LET'S TALK DECORATING!

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THE EXTRA ROUND FEMALE OPERATIC SINGER BELTED OUT HER TUNE

There is exactly 6 months that separates our log-in-date from the last day the CCAA matched this month. I'm not going to even do the math to see how long it has taken them to refer the last 6 months. Congratulations to all the families that will soon see their baby for the first time.

SICK

UPDATE: I'm feeling a lot better this morning. Ian is still carting around his barf bowl but thank goodness, he hasn't used it since last night. I am concerned because he is calling it his new friend......Note to self: Set up more play dates for Ian with other children. Melissa, I will be sending you the bill from the carpet cleaners so watch your mailbox.
This guy looks like I feel. Ian & I have come down with the stomach flu. It's has gotten pretty ugly & messy around here in the last hour. Melissa, I should have known that when you got sick, I wouldn't be far behind. Just so you know....I'm blaming you for this! I'm sure you brought this Georgia virus to Chicago with you!

WHO KNEW???

Who knew it could be soooooooo simple? I was shopping at Toys R Us last night at 10:30 p.m.
This afternoon I plan on making a few purchases at American Eagle and maybe tonight a purchase from the computer store. I'm not even planning on getting out of my P.J.'s all day. Don't worry, it's not because I'm depressed (although, I think AOS stands for a-load of sh#@!)...... I had that DAMN foot wart treated again yesterday and I can't walk (& you can't get it wet for 48 hours) AND I don't feel like having my foot dangle out of the garden tub so I'm staying in my P.J.'s! Please, if you are planning on stopping over....Call first!

I've got my tree up. I was hoping that it would help get me in the spirit of Christmas. I'm not going to lie to you.....I'm not feelin' it. Where are the referrals? What happened to AOS (all of September)? Can you tell that this post is being brought to you by a woman suffering from P.R.S. or pre referral syndrome?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!

A WHOLE LOT OF RAMBLING

UPDATE OF THE UPDATE:

WE HAD THE MEETING THIS MORNING. I CAN'T SAY IF WENT GREAT BUT WE DID SETTLE A FEW THINGS.

1. GRIFFIN WAS IN SCHOOL TODAY.
2. THEY ARE GOING TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE.
3. THE ASS SAT THERE THE ENTIRE TIME AND SAID NOTHING EXCEPT, "I DON'T REMEMBER."
4. THEY ARE GOING TO TELL THE KID THAT BRINGS THE GAME TO SCHOOL TO LEAVE IT AT HOME. HE ALSO ISN'T ALLOWED TO BRING HIS SILLY PUTTY TO CLASS ANYMORE.
5. I WAS ABLE TO TELL THE PRINCIPAL THAT SHE NEEDS TO WATCH WHAT SHE SAYS BECAUSE SOMEDAY SHE MAY FIND HERSELF IN A WORLD OF TROUBLE IF SOME KID THINKS SHE REALLY THINKS HE'S STRANGE.
6. THE PRINCIPAL APOLOGIZED TO GRIFFIN & EXPLAINED HER STRANGE BOY COMMENT. SHE DID SAY THAT THE KID THAT GRIFFIN GAVE THE GAME TO SAID HE DOESN'T REALLY KNOW GRIFFIN. GRIFFIN SAID THAT THE KID NEVER SAID THAT. IT WAS HER WAY OF TRYING TO GET OUT OF IT.
7. GRIFFIN SAID THAT HE HEARD FROM SOME KID THAT THE SCHOOL IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE GAME. NOTHING WAS MENTIONED TO US ABOUT THAT SO I'M NOT SURE.
8. JEFF TOLD THEM THAT THIS BETTER BE REMOVED FROM HIS RECORD. THEY WILL ONLY DO THAT IF SOMETHING NEW COMES UP IN THE RE-INVESTIGATION. JEFF SAID SOMETHING LIKE......IF THIS ISN'T REMOVED FROM MY SON'S RECORD, WE WILL BE TAKING THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
9. MR. ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT PICKED UP HIS KEYS AND SAID, "THIS MEETING IS OVER."
10. I'M TIRED.

