we love winter!

merry merry

one year post op check up

hazel had her annual echocardiogram and cardiology visit yesterday. for the first time we tried the echo without sedation. they give kids an oral “forget” medicine called versed. unfortunately they have to have nothing to eat or drink for 6 hours before the medicine. since our appointment was at 10 am i just knew that would not be possible. when hazel wakes up in the morning , the girl wants to EAT!

so i decided to try jelly bean and little bear bribery. she sat like a zombie watching little bear and the tech was able to get an excellent study. he was able to point out to me all the things they look at. the interesting thing is that the little gortex patch that they closed her supra crystal vsd with is hardly even visible, he really had to hunt for it. that means that her body has generated new cardiac cells that are covering the gortex.

she still has a leak in her aortic valve which is not unexpected. it’s the same size as last year. her ekg was also normal, which means that her electrical conduction system is still working just fine. one of the incisions they made in the surgery is in the atrium ( upper chamber of the heart) where the heart gets the message to beat. with scar tissue there, sometimes it can affect the heart rhythm.

after the study we had a visit with her cardiologist who says she is doing very well and does not need to come back until she is four- 18 months from now. she weighed in at a whopping 25 1/2 pounds. pre surgery she was something like 19 pounds.

i think hazel must be the poster child for open heart surgery!

mornings

i cherish my morning cup of coffee. i have a ritualistic way that i make my single cup of batdorf and bronson french roast. i learned the method from my friend ken many years ago. it involves warming the cup, then pouring just the right amount of water through, letting the grounds “breathe” for a few minutes and then doing the real “pour”. the end result is the absolute best cup of coffee: strong, hot and perfect to savor.

i have always been an early rise. in college i was one of those who could not stay up past 10 pm and was up at 7 or 730 . unheard of in the 18 to 22 age group. these days i get up early so i can have time to myself. i love the quiet of the house , watching the sky get light. i sit and relish my coffee and get centered for the day.

i love my kids and can’t imagine life without them, but at times i do miss my solo days. my life is so busy. being the sole laundry doer, lunch maker, driver, chef and bill payer is a big job. (notice i did not say cleaner: i got smart and have a wonderful housekeeper twice a month. a god send for sure.)

sometimes my best moments of the day are after they go to bed or before they wake up. when they are peacefully asleep and i can sit and read, knit or talk on the phone without interruption.

this morning the house is quiet, the coffee was perfect. soon the little patter of sleepy feet will happen and i will move into mom mode. but for the moment i am alone with my thoughts.

christmas came early

photos of ruby at about age 6 months with her foster family in china.

olivia

snow!

dumpling festival

the annual dumpling festival was last weekend. held to raise money for shu ren , the parent support group for the mandarin program this event is something i look forward to each winter. what's not to like about a plate full of dumplings, scallion pancakes and edemame washed down with some sprite, topped off with a fortune cookie. my mouth waters thinking of the scallion pancakes i ate for breakfast on the streets of bejing every day i was there. a bit o memory lane for me.

the highlight of the dumpling festival is the dance performance. dance is offered after school to everyone at woodstock. the teacher is a woman from china who’s name is zhang li, which is also ruby’s name. she is very serious and strict, but her face lights up when she dances.

the kids learn different dances for each grade. in kindergarten they start with a drum dance. to the tinny sounds of traditional chinese music blaring through a cheap cd player, the kids learn the moves and steps . i saw old women in the streets of china dancing to the same music and using the same props. there is something sweet to me about that.

there is something wonderful about seeing a sea of little girls dressed in costume, waiting to perform. so patiently lined up , proud of the twirly skirts, drums and ribbons they will use in the dance. they sat by class at the foot of the stage , waiting their turns.
when the music began, i noticed that the sea of girls was moving . the older girls were sitting , doing the dances they had learned in years past while waiting to perform the dance they perfected this year.

when the kindergartners took the stage, i smiled in amusement. some were doing this , some were doing that. a few were doing the same thing at the same time. they haven’t been at this long enough to really know the steps. out in the audience i could see zhang li smiling and dancing with them, her steps showing them the way.

cuteness personified.

dumpling festival photos

fema needed. house disaster.