Merry Christmas

Another Christmas come and gone...and I am thoroughly enjoying the week off to recover from the holiday hubbub. I have surprisingly few photos of our Christmas due to the fact that my camera was on the fritz...well, I should say I THOUGHT it was on the fritz. Really, I had accidentally got it onto some crazy setting. The man at the camera repair shop said if I have any further "trouble" with it, I should read the manual.

NiNi is on another round of antibiotics for a sinus infection. I think this time it was due to the surgery...having packing and (sorry) old dried blood up her nose for so long. In spite of the infection, everything is healing up quite nicely and the right side of her nose has a much rounder shape to it now.

Meagan got a sewing machine for Christmas and has already made a pair of pajama pants with it. I think she really has a knack with it. It was fun for me too as I sewed quite a bit in high school....even tried to design and make my own prom dress. It never actually turned into a final wearable product but I remember having a lot of fun with it. Meagan comes from a long line of seamstresses. My mom made many of my sister and I's clothes (of course many people did then out of necessity) and my grandmother was an excellent seamstress. We still have some very exquisitely crafted doll clothes that she made. She also made baby blankets for my "future children" as she passed away before we married. I used to keep them pristinely boxed up in the closet. Then I decided that she would probably want them to get a little more use. Now they have been lovingly "broken in" with pee and slobber...and I think she would like it that way.

NiNi's favorite present is a cheap plastic toy that Meagan gave her from the prize counter at Chuck-E-Cheese. She is really into Barbies so I tried getting her a few ethnically diverse dolls. Did you know that they don't make Asian looking Barbies? African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian. That's it. Chris says it's because all the Barbies are made in China and Chinese people like round eyes. I think that's sad.

Speaking of China, we are officially on the paperchase for another Reuter! We are using a new agency this time...CCAI. The agency we used with Alina has since closed its doors. We are trying for a boy this time. The lady we spoke to said we could get matched relatively quickly since most people want girls from China. When it comes to China, I try to take any timeline estimations with a grain of salt, knowing that they can change the rules at any moment. Anyway, the girls are becoming more excited about the idea of a little brother. Initially, when I asked Meagan how she felt about having another sibling she said, "Mom, isn't two (children) enough?" I asked NiNi if she wanted a little brother and she simply said, "No." The baby climate has since changed a little, especially since Meagan realized that she may get her own room out of the deal, and NiNi will have someone else to boss around.

She also said a couple of funny things this week. I kept hearing the sound of toys being dumped out in the other room so I yelled,
"NiNi, what are you doing?"
NiNi: "I can't tell you, it's a surprise"
Me: "Is it a sup rise that I will like?"
NiNi: "I don't know...do you like making a mess surprises?"

She got a package of Barbie clothes for Christmas and couldn't get it open. She came running into the room, gave me the box and said, "Here mom, you open this and I'll go find me a Barbie that is naked"