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.

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.

Kenzie's first day of school

Kenzie had her first day of Kindergarten on Wednesday. Wow... my baby is growing up.

I took pictures and asked a couple of the mommies there to take our pictures together. She was just precious. As she was waiting in line with the other kids for the bus, I began to tear up... OH for crying out loud! It's just Kindergarten! What's going to happen when she's going off to college!

Looking a bit nervous...

A little more relaxed...

Then in the evening, we began a new year of dance and gymnastics. She talks like she really doesn't want to do it, but then when she's there, she has the biggest grin on her face and looks like she really enjoys it. I took pics of her in her suit just prior to her starting class.

Is there an exorcist in the house?

This morning when I was walking her to the bus, she asked, "Are you going to cry again today?" I assured her I wouldn't. I kept my word. I guess it embarrassed her .

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.

More fun with video - the dancing diva

I had so much fun with this. She was goofing off at my mother's house and I decided that I'd put it to some music. Nothing special - just a cute and fun video. Hope this puts a smile on your face for the day.

And by the way - the music ROCKS!

The Multicultural Festival

Our fair city has a Multicultural Festival every fall. On October 1st, we went to the complex where they were holding it. We always like going to this festival, especially to hear the different musical pieces.

Here is a demo of martial arts from China.































Here we were sitting down and resting. It was hot that day - in the 80's. Indian Summer has come and on that day, we were sweltering, except in the shade where a nice breeze would cool you off. Unfortunately, it was nothing but asphalt where all the events were taking place, so the ambient heat was increased by the radiant heat... or something like that. Gee, I almost sound smart...

Here is Kenzie playing with a Chinese yo-yo. Well, that's what I've heard them called. She was good at it - Mommy just made a mess of it every time I tried to "throw" it.




















Here she is listening to - and loving - a type of African music and dance that was imported to South America with the Portuguese slave trade. (I have forgotten what it was called - if I find the paperwork on it, I'll change this post and put the correct name for it here.) Surprise, Kenzie really LOVED this. It also incorporated a type of "dance" that involved martial arts. She began beating her balloon with the yo-yo like it was a drum, "playing" along with the musicians.




































They asked that they get volunteers to come up and form a circle. The group was to clap their hands and to sing a musical phrase after every time the one singer sang something. Then they got up and walked in a circle , stopped and watched the martial arts dancing. Kenzie just had to participate - she couldn't wait to get up and join in the group.























Of course, instead of clapping, she was making her yo-yo work. I think she might have been trying to imitate the way they have held teh musical instruments here... She has her own style, and she follows no one. I really love that about her. Probably until she is 12 and begins to think she knows it all... and then "her own style" will drive me crazy.






The last event of the day involved group dancing to Eastern European music. Again, she just had to join in. She got the biggest kick out of "dancing" with the group. The smile she has is worth a thousand hot days in the sun.


I'm looking forward to next year's event. I think Kenzie will enjoy participating in more dances as she gets older.