Haircut time

With the weather getting hotter, the kids were begging for me to get them haircuts. They were so sweaty by the end of the day.

I hated to cut a lot of hair off - so I decided on leaving as much on their heads as possible and still getting it off their necks. Here you can see before and after pics. Jia's hair had really grown out over the last six months.

Jia Before

Kenzie Before

Looks to me like Jia loves the haircut process.
She saw Kenzie getting her haircut and was very cooperative.

Jia looks every inch the Broadway show girl.

Kenzie loves her haircut. And that smile
melts my heart, as always.

Oh, yeah. Broadway - here she comes.

So much to catch up on

There's a lot to talk about and a lot has happened.

First, let's talk about mom. She had fallen on April 30 and fractured her hip (I believe I talked about this before.... didn't I?) Anyway... she's been hearing and seeing things that just aren't possible. Like seeing a parade and asking my if I enjoyed it. When I asked what parade, she said, "Well, you were riding in the train!" All I can say is that it must have been some parade - and I'm sorry I missed it!

This kind of behavior has been going on for some time - and worsening over the last six months since we got home from adopting Jia last year. Now, last Thursday, in the middle of the night, she got up out of bed (a BIG no-no) and she fell. You can see the results below. Note, this is from the following Monday night... and I think she's darn lucky she didn't get hurt much worse.

We asked that the rehab center give her some kind of competency testing due to the decline I've seen in her for the last six months and her behaviors. She came back with a score of 17. I'm told that is highly impaired for competence. I don't know what the highest score is on the test... but even if it is 30, 17 is still pretty low. Previously, mom had scored a 28 and a 27 the other two times in the past 2 years she had taken it and was found to be competent. We'll do another test when it is time to think about either releasing her or having her become permanent in the nursing home.

Then last night was Jia's first dance lesson. She couldn't stop smiling the whole time... and guess what! She's pretty good.

She looks every inch the dancer! And she loves the duds!

Just try to wipe that smile off her face!

Last night was also Kenzie's Kindergarten celebration. The four kindergarten classes got up on a small stage and sang several songs - too cute for words, and I hope I can render some video to post on here soon. I couldn't keep from tearing up. Our little girl is growing up so fast Almost five years ago we traveled to China to adopt this precious little baby - and she's growing up into this incredible little girl. I'm choking up again, and people in the restaurant are beginning to stare. Let them.

Kenzie with her Kindergarten teacher. She is a great teacher for the kids. They love her. and you can see Kenzie is so happy to be with her.

C'mon, Daddy. I want to show you something!

Her writing folder from the year with some of her work.

I do believe Jia is anxious to start Kindergarten, too.

Home study

Saturday, we had our 6 month home study. I always enjoy seeing Jennifer, the social worker who began this journey with us almost 4 years ago. She is a lovely young woman who is the mother of two young boys (one Kenzie's age and one about 3 years old). Jia wouldn't speak to her at first - which had us laughing in tears almost - Jia is just not like that at all... but once she warmed up to Jennifer, she couldn't be quieted.

Roy brought an old computer keyboard to Jennifer and said "Have her show you her letters." Jia proceeded to name each number and letter for her. Jen was impressed with how much language and understanding - even understanding the nuances of the English language - that Jia had. She said that she was amazed by how much Jia had learned in just six months. Roy and I were thinking that we would keep Jia out of Kindergarten for another year originally - but her learning curve is so steep, we're now considering enrolling her somewhere in Kindergarten. She needs to continue the learning.

I have to say, both Roy and I are astonished and pleased at how quickly Jia learns stuff... and Roy especially is impressed with her intelligence. He worked with Headstart a long time ago as a teacher, so he is familiar with child development and learning. I give him credit - he has been spending time with Jia in the evenings working with her on computers since tax season "officially" ended (he's still doing extensions)... and she is thriving on his attention. He is, without a doubt, a truly great dad.

I'm looking forward to seeing Jennifer again in November. Can't wait to have her see how much Jia is learning at that point.

You've got to read this story...

And if you can help - I encourage you to do so. This situation happens so rarely - and support of any kind is needed.

