So, How WAS Six Flags?

Well, I'm glad you asked. To quote Phoebe, it was, "awesomely awesome."

We had such a blast. Nevermind that the temperature yesterday was 99 degrees. No problem.

We arrived at the park at 10:00am. No lines getting in. Very nice.

Don't we look fresh?
Phoebe had already decided that she wanted to ride the Shockwave first. The Shockwave is, of course, at the back of the park. No problem. We wandered through the park, not letting ourselves get distracted by anything else. We got to the Shockwave and there was no one there. Allen, Phoebe, Doug, Tate and I went straight to the front of the line and got on the ride. We were the only ones on it. When it ended, Allen and Doug stayed on for another go. Phoebe loved it, though admitted that it was a bit scary. Actually, later in the day she said, "Mom, the Shockwave kinda freaked me out. Even though I tried to keep my head back, it pushed it forward anyway."

Here are the two conquerors after braving the Shockwave. It was the first time on a rollercoaster for either of them. If you're going to go, go big!

Here's P alone after the Shockwave. You can tell she's proud to have done it, but kinda happy to be off.

The park didn't really start getting crowded until after noon. Most rides we had a 0-5 minute wait. I think the longest we waited all day for anything was 35 minutes. Allen and I kept saying, "Remember when we were kids...?" You know, then the lines were 2 hours long, up hill, in the snow....

Here's P on the swings.

and on the Crazy Spider Legs ride (or something like that)

Six Flags has gotten smart over the years. There's an area outside of the Mr. Freeze ride designed to cool down the kiddos. Here's J and Mommy playing in the misters.

She absolutely loved it.

P went for the higher volume of water cooling method. This was after she'd dried out from riding the Aquaman Splashdown (formerly Splashwater Falls). THAT was great fun. Phoebe and Audrey decided to stand on the bridge after the ride and get splashed by the next boatload coming down the hill.


This, in my opinion, is the best ride in the park. The Superman Tower of Power totally rocks. I screamed like a girl on this ride, and I meant it. In a good way.

Doug, Sue and Tate left around 2. Audrey stayed with us and the fun continued. We took turns staying with Josie, who was quite the trooper all day. Around 5pm, P decided she wanted to ride the Shockwave AGAIN. Can you see my little girl's face on the right side of the FRONT CAR?! Oi.

And there they are at the top of the hill, heading for the loops.
And what visit to Six Flags would be complete without the cartoon character meet n greet.

On our way from the Conquistador to the Runaway Mine Train, via the Pink Thing stand, we came across this.

Nothing like watching a KISS cover band with your 6 year old and the neighbors' 12 year old.

We finally decided to call it a day (after the second ride on the Runaway Mine Train) and left around 9:15pm. I never thought we'd last that long. Especially J. She caught a couple of cat naps throughout the day, but didn't sleep all that long. She really was a trooper through the whole thing.

I can't wait to go back!

So Long Without a Post

Wow. Sorry. Are you still here?

I'm not sure why it's been almost a week since I've posted. Not much post fodder out there, I guess.

Josie's top left front tooth finally popped through. She continues to amaze me each day. She now uses the "more" sign when she wants more to eat. And, even cuter, she sometimes does it when I'm kissing her cheeks and neck. She raises both arms when she wants out of her high chair. And, according to Allen, last night when he was getting her ready for bed he said, "Where's Josie?", and she pointed to herself! I missed it and haven't been able to duplicate it, but she usually does these things for Dad first.

She is recovering from getting congested and cough-y while we were at my parents' a couple of weeks ago. She went in for a "well check" Saturday and came out with prescriptions for antibiotics and a nebulizer. I guess she's better now. She didn't seem sick when she went in, so I may not be a good judge of that.

