Karys visited Gran’mommy today while Carmi, Eliana and I caught the 4:25 matinee of Kung Fu Panda.

Eliana really liked this movie and laughed out loud on several occasions. I thought it interesting that the main character, Po, was adopted but no issue was made of the non-biological relationship between he and his father. That was refreshing.

I’m sure Eliana will get this one for Christmas.

Pricey gas is mostly just economic pain. But beyond the agony at the pump, life is getting a little better in ways we may not notice.

Check out this interesting article at Time.

There is a small mirror on the side of our refrigerator. Karys stops to look at herself in this mirror countless times during the course of a day.

I worked from 8:00 to noon today and had a lunch date with Eliana at Chick-Fil-A as soon as I got off. The place was packed as usual but we were able to get a table right at the exit door.

During the course of our meal, an employee dressed as the cow mascot came walking around and spent a lot of time in the area where the Empress and I were eating.

Three tables over from us, a woman was seated with a girl I would guess to be around 2ish. Unlike most of the other children, this pitiful little girl was visibly upset with the cow’s presence. The woman, in a huff and obviously disgusted, sprang from their table and raced for the door while yelling “COME ON!” The child stood up wearing a panic-stricken face but didn’t move because the cow was now standing between her and her mother.

From behind me, I heard the woman mutter aloud, “Stupid kid.”

I muttered, “Pitiful excuse for a parent.”

I had my first physical therapy session this morning...at 8:00 am! It was painfully delicious.

The first thing they did was submerge my left arm - elbow to hand - in a big Rubbermaid container filled with tepid water. Three EKG-type pads were stuck to my lower back, two electrodes were placed into the water and a charge was applied for 15 minutes. This process is called High Voltage Galvanic Stimulation. My lower back really tingled although not uncomfortably so. Eventually I should feel a tingling sensation in my fingertips but I felt nothing today due to excessive swelling in my hand which the current is supposed to help.

The highlight of my session was the massage. The therapist-in-training smothered my hand in lotion and began kneading toxin-filled tissue from the tips of my fingers all the way up to my shoulder. There were a few times when I grimaced but basically I was in no hurry for her to stop.

My next appointment is Wednesday morning at 11:00 am.

Just between you and me…

I went to work for half a day today and will continue to do so for a while. I have a desk job in a nicely air-conditioned office so I figured I can prop my arm up there just as well as I can at home. Plus, I get paid when I’m at the office.

Don’t tell my doctors…

I’ve become more and more frustrated over the last several days because 1) the swelling in my hand has shown no sign of receding and 2) my two main physicians are on vacation and won’t be returning until the first of next week.

Physician #3 - the plastic surgeon - told me after our follow-up last Thursday that he really didn’t need to see me anymore unless the other two weren’t available.

Well...they’re not! So I called his office yesterday and made an appointment for this morning at 9:00.

He quickly determined that a compression wrap would be good to try.

First I went to the hospital for an ultrasound to make sure there was no blood clot in my arm. All clear! In fact, the nurse cooed about my beautiful veins. Then I was off to rehab for physical therapy and the 3-layer bandage. According to the guy in rehab, I need to wear the wrap mainly while sleeping.

Visas, camera equipment for foreign news crews, tickets to Olympic events: who needs ‘em? The People’s Daily rightly puts the focus on the true needs of Olympic visitors.

Next Friday is July 4th but summer camp will be closed all next week so they had a patriotic celebration today. All the children were asked to wear red, white and blue.

Eliana and Karys came home with a tattoo on their face which they were both very excited about. Eliana’s says “I love USA!” and Karys’ simply says “Liberty”.

This journal offers a peek inside the Henderson home where you'll find two Little Empresses. Eliana stole our hearts on October 29, 2002 and Karys forever became a part of our family on September 17, 2007. Is a Little Emperor in the future?