Ahhhhh

A night out, how wonderful, how unusual...  I went out with my neighbor who is owner of a 3 generation farm at the bottom of our road.  We went to the local place and darned if I didn't run into someone I grew up with.  We had a wonderful time chatting and catching up.  His girlfriend had connections with my friend, and then another person came over to see my old friend and I recognized him from buying something in his store.  Are you still following me ??

These are the times I cherish, just having human contact.  Which is different from children jumping on you having human contact.

I will leave with this image of me enjoying myself, because at the beginning of the day I was on the war path, with many others, at the principal and Superintendent of schools.  But that's another story...

I shall sleep now, and wake up on Halloween.  Good night.

A compliment...

Today was a day to get things completed and on a list, which I hope I won't mis-place. And through suggestions of a few I have reorganized the donation area of the blog.  I have made the chip-in goal $6,550, with a list of what it is for. These are immediate needs.  As they are met a new goal will be set for the next dollar chunk  and so on.

I went and did a grocery shopping and received a slight compliment.  Any compliment is always appreciated. As I was standing in the fruit and vegetable section I looked up and a man, quite good looking, looked at me, and then did a double take. I interpreted that as a compliment.  Of course he could have thought I was someone he knew because I have longish blonde hair and have often been mistaken for Meryl Streep, no really it's true.  Since the 80's in LA it has always happened.  Any way let me share the name of the gentleman who looked, Robert Vaughn, the actor.  Now if you don't know who he is, google and you'll recognize his face.  It made my day...

Mom to the rescue

Thank you to those people that told me they were listening, it is quite comforting.

One daughter was home sick today, (2nd day), so I worked at the computer on my fundraising.
Everything was quiet until...

I was required to wear two hats simultaneously.  When my older daughter was 15 minutes late in arriving home, I sent my husband out in the car to the end of the road to see if she was on her way.  He called and said she was no where in sight.  Hmmm, I thought.  I called the school and said "Where is Bus #1?"  They replied, it had an accident, it was sideswiped, no one is hurt, and they told me what road it was on.  Luckily it was just 2 minutes from us.  I called James to go there to bring her home.  They wouldn't let him through or take her home.  So I told him to come back to the house and I would go.  I figured if I put my EMT gear on I'd look official and any way I probably knew the police that were there. Just as I was pulling on my pants, my pager went off saying woman with chest pains just down the same road as the bus.

OK, Now I'm really on my way...  I arrive and park.  I start walking towards the scene, 3 police cars, ambulance, etc, totally active.  I was wondering how the ambulance was going to get through to the heart patient when the road was totally blocked.  Turned out it was the bus driver.  The car involved had a Mom and 2 little children.  I first got on the bus to see if my daughter was alright.  As I get on, all the kids start saying Hi Mrs, Nicoloro, Hi, will you call my Mom?... I see they are all fine.  I then ask the other EMTs if they need help.  So off with the Mom hat on with the EMT hat. I help out a bit, call some Moms to reassure them, then finally pop my Mom hat back on grab my daughter and go home.

Oh my daughter thought it was so cool that I 'rescued' her.  Guess I racked up some points with my teenager, which is always a very good thing.

Anyone out there?

Alright, I've come to the conclusion that I really can't write every day.  I will earnestly try to write every other day at least.

Now what happened Sunday... Oh yes , now I remember.  I took my older daughter, who plays the piano to a piano recital of a 24 year old Chinese pianist.  She has won most international awards and amazing in her piano dexterity.  We were both impressed. The rest of the day is a blur of catch up.

Monday I substituted all day, then took my daughter to a doctor's appointment, (30 minutes away) then came home, did a quick check of emails, then back out the door to EMS training down at the firehouse on how to fill out EMS charts .  I admit it, i snoozed off at least 11 times.  Not because the content was not stimulating, but I was running on only 4 hours sleep.

And in between all this I was taking care of my daughter who had a 103.1 fever.

The training went late, I didn't get home until just before 10:00.  I'll feed the bunnies, try to make the sick daughter go to sleep, who has been unable to fall asleep, and crawl into bed hopefully before midnight. Sure would like to take a shower one of these days.

Sometimes it seems like I'm writing in a void, I wonder if anyone is listening...

Saturday already?

