The first time ever I saw your face.

As promised, Y called in the morning with information about Baby S. But that was not all, she had another surprise for us. Y very matter of fact informed us that N, the agency director wanted us to depart on July 4th. EXCUSE ME? This woman had us convinced we would have to wait for so long, and NOW she is talking about us leaving in less than a month? We did not mind, but come on, how about getting your information down before you eviscerate someone. But wait, there's more. Our agency has "deals" that benefit them financially. One of those deals is with a travel agency. Y stated that we would receive information about their packages with Baby S's pictures.

We knew from previous APs that all their packages are from and to LAX. While we would not mind an extra hour on an airplane on the way to China, there is no way we wanted our daughter to spend extra time confined in an airplane. Also, we had decided that we wanted SFO to be her port of entry. P entered this world in San Francisco, and he wanted his daughter to enter the U.S through the same city. Here is where the fun begins. If you choose to make your own travel arrangements, your penalty is that you are given an outrageous deadline, AND you must arrive in China a day earlier than the travel group. You know, to allow for more "deals." Still hate that blackmail tactic. Y informed me that we had until Friday morning to make flight reservations, but warned us not to purchase our tickets until N "reviewed and approved the travel schedule." At this point, P and I were stunned that we basically had two days to get our International travel plans together. We were also annoyed at the iron fisted way to get us to "comply," with their scam, I mean preferences. Still, we were happy, elated, in a total daze. I called the agency, to inquire about at least touring The Great Wall, but the travel agent stated we needed a minimum of five days for their tours. With P having one week vacation, and having to beg for the extra time, we both knew we could not make it. The TA was skeptical that we would be able to depart July 4th, because of the time needed to secure a visa. Now, as much as I snark on our agency, I do give N credit for getting our visas and Consulate appointment in what seemed like an impossible deadline.

Whether it is U.P.$ or F*d E.x, our home is one of the last stops on their routes. U.P.$ usually gets here at 5:00 or later, so we knew we had quite a wait. At approximately 3:30 p.m., P could not stand it any longer and told his supervisor that he needed to be home. His supervisor is a rather cold man, but he knew that P was worthless, a mess of nerves and told him to go home. P had been home less than thirty minutes when I heard the FE truck pull up outside. We accosted, I mean, happily greeted Corey, whom upon learning about his precious cargo, happily posed for pictures. Right now I am freaking out, because I cannot locate those pictures. *P just informed me that we took the pics with our old K0dak. I can't find them and will be spending all my free time searching for them.*

We happily dragged our excited behinds indoors and were greeted by the most amazing mug ever. Remember that post?



It was so surreal looking at her beautiful face for the first time. Her mugshot was very deceptive because it made us think that she was plump. While her smiling picture was our favorite then, her mug shot is our favorite hands down. There is something about Baby S's eyes that remind us of the first time we met. We can clearly see that scared little girl and our hearts ache for her.

We did not know it at the time, but we would see that fierce look many times over the next year.

Last but not least, The Smile, that beautiful smile that we have been blessed to enjoy daily. No matter what a difficult day SS has, she always smiles. Now that we know better, we think that Baby S was laughing at us, not with us. :) And of course, the tongue in action, a habit to this day.

Once we were able to form a coherent thought, we set out to get our scanner to post Baby S's pictures. The scanner had not been used in over a year and was still in the garage. That is when we realized that the albatross was not working. We went to Kink0's , scanned the pictures and rushed home to blog about our baby girl.

That night, P and I celebrated by having this:

Yep, we still have the bottle as a keepsake for SS.

One year later, lots of hair, smiles and attitude. SS, we will never forget the first time ever we saw your face.

One year ago we got The Call.

