Porcupines

This is our 800th post, which clearly illustrates how time goes by entirely too fast. It must be stopped! Just think: 800 days ago, we started the blog. And that was a year after we met Madison. And that was two and a half years after we sent in the dossier. Which was almost a year after we started collecting the paperwork in "the paper chase." Which was a few years after we first started talking about adoption.

Actually, adoption was always on the table from day one. That's the neat thing about our relationship - we knew going into our marriage that it would be good to adopt. Both of us were very open and excited about the possibility.

Madison, Mommy, Ba-Ba and Nana went to Goodwill today, which is basically North Georgia's equivalent to Disney World. At least to Ba-Ba and Nana. Mommy got some good deals on outfits for Madison, and even a new Tag book called, "Kung Fu Panda: Po's Tasty Training."

She couldn't wait for Daddy to get home in order to program the pen - these Tag books are neat: you glide your pen over the words, and the book is read for you. Additional activities are in the booklet, when you pass over pictures or other things. She has a few good books so far, and she loves reading them.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, Daddy is throwing in more books at bedtime than made-up stories. For one, it's easier! You can't make up a story every night, although Daddy was trying for a while. We came up with good ones too! This is not to say we're cutting out the made-up stories for good. But on certain nights, it'll be easier - and just as appreciated - to read a good old fashioned book. Like this one here:

MADISON'S BOOK CLUB

"A Porcupine Named Fluffy." This book has some cute illustrations that are fun and whimsical. The basic premiss is that a porcupine has an unusual name, and is pretty troubled by it. That is, until he meets a rhinoceros with an unusual name. The illustrations are the strength of this one, along with the general rule that any children's book featuring a rhinoceros is made slightly better. The theme of the book, obviously inspired by an old Johnny Cash song, is somewhat odd. Why would a parent name a child something that would cause problems down the road? This poor porcupine could have avoided so much angst if his parents had only gone with a more conventional name. Of course, then there wouldn't be a book.

Fortunately, the porcupine shows strength and resilience, something apparently quite common with porcupines. The lion is often called the king of the beasts, but after watching some videos last summer during our "Pridelands" series, I'd have to say the porcupine is up there in the royal family, perhaps at the top. What can defeat a porcupine? Not much. It's possible, but it takes teamwork, or a certain kind of tenacity that many animals do not have. Example: we were all amazed watching a pride of lions handily defeated by a porcupine. Adding to the humor, the porcupine chases the hungry lions off. We're talking a lot of lions versus one single porcupine. The porcupine needs some respect, big time. Don't mess with one: Anyone who tangles with a porcupine is bound to get 800 quills!