Harry Potter

I don't have much on the adoption front- I've been knee deep in Harry Potter of course. But the latest Harry Potter book was great. Can you believe it's over? 8+ years of reading and waiting for the next book. Have to say it was fun! Thanks Rowling.

List of Books -Culture or Adoption Related

Planned for rest of 2007:

• Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution Is Transforming America
• I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World (almost finished)
  
• Inside Transracial Adoption
  
• Adoption Is a Family Affair! What Relatives and Friends Must Know (elementary-too infertility based-but only reference I can find for families). Can somebody please not assume we are infertile in all of our readings). It would be nice if a book or two assumed it was a first choice - surprise surprise-it is to some of us!
  
• What to Expect the Toddler Years (tired of adoption focused reading- what's are real toddler issues- seems like we should know that too)
  
• What to Expect the First Year (ditto- time to learn about "what's normal"...)
  
• Ethiopia, 4th: The Bradt Travel Guide (Whoooooo Hoooo... let's travel baby)
  
• Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea

It's alright Mon- No Problem

We are in the Bahamas on a business trip and have met some lovely people. We were suppose to leave today but luck would have it- we're here for another day. In a room with a gorgeous ocean view. What a lovely surprise that life has thrown our way. A day together in Nassau, Bahamas.

on the adoption front- I've been looking at other agencies contemplating changing. Am I crazy? It's just the wait is so long with ours and it seems so much shorter with every other one. I laugh because I have this urge but then again- we're really not in a hurry are we? It's so hard in a world that's always in a rush to sit back and think.... "It's alright Mon- No Problem" :-)...

I just finished reading "There's no me with out you" Great book and a total must read. Now I'm onto - "Does Anybody look like me?".

2007 has brought with it amazing travel opportunities-thus plenty of time to read-a weekend in Paris, two weekends in Florida, a week in Jamaica, a week in the Bahamas- and it's only July.. oh joy oh joy oh joy.. can you say- no problem - no problem- no problem..! :-).

Life is good.
Read on.. Travel on...

2 Adults per Child please!

Okay- so are we nuts? We're in our mid-30's and we had a friends 3 year old and our Nephew who is 1 at our house this past weekend. Is this really what we are asking our lives to turn into?? Are we crazy? This country needs 2 adults for each child!!!

Here's my thoughts? Be prepared they are scattered-

It was a lot of fun. How do people get anything done? I need a house cleaner!
Would older children be better? This "having a choice" is such a burden.

We finger painted, made cookies, made a disaster of the house, we went to the park, and to an Ecological park. Yet Den's sister and brother in law cared for their child the whole time we could barely keep up with the 3 year old. So- what are we going to do when there are not 4 adults and 2 kids in the house. I think we not only need to adopt 2 kids- but we need 2 parents too! Can you say NANNY???? Au'Pair.. oh baby- here we come-start the interviews now!!!

People enjoy this? What about my life- will I ever get it back? Okay- so I'm selfish- get over it. If you haven't figured it out by now- there- I've told you.
Don't forget that I'm also very giving, nurturing and generally thoughtful though :-)...laugh. But yes- I'm selfish and I like my life.

I know we want to have children, I know that we won't change our mind and we know that it's going to be hard. Right now- I'm not sure I want to do this- but what else is there? Travellings getting boring, life's getting boring -I'm running out of interest to persue- and well- I don't want to be older parents- I'm already much more tired than I was when I was younger. I think it was probably easier for our parents - who got married, had kids, (got divorced), and there wasn't so much pressure to be "perfect parents".

Society is kind of nuts how much we "cater to our kids". It'll be interesting to see how we will balance perceived societal expectations with our parenting desires. I'm sure many "new" parents feel this way. We're just not keep up with the Jones types- never have been and our parents did as much if not "more" with a lot "less" and we're fine. Although some could challenge how "fine" we turned out-laugh.

On a more interesting note.. Denis and I had a blast. I didn't think about our work all weekend although we had to pay the price last night with Den going to work at 3am, heck we couldn't find the check book and didn't care-laugh. I can take care of that tonght. We loved going places, answering "why", giving baths and essentially- we enjoyed being needed. Geneva did great as well- she I don't think enjoyed sharing us quite a much as she had to -but she did like watching the people and wagged her tail when the kids were around. She enjoyed the attention from the additional adults to. But what if the kids hadn't gone "home".. Den up at 3am- the bills still unpaid, the house still a mess.... OH MY!

To summarize- We need a bigger house and to adopt 2 more adults.. There needs to be 2 adults for each child or we need to move to country where the expectations are less.