Pernicious Anemia

I promised my friend, Kirstie, to pass along our itinerary so everyone would know where we were and when we would actually meet Riley.
Nov. 11 Leave for China
Nov. 13 Arrive in Beijing around noon
Nov. 14 Great Wall during the day and acrobatic show at night
Nov. 15 Tour the Forbidden City and Hu Tongs
Nov. 16 Fly to Guangzhou
Nov. 17 WE MEET RILEY!
Nov. 18 Apply for Riley's passport
Nov. 19 Tour of the Chen Family Home
Nov. 20 Riley's medical exam
Nov. 21 Pick up passport
Nov. 22 and 23 Free days
Nov. 24 Apply for Riley's Visa
Nov. 25 Pick up Visa
Nov. Leave for HOME

Hopefully on our free days Riley will be up for a little sightseeing and shopping, but if not, we are staying in a nice hotel and we can just hunker down.

Packing for this trip has been quite a challenge. One minute we have mostly shorts picked out, and the next, we are switching to jeans. It looks like we are going to freeze in Beijing as it drops below freezing at night and the upper 80's we were looking forward to in Guangzhou have turned into mid 70's. Oh well, we're just rolling with the punches.

I was given a wonderful surprise! Our awesome adoption coordinator, Nicole, managed to get updated information on Riley's size. She's about 17 pounds and 26 inches tall - basically 9 to 12 month size. Tiny by American standards, but she registers at the 8th percentile for Asian babies.

I'm sure you've been reading this post and wondering, "What the HECK is Pernicious Anemia?" Well, the kids and I were watching Real Stories of the ER last night and the woman on the show was diagnosed with Pernicious Anemia. It's a funny sounding phrase and the doctor who was explaining the condition made it sound even funnier. Maddie starting copying him - dead on, might I add - and then everyone joined in. "Let's name our next baby Pernicious Anemia!" "What an awesome dog name! Pernicious Anemia!" The more you say it, the funnier it becomes.

We went out to dinner tonight and Pernicious Anemia followed us. Maddie kept repeating it over and over, in different voices and tones. We were all in stitches laughing at how funny she sounded. Sam commented that only our slightly twisted family could take a horrible medical condition and turn it into some of the most fun we've had in a long time. Poor baby Riley. Look what she's in for!

Tomorrow is going to be busy so I better hit the sack and get a little sleep. Only two more days!!!!!!!!

Big hugs
Marlo

My children near and far

“I may not always be with you
But when we're far apart
Remember you will be with me
Right inside my heart”
― Marc Wambolt, Poems from the Heart

It does not matter how old your children are, or where they live, you never stop worrying about them, or taking care of them. 

I worry about my baby, Riley, for obvious reasons – I mean, who would be excited about their child living in an orphanage?  I worry about Sam because she needs reassurance…sometimes daily…even though she truly has things figured out.  I worry about Carter because he is trying to figure out where he fits in the world and his heart is so tender.  I worry about Maddie because she is about to have her world turned upside down when her baby sister arrives. 

But most of all I worry about my Codi.  I think I mentioned he joined the Job Corps and moved to the other end of the state.  I’ve been Codi’s mom, nurse, chauffer, teacher, punching bag, confidante, psychiatrist, champion, and every other role in between for the last 18 years.  None of those 18 years could be described as easy between juggling doctor appointments, school, medicine, counseling, and just trying to be his mom.  All that being said I really love that boy!  He is talented, artistic and can have a wicked sense of humor.  The most challenging part of his leaving home was my giving up the role of medical supervisor.  Codi had never fought me on taking his medicine, he knows it helps, and except for being forgetful, he never purposely skips his meds.  This has probably been the most difficult part to work out – turning over his day-to-day care to him.  The good news is Codi is doing great!  He really likes where he is, what he is doing, and he has a plan!  Keep him in your prayers, but just know, he sounds happy and we are happy for him.

Halloween was really fun!  Maddie was a witch and Carter went scary this year and chose a character from The Purge.  Creepy!  I told him it was a good thing he had such a cute little sister, otherwise I don’t think our neighbors would open the door for him.

 

John and I are in packing mode – which consists of packing, unpacking, repacking, juggling, unpacking, repacking…we are having a tough time deciding what to bring, while staying under the 44 pounds rule and taking into consideration a 30 degree difference from North and South China.  Beijing is COLD and Guangzhou is shorts weather.

Maddie is now reading books Carter gave her - think middle school reading versus elementary school. Carter is doing his best to keep his grades at A’s and B’s and practicing his golf game.  Sam will be home this afternoon for a long break and to take care of the little ones while we are in China.  Codi will be home for two weeks at Christmas.

This is my last week at work before I take my vacation and maternity leave.  Everyone at work has been so supportive!  I’ve relied heavily on my best friend, Angie, and all my goofy friends at work, to keep me sane and slightly distracted.  Two weeks ago we had the “Great Nevada Shake Out” to prepare for a possible earthquake at work.  This is us under Angie’s desk making the best of the situation. 

