An American Girl

Brains and beauty in one little bundle, as the years go by I pity anyone who stands in her way.
Dragonwife returned from China bringing home my daughter on a hot late May afternoon in 2003. My son, Darth Spoilboy, and I were waiting at the airport on the other side of the security line watching the arrivals of others and seeing them reunite with their families and friends. Spoilboy was a ball of energy eager to meet his new baby sister still exclaiming how he would help feed and read stories to her. His one condition on his unprecedented offer to be helpful was that in no way would he ever change a diaper. The diaper issue not withstanding his good attitude about the new baby was quite a change for him since it had not very long before that when asked by Dragonwife and me about whether he wanted a baby brother or sister he had quickly shot back telling us that if it was up to him he would pick a hamster instead. His eagerness to see his new sister was a welcome sight though since he had been a only child his entire seven years of his life up to then and there had been some concern about how he would adjust. I, on the other hand was excited but nervous about this bundle I was about to see for the first time. While the overall adoption process had been without real issues outside events such as the attacks on 9/11, strained international relations and further fears of terrorism, and worst of all the SAR's outbreak in Asia had almost literally derailed everything. The diaper thing was also playing on me since no amount of money could get Spoilboy to help out with that and Dragonwife was just about as bad turning green most of the time when she had to change Spoilboy's when he was a baby.

Finally, it was announced over the airport intercom that the non-stop flight from San Francisco Dragonwife and my new daughter were on had landed and Spoilboy and I squeezed as close to the TSA passenger screening area we could without having Homeland Security raising the threat level trying to see them coming down the walkway. We did not have to wait long, both Dragonwife and the new Miss Wiggles were soon spotted coming down the concourse. After making it across the security line I bent down to meet my new daughter and I saw this tiny little thing dressed in a yellow dress sitting in a travel stroller. She looked at me with huge eyes not quite sure what she was seeing and looked back at Dragonwife every now and them to make sure everything was OK. I picked her up from the stroller and she started to examine me in greater detail still looking back at Dragonwife every now and then with the look that said: "You married this clown, I had hoped for a better looking daddy." All this time at my first meeting with her she did not utter a sound. Some of it was the fact that she had just traveled thousands of miles leaving the people that had cared for her since she had been abandoned at the orphanage when she was about a month old. The other part was her realizing that her new daddy was an American, and even worse from the south. I bet she expected I would take her to NASCAR races and and make her watch bass fishing shows on television. None of that happened and to the surprise of Dragonwife and Spoilboy we discovered she really likes Buffett, so much now that she sings along on many of his songs as we drive down the road and eat in restaurants. After a few minutes she turned to Dragonwife and threw up her arms wanting to go back to Dragonwife. We all walked out of the airport with Wiggles looking at me and Spoilboy, then Dragonwife, then back down the concourse the way she came. Whether her glances back down the concourse was a desire to get back to China away from the big crazy looking American I have no idea but she was fascinated by the now used plane ticket Dragonwife had given her to play with in which she seemed to be reading the fine print.

Fast forward to last week when I drove into the parking lot of Wiggles daycare. Right next the fence I saw Wiggles talking with a group of girls her age. One lone boy was beside Wiggles but one of the other girls was pulling on the shirt sleeve of the boy who despite all the animated talking going around him from the girls was busy picking his nose. You might be surprised but my first thought upon seeing the gaggle of little girls carrying on beside one little boy who was paying no attention to them was that some things never change. I try to ignore Dragonwife and her friends conversations if I can't escape from the area. Although I have yet to pick my nose around them, I am guilty of scratching a few sensitive areas on me that I just could not ignore as they carried on about American Idol, dress sizes, or Martha Stewart.

I went inside and collected Miss Wiggles papers for the day from her classroom and inquired about her behavior from the young lady that took over the class after 4:00pm. This young lady along with several other were all seeking a degree in education and worked at the daycare in the afternoon to get some hands on experience with children. I soon learned that my quite shy little girl from China had that day led a class revolt upon learning that vanilla pudding was being served after lunch instead of the normal chocolate. It was reported to me that Wiggles had said vanilla was "yucky" and that she would only nap if chocolate was served instead. Somehow in all this several other kids joined in the protest which resulted in a brutal smack down of the revolt by the use of a group time out and no pudding at all. I heard this news and pictured in my mind the usual suspects, all members of the pre-school Ya-Ya sisterhood posse in which Wiggles plays a leading part. I assured the young lady that Wiggles would be talked to about her revolutionary agitation hoping this young education major would not sour on her career choice before getting her degree.

Stepping outside the building I saw Wiggles, one other little girl named Melrose, and the nose picking little boy named Clooney waking through a pile of leaves. The girls were picking leaves off the ground, examining them, and then handing them to Clooney who was being very careful not to drop it along with the others the girls had apparently given him earlier. Another one of the education major substitute teachers was monitoring the kids outside and called out to Wiggles to get her attention. Wiggles saw me and came running but not before saying something to Melrose and grabbing Clooney by the hand pulling him along. Clooney dropped a few leaves along the way and stopped to pick them up only to have both Wiggles and Melrose fuss at him for it. I silently laughed at that knowing that he would learn at some point that sometimes no matter what you did as far as woman were concerned you were always wrong. All three came up to the door and Wiggles informed me that Melrose and her had decided that they would share Clooney and asked if they could come over this Saturday. I, in turned, asked what did she mean about sharing Clooney? Melrose chimed in that she and Wiggles had been told that they had to share something if they both wanted it and they both wanted to marry Clooney. How was I suppose to respond to that statement? I figured some battles can wait and said that was great and that Melrose's mom needed to call Wiggles and Clooney's mom and arrange a play date or wedding reception, as long as there was cake. All three agreed and as I took Wiggles away Melrose broke off to play with a different Ya-Ya sister and I left Clooney standing in front of the door once again picking his nose. Raising this American girl is going to be a really interesting endeavor as the years go by.

Author and editor's note: This is a reprint from my previous and down defunct blog. I have several things in the works but nothing right now is anywhere near completion. I hope y'all enjoy.