We finally had a few hot and sunny days, so this week included:
1) A couple of evenings in and around the pool for the entire family
2) The conclusion of the Great Brick Salvaging Project
3) Music, dance and food at a local Middle Eastern festival
3) Cousin Eleanore's first birthday party
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| Little One dancing with a group of Jordanians |
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| Big Girl was raving about the delicious dinner |
I don't know if I'll be able to sustain a weekly log, but I remember doing this one year and it was fun and I enjoy looking back on how we spent that summer. So I decided to try again. This week we had:
1) Rain, rain, rain.
2) The CCHMC Patient Advisory Council Family Picnic (no rain).
3) A visit to cousins John and Jessica's farm to see the sheep and lambs and their guard llamas.
Our Little One reveres opera and is a huge admirer of Renee Fleming. So when we learned that Renee Fleming would lead our city's May Festival and perform, we knew we had to get front row seats. It was a magical, memorable, mesmerizing evening of music and joy for Little One culminating in a personal backstage meeting with Ms. Fleming after the performance.
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| Waiting patiently for Ms. Fleming to appear at the sheet music stand |
Now if only the rest of us didn't have to wake up to the Queen of the Night aria every morning...
The following referrals were issued in IAC session 630 held on January 9, 2025:
1) Norwegian dossier from June 2018 referred a male child aged 3 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history
2) US dossier from June 2021 referred a female child aged 5 years and 11 months with features in health status and a family history
3) Italian dossier from July 2022 referred an identified waiting child
4) US dossier from December 2022 referred a male child aged 2 years and 1 month with features in health status and a family history
5) US dossier from September 2023 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status and a family history
6) US dossier from September 2024 referred twin girls aged 1 year and 9 months with features in health status and a family history
The following referrals were issued in IAC session 631 held on February 21, 2025:
1) US dossier from July 2024 referred an identified waiting child
2) Italian dossier from August 2024 referred a male child aged 9 years and 8 months with features in health status/developmental characteristics and a family history
3) US dossier from February 2025 referred a male child aged 4 years and 6 months with features in health status/developmental characteristics and a family history
4) US dossier from February 2025 referred an identified waiting child
The following referrals were issued in IAC session 632 held on February 28, 2025:
1) Italian dossier from April 2021 referred sisters aged 8 years and 10 months and 7 years and 4 months
2) French dossier from February 2023 referred a male child aged 4 years with features in health status/developmental characteristics
3) Italian dossier from April 2023 referred a a male child aged 10 years and 9 months with negative experience in an unsuccessful adoption and with specific attitude toward adoption and ideas about adoptive families
4) Italian dossier from July 2024 referred two sisters and a brother aged 5 years and 10 months, 9 years and 7 months and 8 years with features in health status/developmental characteristics and a family history
5) US dossier from November 2024 referred three brothers aged 6 years and 3 months, 2 years and 8 months and 4 years and 9 months
The following referrals were issued in IAC session 633 held on March 14, 2025:
1) Spanish dossier from January 2016 referred a female child aged 8 years and 2 months with developmental features and a family history
2) Spanish dossier from October 2018 referred a female child aged 2 years and 1 month with features in health and development
3) Greek dossier from July 2020 referred a female child aged 12 years and 5 months
4) Spanish dossier from August 2021 referred a female child aged 1 year and 3 moths with features in health status
5) Italian dossier from August 2022 referred a male child aged 3 years and 7 months with features in development
6) US dossier from May 2024 referred a female child aged 1 year and 7 months with features in health and developmental status
The following referrals were issued in IAC session 634 held on March 21, 2025:
1) Italian dossier from February 2016 referred a male child aged 6 years with features in health status
2) Italian dossier from February 2023 referred sisters aged 5 years and 11 months and 8 years and 9 months with a family history
3) Canadian dossier from November 2023 referred a male child aged 3 years and 6 months with features in health and developmental status
4) US dossier from November 2024 referred a female child aged 2 years and 6 months with features in health and developmental status
5) Canadian dossier from January 2025 referred a male child aged 2 years and 2 months features in health and developmental status
The following referrals were issued in IAC session 635 held on March 28, 2025:
1) US dossier from November 2018 referred a brother and sister aged 2 years and 6 months and 3 years and 9 months with a family history
2) Maltese dossier from November 2021 referred a male child 12 years and 5 months
3) Italian dossier from May 2023 referred a male child aged 10 years and 1 month with behavioral features and a family history
Friday was the last day of 8th grade for Little One and Middle Kiddo and the last day of 10th grade for Big Girl. All three have done some very wonderful things this school year.
