothing past life.

In my past clothing life, I owned all the latest fashion. I would think nothing of stopping by Nordstrom's on my way home from work just to browse the new seasonal clothes. Many evenings, I would pick up a couple new pieces for my wardrobe, grab some dinner and arrive home around nine. Today, I can't even imagine doing that. Evenings are bathtime, there is no stopping by Nordstrom's. In fact, I can't remember the last time I shopped there and I don't have time to browse. Today, clothes shopping for me involves a PC, a credit card and about 15 minutes of free time. I can't remember the last time I bought clothes live.

Another big change in my wardrobe today is washability. The clothing of my past life were almost always dry clean only. In fact, I remember just assuming clothes were all dry clean only. The only clothes that weren't dry clean only were the clothes I wore to the gym or on weekends. Today, all the clothes I buy are machine washable. Dry clean only is no longer feasible for me. I haven't made it to the dry cleaners in months. The last time I dry cleaned clothes, the cleaners were threatening to donate my clothes to charity I was so tardy in retrieving them. Yes, I know there are delivery services available, but I never seem to organize myself enough to set up the service.

Beyond machine washable, clothes today must be wrinkle resistant. Let's face it who cares if it is machine washable if you have to iron it? To me, if I have to iron something, it may as well be disposable, because I am not going to wear it after I wash it once. I remember a day, when I had an ironing board just set up in my spare bedroom so I could iron something before work. Today, there is no spare bedroom and an ironing board would be a safety hazard for the kids, so ironing just isn't part of my routine.

With this in mind, you will understand my excitement of recently finding pants are machine washable, wrinkle resistant AND have Teflon in the fabric. That's right: I can now wear a non-stick surface. Also, those same pants are high waisted enough to conceal my underwear when I sit down, soft enough that I can sit down without cutting the circulation off in my legs. I think these may be the perfect pants.

I experimented this morning. I actually wore my new pants to breakfast. As usual, La Nina had an incident with oatmeal that included my pants. This daily occurrence usually means my pants have a spot for the rest of the day. You will be happy to know, the teflon fabric spot cleaned beautifully. The spot magically lifted from the fabric with just a little water. Wearing a surface that can wipe clean is just the bomb.

This clothing discovery is probably not something the excites everyone as much as it does me. And I understand that. In fact, while we were discussing my new pants during our weekly Saturday morning hike, one of my friends scoffed at me. I took note. As she enters her teflon years, I plan to withold the brand name and we will see who gets the last laugh!

My Day Off

We had a very good weekend. Saw some friends, but mostly just hung out around the house. Maggie's Dad was working in his home office all day both days, so I decided to give myself a day off today. For me that meant, I didn't have a to do list. I didn't cook any meals. I didn't try to accomplish anything. But funny, a day off just isn't what it used to be.

My day off began at 5:30AM with Maggie's bottle. La Nina, who is a little under the weather, appeared by 6:30AM needing lots of extra attention and juice. The kitchen still needed attention after last night so I had the dishwasher running before 7AM. I always do laundry on Sunday, so by 8AM, the washer was running.

The good news is ALL the girls, myself included--this is the day off part-- napped together on Maggie's futon. La Nina napped longer than her bladder's staying power, so the futon cover and a few blankets were added to the laundry pile. The girls and I ran some errands this afternoon, nothing stressful, just returning borrowed items and picking up a couple of things from the grocery store. The girls were terrific in the store, a sure sign La Nina wasn't feeling well. The day ended with left overs for dinner and folding clothes.

Four loads of laundry, two loads of dishes, three meals, six diapers, three bottles and one accident later, I wonder why I thought I was getting a day off. I guess work is all just a state of mind.

Maggie 2, the Lab 0

Well, Ms. Maggie is something else. I took her into the lab yesterday to try to finish up her blood work. We went into the lab, turned in our "samples" and waited for a lab tech to become available. She was fine during our wait: flirting with the people in the waiting room, eating cherrios and chattering away. The lab tech called our name, we walked into the blood draw area and mayhem.

Maggie started screaming as soon as she saw the blood draw chair. So the techs took us to a back room where Maggie could lay down and relax. She was screaming so loud that the walls were shaking. I laid her down and basically, laid on top of her to pin her. Since the lab techs are afraid of her, two RNs came in to the room to draw her blood. I was on top of her, an RN was holding her arm and another RN was trying to draw the blood. It didn't work. In the end, Maggie did get stuck, but the RN never found a vein. The RNs were afraid she was going to dislocate her shoulder she was fighting so hard. What am I going to do with this kid?

You should have seen the looks on the peoples' faces who were waiting in the lab when we walked out. Pure pity for Maggie. I wanted to tell them, "Pity her after they get the blood. They didn't do anything to her this round."

After the incident in the lab, I went to pediatrics to ask for advice. Actually I was looking for a sedative for either her or me. The nurse in pediatrics marvelled at Maggie's will, but no dice on the sedatives. I am supposed to try again next week after I have given her a megadose of benadryl. If it doesn't work next time, Maggie is handed over to orderlies who forcibly draw the blood. If we get to that point, I am betting on Maggie. Let's hope the benadryl works. More to follow on my wild child's adventures in the lab, but so far, she is winning.

The "Issues" I Face

These days, especially this week for some reason, I am dealing with some very base issues. Based on my week, I should change my pen name to the Princess of Poop.

First there are Maggie's samples. As part of Maggie's screening tests, two samples must be gathered on three different days . Do you know how hard it is to gather samples from a diaper with a 14 month old trying to help? Scooping and trying to get the scoop in this little vial and fill the vial to a certain line without getting it on yourself, the counter or the child, who really wants to see, is an excercise for only the steadiest hands. Thank goodness Maggie wears a diaper. Otherwise, I don't know how this task could be done. I am two thirds of the way through my "sampling" and have tomorrow to go. There better be a really good reason why one sample would not suffice and believe me, I will be asking the doctor next time I see him.

