Hectic, hectic, what happened to June?

June flew by with a lot of fun events. Ellen and Rick had offered to care for Egan while we took a brief trip and so on the Saturday we took him to their house and enjoyed a nice lunch together and then some time at their swimming pool which was fun. After a nap (for Indigo, don't we wish), it was off to Tricie's house where we celebrated Robyne's birthday with a great cookout and kids having fun in the blow-up pool.

On Sunday we left for a trip to Florida. David was attending a conference and Indigo and I tagged along. It was very nice and we enjoyed the pool but I am not sure it was worth it for the cost and for David to not get to enjoy spending time with us. Indigo did learn to enjoy love jumping into the pool (with me catching her) and I did meet another really nice mum who was there with her boys while her husband attended the conference too so that was some company. I went with that mum to beach in front of the hotel the one day and Indigo had the most fun playing with the foot sprayer where people wash the sand off their feet.

The next weekend was exciting as the zoo cheetah volunteers were given an portunity to go out to the Conservation Research Center to see the new Cheetah facility out there - we all met up at the zoo and then went in a bus together - so fun. It was also cool to see Tumai and Zazi, two of the cheetahs who had been at the zoo and went out to the new facility. What a treat. Rush, rush when I got home because David and I had a party to go to - the surprise 40th birthday party of our dear friend Amy. Our friend Tiffany came and babysat Indigo and I got dinner ready for them and then ready for the party. Indigo did great with Tiffany and they had a good time - thanks Tiffers! The party was a lot of fun and we had a great night out - only a select few of these photos can be public - you know the Vegas rules ;-)

Granny & Granddad back again!

Mom and Dad came back our way in mid-June. They were flying from here to Seattle to vist friends in Washington State and then embark on their Alaskan cruise. While they were here we had a wonderful day when we went on a playdate with Ellen and Sarah to the stables. We cleaned Dan and then did "pony rides" Sarah just loved riding - she wanted to stay on. Indigo was keen in the beginning but then when she was actually put on she wanted to get off right away - we joked that David is probably secretly teaching her to not want to ride horses! Sarah had another turn and then we put Dan away and had a delicious picnic brought by Ellen. We sat at the picnic table under the shade of the large tree and it was just lovely. From the stables, we went to Clemy Jontri playground which is just so awesome and which the girls love. To top it off, the carousel has been funded by some private grant in the summer and all weekday carousel rides are completely free! David had been on business in NY but then returned home in time to have a nice dinner (Dad grilled) and then Mom and Dad were off to Alaska. Just also a note about the goodness of people in this world (which we sometimes forget with all that we hear in the news). I left my camera at Clemy Jontri - for those who know me, you will know this was disaster, the camera could be replaced but the pictures taken could not. After driving poor Rick & Ellen mad asking them to check their car, and turning our house inside out, I called Clemy Jontri and left a message at their office. They called to tell me that it had not been turned in. Then, a day or so later, I get a call from the office at Clemy Jontri, saying that a camera meeting my description has been posted on Craig's List Lost & Found as being found at Clemy Jontri (the internet can be really miraculous). Sure enough, to make a long story short, it was our camera and after describing the photos on the camera, we met up with the lovely lady who had found it and by her endeavors, ensured the camera's return to us. It's a reminder to assume the best in people.

First Father's Day - Sesame Place

During the week we opened up this wonderful doll sent to Indigo by her Aunt Dina, Uncle Ken and cousins Troy, Jenny and Michael. The doll comes with all sorts of things, even a diaper bag but what is most remarkable is how many things it says! Also, cute, Indigo lying on the couch in the window - such a little miss. How wonderful to celebrate David's first actual Father's Day with his daughter. We planned a trip to Sesame Place and had the best time. We drove up on the Saturday and were met there by Pam, Robert, Elizabeth and Catherine. They had already been at Hershey park and then zipped over to join us at Sesame Place. We had a fantastic day and stayed until park closing at 8 p.m. They got us to be pretty adventurous with the water rides and Indigo loved it. We did the lazy river (Indigo with lifevest and with Dad on tube), a slide ride that she did with both of us where she sat in front of tube, again with life vests and life guards waiting at pool below just in case. The big one was the best of all. Both families all in one giant raft that had a huge draft - we thought we would die laughing. David and I stayed overnight and went back to the park again the next day. It was lovely. Indigo did the carousel over and over. We left around 2 and drove back home with her sleeping pretty much the whole way back. It was a great time.