I posted about the legendary Call early that Monday morning. What I did not know at the time, was how in a week, one can go from the depths of depression and despair, to the most amazing, adrenalin fueled high. I had spoken to Y, our agency rep one week earlier. All I wanted to know was if they had confirmation that our LID was included in the referrals expected. Y told me that we were definitely in, which was quite a rush. She then informed me that while we would have a mid June referral at the latest, we would not travel until mid or late September. WHAT?????? W.T.F! I was devastated, thinking that I would see our daughter's face, but would have to wait so long to hold her. More damaging to me was thinking about our precious daughter without a Mama, a Baba and a JJ. Our precious daughter not having someone to hold her exclusively, to provide adequate nourishment, to kiss and hug her. I think it was the lowest moment during our wait. I called P at work and I could hardly talk, because I was sobbing, and I'm not sure how long it was before he understood what I was saying. P tried his best to calm me down, help me see the positive, but I was done, I was done being positive. I hate to admit it, but I wanted my daughter and I wanted her to come home ASAP.

Y called later in the day, with the news that we indeed had a referral. My first question to her was if it was a girl. Although a rarity when we began the process, more families are being surprised by a boy referral, even though they requested a girl. P and I strongly felt that it would not be OK for us to decline a boy referral. Why did I ask? Because I wanted to find out f I needed to pack all the girl things and go shopping for boy stuff. Y told me that it was indeed a girl and I busted out crying; I know, big freaking surprise.

Since it was almost 4:00 p.m. and Y had other families to call, we did not speak long. The agency's staff (all Chinese except Y) were doing their best to translate the referral information to English. We would not see SS's beautiful mug until the next day. Our agency does not use e-mail to communicate with clients. Heck, they do not even advertise, as they rely on word of mouth. I guess when you have helped K@thy B@tes and Meg Ry@n with their adoptions, you do not need to advertise. Y verified our F*d E.x account information and asked that someone be home to receive the packet. Waiting to travel until September was the last thing on my mind.

I called P right away and we both cried (yeah, again). I remember sitting on the stairs and just repeating, "I have a daughter, Oh my freaking G0d, I have a daughter." I do not recall when I told JJ, and sadly, neither does he, it was blur after he heard the news. I do recall calling Auntie C next. I hardly ever call C at work. In the almost year since we moved I had probably called her at work five times. Three calls were work related, one when I found out I had to wait to travel, and then to let her know she would soon see her niece. C is not a very emotional person, but she was giggling like a school girl and so happy for us. Thus began the roller coaster we have been riding non stop for a year. If we only knew what Y had in store for us the next day.

Bossy and loud, that's our girl.

SS woke up this morning and JJ was the first thing out her mouth. I brought her downstairs and she went wild upon seeing her brother. P was sitting next to JJ and she did not bother to acknowledge him. This is a first, because greets P as though she has not seen him in weeks.

The weather has been uncharacteristically cool, and we are not happy. We had to wait until 2:00 p.m. to get in the water, and it was only 70 degrees and overcast. We had SS wear her wet suit and use her neoprene PFD, to keep her from shivering.

SS is still upset over the JJ does not get to pick her up edict, and she was over the top whiny today. I am hoping than on a scale of one to ten, she resents me a nine today (ten yesterday). At least that would signal progress. I know that years from now SS won't remember, and she will be a happy, secure child with healthy boundaries. But the road to that outcome is a tough one.

As we were floating around, both P and I noticed a father and his Chinese daughter enter the lagoon. It's funny how we can spot a Chinese child so quickly. Later, the mother joined them and they looked at us and smiled. SS was throwing a fit, because P went in the water and she was stuck with me. I am sure they wanted to keep their distance from the screaming banshee, and I do not blame them. Their daughter was calmly sitting on her mother's lap. P looked at me and said, "G0d, SS is REALLY loud!" Yeah, tell me something I do not know.

Later in the afternoon, we were in the lagoon at the same time, and the mother stated that her daughter wanted to swim with SS. We talked for a few minutes and SS and J@zmin got to fill their "wow, someone who looks like me" tank. It was such a relaxed encounter, knowing they would not interrogate us about how we became a family. No anxiety about what ignorant comment would come out of their mouths. We were again struck by how quiet J@zmin is at 3, and how LOUD SS is at only two.

