DOUBLE DIGITS!!!!

My nephew, Austin is 10 years old today!!! (Double Digits, as he says.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUSTIN!!!

What have we been up to???
Let's see...
Between, my severely sprained ankle, my dog's cancer and chemo schedule, our work schedules, our remodel, visiting my horse weekly, and my Mandarin lessons, life has been BUSY.
Besides that, my dad visited us Oct 10th - 12th. Then he borrowed my car for a little 3 week jaunt up to No Cal to go the vegan farm. So we were down to one car for the two of us. Mok said he was going to take the bus to work. HA. That might have happened twice.
On the 21st, Dianne and I co-organized a dimsum get together for waiting parents in the LA area. That was so nice to meet everyone in the same slow boat to China as us. And just for fun, I customized a onesie for every couple with the Chinese characters for baby. (Thanks to Kathy, my friend and Mandarin teacher, for supplying the most appropriate characters for this project...bao bei meaning baby / treasure / darling.)



And then after meeting all of these great people, I started a yahoo group for us, LA Waiting Parents. Yes, me the computer dummy is blogging and moderating a yahoo group.
Then on the 23rd-28th, Mok had to go to NJ for work and a wedding. While he was gone, "baby-girl" had her chemo. Oh my. The aftermath of chemo is rough for several days.
I left for a work trip to AL on the 29th-3rd. And while I was gone my dad returned to LA with my car. While in AL besides working at least 12 hour days, I did get to visit with Susan C and her family one evening. What cute kids she has! Also while we were working our tails off, my mom fell and split her knees and hand open and had to get 8 stitches in one of her knees. I have photos. They are a little blurry due to the blackberry camera and the shaky hand taking them. YUCK. Since my mom's doctor was "too busy to see her," our contractor got us into see his doctor where his sister works. We had a ENT doctor sew up her knee while balancing her leg on his lap. Life is always interesting around here.



So since my mom was somewhat incapacitated, my sister met us in Nashville to drive us around to 3 fabric stores and then onto the airport where I departed and my dad arrived. My dad got off the plane that I flew out on. (Are you confused yet???) So Dad and I visted at the gate and then he drove my sister back to her apt and then Mom and Dad went on back to Athens.
I arrived back just in time to celebrate Mok's and my 8 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY on November 5th!!! Woo Hoo!!! Since it was a Monday, our favorite restaurant, Joe's was closed. : ( So we went to Bottlerock. It was a really nice change of pace. We highly recommend it. (Paula introduced me to this place. Thanks Paula!) Then Tuesday Mok left for another work trip to NJ. And last night, I went to the Salt Creek Grill to meet Kathy, Janet, and Gwen who are other waiting mothers that live on the westside. (I met them at our dimsum get together.) Such a nice relaxed evening. Whew.... And I think it only gets busier from now until Christmas.
Oh and while all of this was happening, referrals arrived on Nov 2nd/5th for regular LIDs of Dec 1st - 8th, 2005 and for Chinese expedited LIDs for the month of Sept 2006!!! SEPT 2006!!! OMG!!! We are NOV 2006! So we just have October 2006 and then us?!? HUH??? WHAT??!? Now let's just say that the CCAA does not always refer out expedited LIDs every single month and sometimes they only refer out half months. But let's not forget that in October they referred out 2 months. *GULP* Holeee moleeeee.... I need to get my **** in supersonic gear.