Check It Out

Check out "Stay at Home Dad" rap vid over at "The Other Blog - Content Questionable"

This guy is wild!

New Post ......

....... on "Joanna Mei, Bebe & Home Daddy - Tales from the Cryb".

Head on over there and take a look at "Hu Flung Galumkie".

Hello Dolly

Hey, y'all. We went to see Dolly Parton the other night and what a hoot! I wrote about the evening on "The Other Blog", so head on over a take a read.......

What Province?

We lived on the south end of Runway 3-west at Newark Airport - well, not exactly ON the runway, but close enough that if you were seeing someone off and said "I'll wave to you when you're on the plane" it meant "I'll be waving from my bedroom window." If you wanted to get to my hometown of Elizabeth, NJ from the New Jersey Turnpike, you would take Exit 13, go past the oil refineries, warehouses and railroad yards to the north end. If you make it to the Budweiser Brewery surrounded by 3 cemeteries, you've gone too far - back up about 3 blocks and you're in my 'hood'. It was a rough area and I'm proud to say that I survived 17 years at Elizabeth's North End with no visible scars - except 2 which were inflicted by Benedictine nuns - but that's a post unto itself. When fellow Jerseyites would be introduced the conversation would go something like "Hey! You're from Jersey? What exit?" "13" "Eeww!"

Disney World is just a hop skip and a jump from our home in Orlando. We love to schlep ourselves over to the Boardwalk Hotel area and wheel JoannaMei around in her stroller on the boardwalk which is reminiscent of some of the grand old towns along the Jersey shore. As we strolled this evening, I noticed a pasty white couple with a beautiful little Asian girl. I have found it awkward to strike up a conversation about adoption with a complete stranger as some people can be ssoo sensitive about the topic. But tonight, I had a flashback of my past. "Hey! What province?" "Sichuan" "Oh yeah? I've got Hunan in the stroller here." ....... and the conversation began ...........

Object d' Art

JMei's first art project (painted with a toothbrush) in the Mom's Day Out preschool program.

(Yes, I have petitioned to have "HomeDaddy's Day Out"

as the program's name once a month.)

JMei did fine and she'll attend twice a week for 6 hours each time.

.........

12 weeks ago, 2 nannies from her orphanage in the Hunan province, China, drove her 2-3 hours

to a government building where she was handed over, kicking and screaming, to total strangers, never to see her nannies again.

What goes through little Joanna Mei's mind as I hand her over, kicking and screaming to her pre-school teacher who, until her first visit was a total stranger?

I realize that this should change as she is socalized with the children in her class, becomes familiar with the staff and realizes that HomeDaddy will always be there to pick her up.

Still, its a heartbreaker.....

Waiting for Mama to Come Home From Work

I love this shot of our little girl, JMei, and her doggie, Diva.

Other new pictures will be available on Joanna Mei, Bebe & HomeDaddy

on Thursday, October 16.

D, B & JM to Sit On Adoption Q&A Panel

Our agency, Bethany Christian Services, has scheduled us for participation on a discussion panel taking questions about our adoption journey. The event takes place this Saturday, October 11 in Orlando. Below is the information that we have about the panel. If you are in the Orlando area, come on by if you can - we'd love to meet with you and discuss our adoption journey.

INFORMATIONAL MEETING

Bethany Christian Services is hosting an Informational Meeting on Domestic and International Adoptions on Saturday,
October 11, 2008
From 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Location: Trinity Lutheran Church
427 N. Magnolia Avenue
Orlando, FL
RSVP (407) 877-4006

DIRECTIONS

From Tampa:
Take I-4 East to Robinson St exit. You will exit onto Garland Ave. Continue on Garland to Livingston St. Turn right onto Livingston St. and follow road. Turn left onto Rosalind/Magnolia. Church office is a brown brick building across from the backside of the Court House.

From Daytona:
Take I-4 west to Amelia St. exit. Exit on to Hughey Ave. Follow Hughey to Livingston St. and turn left. Follow Livingston St and turn left on to Rosalind/Magnolia Ave. The church office is in a brown brick building across from the backside of the Court House.

From the Beach:
Take the Beachline (528) to 417 North. Take the 417 to SR 408 toward Orlando. Follow the 408 to I-4. Take I-4 East to Robinson St exit. Exit onto Garland Ave.
Follow Garland to Livingston St. Turn right on to Livingston Street and turn left onto Rosalind/Magnolia. Church office is a brown brick building across from the backside of the Court House.


From the South:
Take Florida Turnpike North to Orlando and exit onto I-4 East toward Daytona. Stay on
I-4 to Robinson St. exit. Exit onto Garland Avenue. Follow Garland to Livingston St. and
turn right. Follow Livingston St to Roslind Ave./Magnolia Ave. and turn left. Church office is a brown brick building across from the backside of the Court House.