Still Standing

I'm still here. It's been a while.

Hello? Is anybody out there?

Random bullet points because I'm not sure how to sum up everything on my mind in any other way.

• We went to Chicago for the weekend because Husband and the kids had a day off of school. We went to the Museum of Science and Industry, and hung out with Husband's best friend/roommate/Fraternity brother from college. We also had the opportunity to meet the very charming Ordinary Time family for a delicious Vietnamese lunch. E and J's son TM was adopted from the same orphanage as Lana, through the same agency. They entered the orphanage around the same time, and must have been cared for there together for a period of time. They are only six days apart in age. I am hopeful that knowing another person who experienced almost the exact thing Lana experienced will be comforting to Lana. (For her part, Lana was remarkably quiet throughout lunch, although she was very happy to have Summer Rolls, which I have never successfully made for her and which are nearly impossible to find at restaurants near us.) I would have liked to have visited longer with E and her family, but we had arranged for Gabriel to spend the afternoon with Husband's friend (Gabe hates Vietnamese food, a subject that probably merits its own blog post) - and we needed to retrieve him in time for Husband's friend to teach a class.

• Someone on the bus said a very rude thing to Lana that was grossly racist. I am very upset about the situation, but I feel the school has, at least at this point, responded appropriately. I resisted the urge to confront the other parents, because I was so upset I didn't think I would be helping the cause of tolerance and understanding by ranting and raving like an angry bear. Thoughts on what to do??

• Lana turned 8. I find that, around the time of her birthday, she is very sensitive to adoption related worry and distress. A few nights ago, I got in my car to re-park it in the garage (it was too far over and Husband would not have been able to get his car in). Lana was in the kitchen and she and I were home alone. When she heard the car start, she flung the door open and started crying. I got out of the car and asked what was wrong, and she wrapped herself around me like a rubber band and cried that I was trying to leave her. For days, on either side of her birthday, she was almost manic with intense energy and clingy in the extreme. I am hoping that she will calm down a bit now.

• I've just discovered The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. I'm about 75% through Book 1 and I cannot put it down. So, so, so very good.

• I've also just discovered the show Burn Notice. It has all the qualities that keep me coming back to the treadmill, which is precisely what I need in DVD television.

And...that's about all for now.

LM