Life's a Beach

When I planned a long-overdue vacation, I decided it would be Girls Only. Seemed like a great bonding time -- me and two precious 3.5-year-olds frolicking in my old New England stomping grounds, slurping frozen lemonade, eating delectable scallops and soaking up the sun at one of the nicest beaches in the land.

Guess what? It was all that, and more.

The girls had a great time. They claimed my friends as their own -- a new set of honorary grandparents for sure. They played well together with seldom a spat. They traveled like troupers, despite a three-hour layover in Detroit. Me? I got the worst sunburn of my adult life. While spraying the 50 SPF on the girls liberally, guess who I forgot? Moi.

Ouch, ouch, ouch.

Pain aside, five days away was good for the soul. My work cell phone did not ring. My blood pressure stayed low. And I had the best sleep I've had in years. Now, how to make that happen in the hurly burly world that is daily life?

Something to chew on ...

The Matching Room

No, it's not the dating game. But it sure has all the anticipation!
We got a call from our agency Monday saying CCAA notified THEM -- instead of THEM pestering CCAA -- that we'd finally escaped the review room and were in the matching room! At last, progress!

Now, no one will say for sure what this means. It could mean we're in line to be matched soon, as in with the July group. Frankly, I'm not holding my breath on that one. I've had my legs knocked out from under me too many times lately to get my hopes up. It also could mean we were just moved with the April '06 folks and are still stuck with another year-plus to wait. My agency says they don't think that's the case, that the CCAA has indicated it wants to match us soon. But again, no one knows for sure. So I can't get excited yet.

What's hysterical is that I finally had my meltdown. I hit rock bottom a few days before our agency called. Cried my eyes out, finally admitted I wasn't sure we'd ever get another referral, that baby sister might just be a pipe dream. Then I went and bought $1400 worth of furniture.

So, it would stand to reason that after I've booked a long-overdue vacation and spent money I needed for the adoption, we'd get a referral. Let's see if that theory holds true!

"I gots a boo-boo"

I always worried that if I named a child Grace, she'd be destined to be a klutz. The jury's still out on that one, but she's earning her Calamity Jane stripes!

Right now she's sporting the remnants of three stitches, courtesy of her midguided attempt to torment her sister at bedtime. She ran into the room, peered over the bedrail, shrieked at her sister, then whirled to run so she wouldn't get busted.

What got busted was her head, which she conked on the dresser she forgot was there. BONK!

So off to the urgent care clinic we went, mama bear, papa bear, one bleeding baby bear and her nervously chattering sister. Two hours, three stitches and four "I was a model patient" stickers later, we were home.

She seems none the worse for wear and, in fact, is more bothered by the giant mosquito bite than by the hole in her head. Go figure!