June continued

We spent a lovely evening at our Temple on a Friday night for Shabbat rocks. There was dinner first in the social hall and then a really fun musical service where kids and noise with noisemakers etc. are encouraged. Afterwards there was more fun in the social hall before we left for home and bedtime. Our dear friends Marty & Laurie entrusted us with their new yellow lab puppy while they went away overnight. Copper is a little cutie pie but watching a puppy still being house-trained and a two-year old is no mean feat. Indigo really liked him and would call him "Popper". The weather was hot, hot and I had zoo shifts on the weekend in the high heat. We spent some afternoon and evening time at the lake. On Sunday we had friends Wendy and Skip come to dinner (actually, they were so awesome that they made dinner which they brought to us)! Seeking more friends like that :-) After a most delicious dinner (I think Indigo had at least 3 helpings) we all took a lovely walk to the garden. Indigo loved Skip and wanted to hold his hand on the walk - so cute.

We lose our beloved Caleb

We were ready to enjoy a nice weekend after the ordeals of the one before. However, the weekend had mixed happiness and great sadness. We had previously reported that Caleb, our 13 1/2 year old lab was diagnosed with a cancerous rectal tumor in December. We had not thought that he would do so well for so long so we are grateful for the extra time we had. On the Friday evening when we went on a family walk with the dogs we noticed Caleb having some struggles (we had just taken him to the vet on Thursday for a check). On Saturday mid-morning we went to Rick & Ellen's to go to lunch with them and let the girls play at the playground together - both girls were so cute with their dads, but we did not want to be gone from home for too long. The rest of that Saturday afternoon and evening, Caleb seemed to be having difficulty and was straining each time he went outside - it seemed that the time had come to say goodbye to our dear friend. I don't know what to say about Caleb - he was a fine and good dog his whole life. We got him as a tiny puppy (that is what happens when you go with friends for them to get a puppy) and he was with us for 13 1/2 years. He was always good, gentle and sweet (and never voluntarily missed a meal). He also had some interesting eating habits and we know our friend Jon will never forget that Caleb ate the whole back of a pair of his boxer shorts! We miss him under the table when we have dinner and I miss him staring at me, stamping his feet, reminding me of it being his dinner time. I reach to pet his head next to the bed and it's not there. Egan, our rescued Setter is sad without him and Sparkle, our kitty, never knew the house without Caleb. We are reminded of him each time we find one of his black hairs, which is bound to continue for years to come. We are glad that Indigo got to know him as one of her two first dogs and that he taught her to be kind and gentle with dogs and that she need not fear them. He was ever patient with her.
On Sunday, we needed to take our minds off the new emptyness of our home. We went to the National Mall and went to the new Butterfly conservatory that is part of the Smithsonian. After that, we spent time on the mall for the celebration of Israel's 60th birthday - it was a hot day. We took a break in the shade and let Indigo cool down in just her diaper while she ate a blue & white cookie. After that we headed home. That night, I went to see Sex & the City with my friend Robyne, which provided a nice light moment.

End of May: Indigo sick - horribly sick, awful, terrible, and gross!