SS also managed to occupy her time by attempting to boss all of us around. She cries when we leave her side, but those tears quickly dry and she just yells and scowls. Maybe that is a Terrible Twos thing, but it is annoying and unacceptable. When the lifeguards yell (weird, they do not use whistles)at someone, SS just gets in on the scolding. She's got the lifeguards back, and I'm sure she'll gladly kick some a$$ for them. We are reminding JJ not to let SS run all over him, because it is going to cause problems later.

After dinner, we went to B@sking R0bbins for dessert. SS tried my Cherries Jubilee cone, but quickly lost interest when she saw her World's Greatest Chocolate scoop. When JJ was almost done with his cone, SS simply reached out her hand for it to be handed over. She finished it, finished P's and mine. This was also SS's first time on a big person chair and she did an excellent job. She remained seated, and did not take years off our lives by attempting to get down.

I am really glad that P was able to take the day off (after working his tail off Sunday), and we had the opportunity to spend time together. P and I were able to get on the adult slides, thanks to JJ. P rode the Raging River four times, twice with JJ. We all had a blast.

Chillaxin'

I was trying to get SS standing in front of JJ, but as usual, she would not be still.

Waiting for Baba and JJ to emerge from the slide.

Wipe Out

She is pouting because JJ was outside the lagoon.

Every.single.time. JJ left her side.

Cherries Jubilee

Finishing Mama's cone.

Hamming it up before bedtime. She looks so funny with those H@rry P0tter sunglasses.

Water and JJ, SS could not ask for anything more.

We all went to bed early this morning. JJ, SS and I could sleep in, but P was up by 5:00 a.m. He wanted to make sure his batches were done, as he had no intention of giving up his Tuesday. SS was really tired, and did not even stir when JJ and I got a laugh attack downstairs and were rather loud. I guess six hours in a carseat will do that to a girl. Upon awakening, she said "JJ." It really warms our heart that they have such a strong bond. Other than us, JJ has been the only other constant the past eleven months. SS somehow knows that we are a package deal.

Downstairs, the "please pick me up, ignore what Mama says dance began." I really hate being the bad guy, yet I do it so well. The thing with SS is that when it comes to her brother, she has a sense of entitlement. If JJ does not pick her up, she will climb on him like he is her personal jungle gym. I have never been the recipient of so many dirty looks in my life. SS was scowling like crazy, letting me know how she felt. Thankfully, JJ is unbelievably good at distracting his sister. SS is also enjoying giving high fives, enjoying the novelty. They played for a while, and when it was time for JJ to shower, SS had a meltdown. Our girl then got all indignant and angrily shouted at him. Her nonexistent attention span is a blessing, because SS moved on to mess around with JJ's hat, and went through his duffle bag.

When P arrived home for lunch, SS greeted him by pointing at her brother and declaring "JJ." She had a huge smile on her face, and was beaming. Once this is over, JJ plans to take SS with him, just so she can tell people what a big deal he is. Our daughter, the warming up act.

Our afternoon was about water and being lazy, quite a constant around here. P joined us after work and we just floated around, talking, sharing and making sure not to upset Ms. Crabby Pants. BTW, it's official, SS is not as daring in water when P is not by her side. We had to leave the pool, because SS had a death grip on me, and would not even consider swimming next to me. Everyone knows I suck at swimming, but how does a two-year old figure out that I am not as reliable as her father?

SS once more demonstrated her lack of awareness about her size. She actually got in a tug of war with JJ. She grabbed an inner tube he was dragging around for me, and pulled on it. JJ gently pulled back, SS said "MINE," and pulled back. She would not give up and gave it all she had. Not looking forward to adolescense.

JJ has asked a lot of insightful questions regarding attachment. We now realize that for all the reading we did prior to meeting SS, we failed miserably at educating JJ. You live, you learn, and now he is getting a crash course. We are glad that he is interested and wants to help. Like P has said many times, "those two really love each other." As parents, that is one neat feeling.

JJ, this is what you get for taking a shower. I am stealing you skull hat, it looks better on me.

