Leaping through life...

RCMP fingerprints and police report

May 2006 $25 10 weeks
Feb. 2008 $60 5 days

The value of my sanity? Priceless

Seriously people, I need a leap year every year. Leap year has been good to me today. I seem to be moving through the renewing of my expired documents at warp speed.

Today I received my fingerprints in the mail 5 business days after submitting them. I cried tears of joy when I saw that little brown package in my mailbox. Not a few tears but not quite a red faced sob.

I came inside, got the computer going and gave my emails a qucik check and low and behold there was an email from the agency. My homestudy update is complete and in their hands.
Now sobby cry started.

I could get addicted to the highs of this journey. Monday I have my doctor's appointment and then I'll be ready for the big day.

Bring on my baby boy!

Photography and the unwilling subject...

So I've been playing with some of the photos I recently snapped of little C, son of big C and bigger C, neighbours and sanity keepers extrodinaire.

As you can see littlest C is having none of it.

So the big question is, how does one get the just right photo of little people with a point and shoot digital that points and then waits before it shoots? I have to keep practicing and I also have to take the SLR and lots of film to Vietnam when my turn comes.

More Monkey Fun...I sense a theme here!

Have you ever noticed, during trips to the zoo, that the chimps and gorillas seem depressed? They just sit around and don't seem to make much of an effort to enjoy life. Well, none of that for me! I'm pledging to become my favourite little Golden Lion Tamarin, living 3 to 10 meters up in the rain forest trees, leaping about with great agility. Go with me on this people... I need a change of pace.

I'm thinking of going thematic in Benjaminh's room, or in his life, or in my shopping until he gets here, or just for today. As long as it lasts I'm going for it.

Here are a few gifts and purchases that are strangely linking together without preplanning of any sort.

Of course there is "Monkey, Monkey", Benjaminh's first precious gift from his homeland.

A little something that caught my eye just before little Owen arrived home. I'm sure you can guess why. I had to have the t-shirt and once I had the t-shirt I needed something to match. Typically I avoid green. Walls, clothes, slimy food. All green. This shirt was only available in green so I'm making an exception. Notice the little monkey details on the shorts. Too cute! (I am still looking for the matching monkey hat, size 6-12 months, from last year's Gym*boree lines if you happen to be shopping...)
And finally, another little something I purchased just yesterday to help myself out of a funk. This book must be new because if it wasn't I would already own it. I love the way little ones get to predict the next animal based on a bit of an action game.

Monkey and me,

Monkey and me,

Monkey and me,

We went to see.

We went to see some...

What do you think they were going to see?

Lows and Highs

Seriously people, I hit rock bottom last week. Getting a solid fact filled answer from the agency is like extracting an impacted wisdom tooth. What do those dentists use? Drills and chisels and pain meds and more.

I could have used some meds on Friday!
Here are a few of my wonderings from early in the month...

Edited to remove SIGNIFICANT AGENCY BASHING (it was therapeutic to write it but I think it might be prudent to keep it in draft form...)

Am I paranoid or is no one answering my questions? In fact, are they even acknowledging that I'm emailing them? Not until 4 days later when I send emails that end like this...

"Thank you for responding today. I'm having a bit of a breakdown here (more than a bit quite frankly). I do not want to carry this overwhelming cloud of frustration into the weekend."

And to top off the week I received a memo stating that documents must be current when you get your referral so off I go to be fingerprinted, doctored and have my finances analyzed.

Oh, and the fees are climbing again...

Oh, did I mention that report cards are due next Friday...

On to the highs:

A Tet party on Saturday evening was a high.

Dozens of lovely children, many 7- 10 years old, adopted from Vietnam before it closed as well as siblings, friends and parents celebrated in style at a private home in my area.

Feasting, dragon dances, noise makers, banners, rat games, fireworks, snowball fights, sparklers and hot chocolate. Since none of the children are mine I'm going to try to attach a few photos without children or with identities hidden...

Enjoy

Predictions that go wrong!

So, I sent a request out to Phullabalony Fill over at lookingforgeorge.wordpress.com and the little rodent let me down. Go take a peek at the week's predictions and then come back. It was sunny and there was a shadow. On the surface of things that sucks. I, however, have chosen to look at this more closely.

Now, I'm not typically a stats type person (at least I wasn't prior to waiting the neverending adoption wait with limited access to positive news ever) but I do want to make a few points with respect to this system of prognostication.

Fill is an untested rodent. Down in the great U S of A the resident rodent Puxatawny Phil(I have no idea how to spell that) may very well have a history of correct predictions but up here in Canada Wiarton Willie is WRONG 66% of the time. This leads me to wonder if SEEING the shadow actually means GOOD news. If the Canadians just played switcheroo with the data Willie would look like a star. Makes me go "HMMMM".

The whole Fill sucking up to the recipients of bad news...it leaves a bit of a bad taste in Boomer's mouth. Fill claims to LOVE Boomer. Now, I understand all about the whole Valentine's love is in the air thing but I present a few photos to support the notion that Fill is misguided in his love of Boomer (and therefore-I'm stretching it here-is generally misguided, possible misguided in this week's predictions).

Photo evidence that Fill should speak only of that which is true...or tested...clearly Boomer is not a suffed animal loving pup...Each and every one of the animals pictured here HAS been injured in the making of this post and HAS in fact required frequent surgical repair (with sturdy, sometimes mint flavoured, dental floss no less). Though not an evil pup by nature Boomer has from a very young age enjoyed dominating stuffed animals...

So, with all that being said, I am leaning towards believing that a shadow is GOOD news. Boomer agrees. If necessary Boomer is willing to meet with Fill personally to discuss the issues surrounding the recent prediction and the date his boy Benjaminh will arrive.

You came, you read, you didn't comment...

Time to come out from behind your lurking curtains and show yourself! I've had 85 hits since yesterday when I added a counter to my blog. Wow, way more than my comment section would indicate.

The rumor mill says I may see my little Benjaminh's sweet face before too long. This has me wondering who it is that will be following along as I travel the final leg of this seemingly never-ending journey to my son. Send me a shout out.

I'll leave you with this precious picture of my one and only nephew. This photo is a favourite of mine so I scanned it in for your viewing pleasure. Sweet M. at 4 or 5 months of age... Love those dimples.

Love me some monkey!

Little Owen Danh and his sweet mommy and daddy presented me with this precious little Vietnamese monkey for Benjaminh. Owen demonstrated that he loves him some stuffed monkey with slobbery open mouth kisses of joy. I can hardly wait to get a photo of the 4 little ones clutching their monkey loves close to their hearts (and their slobbery mouths apparently).

One baby home, 3 more to go.

A reason to wait

Here, my bloggy friends, is a wonderful reason to wait.

His name is Owen. I met him at nearly 11 pm local time.

He is the son of my friends, Ange and Gavin, over at http://www.theroadtovietnam.blogspot.com/

He is home.

Forever.