Can I brag about my daughter?

I'm so proud of Kenzie.

Don't know if anyone is aware, but she's been taking tap dancing lessons since August of last year. She's never had any dance instruction prior, and not seeing any real interest in dance previously, I wondered if she would like it when I signed her up.

Here we are just 3 days from her recital date and I just have to say I am extremely proud of how she has taken to the lessons. She once watched some older girls dancing a complicated routine, and she got so excited and fired up. I asked her if she wanted to dance like that someday and she said yes. So I told her that those kids didn't get good at their dance routine by doing it once a week for a half hour at the dance studio... they practiced their steps at home as well. And if she ever wanted to dance like that, she needed to start practicing her dance steps now.

Well, it took a little effort (especially on Mama's part - since I had to do it with her) but we began practicing, and she began getting better and better. When she was noticeably having difficulty with a step, I'd walk her through it slowly, having her copy me, then make her repeat it a few times until I think she was getting the idea. The difference was noticeable after about 3 weeks of practicing the dance three times a night twice a week.

Last night, all the girls were dressed in their uniforms for pictures and a practice session. They did the dance once with the instructor, and then they did it without the instructor.

Kenzie's hard work paid off. Kenzie just kept dancing no matter what. When the other kids faltered, Kenzie would do the next step and they'd follow along. She knew the steps, kept with the music, and I was so happy at that moment. (Ok, maybe a small part of me is living vicariously through my daughter with this dance stuff, because my first passion in life was dancing... ) One of the instructors who knows my husband well went up to Kenzie and told her how impressed she was with her dancing. She asked Kenzie if she practiced, and Kenzie nodded her head. She told Kenzie it showed - that she was really good at her dance.

I was so happy that the instructor said that to Kenzie. It will give her incentive to work hard when she does this again. I hope she gets as much joy out of dancing the way I used to when I was younger. She says she wants to continue.

Hopefully, I will be posting a YouTube video of her recital very soon.

Looking more like June for referrals

The latest from Rumor Queen is that the cutoff is probably the 12th of January 2006. For the uninitiated in the realm of international adoption, that means that the China Center of Adoption Affairs is currently matching referrals to people's dossiers logged in between Jan 10-12, 2006. Sooooo..... we are Jan 16, which means that we probably won't see a referral until June of this year... or worse, July. My blog is coming true. Did I jinx myself? (NOTE TO SELF: STOP MAKING PREDICTIONS THAT ARE NEGATIVE....)

According to our local allergists, the pollen count for trees and grass is HIGH. No shit! My sinuses and lungs are feeling it right now. I have to occaisionally go into an animal lab that houses rats and mice to do some work, and that usually sends me into a tailspin with my allergies. But when I walk in there and get relief from my allergies... you know the pollen is bad!

Mom is coming along with therapy for her shoulder. Her physical therapist is very satisfied with her ability to walk and get up/down stairs, so she's going to stop the physical therapy on Thursday. But she'll still need about 3-4 weeks of occupational therapy, so she can dress herself. I think someone told mom that she would be "out of here in no time." Can't do that with my mother. She thinks that means that she was going to be sent home last weekend... or this weekend... or in a couple of days... she starts putting dates in her head rather than milestones to reach. But at this point, she's still not very rational. Case in point... she called me last night to say that there was no heat in her room and she's never going to stay in a rehab place ever again. I told her she just needed to talk with the people at the nurse's station. Instead, she wanted me to do it, because she was cold and she wasn't paying for a cold room and she didn't want to stay there any more (same old song and dance with mom...)

So I called the nurse, and she said Mom's roommate just talked with her about the heat not working. (The lady must be 10 years older than mom, but she's got sense enough to go to the source to get help.) The nurse was just leaving to walk down to the room to see what was wrong. Turns out the heating unit was unplugged. Mom can't do anything logical for herself... no - she likes being a victim rather than taking charge of her situations. My brothers are the same way. Sorry to be kvetching this way, but I'm just so tired between the allergies and no sleep and running interference for mom and keeping track of all the appointments I have for her and Kenzie and myself...

I'm hoping spring gets this pollen crap out of the way - only once the tree and grass pollen settle down, it will be weeds. I'm not sure I'll ever beat all the problems I have with the allergies.

OK, kvetching over. Tonight Kenzie is going to have a full dress recital and there will be pictures taken of the girls in their costumes. I am definitely doing the makeup thing with Kenzie. It'll be a trial run for Friday night's rehearsal, and then Saturday night's recital. I'm so excited for her.

I just want to hide somewhere

I don't feel like posting much - but sure wish I could hide in a hole for awhile.

Mom's going back in for surgery soon for a total shoulder replacement, the last one and hopefully it will make her life better. I wish she had done this four years ago when she first started having problems with her shoulders... but she was acting more like a little kid than an adult at that time. After letting the problem worsen with time, she finally came to the conclusion (when the pain got so great that she was in tears on a daily basis) that she needed to have the surgery. After the first shoulder was done, and she saw what a difference it made in her level of pain and her ability to do certain tasks, she was ready to jump in and get the other one done right away.

My brother Richard is finally calling mom again (after not having called her since Christmas day of 2007). On Christmas day, all he could do is tell her that it made him mad that she always took my side and not his. Now, does that sound like a mature, 49 year old man? Ummmm...... Nope. More like a 8 year old child. It's not a matter of mom taking sides. It's a matter of him acting like a jerk and treating mom badly when things don't go his way. And she isn't going to put up with it.

Now he's calling mom and is asking a thousand questions about Kenzie. I have forbidden mom to talk about her any more with him. My instincts have been dead on with my brothers since all this trouble started - and I'm never wrong about what is going on. Richard is fishing for something to hang on me. He's trying once again to get me into some kind of trouble. What he doesn't realize is that both he and Bill are just widening the gap between her and them. Anything that would hurt me would hurt Kenzie, and that is the last straw. If it goes any further with any other unsubstantiated allegations to any authorities, I get a really good bastard lawyer with a tough law firm and file charges. Defamation, harrassment, slander - whatever I can put in the suit.

There wasn't any referral this month - OBVIOUSLY - or I would have screamed it from the mountain tops. So now I feel like crawling into a little hole and just hibernating until the next round of referrals come. However, I really don't expect it to be coming in May. More like June (what a great birthday gift for me).

And with my job going to hourly and no more time off, any time I take off to help mom is time I don't get paid. However, I am there to help mom... and that is what I have to do.

Here's to hoping that things will look up once mom has the operation and can get back home from rehab.

Mama's little helper vs Mama's little goofball

Oh... just posting some pics showing my daughter at both her helpful best and her goofy best. First the helpful child. She is always wanting to help with something... This time it was helping pick up yard waste at my mother's home.

And now for the goofball in her. OH my gosh - April 1 was "Mis-match Day" at her daycare and I went to town on the mis-matched clothes, hair and accessories. She went to town on her face with a chocolate chip cookie - on purpose. And she loved doing it. Oh well, we have fun and there is NEVER a dull moment.