Eight months after Halloween, and SS is still fascinated by skulls.

Drawing to amuse his sister.

Look Mama, a drawing just for me. Mama, we need to get a D0ra M@gna D00dle for JJ.

Hanging out with Baba.

Bye for now...

T@rget St0mp
*Taken with JJ's phone*

Family Day: High fives and pats on the back.

Eleven months as parents to the most amazing little girl in the world. It seems that SS has been with us forever, but we know better. We know that she is still struggling with the loss of her SWI family. We know that SS is still grasping the concept of Mama and Baba, and how we are different than any other adult she encounters. For SS to understand and accept this, we have made changes, very unpopular changes. Believe me, I would gladly live in denial, but the price is too great. Also, I am a very unpopular person in my own home. SIGH

JJ called me Saturday, and stated that he wanted to do whatever is needed to help SS heal. However, he was concerned that SS would think that he did not want to hold her, kiss her, hug her, feed her, etc. I am gladly taking the blame, and reminding SS that only Mama and Baba hold her. JJ was concerned that the withholding of affection might cause SS more harm. I told him that he can high five SS and pat her on the back. JJ was obviously hesitant, but agreed to do as asked.

Seeing JJ and sticking to the new rules was hell on wheels. Actually, hell without wheels, because we are stuck in hell and can't get out. SS was devastated that her JJ did not hug and kiss her. Before driving home, we stopped for gas and JJ and I entered the convenience store, leaving SS in the van with P. P told me that SS had a meltdown, crying over JJ, not her Mama.

When we arrived home, SS woke up and reached out for her brother. P brought her upstairs to me, and the man was not happy. He was upset because he thought it was unfair to both SS and JJ. Sadly, life is not fair, because if it was, SS would have had a peachy existence at the SWI. She would not be experiencing loss, insecurity and lack of trust. I know that it comes across as cold, but that is our reality. It is also the first time JJ and SS have been together under this circumstances, and they both need to adjust. I have been blessed with amazing children, and I know that they both will get through this. Good thing I am not famous, or a M0mmy De@rest book would be in their future.

The drive from our home to JJ's town is one of the most boring ones I have ever traveled. Those three hours are sheer torture, with way too many curves to maneuver. Once JJ was in the van, we were able to relax and the drive home was very pleasant. We were talking and laughing, and the three hours really went by fast. It was nice to have our family together on Family Day.

On our way to get JJ

We are picking up JJ at work & will drive him home Wednesday evening. That is the reason P worked today. On Tuesday we get to hang out together. SS misses her brother terribly, and cries for him daily. She is going to be in JJ heaven.

Lazy Lagoon

We spent 2 hours in the lazy lagoon. SS did not want to be in the
water and spent the time in the inner tube with me. It seems that she
needs both of us to feel secure, or needs her Baba. The girl is smart,
she knows her Baba is a swimming instructor and a lifeguard.

Dip Dip

P is working and SS asked to dip dip. That is her word for water play. Here she is ready to enter the water park.

Creepy Guy

While our walk yesterday evening went really well, there was an incident that has remained on P's mind. When we arrived under the bridge, we saw four female teenagers goofing around, taking pictures of each other. I made a conscious effort not to look at them for long, because they were Asian, and OMG, they were beautiful. Mindful of how I feel about attention, I did not want to make them uncomfortable. I must admit that it made me think about what SS might look like in the future. Then again, I have decided that she is never growing up. Way off topic again...

We noticed that the girls were attempting to take a group picture, without success. P walked over to them, offered to take their picture, and they politely declined. When P sat next to me, I jokingly said, "Baby, they are teens, some creepy guy walks over and offers to take their picture. What did you expect them to say? In this day and age that is what we teach our kids. We teach them not to talk to older guys. You have reached the older guy, sir stage." If P is an older guy, I am a senior citizen. I really should think before I speak, because all P heard was "creepy guy," and he took it to heart. By now, the guy should know I was kidding. But P could just not let it go. He kept asking me if he gave a "creepy guy" vibe. P went on to point out that many people offer to help others with group pictures. True, when we were there with Grandpa, a woman walked over to us and did the same.

