Funny, Crazy Day

Well folks, Nina's sweet little disposition headed a bit south today. Not sure why, but by 10:00 this morning I was convinced she had an ear infection. So I called the pediatrician and made an appointment.

Now, making an appointment with said pediatrician is harder than you might imagine because the call goes something like this: "Hi. I need an appointment because blah blah blah. However, keep in mind that I'm 45 minutes away and my older kids get out of school at 2:45 so I have to be out of your office by 2:00 - better make it 1:45 in case of traffic - or I could come sometime after 3:30 but then I have to be out of there by 4:30 because two of my older kids have Tae Kwon Do and at the rate I pay for them both to participate, they may not miss a session unless they are hospitalized. Yes, my daughter's name is Nina. Oh, but for insurance purposes you'll have to put Rahel. Why? Well, Nina's not the name on her birth certificate. Did we decide we didn't like her name? No. It's sort of convoluted. Familiar with international adoption? No? Okay - just put Rahel on everything and we'll work it out later. She's not in the system? That's weird. David said he called. Oh, you have a Nina born on 4/19? No, I'm bringing a Rahel born on 4/20. Again, long story ... Yes, I'm sure this kid is mine. And yes, right now it is very much all about me."

20 minutes into our drive to the doctor with George in the back complaining that whatever was on Satellite TV wasn't what he wanted (again), I thought (after I considered how potentially stupid I was for thinking that Satellite TV would save my life), "Uh oh, I had an interview 12 minutes ago for an article in Pregnancy magazine. Hm."

Honestly, this week is insane. The big kids started school on Monday, they're exhausted beyond reason, Henry claims his teacher told him that he alone is exempt from homework all year long, Grace wants a playdate every afternoon, and I'm again subsisting on handfuls of Craisins and four non-consecutive hours of sleep per night.

We arrived at the pediatrician (love the pediatric group, wish they'd open a satellite campus) to learn that she's healthy as can be (no ear infection, but does have fluid in her ears which is potentially bothering her), likely beginning to teeth (great), weighs 12 pounds, and commands a lot of attention.

Some women in the waiting room were very enthralled with her and overheard when the receptionist asked if I had adopted her and from where. So, with that cat out of the bag, out came all the questions. One woman literally flew over to the seat next to me with a "Can I please hold her?" request as though she were nine and Nina were a koala bear, to which I replied, "Uh, no." I always think that's weird. I mean, what makes people think that a 3-month-old is going to be super comfortable with a complete stranger? Not to mention the 3-month-old's mother?

So then, this same lady leans forward with the anticipation of a kid on Christmas Eve and says, "So, what was it like. Tell me all about it."

"What was what like?"

"Getting her. Going to Africa. What was that like?"

"Well, it was ---"

"I mean, like, did you just, like, walk into a room and say, 'I'll take that one?'"

Um, what?

"Yes, that's exactly how it works. You just waltz into a big room, look around, identify the cutest one, say 'I'll take her,' and head for the airport."

Good God, people. Okay, so I didn't utter the above line, but really, I was like, "Lady, I actually have a negative amount of desire to educate you on this process right now." I don't remember exactly what I said, but it consisted of no more than five words, I'm sure.

During one of Nina's many crying fits today, she was in her crib and I'd gone in there about 15 times to replace the o'mighty pacifier and finally Jack (who's 6) says, "Mom, do you need me to go in there and try?"

Yes, please.

He goes in, and about 6 minutes later emerges with a lollipop casually dangling from his mouth as he says, "Mom? Yeah. She's either really hungry or she really wants out of there."

Thank you for that assessment.

Finally, at 7:00 she fell asleep. I'm sure she'll wake up any minute for the rest of the night. But for now, I'm enjoying the first moments of peace I've had all day and I'm loving every second.