We are going to Six Flags tomorrow. Phoebe's first trip (and J's for that matter, though I don't think she'll enjoy it as much as P). We were planning to go Tuesday, but in the interest of taking friends with us, we switched to Thursday. Phoebe is SO excited. She wants to ride the Shock Wave first. I'm just stunned that she's tall enough. Allen printed out a list of all the rides she can ride. Not sure how many we'll hit. I'm going to approach the day as laid back as possible and try to keep my promise to Phoebe that, while we're at the park, I won't tell her to quiet down. We're taking a cooler (that we'll leave in the car for a picnic at some point) and have plans to take lots of breaks for water since it's going to be around 100 degrees. Phoebe's ticket is free, and mine and Allen's were a great deal, so we can stay as long or as short a time as need be. Hopefully J will hold up well.

Friday may be a day of recovery, but hopefully I'll have lots of pics to post.

Just Another Day

Let's face it, lately I've been going along from day to day not really knowing what day it is. And dates? Forget about it.

So, this morning when I sat down to pay bills, I had to check to see what the date is. It's August 2! That date hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm still a little teary.

You see, one year ago today around 8:30am a little baby girl was found wrapped in a blanket outside the gate of a hospital in a small town in China. I don't know what time of day she was left. I don't know if she cried. I don't know if her birth mother was nearby making sure she was found.

I only know that one year ago today, my baby girl was FOUND. It started a journey that would lead her to us. Today. More than her birthday.

Today she was FOUND.

This is the gate of the hospital.

That building is the hospital.

This is the very spot where J was found. See that little sprig of green? It's missing a sprig, because I had to bring some home. I wonder if the sprig was there when J was placed at the base of this column.

This is the street in one direction where the hospital is located.

This is the street in the other direction.

This is also the hospital's street. See that stall where people are selling things? I have to wonder if someone there found her. I will always wonder because I didn't think to ask while we were there. It's just to the left of the gate (she was found on the right side of the gate). I'm standing in the driveway to the gate.

I will be eternally grateful for everything that happened on this date.

Can I Get a "Thank You, Jesus"?

We have been working with J to pick up food and feed herself. While at my mom's, my mom and sister-in-law tried. I have tried. Allen has tried. This weekend at her party, several people tried. J just picks up a piece of food and tosses it in the floor. The dog, of course, loves it.

Last night, when Allen came home from work, J was in her booster seat. He sat down next to her and put a Gerber cheese puff on her tray like he's been doing a lot lately. Basically waiting for her to feed it to the dog. WELL. Last night, she picked it up and put it in her mouth as if she's been doing that for months. I missed it, but Allen said "WOW! Has she been doing this all day?" Me: "Been doing what?" Allen: "Watch this!" and he puts another one on her tray and she picks it up and eats it.

And so the sudden jump into the world of Josie feeding herself occurred. Here are some pics from today (proving last night wasn't a fluke):

Hmmm. What's that on my tray?

If I could just...get...ahold of it.

Done. Now, hmm, let's see....

Still there? OK...

Mom, really! Does everything have to be a photo op?

Toward the mouth...toward the mouth...

Get it in there...Don't bite the finger...

I think it's in...Is it in?

Oops, not quite. One more try...

One final shove ought to do it.

Did I do it? Yep, it's not in my hand anymore.

Nothing to it! (Notice the dog senses the end of the free ride.)

Yay me!!!

Scenes From a Birthday Party

Saturday afternoon, we celebrated Josie's first birthday. We just invited family and a few friends over. It was great and a pretty laid back affair.

Josie was not so sure about the tiara headband. It was actually a bit tight on her head which only eased my worries that her head seems small. We don't all strip down to eat cake on our birthdays, but we weren't sure how messy J would get.

Here's her birthday cake. I ordered it from a local place called Candy Haven and, although their name doesn't scream it, they have fantastic cakes.

Candy Haven also threw in a free "smash cake" for the birthday girl to have all to herself.

Turns out, we didn't really need to worry about J getting messy. She wasn't sure about the whole thing.

The big kids encouraged her.

Dad encouraged her, too. But it just didn't happen. She managed to get some icing on her lips, and that was about it.

Since J is, of course, only one, Mom got to open all the gifts. It kinda felt like the baby shower all over again, because all the men and kids had left the room after having cake. This onesie came from my friend Sue, and made me laugh out loud.
My baby turning one, cake, friends, family and laughing out loud - it was a good day.