As we were getting ready to place the stroller in the van, the teens were walking by us, and P just had to say (mainly to himself), "Look at me, I am with MY wife and MY daughter, AND I drive a mini van for G0d's sake. I am NOT a creepy guy." I was very tempted to correct him and point out that I drive the mini van, he drives a sedan. I know, I really need to grow up. But I detected a hint of dejection, and made sure to reassure P that I was kidding, and that the girls were most likely shy.

P has mentioned "creepy guy" several times today. That incident really made an impression on the poor guy. Here is my desperate attempt at making it better:

P IS NOT A CREEPY GUY.

Now, tell me honestly, does he look like a creepy guy?

Yes, P blatantly used SS to increase his "not a creepy guy" vibe.

Guess what SS had for dinner?

What could it be?

I know, way too easy. SS was in nu-nu heaven again. While she is using both hands for most tasks, she only holds her silverware with her left hand. I hope she remains a leftie, I have a thing for lefties.

SS has been using more words consistently and pairing 2-3 words. This is more than we expected, since she came to us at 15 months and is grappling with two languages. To further confuse poor SS, we are using more Spanish around her. I got lazy for a while there and need to rectify that lag. When P is home, whatever he says in English, I repeat in Spanish. I sometimes wonder why I subject her, and us to this.

So far SS has said:
- Help please, agua.
- Help me.
- All done.
- All gone.
- Poo poo in potty.
- Pee pee in potty.
- Mama, shoes go.
* We'll add more as we remember*

She has been saying "stop it," when she does not want more food. Last night, she said it when P was taking her picture. We thought she was playing, just being silly. This evening, SS proved she means business. P had taken about a dozen pictures, when SS said "stop it," and did this:

She is not waving there. SS is deliberately placing her hand in front of the lens. It looks like our days of taking a minimum of 100 pictures of SS daily (to get one good shot) are coming to an end.

Evening walk with Baba.

SS almost fell asleep after dinner, making us panic (video below). It was only six thirty and that means a thirty minute power nap, and up until 1:00 a.m. In a desperate attempt to get her attention, I asked if she wanted to see ducks. Bingo! SS was wide awake and ready for a walk.

We have lived here almost two years, but had never visited this area in the evening. We walked for ninety minutes, and spent one hour letting SS burn some energy. During our walk, SS was treated to a chorus of frogs, and some funky noises from the turtles. I have never heard the turtles during our morning walks. It must be a nocturnal thing. SS was thrilled that Baba was walking with us, and showed off her impressive sense of direction. She knew when our loop is almost over, and announced "duck, duck." From there we go on the opposite direction, and SS began to get excited before we reached "where the water gets loud," aka our turn around point.

SS had a blast running around and making it very difficult for P to get a decent picture. It began to rain as we were leaving, giving us an opportunity to try out the plastic cover on the stroller. It worked perfectly, and SS was dry upon reaching the van. She would have fallen asleep during the drive home, but I neglected to bring Dog and Sn00py blanket. SS played and danced with Zebra. She could have been crying instead. :)

Pictures by P (except last one).










Remember, we never claimed to be good parents. It should not come as a shock that we did not let her sleep in peace.

Cuteness

This humbling moment brought to you by the letter S:

While visiting the fishes, I had another dumb moment and SS let me know. She was looking at the fish, and repeating the word fish. Nothing new there. SS said Baba, and I responded that Baba's at work. Again, typical banter for us. I was not looking at her, because I was looking for something in the diaper bag. SS urgently repeated Baba, while pointing at the tank. I thought that was weird, because SS has the concept of fish down.