This is Angie diving under her desk because Jason blew his earthquake whistle again.  (Okay, okay, the truth is she was plugging in her new lamp and Jason and I staged the picture – but our version is WAY FUNNIER!) 

 

Here are pictures from Halloween – we were supposed to dress as a Hero or Heroine and our department chose the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Someone nicknamed us the Middle Aged Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Whatever!  We rocked those masks!

 

Things are going to start getting FUN!  Hang on tight, here we go!

Big Hugs!

Marlo

We are goin’ to CHINA Ya’ll!

I have been so neglectful of the blog – mostly because I’m running around like a chicken with her tail feathers on fire.  So, just to keep everyone in the loop, we leave the 11^th and return the 26^th just in time for Thanksgiving.  Boy, do we have a lot to be thankful for!

Big Hugs!
Marlo

Discombobulate

DEFINITION: To throw into a state of confusion.

This is my life right now…a state of confusion.  Waiting for this next phone call is killing me.  Just knowing when we are leaving will help me straighten out my thoughts and give me a concrete timeline to work with.  Right now all I do is speculate, guesstimate, and procrastinate.  Deadlines motivate me!

I haven’t been sleeping well the past few weeks – which only adds to my chaotic state of mind.  I like to make lists when I can’t sleep.  I usually make lists in my little toilet closet in the middle of the night in an attempt to clear my mind, and allow me to close my eyes and not worry. The sad part is I NEVER have paper available.  I try to keep a pad by my bed, but inevitably I write a note on it and then take the entire pad downstairs and forget to return it.  So, when the mood strikes to write lists, I do what any other resourceful mom does…I use toilet paper!  Don’t laugh!  I’ve been known to write an entire story line out in eyeliner and TP!  Last night was a 2-ply, 4 sheet night! 

I tried to completely empty my brain (ha ha John, YES!  There is stuff in my brain!) and enter a Zen-like state, but then my blog popped into my head and I remembered…I left out the BEST story of our trip!

Gregg Family White Coat Trip – Take 2

Before we even got to the Bates Motel, Carter had already had us in stitches.  As we were pulling into Glendale he announced, “I learned that the CHERRY–OKEYS were born here.” You have to say it just the way I spelled it.  Cherry. O. Keys.  John and I almost peed our pants when we finally realized what he was trying to say… Cherokees.  Gotta love the Nevada public school system.  So the rest of the weekend was filled with Cherry-Okey jokes – like, “Hey!  Look!  Our room was decorated by the cherry-o-keys!”  Bwah-ha-ha-ha. 

Did I mention how proud I am of Sam?  She looked so beautiful in her white coat.  Maddie told everyone we went to Sam’s coronation.  I think she may have watched Frozen a few times too many??  Here’s a pic of Maddie waiting for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. 

 

We bought pink stuff to support Breast Cancer Research and wished Grandma a Happy Birthday!

Squirrel!

Squirrel is what I say when Codi’s ADHD kicks in and he gets way off-off subject and I need to reel him in.  I just had to “squirrel” myself.  I keep getting off track, which is also adding to the disorientation taking over my brain.

Since I can’t seem to stay on track, I’m going to sign off!  Keep praying for good news this week.

BIG HUGS!

Marlo

Sissy's White Coat

Samantha is a tough act to follow.  She is crazy smart, beautiful, caring, helpful, organized, and has the biggest heart I’ve ever come across!  Sissy is living in Arizona and attending graduate school at Midwestern University.  We took the four-hour drive (well, maybe 3.5 hours courtesy of Mario Andretti AKA Dad) to Glendale this weekend to watch her receive her white coat in a ceremony on campus.  The coat symbolizes the professional she has become by choosing to go into the medical field of Occupational Therapy.  We are super proud of her and she can’t wait to meet you Riley!

One of the things you will quickly learn about becoming a member of the Gregg Family is that our vacations always turn into some kind of twisted adventure.  No joke!  We NEVER have a quiet, peaceful, uneventful getaway.  It always has some bump in the road.  This trip was no different.  This weekend we had to add a new rule to the Gregg Family Rulebook: Dad is no longer allowed to make hotel arrangements of ANY kind!  God bless the man, he thought he was doing a good thing by saving money, but all he ended up doing was grossing us all out and keeping everyone from sleeping in our Bates Motel of a room.  It was yucky, dirty, smelled like cigarette smoke.  The shower curtain wouldn’t stay closed, the toilet was at an angle towards the tub, the Kleenex was actually sandpaper shoved in the box and folded to resemble a tissue.  The lamp shade had a “substance” on it resembling blood…or maybe ketchup?  We made it one night and promptly checked out at dawn to camp out in Sam’s living room for the next night.

