Simple Culture

I finished a quicky sewing project in 2 days which is impressive since I’m party planning, its the end of the schoolyear and the business of summer has just begun .  Kids clothes are so much quicker and easier than adults, and that goes for knitting too, which is why I even undertook this sewing project.  I figure its not too early to start sewing for kid #2, I can amass a closet full of homemade clothes in 2 years.  I’m not really allowed to buy clothes yet according to my strict ‘pace-yourself’ shopping plan, so I might as well use up some of the fabric I’m stockpiling.  I have bags upon bags of kimono scraps so I made these two skirts from this Japanese sewing book I used in January 2012.  Clothes for Kids Who Became Just Able to Walk: For Both Girls & Boys.  Kind of a crazy title translation, no?  Surely, there is a more concise way to translate that.

Rayon or Polyester Kimono Fabric Mini Skirts

I made these kimono dresses eons ago… and they still make me kind of sad because they represent so many years of hoping for a baby.  11 to be exact.  If we get a referral for an older girl then I will pass them along — they are size 6-12 mo.  But I’ve saved them all these years.  I hope our girl can wear them in Thailand while we wait.  Of course they are silk and totally impractical. You can get cheap cotton dresses everywhere!

I made these DIY winebottle tiki torches after seeing a pin on Pinterest – in theory a cheap and better looking alternative to tiki torches.

• $9 for a jug of citronella cedar tiki oil,
• $3 for 3 lantern wicks,
• $0.15 for 3/8 inch washers,
• a handful of river stones or gravel,
• empty wine bottles

And BAM, an attractive table top bug repelling ‘candle.’  You just place the rocks in the bottom of the bottle, fill with oil, set the washer on top of the bottle to hold the wick in place and pull the wick thru the hole in the washer.  It was a bit smoky, and if the wick doesn’t fit in the hole smoke collects in the bottle neck, but ultimately a great idea!

However, having a 3 year old who climbs on tables and mischeviously wants to destroy everything that is good and holy in your world, means that this cute craft idea quickly turns into a weapon.  My friend pointed out that, ‘How nice!  Mr. T’s first Molotov Cocktail.’  And although he hasn’t got his hands on this yet, I fear that this summer may hold some excitement for us.  Still, I can’t bring myself to waste the oil.  I’m living on the edge!

We finally finalized this adoption. We traveled to Chicago to sign some papers and get Mr. T’s original Thai birth certificate at the Thai Consulate.  His adoption is now final and legal in the eyes of the Thai government.  Some of my friends said they got Thai iced coffee and it took them 15 minutes to complete this important final step. But our trip was a little different – the official had forgotten our appointment so we had to wait an hour while some Thai nationals completed paperwork for their toddler son. So the two boys played together in the lobby. I was talking to the little boy not sure if he could understand English and Mr. T said, “He’s just not listening to you, Mama.” Ahaha. So I explained that the little boy only spoke Thai. Our trip was less than easy, still it feels great to say that our son is finally our son without a doubt, and both the U.S. and Thai governments recognize that. We didn’t even get coffee and I was disappointed. Luckily there is a Thai restaurant right next door.

Thai Consulate Windy City

As you can see, it was cold and windy that day, so don’t mind my Trump combover.  Talking to the official about what rights Mr. T may have in the future was eye-opening. His name will appear in the Thai birth registry, so he will legally be able to buy land, and apply for a national ID card that I think will grant him national healthcare benefits. Doing so will also mean he could be drafted by the Thai army, although this is unlikely. Many poor young men go in to the army to earn a living and the draft rarely affects other citizens.

Cheapest Thai Massage in Town

We also got to take in the sights in Chicago.  Our hotel, Hotel Indigo, was located in the Gold Coast neighborhood.  I recommend this hotel – the concierge went out and bought a thermometer for our sick boy!  This neighborhood is quaint, ritzy and historic and also very wealthy.  Its only a 10 minute walk to the glamour of Michigan Ave, and a bunch of cute shops up north on Wells Street.  For mother’s day, Ack bought me some expensive Gyokuro tea from a weird German tea shop in biz since 1978.  It was $50 per 6 oz, people, but shade grown.  It was flavorful but not too astringent and vibrant green when poured.  You can’t say that about all the mediocre green teas out there.  We also at sushi twice, French once, and Thai twice.  The Thai was disappointing.. very disappointed even with the spot next to the consulate.  We went to the aquarium and Mr. T liked seeing the fish but it started to get old, probably because he was developing a 103 degree fever.

By the time we got home that night he was sick — pink-cheeked, sweating and starting to sound delusional.  He asked me a very unusual babbly question and I started to worry.  Unlike his usual super-energetic self, he laid in bed, not talking.  We started to panic.  I called our pediatrician’s line, ask a nurse, family and friends trying to figure out if we should take him to the ER.  I called too many people because half said one thing and the other half another.  We ended up going to CVS around the corner and giving him meds,

watching him through the night and hoping for the best.  The fever broke and he was much better the next day.  Its really scary to have such a sick kid in a strange city.

We flew home on Mother’s Day and it was a great gift to finalize our adoption together.  I’m lucky that I have such a sweet little guy, and nice husband who calms me down when my son is hallucinating.  We were traveling on Mother’s Day so it wasn’t until the day after that I really thought more about it.  I saw this great quote and it sums up how I feel this Mother’s Day, thankful for all the mothers in my son’s life.

“Children born to another woman call me, “Mom”. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me today.” – Jody Landers

It’s been a winter filled with fun and holidays with quite a large dose of cabin fever. Mr. T is happiest when he can run around outside, ride his bike, kill ants and fight everything in sight with a huge bamboo stick. I thought kids would play with toys more. Why do I have a toy box filled with toys when he barely even glances at them. Mr. T is talking in complete sentences but still often communicates displeasure with an ear piercing scream. This is his preferred method of summoning us from the other room or floor.

Recently he has been saying that he “want needs” everything. He want needs a Popsicle, because obviously everything he wants is also a need. Sometimes, even for adults, it’s hard to differentiate desire from necessity. I often feel like I need a new set of 300 count Egyptian cotton sheets and especially if they’re on sale. But I have a closet full of old but useful linens. Hearing him combine the two words is a reminder to me that I should dial down all those voices in my head telling me I need another cookie or fancy camera. We’ve really got too much and I’d like to simplify — it just takes a conscious effort.

Mr. T has been saying some endearing things lately. Yesterday, I was trying to purchase a Groupon online as a gift for my Dad, but I accidentally put in the wrong email address. Mr. T was of course trying to get my attention away from the ‘puter’ as usual, saying, “No check email, Mama.” But once he heard my cries of “Oh no! I’m in trouble.” He said, “Don’t worry, Mama. I’m here.” He’s such a sweet little guy. He’s been having scary dreams, (could it be the Halloween cartoons he watches on netflix right before bed?) and at night often says, “I’m scared in my bed.” So I tell him that we will protect him and keep him safe. The other night he said ‘I love you’ for the first time as I tucked him in and said, “I love YOU. YOU” While emphatically pointing to his nose. Like a friend mentioned in a blog post recently, hugs and kisses are wonderful, but there is something about hearing the words. I remember when I first contemplated adopting — this was a secret worry of my heart. Perhaps this child needs me, and relies on me to survive to the age of 18, but will they truly love me? It’s something I have no control over. I think as adults we complicate this emotion… lord knows I do. So it was a beautiful thing to hear it (even if its mimicry) come out of my little guy’s mouth. I guess we all want need love. I’m not sure why I was so scared of that from the beginning.