The best $0.67 I've ever spent

It has been grey and dreary here all week. So dreary that I need to be sure to get out every day or I start to feel down. Today was especially drizzly and nasty so we went to the second happiest place on earth (I've have said happiest, but thought that Disney might have some sort of license over that claim) - Borders!

There is a promotion this week of 3-for-2 Dr. Seuss books and I still had ~$15 left of my "holiday reward dollars", so while Rob copped a free read of Popular Science, I headed back to the children's section to pick out 3 Dr. Seuss books for Nora. The regular, standard issue Dr. Seuss books were all $8.99 and I decided on Fox in Socks, Green Eggs and Ham and There's a Wocket in my Pocket. I'd have liked to have gotten Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax, but they were out of those two.


Anyway, it turns out that deals can be combined and I had a personal shopping day (10% off) that expired today, so I got all three books for $0.63 plus tax, for a total of $0.67. I kid you not, here's the receipt. I saved $20.34 (or, as I prefer to think of it, 97% off)!!

How often do you get to buy something great with pocket change?!

By the way, I think the 3-for-2 sale is good through tomorrow. If you need some silly rhymes, check it out!

Holy Hannah, what was I thinking???

Perhaps you remember Nora's One Hundred Good Wishes Quilt. I started collecting squares more than a year ago and am finally getting to the piecing. I've selected a pattern called "Morning Star" from the book Nickel Quilts by Pat Speth. I think it's a really nice pattern if you have a lot of scraps.

I've spent the entire day trimming and arranging the patterned squares on the dining room table. See your squares in there?? Some are on reserve for the border and anything flannel or fleece is going into a stroller blanket, but everything else is in there, including Steve's Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety polo shirt (just typing that makes me smile!).

This afternoon I moved on to cutting the background pieces (as you can see I've commandeered the kitchen island for this task - good thing we don't cook much).

Tomorrow I start sewing. Christmas shutdown needs to be about a month longer, I think. There's no way this is going to be finished in the next two days!

Thank you again to everyone who contributed to Nora's quilt. I know that this will be a very special keepsake for her and I am really looking forward to playing "I Spy" with all the great fabrics and telling her the stories behind each piece.

(not-so) Happy Anniversary

Today is our 1 year DTC (dossier-to-China) anniversary. DTC marked the end of our paperwork phase and the beginning of our official "wait" for Nora. Who'd have ever thought a year ago that we'd still be waiting for our little girl. I sure didn't. All I can think at this point is that - no matter how long the wait - every day that passes brings us one day closer.

Is it or isn't it??

Last year I thought for sure that Nora would have been born by Christmastime (that would be Christmas 2005!), now it's Christmastime again and again I'm wondering about Nora. Has she been born? Is she still with her birth family? Is she in an orphanage? Foster care? Is she warm and loved and cared for? I hope so.

And in case this is her first Christmas, we have an ornament for her collection.

Merry Christmas!

New CCAA Rules

The China Centre of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has released the long awaited new rules for intercountry adoption from China. You can read the new rules here, on the Rumor Queen's site.

The most notable changes are:

• Married M-F couples only
• Net worth must exceed $80K and income must come from stable employment (so even if we win the Powerball we need to keep working to qualify for Nora's Mei Mei)
  
• BMI must be less than 40 (30 is considered obese according to CDC guidelines, so I'm thinking that 40 is pretty heavy -- at 5'5", for example, I could weigh up to 240 lbs)
  

I guess you can't argue that the CCAA is trying to select the most stable homes possible, in the most objective way possible, but my heart goes out to everyone who is affected by the new regulations.

We have no willpower whatsoever

Do you remember several posts ago when I mentioned that Nora had received a Christmas present from Rob's Aunt Jan and Uncle Dave? Well, after looking at it for more than two weeks, we couldn't take it any more and decided to open it. We told ourselves it was because we'll be spending Christmas with my Mom and Dad and couldn't cart all the mailed gifts along with us, but the truth is that we just couldn't stand the suspense any longer.

Anyway, I'm so glad we opened it because it really brought a smile to my face. It is Nora's very first Dr. Seuss book, "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", and an accompanying stuffed blue fish! Isn't it great??!

