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I am so proud of our big girl today.  This morning when I went to wake Margaret for her first day of school, she was already up, all the lights in her room on, and more than 1/2 dressed. This girl was ready to go!

Bless her heart, she lost her appetite and could not eat her Frosted Flakes, but no worries, as her lunch period is at 10:35 am.  We got to school early enough to find a good parking place, because I wanted to walk Margaret in and help her get her bag unpacked. She brought a photograph of an otter (from our trip to Sea World) for comfort & to show her teacher when she arrived.  I think it’s the only thing that kept her from losing it as we pushed through the crowds of nervous 5-year-olds and their teary-eyed moms in the kindergarten pod!  She was so focused on showing Ms. L that photo!

The day went well, we both made it through with no tears – although they were waiting in our eyes, neither one of us let them actually fall.  She was exhausted by 3:00 when I picked her up, but still in good shape.  Margaret was happy that she made 2 new friends, but can’t remember their names, and was very reassured to see her best guy buddy several times on the playground.

Jack is still so pleased with his 2nd grade class and LOVES his teacher.  Praise the Lord, this may just be his year! By the way, check out the picture of Jack above to see how awesome he looks with his 2 front teeth gone.  (Click on it to enlarge.)  He absolutely melts my heart every time he smiles!

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14

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Today it was back-to-school for Jack, Margaret, and me.  After a good breakfast, 2 major wardrobe malfunctions, and triple checking backpacks, we were out the door by 7:32.

The school was already busy by the time we arrived, and I claimed one of the last 3 open spaces in the parking lot – whew!  Jack about had a fit when I started walking him to his class — and was totally mortified when I tried to take his picture in the 2nd grade pod.  If you look in the picture, you can see his class, straight down at the end of the hall on the left.  This is as close as he would let me get.  I’m happy to report that, although I got a little choked up as I turned to walk out, no tears escaped and I did not further my little man’s embarrassment by crying in public.

Margaret and I still had about 45 minutes before the kindergarten orientation meeting, so we went out to the playground and enjoyed the swings for a while.  It was even more fun for her, though, to go in and hang out with her best guy friend and look for the girls from her old soccer team & preschool. Tomorrow is Margaret’s 1st full day of kindergarten, and she admitted to me at bedtime tonight that she is feeling a bit sad about going.  Looking up, though, she has her outfits picked for every day this week, and she is excited to wear her brand new gym shoes tomorrow, as we learned that she will have PE on her first day. 

Jack’s summary of his first day was very optimistic.  In fact, he talked more about his day than he ever has!  His highlight was having PE this morning (his favorite subject) and seeing the ambulance pick up one of his classmates at recess after a playground mishap – OH MY!!!! 

I went back to school,too, and work every day through Thursday.  We are all tired already so by Friday we will really be dragging.  But it’s a good tired , so it’s all good. 

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Today was the official last day of summer break.  The kids opted to avoid the heat, and stay inside to play with stuffed animals and computer games.  Very anti-climactic, but exactly what they wanted to do, so very good. 

Great news from meet-the-teacher night.  Margaret screamed (with joy) when she saw that she will be having Jack’s old kindergarten teacher.  Ms. L is a very pretty, very fashionable, fun, loving young teacher.  Of course, with Margaret, it’s all about the fashion, so this should be a great year.  The adoption hormones kicked in, and I started crying like an idiot when we walked into Ms. L’s room.  We are all very, very happy for Margaret, as this is what she has been talking about since last May.  And she also has a friend from her old soccer team in her class.  This little girl only lives a few blocks away and has been over to play a few times, since her older sister has been in Jack’s class the last 2 years. 

Poor Jack was so nervous.  He was not looking forward to tonight at all, but good news for him, too.  He got exactly the teacher he was wanting — and his best school friend is in his class.  Not only that, but 2 guys from his old soccer team are in his class, too.  This will either be a really great year for Jack, or he will be getting into a lot of trouble.  Considering Jack’s past school experience, I’m betting it will just be a really awesome year.  Ms. W seems to be very well organized and sweet, and we noticed a steady stream of last year’s students stopping by for hugs — definitely a good sign.

More good news,  we got our Log In Date today!  Our agency reports that we have been logged in since July 27.  Yay!  It’s amazing to think that we could potentially be 1/3 of the way to official China approval.  If our dates follow current special needs adoption trends for China, we truly may be on target to travel the week of December 9 – Oh my goodness.  Know what, though, I’d settle for leaving January 6, too, though, because that’s the day Jack and Margaret go back to school after Christmas break. 

All in all, a very good day. 

“I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”

Psalm 116:1-2

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Don’t ask how we missed this — Survivor is going to be in China this season!

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One thing that has really helped me feel somewhat connected in the adoption process is the number of Yahoo groups that are dedicated to adoption.  Currently, I read message boards for about 6 groups, including one specific to our agency, one solely for North TX families, one for cleft palate adoption, one for waiting children issues, and a group just for families who have adopted children from Guo’s orphanage.  If it wasn’t for these internet groups, I think I would feel so isolated and uninformed — almost bit of practical knowledge I have acquired regarding international adoption has come from these families.  Another cool thing about the internet is that many adoptive parents have shared some amazing photos from their travels.  Here are some photos I’ve found recently that show where Guo is currently living.   These pictures of Dongguan Social Welfare Institute were taken last April by a family who traveled to China to pick up their daughter.

Front doors & courtyard of SWI

Nanny in one of the “baby rooms”

Washroom

Residents of the nursing home also located on the grounds.

I’ve also learned that, even though we don’t have a Log In Date, we can probably go ahead and start counting from the date of our PA (Permission to Adopt) to figure out roughly when we will travel.  So — six months from August 1 will put us in China around February 1.  Not exactly what I want to hear, but I’m going to keep on praying for Christmas.  My faith has grown by miles since last November when we first decided to adopt.  It’s a matter of realizing that NONE of this is in my hands, so I might as well let it go.  How awesome to realize that God loves my child more than I EVER possibly can and He has a plan and a purpose for everything He does.   And so I wait and pray. 

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