Chicago, Pneumonia, & other less-exciting things

Sorry it's been awhile (I seem to say that alot lately on here). There has been lots going on that just seems to get in the way of posting. Everytime I think I'm going to sit down and write a post, something else happens.

First, Chicago. I flew to Chicago a couple weekends ago....my AWESOME mom came and stayed with Mari from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening so I could have a much-needed recharging. I met up with some of the best friends in the whole world...all of us brought together by our shared adoption experiences but now friends for life because...well, just cause we really like each other. Isn't that what friendship is about? I mean, I travelled half-way across the country to spend about 36 hours with women that I had only met once in my life and all we did was sit around and chat and eat and chat and eat. No judgements, no hidden agendas, no worrying about appearances, no worrying about differing opinions. It is so weird to think that you can be so comfortably at ease with a group of people that you know primarily through blogging and yahoo-chats. So to all my buddies....I love you guys and I can't wait to see you again (and to meet you, Annie!).

So what did we do in Chicago? Well, first, I'm a pretty freaked-out traveller. I just don't do well with worrying about logistics. This involved flying to Detroit then on to Chicago. Landing at night and then taking a subway/train to the middle of a big unfamiliar city (and it's big....made DC look like a cow-town) and then get a taxi to an unknown location. Yes...I'm dramatizing!! Luckily, CH was able to meet me at the airport...her plane arriving before mine and she was a pro at navigating the subway system. The taxi smelled (I'd never been in one before!!) but we made it to our apartment around 10pm. Then we sat up half the night and pigged out and talked and talked and talked. Saturday, we went out to lunch at the Ethiopian Diamond with a bunch of local adoptive moms (and some little cuties) and I did actually eat some of the food and ENJOYED it! (Yes....I know, I'm doing good!) We went across the street to an Ethiopian store and then tried to find a cab...there was a driverless one parked at the curb. Finally, we went back to the Ethiopian store to see if they would call us a cab and the cab-driver was in the store! He was Ethiopian and I think he was a little surprised shocked to hear that all us white women had been to his beloved land and why! It was a fun ride. We ordered in Giordano's pizza for supper....unbelieveable. I'm not a giant pizza fan; I like it but I don't live for it way some people do....well that was only because I had never had this pizza. OMG!!!!! I'm still tasting it 3 weeks later....yum!

The trip home was gruesome and stressful. The flight from Detroit to my local airport was delayed due to being overweight (even though it was only half full) and no one would volunteer to get off so they put everyone's boarding pass in a hat and drew names and two people had to get off. They would have had to arrest me to get me off that plane...the next one wasn't for 9 more hours! Seesh!

So then....when I got home, my mom was starting with a cold. It's probably good I got home when I did, she got pretty yucky later in the week...about the time I started feeling crappy (SWINE FLU - not really!). Mari was doing fine though and didn't even have the sniffles. Then last Sunday rolls around and during the afternoon Mari spiked a temp around 104 but was still very chipper - the only way I knew she was sick was cause she asked to take a nap! She was fine after a dose of motrin and went to sleep, albeit in my bed. Around 3 she woke me up and was burning up...temp was 105.9! Hot! So I took her to the ER (isn't that what all good ER nurses do?). They did a flu test and a strep test and I declined a chest xray because Mari had NO other symptoms besides the fever. So home we went. Later in the day I took her to the pediatrician since she was still running a high fever and after several hours, peeing in a cup (yes, Mari peed in a cup! what a big girl!), chest xray.....Mari had pneumonia!! So she got a couple antibiotics shots and was sent home with two antibiotic prescriptions, plus adding back in her nebs. She then became "sick" - not eating, throwing up, sleeping in short agitated spurts....overall though, she was a trooper and was still playful and cooperative. Just wouldn't eat - which is very un-Mari-like. By Thursday, she was back to school and today she was able to attend a birthday party at the park!

So that's what we've been up to!!

New Mari stuff:

• About 85% potty-trained...only had 3 accidents the entire time (I'm counting 6 days) she was sick with the exception of the horrible side effects of the antibiotics and she's even managing to make it to the potty for some of that!
• According to her teachers, she can say the entire Pledge of Allegiance...she won't say it for me though!
• She can correctly identify/name a circle, square, triangle, star, and heart. She can draw a circle.
• She can sing the entire Sesame Street theme song.
• She can tell a joke. She looks at me and says "I love you Gramma" and then laughs hysterically!
• She can play with playdough without eating it!!! (okay, that's a stretch...she still licks it!)
• She can consistently count to 14 but always misses 7.

Rainy Chicago

Ethiopian Diamond

Giordano's
Delivered to us!!

What we did the whole weekend.....

Chicago's finest

A front-porch picnic

Introducing Cousin Abigail to Farmer Tad

Mari and Cousin Madi hanging out

Sleeping in "mama bed" the night she got sick

MOMMY - I don't feel good!!

I STILL don't feel good!
I'm better!!!
I think this might be one of my favorite pix of all time!!!
But this one's pretty great too!