thirty: day 9

i slept until 8:45am! i could hardly believe it. yosie must've been exhausted from the festivities of yesterday.

she woke me up, snuggling up next to me in bed. her second question (i don't remember her 1st) was to ask if she could get dressed to be ready to go to audrey's to play. i said, of course.

she chose a cute flowered knit blouse she rarely wears. i complimented her on it, and she reminded me that audrey had a matching one that she was wearing last time we visited, a week or so ago. i'd noticed it when we were there, but i'd totally forgotten in the meantime. that girl and her memory... it's good.

she ate as much breakfast as she could manage in a hurry, and cooperated quite well with the leaving routine- hair combed, shoes and coat on, and right out the door. ah, the way things can go when she's "in the mood"... if only it were Every day.

soon after we arrived, audrey recognized that yosie was wearing a shirt like she had and they ran upstairs for her to change. i stayed and chatted with isabel for several minutes, telling the birthing tale. audrey and yosie returned from downstairs and i made to go, but yosie clung a to my leg and audrey and her younger brother, jack, vied for my attention to tell me various little anecdotes. jack was quite a clown, and was showing off his "barn purse" to me, and quoting a line from a movie in which the key phrase was "DogFish", which he uttered with a certain expression that was quite entertaining. it's obvious why yosie misses this family, who she spent a large part of her first 3 years with, while i worked. they are just... good. heartwarming and good and dear. i'm really grateful for isabel and jodi. they were surrogate-mothers to yosie and generously shared their homes and loved her just as they did their own children. they must always hold a special place in her heart.

i eventually managed to "escape" and go home to shower and catch up on photo sorting, after i snapped a hundred-some pics paparazzo style yesterday. 159 were left. while some uploaded, i tidied the house and gathered items for a return visit to the hospital with yosie in tow. hopped in the car for a quick jaunt out to cheryl's to pick up some melaluca bath oil for kari. then, back to town to pick up y.

yosie and audrey were in the little dining room off the kitchen, happily coloring and snipping away, in their darling matching shirts. snow white and rose red. they are a pair. just over a month apart in age and full of spunky personality. i hope this will be a lasting and meaningful friendship for them in the many years to come...

yosie was kept content on the "long" drive to the hospital listening to a Magic Tree House book on CD. she really enjoys this series (we only have 2) and i must admit, i do too.

when we arrived, she requested to park on the Pink level of the parking garage--the very top, unroofed floor. she was tickled with the elevator ride, and earnestly answered the polite interest questions of the grandmotherly lady, with her husband and grandson, about her doll's name ("emma" at the time) and the baby she was visiting. the amusing irony of the identical names of her new cousin and her doll, was not lost on her questioner.

we enjoyed our stay in the small hospital room for a few hours. we ate snacks, looked at pictures, colored, made bracelets, played with playdoh, watched tv, played go-fish, watched the baby Emma be pricked, prodded, fed, changed, and lay under the bili-blue-light. we missed not being able to hold her, and she missed being held, but she needs to be under the light as much as possible, so she can get better and go home soon. then we can hold her much and often, and we will.

we arrived home in time for dinner, which Daddy fixed. yummy rice, chicken and veggies. yogurt and fruit smoothies for dessert. while we waited for dinner, yosie played doctor and examined my big toe throughly. after dinner, daddy was the patient until bedtime. he sprained and broke his ankle and had it wrapped in a colorful scarf. he couldn't have pain medication though, only bubble gum with sparkles in it.

it has been an A+ day. rather unfortunately, unusual for a Tuesday. but i will rejoice and be glad in it.