Remodeling

I've been doing work at the house again. It all started when I moved into the house, and removed 3 walls - which left big holes in the ceiling. Combine those holes with water damage that was here in the ceilings due to roof damage prior to me owning, and toss in roof damage from the big storm last December, and it was time to get it fixed.

So, I was going to have the ceiling patched where needed, and then re-texture. Until I got a call from the contractor on the first day, and the entire ceiling was coming down. So - I am now in process for a much bigger job of removing all the popcorn, and smoothing out, putting a gentle texture on, and then painting. Here are some pics of the madness...

Yes, this is the living room that I am so proud of... the plastic on the walls is very surreal....

Plywood - gone.. New bookshelf to be built in... and this is looking into the kitchen...

Yes - my Dining room looks spectactular. Dinner? And, the view down the stairwell... it's a user friendly house right now...

Cheerleading, part duex

Well, we are most of the way through the season. It's been crazy. The cheer folks are under the auspices of the football association, and they are much more concerned about the cheer folks fundraising for the boys, than running a sport for the girls. I've been mostly pleased with the way they have approached cheer for those who are first year girls - give an overview of the sport, let them have fun, and give a good overall impression so that they determine where they want to go with cheer in the future. For the most part, we've hit it.

Now, I have to be honest. I was one of those folks in highschool who made fun of cheerleaders. I didn't want to be one, didn't want to know any of them, and now here I am as a mom letting the girls do what they think is cool. The girls have been in gymnastics for over 3 years (5 for Gwenn) and I've realized that these are tough sports - and cheer is no exception. I'm actually starting to think that cheer gyms may be the best way for those that are serious about cheerleading to compete and learn.

We'll see if they want to participate next year. For now, all I care is that they are having fun...

Olympic Torch Bearer

Hi All,

I'd love it if as many of you as possible would consider following this link and going to vote for Jenny as an Olympic Torch Bearer. Jenny Bowen is an amazing woman who founded Half the Sky, an amazing charity that directly impacts the lives of thousands of orphans in China each year. HTS is one of the charities that I support, and I have been very touched by the impact that they have had on the lives of children in China - not only those who are adopted, but those who remain behind.

How fantastic it would be to have Jenny as a torch bearer for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing - truely someone who has impacted thousands and thousands of lives...

Guatemala Suspends US Adoptions after 1/1/08

Well, it was bound to happen at some point, and the news started yesterday and is rushing in today - Guatemala will suspend all adoptions to the US starting 1/1/08. This will leave thousands of children who are "in process" of being adopted in a legal limbo, and their parents in worse shape - trying to ascertain if the child that they having been waiting for has the right paperwork to prove that they were relinquished within the legal guidelines and boundaries.

You can see the CNN video here, or read the article here...

Guatemala is one of the only countries where birth parents receive renumeration (read money) for relinquishing a child for adoption. Lawyers are the first line, and they recruit children through birth parents in local papers. Often these kiddos are truely in a situation where the parents can't care for them and the BP's want a better life for them - and they are relinquished. But in some cases there is a strong case for the fact that either the BP's have been paid to relinquish their child, or even worse, bullied into relinquishment.

Adoption can be a fantastic thing for children who need homes, and for parents who want to provide homes. But we cannot forget that a birth parent has the right to parent their child, even if they live in poverty, don't drive fancy cars, etc. While Guatemala does this shut down, I think it needs to refocus and remember that the American adoptive parents (AP's) are not at fault. If Guatemala was serious about reform they would look to countries like China, where there is a spotless reputation - and work to emulate them. No money for relinquishment of birth children by birth parents. Continue streamlined process to place children quickly into adoptive homes. Remove the lawyers from the process, and set up orphanages to manage and house the children as they wait for adoption.

It's going to be a long road for Guatemala. Now we just have to wait and see what the next steps this government will take to quickly review the legal status of the thousands of "in process" children, so that they can be reunited with birth parents, or united with their adoptive parents. Unfortunately, this legal limbo does the child no good.

Baptised and stuff

Well, this weekend was Lucy's baptism. We had a fine little party with friends and family, and now I get to clean up and enjoy.

Video on Mito

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Developmental Evaluation

This morning we had a developmental evaluation for Lucy. After not doing this when I adopted Gwenn, and early intervention would have been beneficial, I'm all in favor of doing the evaluation even if you think that your adopted child is on target.

So the news today is that they believe that for the most part Lucy is on target developmentally - for a 20-24 month old child, which is how old they assume that she really is. Now keep in mind, with a 4/24/05 birthdate, that puts her currently at 29 months - so they are thinking that she is 5-9 months younger than her paperwork states. That is in sync with the pediatrician, who is thinking that she is 6-7 months younger than her paperwork states.

At this point I've now started to think about changing Lucy's birthdate. I'm not emotionally tied to her birthdate, especially with mounting evidence that her birthdate may be either a work of fiction, or what I really think happened - the dates of another child whose paperwork somehow got mixed up with Lucy's. Somehwere out there is a child whose adoptive parents are thinking they have one of the most mature 2 year olds with congenital heart disease....

I'm not sure how I'll lean for birthdays. Right now I'm thinking about meeting in between somewhere - maybe a late August birthday (one less year of childcare) - she'll get into kindergarten early, unless at the time I feel that I need to hold her, with an August birthday I can make that decision. If she gets into school and is only a little behind folks will think "well, she has a late birthday" - but if I keep an April birthday and she is behind it would be more like "what's up with this kiddo!" I know a lot of folks in the adoption world think that you should keep the birthdate. But - if the date is fiction, or one that you have due to a paperwork mix up, let's not be emotionally tied to it - and deal with what might be best for the kiddo. I'm still in the decision making process, but I am leaning towards the date change.