Nora update

Today we received the monthly newsletter from our China agency. They have projected referrals through LIDs (log-in-date) of 12/8/2005 which are projected to arrive in May '07. You may remember that our LID is 1/16/2006. Continuing the timeline in our agency's projection, it looks like we would expect Nora's referral in August 2007. That would mean travel in October or November next year. So we have almost a full year to go. When we started the wait was 6 months.

Are we going to stick with China? Yes. Why? Because Nora is there.

The science of cuteness

Ok, so I logged in fully intending to do something else, but when I got to my Yahoo! homepage there was picture of a baby panda

and a link to a great CNN Jeanne Moos report on cuteness. It turns out that most people think that baby pandas are even cuter than Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt (aka the Brangelina baby).

Need more pandas?? Click here.

Yes, it is MEGA MAIL MONDAY!!!

Mega Mail Monday is BACK!!! Today, in addition to the heap of catalogs, we received a package from our Jan DTC Secret Pal. It was such a great surprise - she remembered everyone!!

Chocolates for Rob and me:


Treats and toys for the pets (it was upon opening the cat toys that Rob said "Who is this person? She is really nice!" I have to agree, she is really nice!)


And two hats, pink tights and a soft blankie (fleece on one side, satin on the other) for Nora:


Thank you so much Secret Pal! You are the best! Merry Christmas!

A Family Tradition

One of our family traditions is the annual Lorie Line Christmas concert. Our anniversary is December 21 (15 years this year!!) and for the past four years this has been our anniversary outing. This year's concert was earlier than usual, but still close enough to count I think.

They have a nice tradition of having all the kids up on the stage. Usually it is a visit with Santa and Rudolph, but for this year's more traditional show it was a nativity. I don't know how well you'll be able to see the picture on the blog, but there were a LOT of kids, all of them in costume. I think that officially only age 3 and up are allowed to come to the show and 4 and up are invited on stage, but yesterday there were babies in the audience and some kids who were no more than 3 on stage. So, of course, I mention to Rob that next year we will bring Nora. I hope that's true...

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

As sad as I am that the wait is so much longer than expected, Christmas still lifts my mood. Nora has some presents (thank you Aunt Jan and Uncle Dave -- so nice of you to think of her!) and we are participating in an ornament swap with the Precious Pandas Jan DTC group. Yesterday we received our ornament from Kathy - thank you so much! - it's a Panda with the Chinese character for love on the other side. Very special.

Hope, if you're reading this, I mailed yours today - should be there by mid-week. Bet you can't guess what animal yours is!

Even better than a mega-mail Monday...

... is a post-holiday, post-mail-hold Monday! We stopped by the post office on our way back into town with a cute little tote bag to carry our mail from the past week and left instead with a huge corrugated postal tote. I'm still sorting through all the catalogs and magazines, but I did quickly find the three really important pieces of mail:

(1) letters from our doctor stating that we are of good health (the last pieces of documentation needed for our home study update)

(2) November gift from our Dec DTC Secret Pal. This month's theme is mealtime accessories and our secret pal covered ALL the necessities -- sippy cups, a bib, utensils and two kinds of lidded bowls! All of it very much appreciated by us newbie parents!


(3) November gift from our Jan DTC Secret Pal. This month's theme is favorite children's music. Our pal sent a terrific cd with all the classics like B-I-N-G-O, The Bear Went Over the Mountain and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, a darling ladybug jewelry case (thank goodness -- a place to keep the little doo dads that have been accumulating on Nora's shelf!) and two Suzy's Zoo board books.


Thank you very much to our two fantastic secret pals and also to our doctor for getting those letters out so quickly!

Good Morning China!

I've written before about an amazing organization called Half the Sky Foundation, which is dedicated to improving orphanage care in China. Please take a minute to visit their site, read their story and donate if you are able. They also have a small online store that sells, among other things, this terrific limited edition picture book by the artist Hu Yong Yi. The illustrations are gorgeous. It is - I'm sure you've guessed - the latest addition to Nora's library.

