Boy, oh boy

Still no news about the "lost" adoption. With the Thanksgiving holiday, we figured no one would be really working last week and didn't push. However, one of Alan's investigative reporter friends is "raring to go" -- meaning wanting to call the judge's office to push them along. Chances are they won't do a story about it (the station's legal department doesn't like to piss off judges without a really compelling reason) but it will hopefully spawn some accountability. We'll probably hold off until late this week, but this mess has to get resolved before Dec. or we'll miss out on all benefits,the tax stuff, etc.

So yesterday we did our Christmas decorating. We decided to skip the tree in the living room this year, for obvious reasons. We did put up a tree in the master bedroom as well as a lighted wreath above the mantle and a lighted garland on the mantle, garland on the stair rail, some Christmas-y decorations around, etc. It looks pretty nice considering. We're planning to assemble big gifts a week or more before Christmas and then on Christmas Eve we'll put up another tree in the living room so when Char wakes Christmas morning, it'll be like Santa came in the night and REALLY brought some Christmas magic.

There was a big mishap yesterday that shows just how genius Char really is. Alan went on a hunt for extension cords (somehow they disappear this time of year), and Char followed him. He came back through the living room where i was and into the kitchen. i thought Char followed him into the kitchen, but she must have turned around and left the other way again.

i heard what sounded like a mouse in the wall between the living room and master bedroom. Since we don't have mice and Alan was in the kitchen in the other direction, i called "Where's Charlotte?" to him. He thought she was with me, i thought she was with him. Uh-oh!

i ALMOST passed right by the master bedroom because the door was closed (and surely i would have heard it close, right?), but i decided to peek in. As i did, Charlotte walked out of the far corner of the room holding, in one hand, a pair of scissors (!), and in the other the plastic babyproofing outlet cover (!!). She had clearly been trying to insert the scissors in the outlet cover. Oh, and where did she get the scissors? She somehow got them out of a babyproofed drawer. Yeah. Guardian angel that day for sure.