What Does A One Year Old Look Like?

We took these pictures last night to document J's actual birthday (versus the pics we'll take Saturday at her party).

Can It Be True?!?!

Today, my sweet little Josie, turns one.

Oddly, I have to keep reminding myself of that. Isn't that strange?

I guess it's because we've been home just 2 months with her. I haven't had a baby around for a year for it to feel like she should be one year old? Is it because I know, logically, that we truly don't know for sure that today IS her birthday?

I don't know. We're celebrating on Saturday. I ordered the cake today. Maybe with friends and family around celebrating, and J's face covered in cake, it will seem more real. The place that I ordered the cake is giving us a free 6" round "smash cake" with a big number 1 on it just for Jo. That ought to be fun.

She's made such strides since she's been home.

She came to us only drinking from a bottle with no interest in us putting anything else in her mouth, and now she's eating table food. Lately she has seemed bored with baby food, and has been favoring Cheerios and cereal bars. So while we were at my mom's for a week, I tried out some actual food. She loved it. Some mac n cheese, green peas, green beans, purple hull peas. She liked them all. Next step - her putting the food into her OWN mouth.

She came to us crawling on her belly, pushing with her toes and dragging herself along with her forearms. Now she's crawling on her hands and knees, pulling up and starting to cruise. She has even kept her balance unassisted while standing. Walking may be here soon. P didn't really start walking until she was 14 or 15 months old, so for J to walk now would be early for me.

She has really bonded with our family. After being gone from Dad for a week, she was so excited to see him when we got back yesterday. She laughs out loud, especially when P does her gorilla dance. She has her moments when she only has eyes for mom. I have to remind myself that that is phenomenal - especially when I'm feeling exhausted from it.

She has been such a blessing to our family. I'm still in survival mode for the most part, but I think I can see a light at the end of the tunnel where things may get a little easier or at least become "the new normal".

I can't believe Josie's one today. What a great day.

Thanksgiving Last Sunday

During the service at church on Sunday, we had a small service found in the Book of Common Prayer called A Thanksgiving for the Adoption of a Child. It was a nice service, just before passing the Peace. It was great because it allowed our church family to participate with us in thanking God for Josephine.

The service began like this:

Dear Friends, It has pleased God our heavenly Father to answer the earnest prayers of Cynde and Allen, members of this Christian family, for the gift of a child. I bid you join with them and with Phoebe, who now has a new sister, in the responsibility which is theirs by the coming of Josephine Jiayin to be a member of their family.

Of course, only those reading along at the service knew that's what Father D was saying, because J was NOT happy about being held by him. She only had eyes for mama. Luckily, only moments later Fr. D handed her over, and she was instantly quiet.

Later, there was this prayer:

O God, you have taught us through your blessed Son that whoever receives a little child in the name of Christ receives Christ himself. We give you thanks for the blessing you have bestowed upon this family in giving them a child. Confirm their joy by a lively sense of your presence with them, and give them calm strength and patient wisdom as they seek to bring this child to love all that is true and noble, just and pure, lovable and gracious, excellent and admirable, following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

Let me say, during this prayer several things occurred. That first sentence, well it just hit me over the head. The part about a "lively sense of your presence" made me smile. The part about "calm strength and patient wisdom" actually made me laugh out loud. I should probably apologize to Fr. D for that. Then the list at the end of all that we should "seek to bring this child to love" just kinda seemed daunting, to say the least. I'm glad we did this service. I went into it grateful, as I said, that our church family could participate with us. I came out truly thankful and feeling charged with a huge task.

After the service, my friend Amy, J's Godmother-to-be, gave Josie a little gifty. It is framed text by Jane E Dasher, modified to fit us. It added to my sense of thanks and monumental responsibility. Here it is (thanks A - it made me tear up):

For This Child I Prayed

Hearts cried out in the darkness for you.
They have asked you of the Lord.
The voiceless prayer offered from Hannah's moving lips has again been remembered by the Lord.