Keeping Count

My Chinese is not good, but I can count to ten and today is our ten month LID anniversary!! This time last year I really thought we'd be in China for Thanksgiving this year. Now it looks like we'll be lucky to be there next summer. Things don't always go as planned, do they? The good news, I guess, is that perhaps Nora can wear that cute little Christmas dress next year.

While I'm practicing numbers, here's another one for you:It is yi1 bai3 - one hundred - and this is my 100th post to this blog!

Now that I'm thinking about it, I really should pack the Chinese CDs for our Thanksgiving car trip. That would be a good opportunity to get in a little practice.

Worth a read

I was just on the Rumor Queen's site for my daily visit and found a really helpful post about transitions and attachment. Please check it out -- click here.

A little reading material

I've set aside Barack Obama's book (fully intending to go back and finish!) to read the latest addition to our parenting bookshelf, Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew. I've just started, so if anyone else out there is thinking of reading it and wants to play book club, let me know!

While we were at Border's, I also picked up a couple of new additions for Nora's library. I'm putting a greater emphasis on board books now, since those are the ones that she'll get to "read" first. I always liked dog books when I was little, so I'm hoping that Nora will like them too!

WOO HOO!!!!!

According to the CCAA's (China Center of Adoption Affairs) website, documents logged in during the month of January 2006 are now out of review --- this means that we have PASSED CHINA'S REVIEW and are one step closer to Nora! Hang on, baby, we'll be there as soon as we can!

Cold toes, warm heart

Cold Toes. We did keep our weekend camping appointment. It was sort of funny, we stopped at the park office to register on Friday and the young woman working there called me by name. I thought she either had telepathic powers or a really excellent memory, but in reality we were THE ONLY CAMPERS and we were IN A TENT. We must be crazy. It was actually fun as long as we kept active. Yesterday we hiked with our mountain goat dog, Maddie, most of the day, not because we wanted to walk that much, but because it was too cold to just sit and read or play cards. This morning when we woke up there was a frost and it was 24 degrees - yikes! My toes are just beginning to thaw.
Warm Heart. When we got home, there was a package from our new Dec DTC secret pal. This month's theme was children's books. Our pal sent three board books, which will be so great for little, paper-tearing hands. The first one is called My Peekaboo Fun, which is a lift-the-flap book about opposites and colors. It has a lot happening on every page, I think it will be really fun to read with Nora - she can learn shapes, colors, animals, opposites! The second is called You're My Little Love Bug which has not only a sweet poem, but music, lights and a place for Nora's picture! Last, but certainly not least, is Hippos Go Berserk!, a hilarious Boyton numbers book about a lonely hippo whose party gets a little out of hand. I can't even do it justice. It's very funny. My favorite is the little beast that arrives with 6 of the hippos. He shows up on several of the pages wearing a big grin and creating mischief.

Cutie Pie

This is Nora's new kitty cat doll, found on Etsy. Her name is Cutie Pie. I first saw her a week or so ago and have been back every day to make sure that no one else has bought her. Today I broke down and ordered her. I hope she's as soft and cuddly as she looks.

Here's the description from Etsy:

Oopsy ... this doll's ears are lopsided, her nose tilts to the right. As I tossed her aside, a little girl saw, she scooped up the doll and hugged her with awe. She said, "Her nose is crooked, but don't toss her away. She is not perfect, and I LOVE her that way!" That is how alli-oopsies were born. They may not be perfect, but never mind, that just lets you know it's one of a kind!

Aww...

East Meets West

Yesterday we attended GWCA's East Meets West adoption conference in Minneapolis. It was a very nicely organized event with a number of interesting sessions about such topics as cross cultural parenting, bonding & attachment, chinese culture, community support, travel, etc.

The best session we attended was "Cross Cultural Parenting", presented by Cheri Register, author of Are Those Kids Yours?: American Families With Children Adopted From Other Countries and Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects On Raising Internationally Adopted Children. She offered a number of insightful comments such as "Listen to what your child tells you about race and racism; do not assume color-blindness." and "Stay in touch with the internationally adopted community because this will probably be where your child finds her identity". She also recommended listening to and reading the writings of adult adoptees and being prepared not to like everything you hear, but acknowleding the validity of the comments. I've been doing this already and, she's right, theirs is not an easy meassage to hear, but it is so important I think for adoptive parents to listen and learn.