Big Girl joined the Patient Advisory Council at CCHMC and enjoys volunteering in this capacity once a month. She got her driver's license and, after jumping through many bureaucratic hoops, received her adapted car. She has been driving herself to school and other places since February. Big Girl was also accepted into a state program called College Credit Plus and is already two weeks into her first semester at UC, taking an English Comp and an Art History class. These classes will keep her quite busy for the next eleven weeks. Finally, Big Girl has a regular weekly babysitting job with frequent opportunities for extra hours, so she has been able to keep herself in some generous pocket money, too.
Middle Kiddo has had many staffing changes this year and instead of two or three team members, the revolving door has brought him seven different teachers/therapists since August and a great number of lost instruction hours. He has taken these changes in admirable stride and continues to be motivated to become more independent around our home. We have enjoyed seeing him take the initiative on different tasks rather than rely on help and show real pride in his accomplishments. Middle Kiddo has been volunteering once a week since the fall as well.
Little One's improved health has allowed her to blow the objectives of two IEPs largely out of the water and to participate more fully again in the community. She had her best season and best showcase at the Cincinnati Ballet yet and has grown tremendously physically. She continues to explore her interests in opera, classical music, and really all performing arts and is never bored as long as she has space to let her creativity flow.
Great job, kids, and now on to a fun summer... if it ever stops raining.
Another successful season of ballet came to a close for our Little One yesterday with the performance of her class in the 2025 Community Showcase. She loves being on the stage as much as she loves to see others there and she is a natural performer. I kept my tears at bay this time and and simply delighted in her talent and her captivating exuberance.
Before she got on the stage, she told us, "I'm gonna kill it" and when we met her after the performance her first words were, "I wanna do that again!" Thank you, Cincinnati Ballet, for giving our girl so much joy, purpose, and belonging.
It had been over three years since we traveled by air, initially due to unexplained medical issues for one of our kids (eventually diagnosed as a platelet disorder and severe iron deficiency) and last year due to our home expansion and reno. So we decided that 2025 was the year to get adventurous again.
We booked non-stop, round trip tickets to Las Vegas and made a detailed plan for drives, lodging, food stops, sightseeing:
1 night in Las Vegas
2 nights near Zion
2 nights in the Grand Canyon
2 nights in Las Vegas
But the massive late and unusual March snow storm had us pivoting after 3 nights, re-routing drives and re-booking lodging. We ended up needing a highway closure overnight stay in Kingman, Arizona, followed by one planned and one last minute added night in the Grand Canyon with a final single night in Las Vegas. Even with all the changes, we had a great vacation.
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| Hoover Dam |
When we travel, as a rule, we do not eat at chain restaurants, but try to visit one of a kind local places. I enjoyed the best cinnamon roll I've ever had on this trip.
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| River Rock Roasting Company in La Verkin, UT did not disappoint |
With all the re-routes, we logged over 1200 miles in the car on this trip and got to see a lot of great and varied scenery in Utah, Nevada and Arizona where the snow that mixed up our plans created a picturesque drive.
Our grand finale was the Grand Canyon where we visited the entire south rim from Desert View Point to Hermits Rest. Due to mobility and safety concerns, we had to limit our on foot explorations to around Mather and Yavapai Points and used our rental car/ park shuttle to reach all other overlooks. I did walk the short distance between Powell and Hopi Points on my own and Hopi Point ended up being my favorite view at the park.
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| Red Rock Canyon |
On our final day in Las Vegas, we hiked at Red Rock Canyon, visited an impressive cactus garden, and enjoyed Luv's Custard. We made it back home on a Wednesday at 6:00 am and went straight to bed.
There was one new state added on our mission to visit all 50: Utah.
The first trip of 2025 was a success!