UPDATE: WE HAVE A MEETING AT 7:15 A.M. ON TUESDAY WITH THE TWO PRINCIPALS AND THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT. JEFF SPOKE WITH THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT ON THE PHONE TODAY FOR QUITE AWHILE. HE WAS VERY UPSET WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT WHAT THE PRINCIPAL SAID ABOUT STRANGERS & STRANGE BOYS. HE WAS EXTREMELY WORRIED THAT GRIFFIN IS NOT UPSET OVER THIS COMMENT. I JUST WANT MY SON BACK IN SCHOOL AND THIS CRAP OFF OF HIS RECORD.

I have hardly slept since Griffin was suspended on Friday. I wake up in the middle of the night and play out all these conversations in my head. Most of the time the conversation turns to something you might see on the Jerry Springer Show. Jeff told me that maybe some of the words that I have chosen might not be appropriate and he suggested I make a list of some other words that may have the same meaning (example: bitch= female dog in heat). I think I better let him do most of the talking because I haven't made that list. I also need to have my fingerprints done again so I probably shouldn't pound anyone's face into the cement. Here is what has got me all worked up......

Griffin said that the principal came into the conversation that the assistant (she will be from here on out known as the ass.....Just so I don't have to keep typing the whole word :) principal was having with all of them. The principal listened to the ass for awhile and then said to Griffin, "It looks like you are busted." The principal then said to the kid that Griffin gave the game to...Do you ever watch CSI or shows like that? It's like at the airport, you don't want to take anything from a stranger because it may have a bomb in it. It's the same thing, you don't want to take anything from STRANGE boys. First, this kid knows my son so he isn't a stranger. Second, she didn't give my son the same lecture when he took the game from the first kid. Third, whether she was "joking" or not, she has labeled my son strange. Now, what would happen if one of the days she says something like that to the wrong kid. What if the kid is kind of a loner and might already feel like he is different than the other kids. That might be the type of kid that comes home and hurts himself OR goes back to the school with a gun. Thank goodness, my son is the type of kid that can laugh about it. This woman should be smart enough to know better. I'm telling you, my blood is BOILING!! We are still waiting for a call from the superintendent. I should be spending this time trying to think of appropriate words.

REPORT FROM THE MOLE

Melissa, it's alright to read this post. I do make a mention of RQ but...... It's all good...................


I had my friend talk to her relative that works for the adoption agency. Back in October they felt that the wait time was 14 months. They STILL believe the wait time will be about 14 months. The Rumor Queen is still stating that a couple of U.S. agencies are saying 14-15 months. This may or may not be one the the U.S. agencies that RQ is talking about. I'm still feeling somewhat encouraged at this point. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will be traveling this summer. I will keep you posted with any info she gives me.

I really want to say THANK YOU for all the B-day wishes and most of all....... Those that commented regarding what happened to Griffin at school, THANK YOU! I told Griffin that ALL the people that commented thought what happened to him was wrong and Griffin smiled. Jeff and I will be calling the superintendent on Monday morning to set up an appointment. I will take this AS FAR as it can possibly go and I will keep you guys posted along the way. This Momma Bear is pissed.

WE INTERRUPT ALL THIS BIRTHDAY FUN........

My 12 year old was suspended from school today. I get a call around 10:30 from Griffin that he has been suspended from school for three days. I asked him to put the principal on the phone so I can find out what happened. I would like to add that Griffin is a straight A student and it is very rare that he is ever in trouble. Here is the story........

• A boy brought his gameboy to school and brought it into class.
• Another boy took the cartridge out of the game (the principal said as a joke-her words) and gave the cartridge to Griffin.
• Griffin claims that he didn't know the owner of the game. He didn't want the game and he gave it to some kid that rides his bus.
• The kid that rides the bus didn't want the game and decided to smash it.

