October 10, 2007 Maoming SWI

I opened my email today and received an unexpected gift from Holland... from a woman I have never met.
But this woman and I share an unbelievable bond... our daughters.  Her name is Monique and on October 10, 2007 she was allowed to take pictures inside the Maoming Social Welfare Institute in Maoming, China.

She was able to capture life inside this small orphanage... the place where my daughter lived for nearly 3 years.  This picture was taken when Juliette was 20 months old..  it would be a full 13 months later until we became a family.

Keeping track at Maoming SWI

Maoming bedroom

Sleeping baby (not Juliette)

Nannies playing with babies

Notice that there are no mattresses or pillows.  Children sleep on wood.  Presumably because it's easy to clean.  When Juliette came home her backside (from head to bottom) was, and still is, completely flat.
Now my lovely child sleeps in the "downstairs" of her comfy bunk bed.  On November 11th we will celebrate our 2 year anniversary of becoming a family.... these photos are an early gift.  A reminder of our child's life before she came into our lives forever.

I'm turning 48 in a couple of weeks... it sounds so weird... because in my mind I'm still in my 20's... but my body tells me a different story.  So here I am, waking up every morning to take Maisie to school which then gives me a chance to take a few minutes for myself before heading back to my "job" as mom.  During these moments I like to go walking on the Ravenel Bridge.

It's nearly always picture perfect.  The sun has just risen, the scene before me is beautiful... the marsh grass, the river, the city's steeples sparkling in the sky.  On this day, I have "my boys" cranked up on the ipod... and I always start my walk off with "It's a Beautiful Day"... The Edge is strumming away at the guitar, while Bono belts out the lyrics... and it's then that I notice the shadow of a girl walking in front of me.  Her strides are purposeful and strong.  I imagine that she is someone who is confident and outgoing.
I wonder if she ever feels the way I do.... beaten up a bit by age... does her body ache the way mine does as it tackles the incline ?   Are her lungs gasping for air ?  Is she sweating nearly half as much as my menopausal body is ?

As my mind wanders and gets lost in all things U2... I start to notice that I'm catching up to the shadow of the girl in front of me.  Fueled by the beat I start taking bigger steps... I start to push myself harder and something happens.  I forget about my burning muscles and my aching lungs... now all I want to do is walk as fast as the shadow before me... pushing myself into new possibilities.

I am not an almost 48 year old... I am Cathy O... a woman who wants to take on the world... a mom who wants to foster creativity in her children... a wife that wants to adventure with her husband.  The clock  is ticking.  But it was at that  moment on the bridge... the "Carpe Diem" moment... when I noticed that I had caught up to the shadow I had been following.  I realized then, that the strong woman with the purposeful steps that propelled her forward in her journey... was the shadow of me.

Talk about the thrill of victory !!  For the first time in her 7 years, Maisie expressed real interest in being on a TEAM !!  We of course jumped on this decision and now we have a basketball player in our family.

Maisie & Willie

Purple Cat Purple Cat What Do You See?

Grocery Cart Derby

Fall Picnic

CHILLY water ~ BRAVE girls

Occupational Therapy

My girls are a constant reminder that it doesn't take much for us to be happy.  It's the simple pleasures in life that truly matter.  For Maisie, it's a snuggle from her Orca pal "Willie"... for Jules it's a ride
in the race car grocery cart.... ( She loves to pretend she's driving.)   Or a day at Barnes & Noble reading her favorite book.  She also LOVES going to "OT"... that's what she calls all of her therapy sessions.  For her it's a place where she gets to have a lot of fun and attention.  What a LONG way she's come from when she started at Coastal Therapy ... she was terrified and would literally shrink into me refusing to make eye contact with any of her FABULOUS therapists.  Now she can't wait to get out of the car and see her pals Wendy, Jill, Megan & Susan.

Another simple pleasure is a fort and picnic in our backyard... or a swim on a beautiful fall day.  In the end... being together, going through the motions of the week and  enjoying life is really what matters most !!

Maisie & Willy

Bedroom Door Decorations

The Orca is in!

No Sharks Allowed (except for Dad, Baze & Uncle Matt)

First it was butterflies, then ladybugs... now Maisie's number one obsession is with Orca whales.
She developed a fondness for orcas this summer after checking out a few books from the library... and watching "Free Willy".... Yesterday she wrote to a conservation group that protects Orcas and asked if she could adopt one.  I asked her where we would put this giant pet... she suggested our pool.

Her stuffed Willy goes EVERYWHERE with her and takes part in most daily activities including circling the table (imagine rounding up fish) during dinnertime.  Willy and Maisie keep me entertained !

Juliette, Maisie & Willy playing "Go Fish"

Maisie, Willy & Juliette enjoying a pizza party in their bedroom.

Occupational Therapy

Happy Girl

Now that Maisie is in school... Juliette and I have the whole day together.  She starts every morning the same way... eating cereal, a peanut butter honey sammy and watching Nemo.  She's become quite the little actress and is able to recite a number of lines from the movie.  She's also using her stuffed animals and other "guys" (little plastic toys) as characters from the movie.  Her favorite quote:
"Nemo!"  You put one fin on that boat..... "Nemo!".... "He touched the Butt!"  Classic line from a classic flick !

Despite the daily Nemo dose... don't think that Jules is in front of the TV all day long... on the contrary.
We have therapy sessions to attend, parks to explore, motor skills to develop, ABC's to recite, books to read and fish to see (at the aquarium... her fav)... our days are filled with wonder and excitement... and Juliette embraces each moment with her ever present inquisitive nature.... and a saying that has become legendary in our household.... "What's that?".... It's uttered approximately 537 times a day !!!!!!
Thank goodness we're able to provide the answers to her inquiring mind !!

Getting Ready for the Big Day

First Day at Buist

Proud Mama

Maisie starts a brand new chapter in her life today as a second grader at Buist Academy for Advanced Studies.  This is a public school that accepts students who test in.  Maisie took the test to enter Kindergarten... she passed but was placed on the waiting list.  2.5 years later... a slot finally opened up.  She had to take another test last week, and scored a 99 on the exam (mom is smiling with pride).... so over the weekend we shopped for school supplies and uniforms... and Maisie had three weeks of
make-up homework to complete (which she did without having to ask).

I walked her in to school today with a sense of pride and slight sadness.  She is growing up so fast.  It really does seem like yesterday that she was my chubby baby.  Now she is a young lady, wearing a uniform, reading on a 5th grade level, obsessed with Killer Whales, and taking a required French language class.  Jeez... growing up is hard on the Mama !!!!