Away but still busy

A quick update on what's been happening:

We just got home from a 5 day trip to visit DH's family in South Carolina. It was Alice's first visit with extended family and she did great. She avoided getting hugged which made her happy. Everyone was so impressed with her. She handles new people and new situations very well. It was fun watching her grandpa teaching her to play checkers and chess. Pictures and details maybe this weekend.

I have a wicked case of poison ivy. I got it last week before the trip trying to eradicate the mega-crop our neighbor has on our property line. I've been worried that his lawn service would send poison ivy debris into our yard, so on one of the cool weather days last week I suited up in long pants, long sleeves and gloves and removed a large yard waste bag full. Needless to say, I ended up with it on my arms starting at the wrists and spreading upwards, plus some on my face. I should have gone to the doctor before we traveled, but thought it would get better. It didn't and I was miserable. I am now on a steroid and antibiotic. Hopefully relief will come soon.

Before leaving for SC, I decided to try getting Alice an appointment to be evaluated at Kennedy Krieger Institute, part of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. They took my name and number and said I should hear back in about 24 hours which would have been before we left. Instead, it was 3 days. They called me in SC yesterday and took some preliminary information. I got a call today when we were somewhere in NC on our way home, saying they were ready to schedule her appointment. I took the first available - July 31st! I'm hoping I will like the doctors, services and availability better than Children's National Medical Center.

Also before leaving for SC, we were notified that the process to get Alice an IEP for school has started. She was tested right after her 5th grade promotion ceremony last Friday for language dominance and confirmed that she is stronger in Mandarin. While in SC, I received a call saying they wanted to schedule our meeting for this week. Great. Only other appointment on the calendar is Thursday at 10 AM with middle school guidance counselor to select her classes for fall. The time for the meeting is Thursday at 9:30 AM! I requested that the IEP coordinator let the counselor know and try to push back our appointment time. As of 11 PM Wednesday night, I have no idea if that happened. We got home too late today for me to contact anyone, so we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Update on Lucy's adoption process: Friday I had a scare when it looked like our I-800A application and $890 check had gone missing. I mailed it a month ago to our placing agency - apparently too soon. It was misplaced, but found quickly. Our application was sent to USCIS for processing and was due to arrive at the "lock box" this past Monday. Hoping to get notice in the mail soon that it was received and then notice telling us when we can go get our fingerprints done (again). I would love to get this step finished by mid-July (or sooner!) so our paperwork can be sent to China before the end of July.