The principal told me that Griffin was not honest with her when she questioned him and therefore, he was suspended for three days. I asked her if he ever came clean with her (she said she had the boys in her office for 1 hour) and she said, " NO" (remember that for later). I told her that I thought that three days was a bit harsh. She felt that because she spent so much time with them trying to get to the bottom of things, it was fitting. Griffin is the ONLY kid that is suspended and the ONLY kid that is responsible for paying for the game.

I then came home and talked about what happened with Griffin. This is Griffin's story........

• The owner of the game found out that the first kid gave the game to Griffin. He asks Griffin for the game and Griffin tells him that he gave it to a kid on the bus. Griffin then asks the kid on the bus and he says he broke it.
• The owner of the game (BTW, he is in NO trouble for bringing a game to class when it is NOT ALLOWED tells the principal and the kids are all brought down to her office.
• The first kid says that the owner of the game was passing the gameboy around in class. He was goofing around and took the game and then gave it to Griffin. Griffin said he never saw the kid passing it around in class and had no idea whose game it was.
• The principal points to the gameboy and asks Griffin if he ever touched it. Griffin told her that he never touched it. She again points to the gameboy and asks him if he ever touched it and again he tells her that he hasn't. Griffin then realized that she wasn't talking about the gameboy but the cartridge (that isn't even there). He admits to having the cartridge and giving it to the kid on the bus.
• The kid that broke the cartridge says that it didn't have a label on it and that is why he broke it.

The principal then tells Griffin that he HAD to know whose game it was because she looked at his test scores and he was a smart boy. She never let him speak again when tried to explain that he never peeled off the label. She told him that what he did was stealing and that is what she put on his form for being suspended. That is what he will have on his permanent record. I know that my children are not perfect.... BUT.....I feel that this was wrong! How can he be suspended for the same amount of time that a kid would get for fighting? Please, if I wrong here, tell me.

Jeff called the principal and she told him a little different story. She said that Griffin wasn't telling the truth about touching the game. Jeff told her that Griffin thought she was talking about the gameboy. She then said that he did admit that he touched the cartridge and gave it to the kid on the bus. THE WOMAN TOLD ME THAT HE NEVER CAME CLEAN! She also told Jeff that she spent 45 minutes with them (she told me 1 hour & Griffin says 30 minutes) and she felt that she should have the power to decide how long a student should be suspended. She did cave in and said the the first kid should pay for 1/2 of the game. Jeff told her that a lot of it wasn't making sense and he wanted to have a meeting with all of us and her superior. My daughter told me that kids that are on drugs have been suspended for 5 days and my son is suspended for 3??? I agree that Griffin should have NEVER taken the game in the first place but the punishment does not fit the crime, IMO. Please tell me what you think. I can take it.

ANOTHER YEAR OLDER...

Today is my birthday. For those of you that know how old I am today......Zip it! I wanted to tell you something cute that my six year old has been saying. Ian is the only kid that I know that doesn't look forward to birthdays. Don't get me wrong, he LOVES the presents....He has zero interest in getting older. He wants to be my little boy FOREVER and always live with Mommy & Daddy. That would be perfectly fine with me. When I told him that my birthday was approaching he said....Oh NOOOOOO, Mommy is going to be OLD!!! He then proceeds to fake cry as if he feels my pain. He then says, Mommy is going to have the gray hair LIKE Daddy!!!! He was convinced that this morning I would wake up and suddenly be old. I told Jeff that I wish I could have found a gray wig to wear this morning. I would have loved seeing his expression when he saw me with the gray hair LIKE Daddy (sorry Jeff)! To make sure that NEVER really happens, I have an appointment at the salon in the morning! No gray hair for this old lady!

WHAT IS THAT SMELL???

