Crystal Ball Anyone?

Or maybe I need a Magic 8 Ball, a Fortune Teller, or a Mind Reader. I don't know which one would do the most good, but.... One of my friends commented in an email to me that even though the 3 things on my list that I wanted to get done in the last few days didn't get done, I did get some other good things done. She's right. I should be thankful and grateful that I was able to get those done, especially they involved making appointments which were not made until just hours before the actual appointment. So, here's where I need some sort of psychic help:

The girls and I spent a total of 8 hours on Monday and Tuesday waiting at the US Embassy to submit some paperwork. On Monday, I got in the line marked "adoptions" and the guard ushered us into the building. This was a little before 7 a.m. Around 8 a.m., I inquired at one of the numbered Windows to see how I would be able to submit my papers. She told me that I should wait until 9 a.m. and then I could be seen and papers taken. At 9:30 a.m., no one had yet come to the window. I asked another person what to do and he said I should go to yet another Window and ask. I did and the girl told me that while she know about adoption paperwork, she wasn't doing that today and couldn't accept it. She told me that I should come on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and then wait until 9 a.m. to be seen. I told her that was exactly what I did on that day and so why should I do it again when I have already done it. Now, they talk to you through a piece of plexi-glass (or maybe it's real glass, I don't know) and if the volume is turned up, you can hear everything the worker says in the room full of about 40 people. I wasn't backing down and so she finally called "upstairs" and said that someone would meet me at the "magic" Window. Once I got in there, the girl appeared and she told me that since I wasn't outside at 7 a.m. to get a number, I could not be seen today. Seeing her paper in front of her, however, I could see that only the #1 had been given out and they have 40 slots available. I explained to her that I was there at 7 a.m. and had been told to come inside. She said that the guard knows his job and she was certain that I was not telling the truth. So, she called him. He said that he didn't know what she was talking about. Oh well. I asked if I could wait until after #1 had been seen since there was no person in line after him/her. No. I didn't get the #2 earlier and so it was not possible for me to be seen at all. Come back tomorrow. I was able to pick up 2 forms from her that I did need (it took her 30 minutes to go find the forms, however) and so it wasn't a total loss but it wasn't that great. So, we head over to the office of the attorney to complete the new forms. Oh, I should say that one of the things she/Embassy gave me was a check list of what I needed to bring. We went through the list, making sure that we had everything. Done. The attorney tells me that he visited with the social worker from the Court earlier that day and she needed four pieces of information before she could write her report. I said that I would get 2 of them (they pertained to HG's health) and he said he could get the other two. I called HA to help me make the arrangements to get one of these things done and then I called the doctor's office to help with the other one. The social worker wanted a "medical certification" from the doctor that compared HG's height vs. her weight. She is 100% proportional! She's only in the 50% according to US charts, but she weighs exactly what she should for her height. Now, what this has to do with anything I have no idea but Q355 later, I have the letter done. I promised the girls that we would have dinner at McDonald's and so, being a woman of word, we ate there for dinner. HG LOVES papitas (french fries) and so I have learned that we do not even get them out until she has eaten her hamburger (she eats 1/2 of it which is fine). I even had HV and HM hide their papitas until she had the burger done. Off to bed and getting up EARLY again on Tuesday. I forgot to say earlier that I wasn't supposed to get in the line at the Embassy that is marked adoptions. I'm supposed to know that I was to stand by the trash can, against the wall of the adjacent restaurant, to wait for a number. :) So, Tuesday morning, we are in the unmarked area by the trashcan. See, this would have been an instance where the Crystal Ball would have helped, right? We get #1 and then girl says that it's ok if we want to go and "take" breakfast because we won't be seen until 9 a.m. We head over to a little coffee shop and have some breakfast (note to self--HG really prefers scrambled eggs and black beans to pancakes so you know who had to eat the pancakes while she ate my eggs). We go back to the Embassy and around 9:30 a.m., the same girl appears. She takes my paperwork and says she will be right back. Now, this particular window is actually in a closet, not like the others that are just open to the lobby. This is the special window--Window 10. It's big enough to hold two chairs and a small trashcan. Now remember, I have myself and the 3 girls in this closet. ONE HOUR LATER, the lady comes back and tells me that she cannot accept my paperwork because it has errors. She has written, in red ink of course, on the checklist the things wrong with the documents. One of the major things wrong was that the documents in spanish must be translated into English. I asked her to show me WHERE on the checklist that this is spelled out. It isn't BUT I should know this somehow. Where's that darned Magic 8 ball? Then, on one form, we/I printed the information in my very best capital letters. That form must be typed. Please, ma'am, show me where it says on this form that it must be typed? Again, it doesn't BUT I should know this somehow too. Needless to say, I was ONE HOT MAMA when we left the Embassy. We made arrangements to meet up with the attorney to go over the problems, discuss who was going to do what, and then we left. Yuck! We're now working to get all of this straightened out and I believe I will try again on Monday to submit the paperwork. Again, yuck!

Now, on a brighter note, we're all doing well. I think we've all almost gotten rid of whatever ailments we have had. HG is still doing well with her potty training. She does best, of course, when we are home and she can go to sit on the potty every 10 minutes if she wants, which at times, she does want to do. She actually likes the toilet paper best. I keep telling her "No pee pee, no papel." She still is so proud of herself when she does go. We got some new neighbors--Americans and their children speak English! The girls could not be more happy to have some "new friends" to play with.

Oh, we do have one problem. I made tacos for dinner tonight--seasoning brought from home--along with some Spanish rice also from home/TX. HG does NOT like tacos. That's a problem in our house. :) I honestly don't know if she has ever eaten ground meat and I think the texture of it grossed her out. Ground meat is actually hard to find here and so I don't think it's common at all to have it. She ate the rice and the taco shell, but not the meat. I supplemented her supper with some strawberry Yoplait yogurt and she was happy with that. She didn't go to bed hungry so I guess that's all that matters. No, we won't be short order cooks for the kids, BUT when trying something new and still adjusting to her family and life, I'm not going to cram a taco down her. :)

HG has been into brushing my hair for me. She gets her little brush (well, it's actually the brush for HM's dollies), points for me to sit down, and brushes away. She even holds my chin when she brushes my bangs, just like I do for her. Cute! I asked HM to snap a photo of her doing it today, so enjoy! I know the picture is a bit dark, but you get the idea of the newest "beauty operator" in the family!