"For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to the Lord."
You are a daughter to a mother, daughter to a father, sister to a sister.
Just as Jesus said from the cross,
"Woman, here is your child. Child, here is your mother."
You are adopted by those who did not bear you.
And from that hour they were in the same home. And so are you.

"For this child I prayed; and the Lord has granted me the petition that I made to the Lord."
You are more than a child adopted into one family.
You are a sister to those who have no sister, those who have sisters.
You are a child to those who have no children, those who have children.
You are loved by those that you may only know as memories from someone's lips.
You are loved by those you have not yet met.

But a greater gift than all human love is yours.
You are a child of God.
We shout from voiceless moving lips, "See what God has given us,
that we should be called children of God; and so we are."
And so you are, Josephine Jiayin Lineberry
And so you are a child of God.
For this child we prayed.
For this, Child, we prayed.

Pictures!

OK, STILL not of Allen driving a race car, BUT it's been a while since I've posted pics of the girls - aside from the hard to see pictures of P in the race car

Mama's girls

Sisters

J had to get her foot in the shot.

Future Racer

OK, so I still haven't posted pics of Allen for everyone to behold and it's been 24 hours. I promise I will.

In the mean time, these will just have to do:

Allen took these pictures, but if I had to guess, I'd say she chose the red car because it looks like Michael Schumacher's car.

I think she's ready, what do you think?

Allen's 40th Birthday Present

For Allen's 40th birthday 2 weeks ago, I gave him 6 laps driving an Indy car around the Texas Motor Speedway. We just got home. It was great. I will post more details, pictures and possibly even video later, but if you'd like to see some pics now, you can go here.

Thanks Doug, for bringing out the big guns.

July Referrals Have Arrived

I'm a little late with this. Referrals arrived on Friday and included people logged in through November 14, 2005. Enjoy!

Meimei Maia
Getting our Girls
The Quest for Cadence
Sara Eaker baby’s name = Sara Eaker password = ladybug
Waiting for Kailee
Baby Girl Olivia
Molly’s Homecoming
Welcome home, little one
Baby Krupek
Eleanor Keener baby’s name = Eleanor Keener
The Three Whos
Waiting for you
Our Journey to Mei Mei
Gracie Sweet Name: Gracie Sweet
Our Journey to Aubrey
Journey to Eliana Grace
Niedz

How Things Are Going

Since somehow a week has passed since I've posted, I thought I'd post a few updates.

Josie is still working on that fourth tooth. Any day now. Yeah, any day now.

Sweet potatoes are SO last week. Well, she does still love them, but she's started eating squash, a squash and corn combo, and "mixed vegetables" which, according to the label are peas, carrots and potatoes. Yesterday I mashed up an actual banana and she seemed to like it ok, but I guess it wasn't quite as smooth as the baby food ones.

Josie is now, for the most part, crawling on her hands and knees instead of her tummy. Every now and then, she goes back to her tummy, but she is on her hands and knees more and more.

Phoebe has now joined the world of Webkinz pet owners. Apparently, actually selecting an animal and, a week later, selecting a name for that animal was quite traumatic.

I think P is still recovering from us leaving her for 2 weeks. I know she had fun with her grandparents, but it's been a pretty interesting time here for the last month. I know part of it is having a new sibling, and part of it is being 6 as well. Up until the last 2 nights, P has been coming into our room every night or calling from hers saying that she's having bad dreams. I think this is because she knows I have a soft spot for having bad dreams. Two nights ago, I told P that I was really sorry we'd had to leave her for 2 weeks to get her sister. The last 2 nights when I've put her to bed, I've told her that she doesn't have to worry about us leaving her that long again. I've also told her that she doesn't have to come check on us every night to make sure we're here...we are here and we're not going anywhere. I've also told her that if she does come to our room, there's a comfy blanket and pillow on the floor for her to sleep on. Magically, she hasn't come in.

The days? Well, those are completely different. Baby steps. One thing at a time.

Last but not least in the update department, my friend S had her baby yesterday. I'm sure pictures and a name will be posted soon. She looks a lot like her big sister did when she was born.