SS was invited to E's sixth birthday party today. Not a big deal, SS has attended a few birthday parties. But this one had a few challenges for us. SS was the only child invited from E's class, and it was obviously hush hush. We did not tell SS she was invited and attending until yesterday. E's father has a large family, about forty on a low turn out occasion. E's mother has wanted to celebrate E's birthday with classmates, but it has not happened. Birthdays are family get together time , and they could not accommodate 40 relatives plus 26 classmates and their parents. E wanted SS to be there, and for the first time it was not only family. Cool, unless you and your daughter are the only non family there.
We had a busy week and I was not looking forward to be among strangers. But E and SS are good friends, even if it defies reasoning. E is all about pink, girly, princess stuff. E is a giant compared to SS, is louder than SS and way too rough in play for SS. But they are friends, and they really like to be around each other. It was very uncomfortable for me, and barely half an hour in I wanted to go home. But this was not about me, it was about SS, about her fiend's wish to have her there. Suck it up and let SS have a good time. She did, I am not even close to a good mother, but I do my best for my kids.SS had a great time, and although it was incredibly awkward at the beginning, it was a a nice afternoon.
The birthday girl, playing in her princesses bouncy house.
SS is not a princess girl, but she could not resist bouncing around.
The first game was about finding a sticker at the bottom of one of the many chairs in the backyard.
How many pretzels one get with a hook hand.
Treasure hunt begins.
SS "reading" her treasure hunt map.
Peter's Pan shadow was found.
A version of hot potato.
Musical chairs.
Oh boy, a goodie bag!
There were girl and boy goodie bags. SS requested a boy bag, and I did get looks by allowing her to make that choice. E's mom knows SS well and did not even blink, just complied. SS was enthralled by this cool top with lights and sound. The girls received a fairy necklace. YAWN.
SS regulates her food intake well, but I was still worried about what that much sugar would do to her bedtime. Not to worry, a few bites and SS was done.She is in bed and ready to face another school week.
Yesterday we spent a few hours at the Winter Fest held downtown. Main Street is closed, there are arts and crafts booths, food, bouncy houses, and performances. The two biggest draws are the snow area, where they make a small snow hill, and the kids get to slide down, and a visit with Santa Claus. Some of SS's classmates where there as well, and E was scheduled to dance. SS was able to spend some time with her friends while waiting to visit with Santa. We thought we were done shopping for SS, but she threw us a curve ball. The girl who would usually ask for everything had one request, one we had never heard before. SS wants a Wolverine (X-men) toy, and Wolverine must have his claws out. We have no idea what she is talking about. We are going to shopping today so SS can show me her coveted toy.
Progress, SS used to flip out whenever P tried to carry her on his shoulders. Not only did SS ask, but P walked around with her like this for a while. Trust comes in baby steps.
Left to right: M (D's sister), E, J (classmate), D (classmate), and of course, our thug.
SS skin is looking better, there will be no need for the prescription cream. We are struggling with the ban on dairy and soy. On Wednesday SS asked nicely for pizza, but I was working on an online application and asked to wait until I could save my work. SS was uncharacteristically patient. As I was about to heat her pizza my brain kicked in, and it broke my heart to remind her that she couldn't have pizza because of the cheese. This afternoon she wanted rice with cream cheese sauce (from zucchini chicken), I stopped P just as he was about to give her a bite. It just sucks. E's mom told me that her daughter loves almond milk, and that it comes in vanilla flavor. I bought it for SS, and that stuff is vile tasting. SS could not take more than one sip. Need to find something to substitute for mammal milk, because SS is saying that she really misses drinking milk. It's only been two days and she is longing for a glass of milk.
This evening we attended the school's science night. They had ten stations for the kids to try different activities, and the kids needed to articulate what they learned. I failed to take pictures at the best stations, the microscope and the robot exhibit. SS was able to see up close cells, onion skin, lice, breast cancer cells, and lake water organisms. The robot exhibit was very neat, the robots are created by children in kindergarten to third grade. SS was mesmerized by what she saw. Good, since we are signing her up for the club.
E and SS building a house using stale marshmallows and toothpicks. Going to save the idea for a rainy day.
Making a rocket using a straw, paper and tape.
Then came the fun part, seeing how far SS could propel the rocket by blowing on the straw.
Learning how to make a triangle point in a different direction, by moving only three pennies on the pyramid.
Paper airplane station.
Lighting a light bulb by using a crank.
Mini light bulb powered by wires and a battery. The teacher would place certain items on top of the battery to see if it would affect the flow of electricity.
Making flubber, first water and glue are combined.
Add borax and knead thoroughly.
And that is how SS turned a liquid into a solid.
The last station was the most difficult. The children used a copper wire, a battery, a magnet, and metal washers to create a motor. We had fun watching SS taking it all in, and were pleased with her enthusiasm for learning. When the kids turned in their worksheet signed by all station attendants, the got to choose a candy treat, and received a coupon for a free Jumbo Jack burguer. P was amused that the children were rewarded with junk food.
We knew we would have a busy week, mainly medical appointments, errands, and the chaos that is the weeks before Christmas. Today it was SS's turn to visit her doctor to get a flu shot, have him look at how bad her eczema has become, and address a concern about snoring. Dr. B was running half an hour behind schedule, which usually would not faze me (I waited an hour and a half at my appointment yesterday), but we had another errand to run. We also needed to be half an hour away by 4:30 p.m. for SS's soccer assessment.
