O2B V-PK

Today was Elijah's first day at O2B!

He had a great day! He was a little shy at first, but apparently he really broke out of his shell as soon as they turned on the music! He "moved to the 8's" (he said, "you know, 8 jumping jacks, 8 skips..."), learned about living vs. non-living things, practiced writing numbers, and something called elephant soccer. A very full and interesting day :-) They are having a book fair, so we got him a few more books for home. He also completed his first homework assignment this evening: a collage of things he likes.

Goodbyes and Kiais

Friday was Elijah's last day at A Child's Academy. It was his home away from home for over 4 years! They took really great care of him, and we were sad to say goodbye to everyone. We asked the teachers to take pictures of E and his friends on his last day. Unfortunately, we gave them a disposable camera that a) sucked, and b) had a flash that was rarely used. So, we only have a few decent pictures:

Also, I had a Karate test on Saturday (blue w/white belt). Han used up the rest of the picture from the disposable camera...but he also forgot the flash. So, the little red marks points to me. Note: when the disposable camera is used without the flash, making the pictures black/white might help make the people stand out a bit more.

On Monday Elijah starts at O2B for pre-K! We meet his teacher today. Although she seems nice, she didn't seem altogether with it when it came to his food allergies (blank stare...) So, we practiced giving E food and having him ask "does it have allergies?", just in case she handed him something he can't have. Then he added: "I need something with soy, without any cows milk or eggs or nuts". So, I suppose he's more prepared than I gave him credit for!!

Goodbye Old Friend

Today we said goodbye to E's trusty little Elmo Couch. E outgrew it pretty quickly, but we've held on to it for years. He's now graduated to one of those video game bean bag chairs, which is a big hit with Han too. I for one would prefer he graduate to the actual couch, but at least I have years of cute pictures of E in his new chair to look forward to.

8/07 Referral Update - 588 LIDs to go

We have another 7 day "batch"; the CCAI matched through November 21, 2005. This is the 4th straight month with 6-7 day matches. I guess this is better than an ongoing downward trend. Sigh. Here's the analysis:

Average rate of LIDs matched per month: 7 (3 month ave) to 7 (6 month ave)
Tend in days of LIDs matched: 15, 10, 6, 6, 7, 7

Days in between our LID and the latest matched: 588
Estimated wait time: 7.4 to 7.5 years from now
Estimated referral date: 12/5/2014 to 2/12/2015

On days like these, this adoption seems so out of reach, unreal and even unlikely. I know people waiting often feel like this along the way. It helps me to see the happy blogs of those who are just getting their referrals. If you want to see some cute little babies, follow this link:

http://chinaadopttalk.com/2007/08/02/august-babies/

We've Been Simpsonized!

The Van Gohs

Nadege, Savannah, Hailey, and Noah