Friday was a long day.  I spent most of the day filling out applications for grants or researching over 30 of them to see if we qualified.  Four thirty in the afternoon hit and I remembered I had to tag everything (about 60 items!) I was selling at the tag sale and drop it off by 9:00 pm.  Well, I grabbed a daughter, she grabbed a pen and we furiously went at it up to the last minute.  We jumped into the car, 30 minute drive, unload bag after bag of stuff. Quickly find the right table to distribute everything and then finish as it hits 9:00, whew, heavy sigh. Today, Saturday, I had to work my shift at the tag sale.  It was the usual insanity.  I don't think that I sold very much, because I took a lot home.

I'm trusting that people will reach out and help.  Of course it would help if I started giving people the link to here..  OK, tomorrow I will spend the day notifying one and all about bringing the girls home.

Still coping..

Sorry to anyone who has been reading my entries that I skipped a couple of days.  It really has been quite busy.  The upshot is, everything is now in for the I-800A, and all my dossier is complete and at the agency.  Now all they have to do is expedite it.

We travel the 2nd week in Jan, and we'll be there for 3 weeks.  It is all happening so fast.

I have spent hours researching Chinese Sign, and finding sites for ASL that my new daughter will be able to go to.

Hey! I got my first school report to day about her!  She has all 'A's AND is considered the top student in all of her classes.  They also say she is a quick learner.  That's great, because she will have to learn a new Sign language and culture.

Soon we will be able to hook up with the other daughter through the computer.  How nice to finally get real information about what her sizes are and what things she is interested in.

Now we need to get more people on the band wagon to contribute.  Onwards and upwards...

One step closer.

Today I went to the Chinese Consulate to have my documents authenticated.  As I reached the Consulate, I noticed this looong line outside, I thought to myself, this surely isn't just to get inside?  Well it was.  So we all shivered until inside and then I joined another huge line.  Now this one had an obstacle course.  First you had to find the end of the line, then you snaked yourself carefully inch by inch through at least 5 long switch backs to finally arrive at 8 rows of chairs with 15 chairs in each row.  Now this was challenging because you had to keep moving over to the next empty seat as the first one was vacated.  It was like musical chairs with 50+ people, but everyone always got a chair.

I got to the counter, and she found 'problems' with some of the paperwork, I about had apoplexy.  I can't go through all this again.  Finally after back & forthing she agreed that I only needed to copy one document.  I went to the machine - another line, and the person using the copier was making massive amounts of copies!  I told the person in front of me, tell him in Chinese that we only need one copy, PLEASE let us go first??  No deal.  Well, he finally finished, then the 4 people in front finished, I heave a sigh of relief, put my quarter in and..the copier JAMMED!  Why me!  Didn't do that for anyone else, nooo, only me.  OK, that's it, I whip open any door press on any lever and expose the whole machine, NOTHING I can't find the jam.  Please say this isn't happening..somebody opens the paper tray and voila, I see the jam.  I rip out a chunk of paper and proceed to threaten the machine with bodily harm if it messes up again.

Back to the counter, papers accepted, then train home, ahhhh.  Almost done.

Sign Language lesson

Well, I gave my family their second Sign Language lesson tonight.  Man can they get the sillies!  I never knew Learning Sign could become such a giggle fest, and my husband was the worst with the wise cracks , and he was trying to do those in Sign Language.  I had to settle them down a few times, but they are enjoying it so much.  Now they won't stop trying to speak to me with Sign...
I researched Chinese Sign but there isn't much out there, but I did find a few things.  In particular.., my older daughter's favorite singer from her Province has a YouTube with her song being Signed in Chinese Sign Language.  So, my daughter will translate the Chinese words and we see which word goes with what sign and Voila, we will be learning a whole bunch of Chinese Signs!

Then I had a really cool idea.  Since my daughter knows the song and can sing it  she will sing and sign, I will sign with her and hopefully my other two won't be too shy to participate for our new deaf daughter.  This will let her know that we care, we will try, and we respect her language.

A semi-successful day

Last night I finally received approval for the financial letter, AND found an accountant to write it.  Today I drove an hour and a half and had the State seal put on 8 documents ($120).  By the time I got back, it was too late to go to New York, phooey!  So Monday I will trudge in and pay a $20 a document to have all the papers authenticated.    I just figured the total cost for 12 documents,,,$240.00! Whew, well that winded me a bit...

So, when I asked my girls about adopting the first daughter, the twins were excited and I showed my 15 year old a video of her.  She watched, and I asked her, "Well what do you think?"  She looked at me and said, "She's has a lot more patience then I ever had."  Such insight.