I went to the dentist this morning for my 6 month cleaning (alright, my 8 month cleaning). The lady puts me in the dental chair and I slowly begin to tip back. That is the point that I notice that I have dog crap on my shoe! I am horrified. What does a person do? Well........ I cross my other shoe over the poop shoe and was a nervous wreck the whole time. I casually look behind me to see if anything trailed in on the wood floors. Nothing. I took a couple of big sniffs and couldn't smell anything. I am then relieved that the hygienist wears a plastic mask and certainly she wouldn't be able to smell anything. Thank goodness. Then I worry about how to exit without leaving a trail. I kinda walked on the side of my foot and didn't put any weight on it when I was standing up to pay......Which BTW, took FOREVER! That's what I get for taking a short cut on the grass! I guess for as much money as our family pays the dentist every year.... He can afford to have his carpets cleaned.

OUCH!

If you read the title of my post, you might be thinking that I already had the suggested vaccinations for China. I have not. I did make a couple phone calls the other day and found out that they only had two appointments available (we need 5) at the health department for December 20th. The Hep A is a series of two shots that are six months apart. I can't believe that I am actually thinking (hoping) that it would be cutting is close with when I'm hoping to travel. The only one the doctor's office doesn't have is the Hep A....so that forces us to go to the health department. I have check traveling clinics and the only hope of getting 3 more appointments would be to travel MILES away. My children are current on everything but the Hep A (only because it's not required for school). How many of you have started the shots? How many of you are NOT going to bother? Talk me out of it........ I HATE PAIN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF!

Today is Jeff's Birthday! Happy Birthday, Peaches! Don't worry.... I'm not going to tell everyone how old you are. Your secret is safe with me (only because my B-day is in three days and I don't want him to return the favor). Jeff and I were born two years & three days apart. He likes to tell everyone that I'M the older one, but it isn't true. I love you, sweet cheeks!

THE NUMBER EIGHT

Today's post is being brought to you by the number eight. Our dossier has been logged in to China for eight looooooooooooong months. In case there is anyone out there that is wondering why I have a picture of the magic eight ball (you obviously AREN'T in the process of adopting from China) it's because asking the magic eight ball is probably our best guess as to when we will be getting our referral. Sad. I. Know. We at least have 8 months behind us.....THAT part is good. Happy 8 months to my LID buddy too.

CHICAGO

Create Your Own!

Before I tell you about our little trip to Chicago.....Melissa, are you not proud of me for doing the slideshow? I was so proud of it, I had to put it first.

Jeff and I left our house about 6:00 A.M. on Saturday to head to Chicago to meet Melissa & Darren and Kim & Mike (I guess on occasion, Mike also goes by Steve, hee hee). We were told that it takes about 3 hours from our place to Chicago. I had told Melissa and Kim that we would meet them in the lobby of the hotel at 9:30. At about 9:15, I decided to give both of them a call to tell them where we were at. I was worried that we might be a little bit late so I thought I better check in with them. First, I called Melissa and I got her voice mail and I left her a message. Then, I called Kim and left a message on her voice mail. About 10 minutes later I get a call from Melissa. She informs me that it is NOT 9:30 but 8:30 (Chicago is 1 hour behind us). I'm feeling like a complete idiot at this point but I am sooooo happy that I am actually early. I tell her not to rush and that Jeff and I were going to get gas and we would be there soon. I'm here to tell you that there are NO gas stations (and no bathrooms) in Chicago. My car is showing zero miles until empty and there isn't a gas station in site. Jeff is getting a little worked up at this point and giving me a lecture on why I shouldn't run my gas tank down so low. Finally, we find a station and all is good in the world. We then head back to try and find the hotel. I'm getting a little anxious because I realize that Jeff doesn't know where the hell he's going. The man used to live in Chicago for 7 years BUT he has no idea where we are. We are winding around street after street for what seems like FOREVER. Jeff then turns on to a street right into on coming traffic! I was REALLY freaking out when I noticed that he starts turning the map around in all directions. We FINALLY made it to the hotel about the time we were supposed to meet.We spot Darren right away when we walked into the lobby. Darren is one BIG man (NOT obese, just tall and muscular)! I was quite relieved thinking that if we had any trouble on the streets of Chicago, Darren had our backs!

