Back home

Whew -- made it home late this afternoon after our whirlwind Easter Disneyworld trip! We had a fabulous time! Miss Maddy was and is the absolutely best little traveler. She didn't mind getting up at 4 am to catch our flight and was just went with the flow through checking in, getting thru security, waiting in the airport and finding our way to the condo.

And the weather was so nice!! We had one rainy day, but that was ok since we needed a day to rest up after hitting the parks early and late every day. But, otherwise, the weather was good -- warm and sunny, a teensy bit humid at times and then cool at nights! Mad and I were a team and went to Magic Kingdom, Disney Studios and Epcot every single day and sometimes more than once a day! I walked over 10 miles yesterday alone.

And BONUS -- it was Epcot Spring Flower Festival with a tribute to flower power bands of the 60s and 70s. We saw The Guess Who in concert one evening!! They were SO GOOD!! I know, you're saying --WHO?? But even Connor recognized some of their songs, though not their name. He said that some have been re-mixed and American Woman (maybe) was in Superbad. That was really, really cool. Of course, I was a mere child when they were first popular and had older brothers and sisters who listened to them, so that explains my familiarity with them -- there is no way that I've seen Superbad!

It was fun to see hub's brother, his wife and daughter. Maddy loved their daughter -- who, at 16 years old, could have thought Maddy to be a little pest. But she was wonderful with her and Maddy wrote her a note on her magna doodle that said "I love Clare." So sweet. (Photo of Clare, Connor and Maddy with Chip and Dale above --I think that's Chip next to Connor.)

And dear hub -- he's such a traveler! Luckily, he was paying attention today in Cincinnati . . . or we might still be there. Yikes -- we didn't realize our flight was boarding, so we were off getting some food when he came running out yelling "Final Boarding!!" Whew -- we made the flight. Thanks Delta for being so nice and waiting for us.

Good to be home and it's back to work and school tomorrow -- hoping for warm temps. One of the nicest things about Florida was seeing how lovely and green everything is there already -- a little hint of things to come here - we're ready! More pics to come in the next few days if I ever figure out how to do a collage or slide show.

Leavin on a Jet Plane

Yes -- we are leaving on a jet plane early, early Wednesday morning! Why, oh why, do I always book the first flight out?? And every single time I do it, I make a mental note NOT to do it again, but I did it again. Taking the first flight out means getting to the airport by 6 AM and that equals getting up around 4:30 AM, maybe 4:45 AM and heading to the airport by at least 5 AM. Is that the way I really want to start vacation . . . tired, frizzy haired and grouchy?? Wait a minute --me grouchy??? No way. I do have a bag of Hershey kisses to take along and doesn't that sound just about perfect for airplane food! I'm feeling better about that early flight already!! And, on the plus side, the first flight out should not be delayed at all. And maybe we can sleep on the plane. And we arrive at our destination sooner, so we can enjoy the sunny skies and warm weather faster. So, I guess it's not such a bad idea after all. Wow -- guess, I'm really brilliant, aren't I!! Yay, me! Now if I could just get all the packing done, house cleaned up, hub's cell phone located and trash thrown out, I'd be in very good shape. Oh well, the Mouse is waiting -- be there soon Mickey!

Fav Photo Friday - Pirate Night

Love this pic of Maddy and her cousin Grace!! As you can see, Grace was really getting into it and doing her best pirate imitation "ARRGH Matey!"

Tylenol is My Friend

Whew -- what a week we had last week. Little Miss Maddy was sick just about All. Week. Long! Poor baby! First, I thought she might have strep throat. Took her to the doc last Monday -- negative strep test. But, she kept having a high temp every evening and was totally worn out. By Thursday, she did feel a bit better and whatever she had seemed to turn into a nasty cold/cough and still she was so worn out. She seemed to be coughing up part of a lung at night and my favorite remedy, Vicks on the chest and running a vaporizer wasn't helping. Add to that, she wasn't eating much and did not even want her favorite -- BBQ potato chips! She had to be sick to decline her fav chips! So, back to the doc on Saturday -- who said it hadn't gotten to the point of a sinus infection . . . yet (that will probably be this week)!! But, at least we got some cough medicine. Tried to give Maddy some Motrin since I think it works longer than Tylenol. Not for her --she says "it's too spicy." Cough medicine -- she says "Too spicy!" Grape chewable Tylenol -- "just right - not too spicy."


She seemed much better yesterday (Sunday) and went off to daycare/school today. Early afternoon, a teacher called and reported that Maddy says her ear hurts. Oh no -- ear infection maybe??? Will have to wait and see. The good news in all this [see, I AM trying to look on the bright side] is that with all this going on now, surely she will be in perfect health for Easter break. And that is very good news as we are spending it with the Mouse in Orlando! Can't wait for warm weather -- don't even care about long lines -- as long as the sun is shining and the temp is 60 or above. This photo of Ariel and Maddy is from last year's visit. We're hoping to see even more Princesses and characters this time. Hold on Princesses -- we're on our way!!

Five Years Ago

Five years ago we met our sweet baby girl in a small, hot room in Guangzhou, China. Oh my -- what a beautiful baby! She seemed so very small to me, although she was 14 months old already. Our dreams of her had started two years prior during all of the document prep and approvals and the wait to referral. And we had been waiting for two months to meet her from the time we first saw her picture. And there she was -- quiet, but furiously sucking on two fingers. She came to me easily and seemed to hold on for dear life, but maybe it was the other way around and it was really me holding on to her for dear life. It was such an incredible moment! We spent the next 10 days in China getting to know our girl. She cried and cried at night, slurped noodles and sucked down congee during the day and charmed us. She revealed a little bit more of herself with each passing day as she became used to us and learned to trust us. It was a marvelous time and the only thing that would have made it better would have been to have our two sons along with us. Tonight we watched our video of our trip and it seemed like yesterday, but also a very long time ago.

In the five years we've known her, she's grown and changed so much. She's become a sweet, funny, determined little girl. She's come out of her shell more and more, especially in the last year. She loves BBQ chips, kindergarten, her friends and any and every stuffed animal. She beams with happiness when she's playing outside, climbing and swinging from the monkey bars at the school playground. More than anything lately, she wants to learn how to do cartwheels. She is proud of having been born in China, and we have tentative plans to visit at some point in the future with one of her cribmates. She's brought so much happiness and love to our entire family. We are delighted and proud to be her parents -- she is simply a joy! Happy anniversary sweetie! Love, Mom