My poor husband will be totally out numbered by females, 5 daughters, 3 female bunnies and one male bunny. But he's tough, he can take it, or least he knows he can hide in his office.  No wait, we will be using his office for a new bedroom now and he'll move into the family room, which is a major hang out room for one and all.  Guess he could always hide under the bed?

What are Five Blossoms from China?

Several people have asked this and it's meaning.  I currently have three children from China, and when we bring the next two home it will become five Chinese girls... five blossoms.

Weary

I started today rather chipper.  I did a EMS/fire safety demonstration for 3rd and 4th graders.  Then things slowly went south.  Unlike previous adoptions, documents that never needed a state seal or Chinese authentication now do.  I thought the dossier was finished, but oooh nooo.

My agency informed me that EVERYTHING needed everything.  How could I have not known that, me a former producer, detailed-orientated type A?  I just assumed it was as before.  So in one hour and 15 minutes I went to one town to get a doc notarized, then to another town for another doc, then two towns away to Fed Ex to mail the I-800A, then (no time to make it) pick up dinner come home to another faux pas. The financial letter my husband wrote won't be accepted.  Because he was laid off, he is not allowed to state what ever money is coming in or assets.  Apparently they need a CPA to write it, to make it reliable.  Now it was 6:30 at night, and I don't know any CPAs.  This dossier has to get out now.  So, to relieve some of my stress I went out on an EMS call for a little girl.  Just to put things into perspective.

I still need to drive an hour and a half to the state offices tomorrow to get that state seal on docs I didn't know about, then go into the City to the Chinese Consulate to be Authenticated.  But if I don't have that accountant letter to get the state seal on and Chinese authentication...

Anyone know a CPA or an accountant with a letterhead???

I know, tomorrow is another day.

My synapse are not connecting

Well, it's taken me almost two days to understand (?) and figure out how to do this blog thingy.  TIm has the patience of a saint to guide me thru it by email, and he doesn't even know me!  I just don't think inside that box which makes techie things easy for some.  I'm more spontaneous, outside the box, not staying on one thing too long.  No it's not ADD, it's the show biz gene in me that creates all this energy that scatters, yet multi-tasks at the same time.

I gave up tonight working on the blog in favor of filling out applications  for grants.  Of course that was interrupted with my 9 year olds bursting in from school, doing homework, telling new jokes, feeding rabbits and making dinner.  Then one of the daughters had to show me how she figured out to get the bunnies into the cage.  She crawls around like a cat very slowly as if she's stalking them, their predator instincts kick in and they run like hell into the cage.  Now why didn't I think of that?


I'm feeling overwhelmed with things that need to be accomplished immediately, and my brain seems to have short circuited to the point of disconnecting some synapse and has made me come to s screeching halt.  Oh well, I think I have a few million more left...somewhere.

Never a dull moment...

Having started everything late in life, I am continually on a learning curve trying to catch up. I don't use an ATM, I can't text, I'm not quite sure what an ipod is and the wii thing is beyond me. Now having said all that, I am a well travelled, sophisticated, educated woman, or least I would like to think of myself as such.(?)

By making two recent decisions I have been thrust, kicking and screaming into the techie world. We chose to adopt one more daughter near the age of our oldest, now 15. I saw this picture of this girl with such a beautiful smile and dimples I just knew she was to be for our family. She is 13. We decided we could figure out/raise the funds. We were almost finished with the dossier and completed our homestudy when I saw an urgent email stating a deaf girl would age out in February. By 'coincidence' she was with the agency we were using. I inquired and let them know if no one came forward to contact me. Four families came forward and I was glad, and slightly relieved. Fast forward 2 weeks...I was the only one paper ready to be able to adopt her before she aged out. Gulp. But if we didn't step up, I didn't want to think what a petite deaf girl's fate would be for the future...

OK, husband moves out of his office to make another bedroom, and I need to get past the shock of having 3 teenage girls all of a sudden.

Money, how could we possibly do this when almost everything doubles? I frantically start applying for grants. I know so many in the adoptive world step forward in time of need, I knew I would have to reach out. This is where the techie part comes in. A blog? Chip-in? All Greek to me. Thankfully someone took pity on me and guided me through this. So this is my first attempt to raise funds to increase our daughter count from three to five.

We HAVE to travel by the end of January to adopt before her 14th birthday.