Appointments
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
In which further adoption requirements are undertaken…
After dreaming at length about soccer, the first day of OLeif’s vacation began with a 6:30 alarm.
Slicing up Puck’s breakfast eggs…
“Mama, immediately I will eat eggs for breakfast, and oatmeal tomorrow. Immediately.”
Then he asked if she remembered something about the car…
“I forget, Puck.”
“Well, next time keep it in your head so you don’t lose it.”
Puck was dressed for the day: soccer t-shirt, blue plaid shorts, Mexican poncho (hood on — Tuesday’s highs were set for 92), ‘Pup’ sticking out of the front pocket, and black flip-flops.
And possible storms.
Eight o’clock departure.
Puck dropped off at the house with biology and chemistry DVDs for Francis from Izzy, ACT text, cameo-esque bookmark for Mom, and The Four Hour Body (having been loaned to Collette on Sunday)… there were always interchangeable stacks at every meeting.
At the house…
Earnest was indefinitely in more trouble…
“I bought him a parsley plant to nibble on,” said Carrie. “I thought it would be like parsley-on-tap, but he just sits there and eats the whole thing in one sitting…”
Francis and Linnea were just leaving for the Recplex. Francis had to practice the Butterfly for his testing that night. He had never done it before…
And out to Maryland Heights for OLeif and Collette for the updating home study meeting.
Adoption Agency.
Their counselor, pleasant and informative as always, joined by a quiet intern with a huge smile and mannerisms and appearance, Russian. An hour and a half passed quickly, in which they were informed that that wait-time was gradually extending. They were now up to three years and ten months, six of those months having already passed. (Not to mention the eighteen before that involving the application, papers, and other complications.) So maybe a December 2014 referral, and a February or March 2015 flight to South America. Still, things were better than China those days. Chinese adoptions were up to five years… The hoops through which one had to jump…
On the way back: fuel up, QT cheeseburger sticks, and cold apple tea for OLeif.
When they returned…
Carrie and Puck had made a sizable bag of ‘puppy chow’ to bring home. OLeif immediately began consuming.
Francis had returned from a semi-unsuccessful Butterfly rehearsal. Collette attempted further explanation for him.
“You did the Butterfly?” Dad asked her.
“Oh yeah. Back in Sharks. Remember, they wanted me on the swim team when I was eleven?”
“Me too,” Carried added.
Apparently Francis hadn’t ever done the Mile Swim at Scout camp either, although Joe had been able to do it three or so times in the past. Somehow Francis had skipped over these things…
“Yeah,” said OLeif, “they had me do the mile swim before they hired me at Brown Shoe.”
Dad started giggling.
Carrie rolled her eyes…
“Dad, you always laughed at the dumbest jokes…”
“Well anyway,” said Francis. “I don’t really know how to do the strokes. I just have to know how to teach them…”
Linnea’s eyes widened…
“Uhm, Francis?…”
Police department; criminal checks for the adoption.
It was always very windy at the police department…
Home.
OLeif helped himself to some tomato [tuh-maw-toe] juice before beginning the epic anticipated 60-hour-plus website finale for his parents’ church.
And… the highs for Wednesday had been ratcheted up to 100.
O Joys…
Quiet Hour:
Blog post from Carrie… free solar panels.
Late 1400’s Silverspoons in Switzerland.
Puck listening to the radio on Collette’s nightstand, some crackling fuzz of a techno-funky Aboriginal mess…
Wind.
OLeif practiced push-ups with Puck on his back for added clout.
Dinner: grilled chicken sandwiches and watermelon, during which OLeif explained the finer details of the game of baseball to Puck via air-drawings on the kitchen table. Puck listened attentively, asking pointed questions, such as…
“It’s [the field] longer than anything you ever imagined in your dreams?”
“Do they go inside [the dugout] and stay in there forever?”
“Are there Tardis bathrooms there?”
“Are they purple and brown?”
“Wuhl… I get three points ’cause I’m a very good baseball player.”
“Will the fireworks hit somebody?”
Rose came over at 7:30 to catch up.
Smoked Cheddar/Monterey Jack Cheez-Its Duos.
Call it a night around ten.