Things I Will (almost) Never Hear All Day Once I Go Back to Work

1. "Moooooommmm, Cara's eating Play-Doh!!"

2. "Boom, boom, bang, crash" *the sound of someone falling down the steps.

3. "Look, mommy, I don't wear clothes!"

4. "Whooosh, glug, glug, glug." *the sound of an entire roll of Charmin being flushed down the toilet.

5. "I'm just a kid who's 4, each day I learn some more, I like exploring, I'm Cailou..."

6. "Hermie is stuck in the VCR."

7. "Here, a booger."

8. "Sllluurrrp, sllluurrrp,..." *the sound of a two-year-old and her dog sharing a Popsicle"

30 and Out

In a miracle of science and nature, the kids and I all slept until 8:30 this morning. I know what you are thinking: "Ahhh" (pleasant sigh). But given the fact that we have to be out the door by 9:00 to get Josh to preschool, you should instead be thinking: "Ahhh!" (nervous shriek). Here is a glimpse of getting 3 children and a harried mom out the door in 30 minutes flat, without being late for preschool --ok, not being any later than we usually are...

"Josh, wake up and go potty... JOSH... potty, Josh... come on... *pulling covers off*... get up for school...JOSH... Yao, it's ok, accidents happen... DON'T take your pants off in here... no, go to the bathroom... I'll be there in a second *gathering bedsheets, pillowcase, comforter & pajamas and running them downstairs to the wash*... Cara, yes, I'm coming, yes, I'll get the spider... what did I do with him? Sent him home to his Maker... I mean his Mommy... Cara, get off the sink, get down right now!...here, put this on, Cara... how about this... how about this... how about this... no, it's 80 degrees you can't wear snowpants... OK, FINE, WEAR THE SNOWPANTS... Josh, your underwear are on backwards...Yao, wash your hands before you touch anything else... OK, Yao, I'll get your noodles...I said I'll get them. I'm getting them now... yes, I am getting them... yes, it will be big... ok, then which spoon do you want... the green one's dirty...I am not washing it... *washing green spoon* OK, here... Cara, get off the sink... Cara, stop feeding your waffle to the dog... Cara, CARA!... Josh, I don't know why my hair is curly... no, don't hand it to me, get a Kleenex for goodness sakes... how about this bowl... this bowl?... this bowl?... Cara, get off the sink... Where are your sandals, where are your sandals... here they are... oh, no! Dog poop! Cara, stop wiping the dog poop off the sandals... STOP IT! OK, everyone in the car... no, you can't buckle yourself... yes, Cara, that's a dandelion... ok, everyone stop picking Daddy's phlox... stop it... stop it... stop picking phlox... stop picking phlox RIGHT NOW...

And away we went --snowpants, defaced sandals, pocketfuls of phlox & all.

2 Months

Saturday marked 2 months since the day we took Sun Yaojie in our arms in a crowded Shanghai notary and became a wonderfully chaotic family of five. There have been highs --Mommy, give me kiss!-- and there have been lows --Whhhaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!-- but above all else it has been a time of learning, adjusting and settling into our new roles. Yaojie continues to both challenge and amaze us --he is incredibly bright and has been learning English in a flash. He's only been in America since March 11 and already he can understand the gist of everything we say to him. And his vocabulary! Just today he complained, "Josh bother me. Cara bother me. I don't like it!" Spoken like a true older brother! We have seen so many wonderful changes in him. Recent breakthroughs include conquering his fear of dogs --"That's nice! Soft!" he now says when petting Malarkey; Staying with the babysitter while I had to drop off some paperwork; Softening to the attention and conversation from new people; & forming bonds with my family, who visited from Pittsburgh last weekend. We've been so proud of him and at times I forget that he has not always been with us. As any parent --and especially an adoptive parent of an older child-- knows, our time together has had its challenges. There has been sibling jealousy, short-temperedness all-around, nights of crying out in pain, hurdles with his medical condition & tantrums --oh, dear God, the tantrums! Often in triplicate! In public! Complete with biting, scratching and strings of Chinese curses! There are challenges and triumphs, highs and lows. Eric and I have laughed, we've cried, we've instituted a daily happy hour. I hope that you enjoy following our story.