I should title this "please get me the h$%* caught up on the blog! We would skip this entry but we want to memorialize Indigo's first really terrible illness. After her birthday we had still had Mom & Dad with us. David went on a business trip to Milwaukee so it was great to have Mom & Dad here with me. Mid-week we had a lovely picnic with Ellen and Sarah on the beach at the lake. The next morning, Mom and Dad were getting ready to head home, this was Thursday before Memorial Day weekend and Indigo threw up. She had coughed a bit before throwing up so we thought perhaps that had made her sick. Well, Mom & Dad left and things went rapidly down hill. She kept throwing up, it was so awful to see her so sick. By about the 7th time we were on our way to the doctor. She said that it was from mucus in her throat. I was a bit suspect, but hey, that's the doctor right. Poor Indigo threw up again on the car ride home. I dropped off the prescription at the drive-thru pharmacy and then waited to pick it up because I did not want to take her home and then have to take her out again. She threw up several more times that day and then I got her off to sleep and David came home that night. On Friday she seemed to be doing better and was not sick in the day - after she went to bed, she threw up three times (I love my Whirlpool Duet and was never so greatful for having a washer & dryer). On Saturday, she did not get sick (but also was not eating anything). She was taking some gatorade. However, she started having explosive, need to change everything, diarrhea. We called the doctor and she said, "she must have a bug" duh. She said to call again if there were more than 7 instances of diarrhea - I think we were at six when she went to bed. On Sunday, she seemed to be okay again and actually ate some eggs and was perky. I had a morning shift at the zoo so David brought her to walk around in the stroller. On the way home from the zoo, she started throwing up again. She then slept but started again after waking up. I could not take it anymore and she was so weak. I thought of every terrible thing it could be and said it's not worth the worry and so we went to the ER. They were great and saw her right away. They gave her a pedialyte popsicle and basically said that they would observe her. They did not want to do iv fluids which they said they avoid whenever possible. Officially, if she still had tears they did not consider her dehydrated but they were worried. They also said that the doctor diagnosis of mucous was bs and not to continue the antibiotic and questioned why the doctor had put her on albuterol syrup. So, nothing really happened and then (not for the squeamish) she had explosive diarrhea, that was so awful that it went through her clothes, up her front, back and all over poor David's shorts. By now, I was already carrying three outfits for her so I got her all cleaned up and got the doctor to come and get samples for testing. They got David some disposable scrubs (hmm, he kind of looked good in them). So, everything they test for was a big fat negative. Then they decide we'll give her 10cc (10ml) pedialyte every 20 minutes. It's now late at night and she wants to sleep. Then she throws up the pedialyte popsicle they had first given her. In a way that was good, because then they decided to put her on anti nausea medicine to control the vomiting and gave us a prescription for that (after I asked). That seemed to help. So we finally come home and she sleeps through the night. The next morning she was screaming for water and they only wanted her to have tiny amounts at a time - that was truly hard on us. It's now the Monday of Memorial Day and she pretty much spent the entire day dozing or sleeping on the couch. This still was kind of scary to us because it's not AT ALL typical for her. I kept trying to reassure myself by reminding myself of what her poor tiny body had been through. She is so little and had already lost a pound which is a lot for her. Anyway, she had a few more bouts of the runs which was also horrible because even though we took every precaution and changed her immediately, she still got a horrible sore bottom and she was in so much pain - again, we felt terrible. On Tuesday, I had to go to work because of scheduled training events and David stayed home with her. When we woke up she had a rash all over her legs (of course, I am thinking, as I had been all along, Meningitis), but David took her in to the doctor (saw the other doc this time) and she said it was another way of the body fighting whatever virus it was. She recommended benedryl for the rash and a cream for the diaper rash. David said she spent all of Tuesday laying on the couch again. After that, she started to recover and was pretty much back to normal. It was funny, because once she got her appetite back, she ate everything in sight, to make up. Unfortunately, I had a major technical snafu and the pitiful photos we took of the poor girl laying on the couch with kitty pillow were erased. So the only photos are of the happier memory of her beach picnic and play. I have to say that this experience gave me a whole new level of respect and sympathy for parents who have children who are chronically ill or worse - to have your babies suffering and not be able to help them is so awful.

Indigo's Second Birthday!

