I returned to the States late Sunday night after a long, long 24 hours of flying. My flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was actually delayed, which caused me to miss my connection home. So irritating. I am understanding in the winter, but not so patient when weather is not related. Anyway, I did arrive. It was wonderful being greeted by my mom, dad and of course, my kiddos. Claire ran right up to me, but Mya was busy exploring the airport. She caught a glance of me, but didn't seem all that excited. I picked her up and all she could do was examine me as though she knew she should know me, but couldn't quite figure out who I was. It was heartbreaking. Truly. She continued to look at me periodically still unable to place me. We drove home, went to bed and awoke the next day as though I was never gone. It was wonderful. Claire has been attached to me and Mya does her thing. Gotta love that kid. She is miss independent. My offer package arrived on Monday around noon and I have been running nonstop since then. It was literally a book of paperwork to complete. The kicker is that it all needs to be completed within 5 days. 5 freakin days!! Really. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I were single, but the fact is, it involves birth certificates, notarizing, fingerprinting, passports, a medical exam, and jumping through five thousand hoops. Pure delight. Thankfully, my Mom is here to help out with my kiddos so I can get the paperwork done. It has been kind of nice being back in ND as I have connections and haven't had to run very far for the things I need. Luckily, I had given keys to our apartment to my friend Michelle, who found and overnighted the birth certificates and the girls' passports, my friend Nicole is a notary and I was able to just run to the police station and fingerprinted without an appointment or any questions. The best part is that neither of those things cost me a thing. Amazing. I even had to get letters from my kids' doctor stating their health status. Thankfully, I found a fax, so I could receive the letters. I have restated the same information on five different forms. Only the government. I just got back from my physical. Things seem to be coming to a close. I received the birth certificates today and will have the results from my TB test on Friday, after which I will mail the package. Woo hoo! Thankfully, my jetlag has been minimal. I seem to function well during the day although I try to have a nap. I tend to wake up during the night, unable to get back to sleep. All in all, I look forward to things returning to "normal" whenever and whatever that may be ;)
Claire is nine months old. She is such an active kid, always on the go. She no longer lays nicely when we change her diaper. It is quite the challenge. She is getting rather quick at crawling, so we have to move just as quickly to keep her out of where she doesn't belong--the fridge, cupboards, etc. Developmentally, she is right on track or maybe a bit advanced in our biased eyes. She crawls, pulls herself up, is beginning to move from one piece of furniture to another, mostly eats table food, and imitates us (both in the noises we make or actions--knocking on a door). When we hold her hands, she is beginning to take steps without much guidance. On Saturday, she made her first attempt to climb a step. Sadly, it ended with her sliding down. She has three teeth--two on the bottom, one on top with another coming in on top. Ten things we love about her: 1. her smile 2. her curiosity 3. the way she holds our hands or her own hands when she sleeps 4. her easy-goingness 5....
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Love ya,
PS I understand your busy!
J