Then, there is La Nina's contribution to my week. She had a bad day the other day. She slept too long and had an accident during her nap. I had to strip the bed and get laundry started, so I just tossed some sweats on her skipping the panties since we were going to get in the tub in a couple of hours. Why is it whenever Mom's get confident the kids get a little too comfortable and disaster strikes? Well, La Nina had a second episode in one day, a very rare event, to say the least. In her defense, she was trying to get to the bathroom and was asking for my help. I was home alone and in the middle of feeding Maggie. As you know, you can't leave the baby eating alone . So, I had to stop dinner and grab Maggie before I could help La Nina. By the time I arrived, she was standing in the bathroom with a stricken look on her face. Let me tell you, I was the one with a stricken look when I figured out the magnitude of the problem. So, I am trying to clean La Nina, the sweats, the bathroom and keep Maggie and La Nina from touching or spreading the mess. Did I mention Dad was out that night? Everyone lost their appetite by the time we were done in the bathroom. I think I saved the sweats, but ick...Thank goodness it was bath night.

What has happened to my life? I used to resolve "issues" at work and now I sample and clean "issues" at home. The fact I would even write about this shows you just how sad the whole mess is. Let's just hope next week is a little less base.

Maggie's Trip to the Lab

In line with the protocol for all internationally adopted children, Maggie must endure a series of health screening tests to verify that she is in good health. Most of these tests were conducted in China and we know the results were all good. So, while we are reasonably certain she doesn't have HIV or Hepatitis or any number of ailments on the screening list, we still have to go through this process to validate the Chinese test results for the Federal and State government. Given Maggie's basic disposition and ability to scream louder than any person I know, I just wasn't looking forward to our lab appointment.

Not only did Maggie have a long 20 minutes in the lab, every lab worker and patient who had the misfortune of sharing that 20 minutes with us had a memorable experience. Maggie started screaming as soon as she saw the lab technician. This techician hadn't even touched Maggie when the screaming started. Wisely, the lab technician immediately called in reinforcements. A second lab techician came to help me hold Maggie who added violent squirming and head butting to her ear shattering screams. Somehow the lab tech did find a vein and start drawing blood. She successfully retrieved 3 of the needed 7 vials, when Maggie somehow flexed her arm so hard the butterfly came out. The lab tech said she had never seen a child do that before, let alone a baby. (That's my girl, I suppose.)

After a 5 minute break, a new set of lab techs tried to draw the remaining 4 vials of blood. By the time the new techs were ready, Maggie was basically done. She would have nothing to do with the process. A third tech was brought in for help, but Maggie was fighting so hard, a second attempt was impossible. Frankly, we were all worried she was going to hurt herself.

I had prepared myself for today's drama, so while it was tough to watch and hear, it went about as well as I expected. I felt so sorry for the people who were in the lab at the same time as us. Those poor, unsuspecting people got a "Full Maggie". I hope their ears are ok. I will wait a couple of days before we try again. We have other samples we need to collect and we can try for the last 4 vials when we return those. The lab knows we will be back so if you hear about a 'sick out' in the lab in Pleasanton, you will know why.

Incidentally, Maggie was fine as soon as we left the lab. She took a really long nap this afternoon but suffered no other side effects from her big day. I have a feeling there will be a part 2 to this post.

A Quiet Day

Today was Maggie and mine's first real "day" together. It sounds funny after over a month at home but with jet lag, the Christmas shopping and La Nina's school break, we really haven't just had a "day" together.

The Magster and I had quite a nice day together. We ran a couple of errands, did some laundry, took a couple of naps (well, Maggie did, not me.) My biggest accomplishment was making a batch of congee, a Chinese rice porridge, that babies love. Truth be told, it is quite easy and I am stunned by the quantity of congee that 2 cups of rice yields. Maggie ate 2 big bowls of my creation, so I must have done ok.

La Nina went back to school today after being home for two weeks. While I missed her little spirit flitting about this morning, she really missed school and she was excited about seeing her teachers and friends. It seems like there are always 100 mini-dramas that happen during a day with 2 girls under 3, but I won't go into them tonight. We had a quiet little day and I look forward to many more.

New Year's Resolutions

Since 2005 has officially arrived, I am considering a few Resolutions to improve my life and the lives of my families. Here is the list. In 2005, I resolve:

• To clean out my refrigerator before something smells a little funny.
• To stop counting caffeine as the extra food group on my special "Five plus One" food pyramid. BUT this doesn't mean I will give up my morning cup of coffee or my noon time diet Coke. This only means I will give up the supplemental coffees I have been consuming between my planned caffeine infusions.
• To remember that catchup doesn't count as a vegetable even if it is red.
  
• To stop deciding if my clothes are dirty by the the visibility of the stains.
• To find where the cleaning lady keeps my vaccuum just in case I get the urge.
  
• To not turn my head when I see obvious dust. However, this doesn't mean I will dust immediately. I will commit to adding "dust" to my 'To Do List'.
• To teach my girls Mommy is capable of taking out the trash. However, Mommy chooses to delegate trash duties to Daddy, which is perfectly ok and by no means a sign of gender bias. It is a management skill to delegate.
  
• To walk the dogs everyday, even if "the walking" is just around the yard.
  
• To live my life to the fullest, show my girls and my husband I love them everyday, and to keep a sense of humor.

If I can accomplish all of this, I will be doing ok, but I think the caffeine one is going to be tough.