The day before Indigo's birthday we had a lovely play day and picnic at the beach with Ellen and Sarah. On Indigo's actual birthday, I took her to work to have lunch with her Daddy and with her work aunties. We had a great lunch together and enjoyed cupcakes in her honor, and she enjoyed seeing everyone at the office. That evening, I cooked her favorite dinner of spaghetti. Ellen and Sarah came over to celebrate with us. Auntie Amy had sent a fantastic fruit bouquet to Indigo and so Indigo and Sarah just loved having that. After dinner we had cupcakes again and Sarah had two candles as well so that she could show Indigo how to blow them out. We had success after a few attempts. It was a lovely evening and a nice quiet celebration of the first birthday shared in person with our girl. Just as on referral day, it's another poignant moment, because I found myself wondering if her birth mother in China had thought of her on this day. We took her to the doctor for her two year check up the next day (I know - this did not really seem fair). Her statistics were all good, she weighed 25 lbs, 4oz which put her in the 35th percentile for weight and she was 35 inches tall, which they indicated put her in the 80th percentile for height. Her birthday seems to be a good spot for me to put some reminders about what else was happening "developmentally" at this time. Prior to April, she had been picking up words but just a few new words here and there, and just using them as singular words. Around mid-April, words seemed (to us anyway) to start exploding from her mouth and all of a sudden it seemed she could say whatever word she wanted to say (not that we could always understand). Then, we were watching for daddy to come home from work one day and watching the cars go by and she said "bye bye car" so I kind of consider that to be the first instance of our hearing several words together. From then on, words and 2-3 word sentences became the norm. Since this backs to May, we have come further since then, but will leave for future update. She also became enthralled with counting and could pretty steadily count to 10. It also seemed to be the turning point with actually knowing and correctly identifying colors. Before she could say the name of the color but identification was unreliable - considering how many color books we looked at - I wondered if she was color blind, but yes, as you laugh at me, that was just paranoia. She also got into naming shapes and would like us to draw shapes so she could name them. Her interest in coloring/drawing really picked up and became a favorite thing to do. Our girl is also wowed and fascinated by turtles! We're not quite sure how this came to be but she really likes turtles - hence the couple you will see on a log on her birthday cake. Gosh, it's hard to track this stuff. We live it every day and one day blends to the next. She also continues her love of books and reading takes up a part of every day - not just at bed time. I can't think of other stuff right and it's boring for the non-parents of Indigo, but as said before, this is also our journal for her. It all seems pretty fantastic to us. So, then Mom and Dad came back to us so that they could be here to celebrate the birthday (and they were a big help too). The birthday party was scheduled to be at one of our beaches and we had really hoped to have it there. We had the truck all packed the night before with everything going to the beach - the signs were made etc. However, early the morning of the party, the weather seemed very dicy and thunderstorms and lightning predicted. At some point, we finally just said, it's too risky, and we decided to host the party at the house. This meant trying to reach people to let them know, and unloading the truck, dad reposting signs to divert people back to house, getting the house set up to host a large number of people etc. Could not have done it all without the help of granny and granddaddy. The party was so fun (we thought). The kids had a blast out on the back patio blowing huge bubbles (and as the photos show, by kids, I mean some adults too); there was lots of fun playing indoors and then we had ordered pizzas to be delivered and we had the cake. Thanks to every one who came to help us celebrate this momentous event. Indigo got this Potatoe Head from my cousin and family, and as you can see, she just loved playing with it with granddad.

Lake Time, Sand Day and Mother's Day

The first weekend of May we went to a playground where people were all meeting whose children will be going to the same pre-school that Indigo will start at in the Fall. She will be going to our temple pre school two mornings a week for three hours a time. We're very excited about her starting this. Indigo enjoyed the playground and we chatted with a few other people but really the playground was too small for the number of kids that were there and as per usual, when kids are all playing at a playground, nobody really gets to chat or know one another. After that we went and met with our friends Eugene and Julie. They live up the road from us in our neighborhood and were waiting for their referral from China. We had dim sum and the wait staff at the restaurant just fawned over Indigo. Later that day, our friends Pam and Robert were in our area because of a birthday party and so they brought their girls over to our house and we went to the lake, where we had a super time. Elizabeth and Catherine really took to the water - despite the fact that it was still cold (for adults anyway) and they had a blast. Then, they all took turns on the kayaks and took the girls out. We put Indigo in a life vest and for the first time she sat with her daddy on the kayak - they went about 10 feet max from the shore so that she would be safe - especially since we did not know what she would do. After a wonderful time at the lake, we went back to the house and David did a superb grill and I did side fix'ns and we had a great dinner. It was a lot of fun.

The next weekend our neighborhood celebrated "Sand Day". The lake has five beaches and every year, at the start of the season, they dump a huge pile of fresh sand on each beach. On Sand Day, they hold an event at one of the beaches where they hide goodies and coins in the sand pile for the kids to find, and they play tug 'o war, sack races, limbo etc. - all fun beach games. They serve brats and dogs and it's a fun time. The weather was really sketchy but the rain held off and so the event was on. Rick and Ellen were able to join us with Sarah and the girls had a really fun time. They raked in the sand and even ended up in their bathing suits paddling in the water.

That Sunday was Mother's Day - my first with my daughter actually here with me. It was not the greatest of days weather wise but we all got to be together. David had planned for us to go walking at a local woodland trail in a wildlife refuge (local wildlife). We had a lovely hike through the woods and then found a playground where Indigo had a great time playing. From there we went to another nature center that had a wonderful trail along a really nice creek. From there we went to brunch and then came home. Unfortunately, David had to go to work but Indigo and I got to spend the rest of the day together.