Rob went to a (similar? hard to tell since I wasn't there myself) session presented by an adult adoptee and adoptive parent representing the local FCC chapter. Rob said she talked about some of the uninformed and insensitive comments that people make in the presense of children - the example she gave was her mother in law saying something really horrifying like "aren't you glad her eyes aren't very slanty?" (this said to her Korean daughter-in-law and in front of her Chinese granddaughter!) - and the need to educate friends and family in advance of receiving the baby. What she didn't say was how precisely to do this, which would have been very helpful!

We also bumped into a few people we knew at the event. Our friend Annette (hi, Annette!) introduced us to a new book called Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections. I flipped through it a bit at breakfast and it looks like a fantastic reference. Its list price is $29.95, but Amazon has it for only $19.77 ... or you could use a Borders Rewards coupon, which is probably what I'll do since it's an excuse to go to Borders.

Pandamonium!

I had the day off today (which meant that I worked a half day from home) and decided to do a little shopping in the afternoon. I found some things I wanted - gifts for my Secret Pal, actually - and was standing in line to pay. The woman in front of me had a huge basket of stuff that she was buying, so I was standing there waiting for quite a while. I was just kind of looking around, up higher than where I normally look and I saw IT - a stuffed panda on a shelf labeled "Clearance"! He's 17" tall and was marked down to $5! He came home with us. He doesn't have a stain on his belly, by the way, that's just some weird shadow that showed up in the photo. He is perfect :)

I ran the bear up to Nora's room when I got home and on my way downstairs I noticed a box on the porch -- it was the first gift from our new Jan DTC secret pal. She sent Nora a t-shirt and socks from the San Diego zoo (home of the PandaCam), a bunny stroller toy and two packages of Halloween tissues.
Thank you very much, Secret Pal! I think you told me something about yourself with this gift. I've narrowed your identity down to someone who (1) lives in SanDeigo (2) has visited SanDiego (3) knows someone in SanDiego. Let's see, who can I cross of the list of possible Secret Pals... uhm, no one. Bummer. Well, maybe next month.

Worries... and some hope

I've been reading some of the blogs of adult Korean adoptees and growing more and more concerned about my ability to make the right choices for Nora. I want her to know and appreciate her Chinese heritage, but I'm not Chinese. How do I do this? We've joined the FCC. We have a few Chinese friends (not adoptees, people who either live in China or have moved here from China as adults). Reading some of these blogs, though, I feel like even observing someone to be Chinese makes me a racist.

I was just about at my wits end, when arrives - seemingly from nowhere - an email from a co-worker who tells me that she has heard (from another coworker) that we are adopting a child from China. She goes on to tell me that she was adopted from Korea. Even better, she is actively involved with one of the local adoption agencies and is a mentor to other Korean adoptees. She is willing to share her experiences. We are going to have lunch and talk. I feel really lucky to have met her!

January DTC Secret Pal Revealed!!

It was one of those happy, box-on-the-porch kind of days at our house! It was the October gift/reveal from our January DTC Secret Pal -- Cindy P! And what an incredible gift it was -- a jack-o-lantern cap, Halloween bib, Thanksgiving bib, soap leaves, stroller hooks and the cutest flower onesie (with pretty flutter sleeves that unfortunately don't show in the photo) and khaki skirt with a "Cutie" applique.

Thank you so much Cindy for being such a wonderful secret pal! I hope we have a chance to meet in China!

Back to Borders

It has been weeks since we've been to Borders. Seriously. WEEKS. At least three. I hadn't even seen the October issue of British Ideal Home¹.

So, today, armed with Nora's book list and the latest coupons from the Borders Rewards email, off we went. Rob missed the turn. Understandable, since we hadn't been there in so long. Finally we arrived and found it just as wonderful as we remembered. We drank coffee and read magazines. I bought Nora a book, The Story About Ping, and a cd, Sing Along With Putumayo. It was a lovely afternoon.