SS then looked at me with utter frustration, but with an intensity that I have only seen a few times before. I know that look. That look means, "Dear G0d woman, how dense are you? Seriously, how were you ever approved to parent a child?" Then something I have said to SS about a hundred times came to mind. Light bulb moment. I said, "SS, is that Baba's favorite fish? Is the sturgeon Baba's fish?" My darling daughter has sarcasm down, because she remained quiet for a few seconds, then began to enthusiastically applaud and yell "YEAH!" As in, finally, my mother got it, whoohoo. Funny how kids listen to you repeat things ad naseum, not letting on that they get it, then spring it on you unexpectedly. SS recognizes a sturgeon, while all other fish look alike.

Pad Thai lunch.

Update: SS decided that our rice was more appealing than her noodles, and did not eat as much as we expected. P and I ate some of her noodles, but SS took the bulk home. For dinner, our noodle eating champ polished every noodle brought home.

Bouncing S.

As expected, SS is having some difficulty mastering tasks that are easy for most two-year olds. We do not have any concerns about her intellectual development, but there are some physical development hurdles. SS has yet to get a bearing on her legs, because of lack of coordination and lack of strength. Now that she is spending time in the water, all that kicking should help. SS is also unable to jump. She's trying really hard, but it is just not happening. Yesterday, P asked me to pick her up a bouncing toy, to help practice jumping. P and SS had a blast trying out the bouncy thing while I cooked dinner. Darn, I always get to miss on the fun. It might take a while, as SS is more interested in bouncing on her butt, and throwing herself backwards.

There is actually a down side to positive reinforcement. This afternoon, I had to use the bathroom at the store. I do not think I will be stepping into a public restroom with SS again. She has been in them with me so many times, but yesterday I was in for a treat. As soon as I sat down, SS kicked into cheerleader mode. "Yeah, Mama potty, yeah!" She laughed, she clapped her little hands, she was in full potty positive reinforcement mode. SS proceeded to give a blow by blow of what should be a very private moment. She also took the liberty to embellish what was happening. SS loudly announced, "Yeah, Mama poo-poo potty!" and regaled everyone in that bathroom with her rendition of the poo poo in the potty song. OMG, she was so loud. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to hear other people laughing while this is going on? Why didn't SS use her sign? This would have been a wonderful opportunity to just use her sign. She did, but also shouted the word. I was mortified and tried to get her to quiet down, to no avail. This is why a firm handshake, and a sincere congratulations is the way to go. From now on, I will be wearing Depends when we are out and about without P.

A few years ago, I received an e-mail with an article written by the mother of a three-year old boy. She had made the mistake of visiting a public restroom for #2, and the little boy ran with the commentary. In her case, her son commented upon the smell, called her a good girl when he heard it, and said she was going to get candy. P and I laughed so hard we almost cried. It is one of the funniest things I have ever read in my life. That is, because it did not happen to me.

SS did not get another toy, this is a therapeutic tool.

She'll do anything but jump.

The face that gets us through the rough days.

Better landing here than on the sidewalk.

I just saw these pictures, the things that go on when I'm not looking.

SS's dinner, arroz con gandules (pigeon peas), aguacate and bacalaito frito (cod fritter).

This is not her first taste of the bacalaito frito. She ate half of P's, and managed to eat the one you see here.

Help please, agua.

We returned to the water park this afternoon. SS was not pleased about the hat I made her wear. It covers her neck and ears, and that is what matters to us. She tried to take it off the entire time we were there. Unusual for her, since she loves hats. Sure take it off, then we go home. SS had a great time in the lazy lagoon. We had a double inner tube, but she enjoys being in the water. P and I sit in the inner tube, and we take turns holding her in front of us. Every so often, we take turns with her in the water. She spent close to 45 minutes in the water, kicking her feet, blowing bubbles, floating on her back (with her PFD, of course), and pretending to be a shark, attacking her Mama. After some slide and pool fun, we returned to the lazy lagoon for an encore, sans inner tube.

It is remarkable how inconsiderate teens and adults can be. People did not care that a little girl was in the water and would try to plow over her. P and I had to push several inner tubes and glare at swimmers. You know, that "don't you dare get close to my child or I will kill you" look. SS took matters into her own hands. I do not know what was the trigger, but at a point, SS yelled at some teens in an inner tube "HEY, NO!" The teen girl was stunned and it seemed she was going to respond, when she met my glare. Problem solved. Later, just before P and I could put our hand out, SS pushed and inner tube and said, "GO." Do not invade SS's personal space. She is no longer on Chinese boundaries, she's got her new home's boundaries down.

