The Final Post (also known as post #450)

Abby's superb reign as the only child has come to an end, and alas, so too must abbystott.blogspot.com. But don't fret, a new blog can be found at http://lots-o-stotts.blogspot.com/.

In closing, here are a few photos and videos from Abby's last full day as THE ONLY CHILD -- March 8, 2009! It was a good day. It began with an ice-cream cone at breakfast and two desserts at dinner (the waiter seemed to have a soft spot for Abby).

In between the sweets, Abby toured a palace, went swimming, and danced in her new hanbok (the traditional dress of Korea).

And at the end of the day, she ended her reign -- about 6300 miles from home -- tucked in peacefully with a few of her beloved animals.

Our Second Visit with Daniel

We had a great afternoon at Eastern Social Welfare Society today. We had a meeting with Mrs. Kim, the President of the agency. She gave Abby a gift and shared with us her take on the history of Korean adoptions.

We then had lunch at the agency and had the opportunity to talk with other families -- two American and one Australian -- who are adopting. Our lunch was bibimbap -- a mixture of rice, veggies and beef. (Let's just say Korea has been pretty hard on this vegetarian!!)

And then we got to visit with Daniel again. Mrs. Lee and our social worker gave us some time alone with the baby. He did great and even smiled and laughed!

Looking at Daniel, Abby said, "I think I could just push him into my heart!"

Daniel sneezed and when I said "ah-choo," he laughed. So of course we all kept saying "ah-choo" over and over again to get his attention!

Mrs. Lee's youngest daughter sent a gift and wonderful note along for Abby. Abby loved the gift because if consisted mostly of Korean sweet treats!

I was able to ask Mrs. Lee questions about her family and the picture book she gave us of Daniel's time living with them. This is a picture of her with us. Daniel has lived with her and her family since he was two months old. We are all laughing because our social worker said, "Say kimchi!" Kimchi is a staple in Korea and is pickled vegebles.

I love this picture below with Daniel on Mrs. Lee's back. He was wearing the hat when we first saw him this afternoon. She is carrying him the traditional Korean way.

But alas, our day came to an end and Daniel and Mrs. Lee went home and we returned to our hotel. Abby has been in a Korean cab five times and has fallen asleep four times!

Gyeongbokgung Palace

It was beautiful in Seoul today -- other than the terrible smog courtesy of China -- and we spent a good amount of time outside touring Gyeongbokgung Palace -- one of five palaces in Seoul for the Joseon Dynasty kings.

We got to see the changing of the guards and pose for a family photo with a guard.

Our Korean Queen

Abby is basically remarkable! We spent the day touring a palace and the Korean National Folk Museum. Abby was pleasant, inquisitive, and simply put -- A QUEEN!

The Korean National Folk Museum had a wonderful children's museum and two lovely young women doted on Abby and dressed her up as a queen. Here she sits in her thrown. The screen behind her signifies that her reign reaches from the sun to the moon and to the mountains!

Daniel's Crash

Here's a cute video of Daniel that we took yesterday. The woman that picks Daniel up at the end is our social worker and she translates for us.

Abby and Daniel Playing

This is a video of Abby and Daniel playing yesterday. The woman in the back is Mrs. Lee -- Daniel's foster mom.

Meeting Daniel

We met Daniel yesterday! We got to spend about 45 minutes with him. He did surprisingly well with us. We held him and played with him, but he made sure he knew where his foster mom was. (Our first family photo is blurry, but I think we were all feeling pretty blurry anyway, so perhaps it is appropriate!)

He's a big baby and really cute. His hair stands straight up on top!
We get to see him one more time on Thursday, and then will not see him again until we are ready to leave on Monday.

A GREAT Speech!

How do we even begin to express our joy with this man? Sean Penn called him "elegant." He's elegant, intelligent, humane and OUR PRESIDENT! Thank God!

When President Obama walked into the House chamber Abby chirped, "Oh, I LOVE his tie!" Will and I loved his speech. And we loved watching it with Abby who was interested the entire time and asked really good questions! I pointed out Senator Durbin who cradled Abby in his arms five years ago. I pointed out some of the Republicans I enjoyed working with -- Senators Hatch, Specter, and Brownback. Abby smiled and said, "We all have the same heart and same bones." I bit my tongue and didn't correct her -- perhaps because President Obama makes me believe that anything is possible! : )

And we loved Ty'Sheoma Bethea -- an eighth grader at J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon, South Carolina. What a great moment for her and what a great testimony to the power of letter writing! Have you written to your elected officials recently? Will and I just did on Sunday!