¹ Ideal Home is my absolute favorite decorating magazine. I never buy it, but I read it every time we go to Borders. The pictures are great, but it's a little frustrating that none of the products are available in the US. If I ever move to the UK, though, boy will I know where to shop.

First October Bibs!

Today we received the most incredible bibs and burb cloths from Dee -- she embroidered them herself with Nora's name! Aren't they adorable?! Thank you so much, Dee!

Thank you Cris!

The January DTC group is doing single month theme swaps in addition to the secret pals exchange, which is more of an on-going thing. There have been a few of them, but so far I've only participated in two - the hair bobber swap from a couple of months back and, most recently, a blanket/lovey swap.

It was a nice swap for me because I shopped for Karen (who I've known quite a while from the OHGWQ group) and my shopper was Cris who I've been co-hosting the December Secret Pals exchange with. Sort of fun to get matched with people you "know"!

Cris sent Nora the softest pink blankie with satin binding. It's just the sort of thing you know a baby would love. The textures are incredible. Thank you so much Cris, I know Nora will love it!

Family Fun

I've decided that tent camping would be a fun family activity. Since we aren't really campers, we're trying to find some good spots nearby and get in a little practice before attempting it with Nora. Rob and I have camped twice in the past month and have another reservation for late this month (I'm a little afraid that we might get a taste of winter camping with that one!) . Gradually we're figuring out what we need to make this work - for example, we now have a screen porch and better cookware and are looking for a bigger tent (our little 3-man dome barely fits the two of us and the dog).

Speaking of Maddie, this is working out great for her. Lots of walks in the woods and an endless supply of squirrels to chase. Doesn't she look at home in the wilderness??

December Secret Pal Revealed!!

For many months, I've been receiving the most wonderful, thoughtful gifts from our December Secret Pal and trying very hard not to do too much detective work based on postage that looks like this (and why is everybody else's postage so much more interesting than mine??).

Finally, today the reveal arrived and -- it's Nana in Denmark! Obviously I knew my pal was in Europe (although today's postage was the first with a really obvious country stamp), but luckily there are a few people on the list in Europe -even a couple in Denmark- so I really didn't know for sure who she was until today.

Oh -- and Nora's September gift is a gorgeous beaded barette (very sparkly and fancy!!) and sweet lady bug bracelet, just the right size for a little girl.


Thank you so much, Nana, for all the fun gifts and encouragement. You've been a terrific pal, I'm very lucky!

P.S. The card had ducks on it! I don't think I've mentioned this here, but when I was 3 or 4 we had a pet duck named TD ("The Duck"). I could swear that he lived in a box under the kitchen table, but I could be wrong about that. Steve or Mark, if you read this, could you click on the comment link below this message and give me the lowdown on why we had a duck under the table?

Update: Nana posted to the list that she bought the ladybug bracelet in Venice, Italy in a local shop specializing in children's jewelry. Isn't that a great story?? And how wonderful that there exists a place where there are shops specializing in children's jewelry! Somebody please remind me to make sure this gets in Nora's scrapbook so she knows the story behind her ladybug bracelet!

Spend much time on the computer?

After spending an embarrassing amount of time on the computer, I finally hit the wall. I don't know if it was life, work or general weariness with the "wait" - or some combination of all three - but I've had ZERO interest in any of my online China waiting family stuff for several weeks.

This is Gaily (aka Abigail) and my laptop. As you can see, she spends more time "on" the computer than I do!

Something to take to China

This month's theme for the January DTC Secret Pal exchange was "Something to Pack for the Trip". My very cool secret pal sent a pink tie dye shirt for Nora! I have a pink tie dye shirt. Could this be our first mother-daughter matching outfit??!!

As you can see, she also sent disposable burp pads, travel baby toiletries, formula bags, travel wipes, a compression bag for packing and the cutest little pink snap-on bottle of Purell! Thank you so much Secret Pal for all the really useful stuff and the so cute t-shirt!

December out of review!!

Woo hoo!!! I'm not sure when this happened because I've haven't been stalking monitoring the CCAA's website in the way that I have in the past, but DECEMBER IS OUT OF REVIEW!!! This means that our dossier is either in review or has already (knock on wood!) passed review! This feels almost like progress.