We did not reprimand her for speaking up. Yes, we were pretty surprised, since SS was the smallest child in that lagoon. It takes guts to stand up for yourself when everyone around you outweighs you, and towers over you. Plus, it was darn funny. SS will have to deal with being the smallest child probably 98% of the time. We want her to find her voice and be confident. Let's face it, children are cruel creatures and bullies abound. Girls are the worst offenders, as they not only bully physically, but also emotionally. While most girls will be participating in gymnastics and dance (nothing wrong with that), SS will be learning martial arts. Watch out world.

SS surprised me by using her first English-Spanish combo. I was holding her in front of the inner tube, and I lifted her half-way up. She squirmed, then stunned me by saying, "Help please, agua." My little girl wanted me to drop her in the water. I was so excited, and know I made a fool out of myself, by congratulating SS on her word choice. SS already has down ojos (eyes), ombligo (navel), coco (coconut), pelo (hair), manos (hands), and is not as clear on many others, like arroz (rice). She can repeat much of what we say in Spanish.

I did not know that becoming an adoptive parent causes deafness. We were getting ready to leave, when a woman very close to us noticed SS and alerted her friend. No biggie that we clearly heard her say, "Look, hurry, look at her, the cutest Chinese girl." The friend looks, and they gush, yeah big yawn. Then the second woman turns to her friend and asks, "Well, what's the deal, is SHE (me) the mother?" Oh, wise, loud woman, here's a bit of advice, your friend knows as much as you do about us. If you are so interested, asks us, not your equally loud and equally clueless friend. Also, we are adoptive parents, we are not deaf. For the record, we were not signing to SS at the time. Even if we were, we always sign and talk.

OK, I'm ready to hit the water.

Wiped out after swimming her tiny buns off. We rewarded her with a nutritious meal of french fries and a vanilla shake. The sad part is that we are not kidding.

Happy after inhaling her fries and shake.

SS's first cavern experience. (Updated)

After the tour, we were discussing how well SS behaved. We have mentioned this many times,but it still surprises us. What kind of fun is being strapped to a sweaty parent for hours, and spending time in a boring, dark showcase of stalactites and stalagmites? We are fortunate that we can do things with our two-year old, and do not want to forget. The attachment concerns aside, we are lucky, blessed beyond belief.

We sometimes wonder if it is her nature, or just a function of how we became a family. We met, climbed on a bus, lived in hotels, ate at restaurants, and toured. Then there's the inevitable long flight home. I have read many blogs about SS's sisters and brothers, and this appears to be common. Our kids are troopers. Is it because we met, then for two weeks lived out of suitcases? Whether our children lived in a SWI or in foster care, they were accustomed to little stimulation. One day they meet their forever family, and enter a vortex of activity. Such a drastic change is a piece of the attachment puzzle. We try to keep things as low key as possible for SS. But, we also enjoy doing things with her. We enjoy looking at her beautiful face, her expression and enjoyment. SS thank you for being a spectacular little girl.

You did not think I would deny you the hotness that is P? Like I said, the littlest spelunker was strapped to me most of the time, thus the presence of my ugly mug.

The Cavern Monster strikes.

And SS brought out the handsome man within.

Having fun while the bus waited for clearance.

I bet you never knew an empty plastic bottle could be such a source of entertainment.

This is funny, we did not expect the tour to be like D*sney. One of our first stops was to pose for a picture. Really low quality, sorry. We purchased the picture for SS in the future; she needs evidence of the things we made her endure for her therapist. We wish it was better quality because the dude took only one shot, and got SS looking at the camera. Then I realized that it is very similar to this picture:

Sniff. Look how little she was, and how little hair she had. This was barely ten months ago. Her little arm is in the same position, and my arms in a very similar place. We really miss China.