SS has been a heavy breather and snorer since we met. We often joke that she snores like a drunk, it does get that loud. It did not occur to us that there could be more, and I recall us mentioning this to SS's previous physician. I had my second sleep study last Thursday, and Tech S and I were talking about children and sleep studies. When I mentioned SS's snoring she asked more questions. Tech S informed me that loud snoring in a child should be checked out, because the reason they get little people for sleep studies is to determine if they need their tonsils removed. Yikes, no way would I want my emotionally fragile child facing the prospect of surgery. But we had to ease our minds and have SS examined. Dr. B did not see a problem, but if her drunk like snoring persists we will have to revisit the issue.
Dr. B agreed that SS's eczema was beyond moisturizing daily at home. We were very concerned about permanent scarring, but Dr. B does not think that would happen. It does not help that SS is P's daughter, and a picker, just like her Baba. Dr. B prescribed a cortisone ointment, and I need to call him in two days to let him know if it has made a significant difference. If it hasn't, he will prescribe a cortisone cream. Why not start with the cream then? Then Dr. B said something that made me ask him to repeat what he said. No dairy or soy products for a week. WHAT?! Not a day goes by that SS doesn't have milk, yogurt and cheese. Yesterday SS polished six goyza for lunch, heavily dipped in soy sauce. Hades! The funny thing is that Dr. B thought SS would be upset about not having ice cream. He was very surprised and impressed about SS's consumption of milk, cheese and yogurt. Some good it did her if she can no longer have those things. Soy milk is usually the substitute for regular milk, and now all we are left with is rice milk. This is going to suck royally, like major sucking. But part of being a parent is doing what is best for our child. As much as it sucks, we (meaning me) are going to have to figure out what to feed SS, and how to keep the same level of nutrition. I am well aware of what would pack an equal punch, the problem is that SS has become accustomed to those foods.
SS rocked it at the assessment, who knew she had learned a thing or two during her first soccer stint. Still laughing her butt off when the coach tries to steal her ball. Oh, the flu shot, almost forgot. SS cried the minute Dr. B said he would send a nurse in to administer the evil torture. I called P and he tried to get SS to cheer up, but the nurse came in and I needed both hands, and all my attention to tend to SS. She cried, so loud, so raw, but I don't think she even felt the needle. SS has been off since my sleep study, it was a night away from her, and that usually leads to a needy SS. A dairy free SS, this is going to be interesting.
We were worried about the discoloration on SS's arm, but Dr. B assured me that her beautiful color will return.
When we returned home from brunch yesterday we barely had time to get our dish ready, change clothes, and hit the road again. The Families with Children from China Holiday Potluck dinner took place in Mission Viejo. We had driven two hours for brunch round trip, and would be going as far for dinner. We severely overestimated our stamina. This is our first year, and we were told the past two years had a very healthy turn out. This time 30 families attended. Still, it was yet another opportunity for SS to be surrounded with families just like hers. There were three other Dragon Boat families, including A and B, the siblings who are in a Spanish immersion program. A very pleasant surprise was to see W, her husband J, and their daughter X. We had not seen them since the DB race weekend. They live in San Juan Capistrano, and opted out of driving to the Moon Festival dinner. It was very nice to catch up with them, and since they are both college professors, we had quite the discussion about the state of public education. They were surprised at the kind and quantity of homework SS is getting in kindergarten. Good to know we are not the only ones who think it is overkill.
SS went from brunch chic, to her well honed impersonation of a dainty little flower.
SS wanted to eat as soon as we arrived, no time to make small talk.
Once SS's tummy was settled we went to the arts and crafts table, where SS channeled her inner Martha Stewart and decorated one good good looking cupcake.
It was funny to watch SS's Zen like concentration, and her meticulous focus on the proper placement of sprinkles and other adornments.
SS and Baba, very proud of SS's creation.
Just before the holiday games began, there was the seemingly requisite Ring Around the Rosie round. Standing up is A. We were hoping to catch up with the kids and their parents, but the night had other plans for us.
Candy cane limbo.
SS didn't quite get the fact that she was supposed to lean back, but she had a blast nonetheless.
Quite the form during the ring toss. The little girl with the pink boots is fluent in English and Spanish. Cutest little thing.
Patiently waiting for the musical chairs to begin. Again, pink boot girl. She is four and just a tad shorter than SS, but she definitely outweighs our daughter.
SS finished the games with three stars, she was satisfied.
We left an hour before the festivities ended. P and I were just spent, perhaps due to our brilliant move to double book. That, and we had really had a late Saturday night, and up early on Sunday. SS whined and pretended to cry, she really wanted to spend time with A and J, but our departure was non negotiable. Our stubborn daughter, the same one who proclaimed she was not tired was out by 7:15 p.m. That was only about half an hour after we left. SS woke up when we arrived home, but P did not allow her to catch a second wind. He carried her upstairs, and we team tagged her out of her clothes and into her pajamas. All this done while she was on her bed, we did not let her feet touch the floor.
SS and J were the last two standing at the end of the musical chairs game. SS was a great sport when she lost, and we were relieved. J is hearing impaired, and his mom signs to him. It was remarkable to watch him playing along without missing a beat, and winning. You can see his mom in the background letting him know when the music started and stopped.
We have a busy week ahead of us. What better way to kick off busyness than double booking today. We are on our way home as I type this from brunch with the grandmothers. Once home we need to prepare our dish for a potluck dinner one hour away. That is why we are using driving time as homework time.
I am K, married to P, and mother to JJ. We are a family of three, impatiently waiting to become a family of four, via adoption from China. Of course it is a girl, what else could we want. We are creating this blog to keep our family and friends updated on our lives, then our journey to China. We should be united with S in January 2007, and right now it seems like an eternity.
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