New Addition for Nora's Library

I was feeling pretty down today (long story, work stuff), so Rob and Maddie decided to cheer me up with a lunchtime trip to Borders. We love Borders. Of course I ventured into the children's area and browsed through some of the featured books ... and found this:

It is the sweetest story about a lion who loves the library - especially story hour - and learns that sometimes it's ok to break the rules. I had to buy it for Nora.

By the way, it was only 55-degrees so Maddie really did get to go in the car, although we thought it best not to try to sneak her into Borders.

Congratulations Lun Lun!

Congratulations Lun Lun on the birth of your new baby!! You probably don't remember us, but my mom and I saw you when we were in Atlanta for Illinois' sweet sixteen game a couple of years ago.

For anyone interested, Lun Lun lives at the Atlanta Zoo -- she and her new baby are featured on a 24/7 panda-cam which you can access either from the zoo's website or from cnn.com. Right now the baby looks like a naked rat, but the zoo's website says he/she will begin to show panda markings sometime next week.

Great deal on great books

I read on another blog about a clearance sale at Little Treasure Books. They are (unfortunately) closing their store, but are (fortunately) having an incredible going-out-of-business sale. I ordered six books for Nora at incredible prices -- some of them were even books from our wishlist!

Check them out if you like kids' books!

P.S. On account of the holiday, I figure that today is Mega Mail Monday by proxy -- lived up to expectations with the big box 'o books!

Well, it's about time

FINALLY the CCAA's website is showing that November is out of review. This means that our January dossier is almost certainly in the review room.

August bib from Danielle

There really is something to this good mail on Monday thing. Today we received the cutest frog bib from Danielle. It is very fluffy, soft terry cloth and has a teether on the edge. We love it and can't wait to see it on Nora. Thank you so much, Danielle!

Success and failure

Today is both a good day and a bad day.

BAD -- Rob and I have decided to discontinue our Mandarin lessons, at least for a while. Neither of us has been committing enough time to study between lessons and aren't progressing as we should. It made for classes that were stressful and unproductive. We hope to try again someday, but this is not the right time for us.

GOOD -- Even though we weren't feeling super-motivated this morning we did both go to the gym and exercise. Rob is actually very good about going and exercise is a habit for him. That's not so much the case for me, but I'm working on it (going to need to keep up with the little one!). I've found that music does a LOT to motivate me. My current playlist is:

• Crazy - Gnarls Barkley - 2:58 (I use this for warm up b/c I like it, but it will probably come off the list since it's really not a great exercise song)
• Get the Party Started - Pink - 3:11
• Crazy in Love - Beyonce - 3:55
• Yeah! - Usher - 4:10
• In da Club - 50 Cent - 3:13
• Pump It - Black Eyed Peas - 3:35
• Lose Yourself - Eminem - 5:20 (Possibly the best motivational, hill-climb song EVER!)
• Hot in Herre - Nelly - 3:48
• Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake - 4:27 (cool down)
• Sexy Love - Ne-Yo - 3:40 (cool WAY down)

Two others on this playlist are Work It by Missy Elliott and Dirty by Christina Aguilera, but I usually skip both of them. I haven't decided yet if they are bad choices or if I just don't have them in the right place in the list.

If you have a playlist that you love (or individual songs that work really well), please share!

Now I know exactly where China is

I am approaching my 5-year anniversary at my job and as a reward I got to choose a "gift" from the recognition catalog. Although this is far longer than I've ever worked anyplace, it isn't all that long in the eyes of my employer. I say this to set expectations around the items in the 5-year catalog. There were watches and crystal bowls and framed prints - all of which I assumed would somehow be branded with the company logo. So I searched looking for something useful that wouldn't look too creepy with a big 'ol logo on it, eventually I found this globe that I think will be a great addition for Nora's playroom.

It came in the mail today and the best part is that the logo is on a little plaque that I get to apply myself (or not). So Nora gets a globe and it doesn't even have to say G****** on it! To my company - I think you are the best; I admire your work and love my job. However, I really don't want your logo on my globe. Sorry about that. I'll stick it to a frame on my desk instead.