Sissy had to “teach” something to one of her classes a few weeks ago and she chose to teach diapering – which she happens to be a pro at!  She bought a doll and diapers (which came home with us for you) and then realized she needed TWO dolls – one for Maddie and one for Riley!  Aren’t they cute?  Maddie named hers Mya. 

While we were in Glendale the moon was huge and bright and I couldn’t help but look at it and wonder if you were able to see the same moon from your crib?  Probably not…but it did help me to feel a little closer to you.  We are praying for travel dates this week.  The clock is ticking on our Visas expiring in December, so we need to make this happen QUICKLY.  Can’t wait to hold you in my arms, Riley, and show you the big, beautiful moon you’ve been missing!

Big Hugs,

Mommy

Baby Fever

Most of our friends and family…okay…ALL of our friends and family, think we are a few french fries short of a Happy Meal when we tell them we are expecting another baby.  I know it seems odd to most folks that we want to “start over” but to us, it just feels right. 

The house has been extra quiet this past week with both Sam and Codi gone now.  Carter and Maddie are not loud, rambunctious kids, so the noise level is pretty low.  I hate it.  Way too quiet for me!  So, over the weekend our friends Jason and Brittney let us watch their two beautiful children and we all had a BLAST!!!!  Cooper is two and has more energy than the Energizer Bunny on a Red Bull and crack trip!  Wow, can that kid move fast!  He also never cries when he falls down.  I ran over and asked, “Hey buddy, you alright?”  He just stood up, looked a little dazed and announced “Yeees. Yeees.”  Too cute!  His sister, Sutten, is also as cute as a button.  She cried a little when Mommy left, but by the end of the night she was giving my hugs and snuggling with me.  I knew I had baby fever, I just didn’t realize how bad it was until she buried her little face in my chest and clung to my shirt. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really, really need my baby.  Like NOW.

Carter and Maddie had so much fun being big helpers with the little ones.  Carter is already a great big brother, but playing with Cooper and Sutten only reinforced what I already knew.  Maddie did pretty well with me holding a baby.  She actually went to John for some attention and didn’t try to shove Sutten off my lap-all good signs.

My weekend was filled with lots of little projects involving the room rearranging.  A force has swept over me, sort of like when I was almost ready to deliver and I needed everything to be clean and in order.  I hauled junk out, pulled new bedding in, rearranged furniture, re-rearranged the furniture, tackled the piles of paper in my office and pulled together two sewing projects.  Whew!  Of course, I still haven’t finished the darn crib.  I can hear my husband’s voice now, “Why did you have to paint the crib white?  It looked just fine brown.”  Whatever.  It’s going to be beautiful when I finish.  Someday.

Maddie loves her new reading tent – Pinterest Victory!  She likes the fluffy blanket inside and closes the front so “nobody can see her” because it has “magical powers.”  Wow.  Who knew mom could create invisibility shields with some organza and thread.  I rock!

I also pulled some Pinterest Power with this Halloween wreath made from Dollar Store finds – Styrofoam wreath, black boa wrapped and stapled in place, ribbon for hanger and bow, and one rubber spider I covered in purple glitter (leftover from a summer project).  Ta-da!

Now if I could just finish the ding darn crib!

BIG HUGS!

Marlo

Life as we know it

Life as we have known it around our house is changing.  Sam is living in Arizona now and as of Tuesday, Codi is living in Reno.  He made the choice to join the Job Corps over the summer and the phone call finally came for him to report.  John, Maddie and I said good-bye to him at the airport and I watched a huge chunk of my heart walk through security and out of my day-to-day life.  The poor kid white-knuckled it on a plane from Vegas to Reno and was super happy to be back on solid ground.  He sounds good and happy.  All a parent could ask for.  I hope he continues to thrive there.  Our house is much quieter.

I know that soon enough the house will be full of a baby’s laughter and babbling, and I will truly have my hands full again, but right now, I feel a little lost.  Codi and his medicine and doctor appointments and special handling were all consuming. 

I really, really, really want my baby girl!

 

We are (im)patiently waiting for our Article 5 to be picked up this week and delivered to the CCCWA.  Once they’ve checked all the paperwork they will issue our Letter Seeking Confirmation and give us some choices for travel dates. 

Time feels like it is ticking extra slow this week.  It’s not like I don’t have a million things to do to get ready either.  The crib still isn’t complete, we need to pack and get organized, the house is a MESS from people moving out and rooms being “repurposed” – like my new guest room/craft room which was Codi’s room.  I have four sewing projects to complete. And of course there is my crazy full-time job.

Hopefully I will get some of my to-do-list checked off this weekend, because next weekend we are driving down to Phoenix to see Sam receive her white coat.  I’m so proud of that kid!

With any luck, I will have great news to share soon.  Hang in there… its coming!

BIG HUGS!

Marlo