I have to tell you that Melissa & Kim are EXACTLY the same people that you would expect from reading their blogs! It was not at all like meeting strangers, it was like getting together with old friends. Melissa is SO funny and Kim couldn't be any sweeter! After we got there we had some breakfast and then headed out to do a little shopping. I REALLY thought I was a shopper but then I met Darren. That man bought so much stuff that there was even some talk about having to ship things home! We then headed to Michigan Avenue to walk around some more. I have to say....THANK GOD for Kim & Mike, they were the ONLY ones that knew where we were going. If it wasn't for them, we would have been in serious trouble. I was a little worried when Mike gave his map away to a stranger on the street (see how nice these people are!) but he didn't need it. Mike & Kim had everything under control.

During our walk, we stopped off at the Apple Store so that we were able to get on the internet because we were all having the shakes being away from the blogs (the guys, not so much!). We were able to get another look at the BEAUTIFUL Maisie. We were able to talk about Tracy some more (Tracy, we would NEVER laugh about your blue heart post...Other things, yes, NOT the blue heart). Time kinda slips away once you get on the computer. We turn around and notice the men have all left the store!

We headed back to our hotel and sat around the lobby and to visit some more. Melissa and Kim brought such wonderful gifts for Ava. Kim gave us the cutest little pink frame that had Ava's name on it. Kim also gave us an ornament that had a stork on it. They were both ADORABLE! Melissa gave Ava a cute little pair of jeans and a pink shirt. I had also bought a cute little pair of jeans and a pink shirt for Melissa's Ava & Kim's Emma. Melissa and I ONCE again were on the same page! Melissa also gave Ava some Little People toys and a little Chinese doll that had a red thread in her pocket. Thank you both soooo much!

We met everyone on Sunday morning for breakfast. We noticed this BEAUTIFUL little girl at the next table that was from China. Melissa (the brave one) introduces herself to the mother and gets us the low down on the little girl. We thought it was best to explain to the mother that we were all in the process of adopting since NONE of us could keep our eyes off that beautiful baby girl! After breakfast we had to say our goodbyes. I wish so much that I lived closer to all of them. I'm here to tell you, there are MANY freaks on the internet BUT we managed to meet good friends. Jeff and I feel so fortunate to have met them all. I hope that it won't be long until we all get together again.....IN China!!

JANUARY IS OUT OF REVIEW!!

Congratulations to all the January families that are breathing easier this morning!

ONLINE FRIENDS

Jeff and I are heading to Chicago this weekend to meet up with two of my favorite blogging buddies, Melissa & Kramer and their husbands. We have told a few friends and family of our plans this weekend. Some people have asked....."Are just the two of you going for a little vacation?" I then explain that we are meeting a couple of friends that we have met online that are also adopting from China. Then comes the LOOK
Do you find that people just don't understand when you talk about your online friends? I have to say, a couple of years ago I probably would have given the same look out. Not anymore. Besides, they have all been fingerprinted by the FBI once or twice and had criminal background checks. No worries.

OH, HAPPY DAY!!!

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?

Is it just me, or are teachers getting younger? This is a picture of Ian's teacher that I took at the Halloween party yesterday. I had to hurry up and snap it because I didn't want him to think I'm stalking him or anything. This guy just looks really young to me. Jeff thought he looked like he could be one of the Backstreet Boys with his microphone headset thingy. I don't remember MY kindergarten teacher looking like this.

HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!!!

THE STORK IS IN THE AIR!! AT THIS POINT, WE KNOW THAT THE MONSTER DAY OF AUGUST 24TH IS INCLUDED!!!! WHOO-HOO!!!! I'M STILL HOPING THAT THEY WENT BEYOND THE 24TH (ONLY BECAUSE I'M NEVER SATISFIED) BUT IF NOT, THERE IS STILL REASON TO CELEBRATE!! WITH THEM INCLUDING THE 24TH, THE CCAA HAS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF REFERRALS FROM THE PAST MONTHS (AND MONTHS!!). WHOO-HOO!!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE FAMILIES THAT WILL BE SEEING THEIR BABIES PICTURES FOR THE FIRST TIME!!