Some depressing math

The rumor boards are lighting up tonight with news that referrals are on the way and that they only include LIDs through 7/22/05. I did a little bit of Excel math, extending the timeline with the current average wait, and I'm very sorry I did. According to my spreadsheet we'll get our referral in October of 2007! Isn't that horrible?! I'm going to go pour myself a glass of wine.

Hair bobber from Evelyn

Nora has received her second hair bobber - this one is a chopstick hair stick with red cord and jade. It is so pretty. She also receieved a gorgeous red silk jewelry case. Thank you so much, Evelyn, for the lovely gift!

Preparing the dog for baby

For those of you who don't already know her, this is Maddie.


Maddie is an almost 18-month-old golden retriever and the light of our lives. She is terrific with other dogs (a benefit of doggy "school") and we're hoping that she will be equally good with children. She's already got a fan club in the neighborhood kids, especially baby Avery next door. We also had some other waiting families over on Sunday night, giving Maddie the opportunity to experience the joys of little kids who drop food.

Even though everything about her disposition says "kid friendly", we still want to be sure that we properly prepare her for Nora's arrival. Some things we're working on:

1. sit to be petted
2. walk next to or behind people (and eventually stroller) on walks
3. wait at the top/bottom of stairs for people to go first and give the "ok"
4. lie down and be calm in Nora's room

For some good pet preparation tips, check out the following links:
American Kennel Club
The Humane Society of the United States

Hair bobber from Rhonda and Mike

The January DTC group is doing a hair accessory (or "hair bobber", as they are known at our house) swap. We each send hair accessories to two people, and receive hair accessories from two people. Today Nora's first one came from Rhonda and Mike -- it is a darling asian girl pony tail holder. Soooo cute! Thanks Rhonda and Mike!!

A Shopping Coup!

When shopping on the web, always always visit the clearance section. If you don't think it will pay off, check this out!

I found this at Land of Nod. It was originally $249 on sale for $39 and is just the right color for Nora's room! It even fits in with the other bug stuff. I ordered it on Sunday and it was waiting on the porch when we got home today.

To make the day even better, I stopped at Creative Kidstuff on my way home from work and they were having a big sale - I got this great doggy pull toy for 75% off, a musical flower for 60% off and gorgeous building blocks for 50% off!

Mostly, though, I'm thrilled about the rug. I don't think I've ever found such a bargain before!

January DTC Secret Pal - August

More great mail came today! Of course it was for Nora!

This package was our January DTC Secret Pal gift for August. The theme is "Something to Keep Baby Safe" and our secret pal sent lots of great safety stuff for Nora -- cabinet latches, outlet covers, toilet lock, security latches, band-aids -- and a pair of pretty dangly earrings that I think must be for ME!

Thank you very much, secret pal! I'm going to look for something blue to wear tomorrow so I can wear my new earrings!

Dec DTC Secret Pal Gift - July & August

Another mega mail Monday!! I never much liked Mondays, but these swaps and secret pals have changed my outlook! Today was a doubly-good day because we received July and August gifts from our Dec DTC Secret Pal. Thank you so much, Secret Pal, for all the terrific goodies!!

It is taking all my energy not to rip into the mega bloks package and claim the dog/cat as my own. I think that I am going to like this as much as Nora. I've never seen anything like it -- you push the nose on the cat side and it "sings" in meows and on the dog side it "sings" in barks. So much fun! That was July.

For August we got cool bath toys (floating fishes!!), a water thermometer and a sponge. In the note was also a pretty white shell which now has a new home in our summer sand-and-shell kitchen table centerpiece.

Thanks again Secret Pal, you made my Monday!!

Four (?!) sets of panda twins

For some reason panda news is harder to come by than you'd think. I've been hearing snippets of panda births on the news and am having trouble coming up with a good count. Piecing together the various news stories, I think that four sets of twin panda have been born in the last week -- on Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Saturday. That makes ten baby pandas born in Chinese breeding centers this year. Does that sound right? The latest news story is here. I also found some more panda information on China.org.