Speed

Every afternoon when Abby comes home from school, she and Daphne run around and around the dining room table and then zoom down the hallway.

A Dog Wearing a Diaper Walks into a Bar...

...sounds like a good joke, doesn't it!

Our dog isn't exactly walking into bars, but she is sporting a doggie diaper! Our vet wanted her to go through a heat cycle before being spayed. As of Sunday, she is in heat (and bleeding) -- and thus the doggie diaper.

And by the way, non-neutered male dogs are currently unwelcome at the Stott house!

A Girl, A Flashlight, and Some Blankets

This evening, Abby asked Will for our flashlight. She then asked me to help her build a fort. I was then blissfully reminded of how content Abby is on her own -- in a fort -- for a long stretch of time! (Note to self -- stock up on flashlight batteries!)

Abby eventually abandoned the fort, but someone else moved in quickly...

Addicted

Abby and I are slightly addicted to Webkinz.com. I blame Noni, which is pretty easy to do given that she purchased the first Webkinz for Abby. The fact that she lives across the continent for the majority of the year and is really nice also helps.

If you don't know what Webkinz.com is, consider yourself lucky and DO NOT investigate. You too, may become addicted. Over the last two weeks, we have spent far too much time gazing at the computer screen and I've spent far too much money feeding the addiction.

By the way, why/how do humans innately know the double finger cross?

The Girl Can Dust

Will and I periodically find ourselves asking why we spend so much money on Abby's private Montessori tuition. But, the fact is, the girl learned how to dust, and she loves it!

Worrying

I find myself worrying these days about what Abby's world will be like in the years to come. Certainly the planet could do without a few more stores, but people need jobs and for good or bad, consumption drives our world economy.Last summer I bought a wonderful dress in this store in Lanesboro, MN. The dress was hand-made by a woman in Ghana in a fair-trade cooperative called Global Mamas -- http://www.globalmamas.org/. Hopefully, her dresses and those of the other global mamas will continue to find their ways to stores that weather these uncertain times. Regrettably, they just won't be in Lanesboro.

Night Time Rituals

Abby's nights go something like this:

A story from Will (Anty and Zep) or me (Queen Angelina and Beowolf) or a chapter book. Will's been reading the Chronicles of Narnia to Abby recently, so I've been enjoying some time off.

Lights out and music or stories on -- currently Abby is enjoying Tales From Cultures Far and Near by Jim Weiss (a gift from her godparents Josh and Molly). We blame Noni and Granddad for this perfectly horrendous CD player that Abby loves. It was a gift at her princess-themed fifth birthday party.

She has two nightlights -- both chosen by her. In perfect Abby style, she picked out a cowboy nightlight and a princess nightlight.


And before I go to bed, I go check on her, making certain that she is all snuggled under layers of blankets. It seems like she should be cold, but like her father, she's almost always toasty warm (and sometimes a little sweaty)!

We're Still Celebrating the Election!

I'll stop taking up Abby's blog space soon, but I just loved these images from the Boston Globe.

I LOVED Lowery's benediction. Everyone was so concerned about Warren, but who even remembers what he said!


Ahhhh!


Such a sweet and poised little girl!

And within the first hours of his tenure, we already have hope that justice and decency will be restored.

Notes from Eric

Abby's classmate Eric has been sending notes home with her for a couple months. My favorite until tonight was a hand drawn "map" to his home. Tonight she came home with the following note.

HOPE

Oh, we are so filled with hope here in the Stott house...

...hope that our dog will someday be house-trained!

Oaths

I know this is supposed to be Abby's blog, but the following is too good not to share...

After Vice-President Biden took his oath of office yesterday, Will told me that every summer he took a similar oath with the city of Carmel -- to protect Carmel from enemies, both foreign and domestic! Classic!

Favorite Obama Daughter

I'm a big fan of Sasha Obama...

...but Abby simply adores Malia!