Go to this blog, Just a Minute Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

The following was Kenzie's "secret surprise" for me. I have to admit - it brought tears to my eyes. Jia wanted to know if I was mad... she was a bit confused as to why I would cry. LOL! I'm wondering why she is equating crying with being mad....

The above translates to Shirts.

We later went to visit mom. Seems she is going through bouts of lucidity and la-la land. The nurses and aides there are keeping records (or are supposed to be) of what she says and her actions, and the social worker was going to give her a test to see if she is competent at this point... for some of the things she has said to me over the past week, I hope they can tell that she's having trouble differentiating between reality and her hallucinations?/dreams?/perceptions?. Poor thing... it's hard for anyone to watch any family member go through this... but I had some preparation when it happened to dad at the end. He swore that mom was trying to kill him - although she may have wanted to, considering how demanding he was during the years he was hindered with a stroke - I know she wouldn't have hurt him on purpose in any way...


God bless all the moms on Mother's Day and throughout the year.

Happy Birthday Roy

Today is Roy's 61st birthday. The girls were thrilled to be able to give daddy his presents... and couldn't wait until he would get back home tonight. So here are the pics.

He needed a new keyboard and mouse for his computer. I was lucky to find ones that attached via USB cable.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

The other day, Kenzie and Jia were playing "Recital". Kenzie, in her impishness, talked Jia into putting this child's purple lip gloss on her face - around her mouth, her cheeks and eyebrows. That was her recital "make-up". As you can see, Kenzie is in the background and was laughing her hiney off over the whole thing because Jia did what she told her to do.

Now THAT reminds me of me and how I talked my brother Richard (he had been 16 and I was 18) into allowing me to make him up so he looked like a junkie. Red rimmed, sunken eyes, skin was whitened, and I made blue veins sticking out all over - he looked like something from the night of the living dead. I talked him into walking into the police station moaning and walking weirdly - it was a small town so it wasn't like there were dozens of police hanging out at the station - only one. It not only scared the heck out of the lone policeman who was there, Richard got scared too. I was parked outside with my then current boyfriend and he was urging me to just drive off and leave him there.

I couldn't do it.






Another funny thing that happened last night. I'll preface this with telling you that we have told girls that boys have penises and girls have vaginas - because they have brought up the discussion of why boys stand up to pee and girls sit down (thank you daycare and preschool for not making this more private). We have always used the clinical terms for body parts - to encourage direct and frank dialogue between us.

Roy "caught" Jia using the toilet in "his" bathroom (we try to stay out of it except for giving the girls a bath).

He told her that she wasn't allowed to use his bathroom - only boys and rhinos are allowed to use his bathroom.

She told him, "I'm a boy!"

Roy asked her where her penis was.

Jia: I lost it. Now I just have a boogina. (Jia's way of saying vagina.)

Roy: Where did you lose it?

Jia: I dunno. Oops! I found it. It fell in the toilet.


Um... 'nuff said. I don't think Roy could stop laughing long enough to comment back.

2009 Recital - The Charleston

Tap lessons $405.00
Makeup $130.00
Dance Costume
Tap Shoes
Two pairs of tights $105.00

Two minutes of glory on the stage - PRICELESS!

Enjoy!!!

Yesterday was the rehearsal for Kenzie's recital, which is tomorrow. She looks so glamorous in her outfit. They are doing a tap dance to Charleston music.. and Jia is just jumping at the bit to do the same thing.




After Kenzie had rehearsed, I got a call from my mother's neighbor. Mom had been taken out to the hospital emergency room - she fell off the back porch stoop. Roy took the kids and I went up to the hospital to check on her and talk with the emergency room doctor. While driving home, I got a call from Roy with the kids asking when I'd be coming home... and when I told them how long it would be before I got home, Kenzie began crying... "I want my mommy!" Omigosh...

Then today, we had to go to the doctor. Kenzie was at Kindergarten, and Jia was with me. As you can see, she isn't always a smiling little ray of sunshine. All she wanted to do was mess with my laptop - and I said no. I see this face a lot - far more often than you can imagine. LOL!



Oh, well... I have a feeling I'll see this a lot more as she gets to be a teenager. At least you know where you stand with her at any given moment.