My crazy chick

Well I have not had access to the internet all morning. I am just able to get on now. I hope this does not cut me off or I will be one unhappy woman! We have been having intermittent issues with Charter. I have tried to address them for months, as has my neighbor. They don't seem to want to get to the bottom of the problem. I don't want to have to go with a dish, but I am wondering if I am going to have to do just that.

Ping had school yesterday, but for the rest of the day we stayed home. I have a few things I am working on right now. So I needed access to the computer and the phone. Ping has a little cold and just wanted to hang out and watch her favorite PBS shows. We did have dinner plans though. We met with the woman and her soon to be son who is under my care as a CASA worker. It was great to see them. The little boy is the same age as Ping and they have met a few times. Normally I would not bring Ping with me to any of my CASA cases, but the foster mom is fabulous and safe and the little one is great. It's nice because I am able to talk with the little boy without putting him on the spot. It works really well. He and Ping were goofy all night. He said to Ping "I love you." It was so sweet. He also said that he would like to be her brother if she was a good girl. Adorable. Ping asked if we could bring him home so that he could be her brother. I told her that his foster mom would miss him. So she told his foster mom that she could come and live with us too. She would make sure there was an extra chair for her. In the parking lot, they were hugging and kissing and telling each other that they loved one another.

On the way home, Ping says "Mama, I want M to come live with us." I said "Sweetie, he has a mom." She said 'He could be my brother and my friend Brooke could be my sister." So I said "Well honey, Brooke has a Mommy." So Ping in a hopeless and frustrated tone says "Mama, it's so annoying. Everyone has a Mommy. I want a friend that I can keep. Can we look for a friend that doesn't have a Mommy?" All I could say was that I was working very hard to do just that. I have. I research daily. That isn't an exaggeration at all. I constantly check on children on Waiting Children's List in other countries. I follow up on them all the time. Some are already spoken for and sometimes, we just don't fit the requirements of that country. I can't work faster than I am. Ping knows this because I share it with her. She is just as frustrated as me. She is not giving up either. Yesterday when I dropped her off at school she turned to me and said "Why is it taking so long to find me a sister Mama." She understands, but she doesn't. In a lot of ways, I don't get it either.

A lot of people have been telling me to adopt from Haiti. Like I can just call up and say "Hey, sent me an orphan." Adopting from Haiti was a long process before the earthquake. It's going to be much harder now. They have to distinguish the true orphans from the children who have family members, but just have not connected with them yet. Even if their parents passed away, they still have to look into all kinship. So to adopt from Haiti is going to be harder than ever.

People hear all the time that we have X amount of orphans in the US or X amount in various countries. While that may be true, it's not as easy as calling up and saying you are willing to parent these children. A lot of them have significant needs, are older or younger than a person may want, they may not be legally free, their country may insist that you make X amount of dollars or that you be of a certain weight. There is so much that goes into adoption. It's a true roller coaster ride. I say all the time, get on and strap yourself in. It's not easy. It's frustrating and you are always waiting and rules are always changing. So for those of you who have found this blog and would like to adopt, please educate yourself to the best of your ability. Don't assume it's easy. I will tell you that it is the best gift in the world though. It is so worth it in the end. I can't wait to do it again somehow from somewhere.

Mama Out!!!!!