Digging our way . . .

The number 21

2008-01-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

21 months logged in!

I was 21 years old when my DH and I started dating! That was one of the best and most exciting summers of my life. I would go back and relive that time in a heartbeat.

Who would have thought?

2007-12-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

We were 20 months logged in on Dec. 11th!

We always get the best gifts from our secret pal!

I love this book and cannot wait to read it to our little girl. I am always looking for new books about adoption and this one is perfect. I am sorry that I have not been posting photos of your gifts, it has been a crazy around here and this wait has been unbearable at times. Your gifts are always so thoughtful and I look forward to getting them.

Thank you secret pal!!!!!!

Good luck with the move!

18 months Logged In

2007-10-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

4 months since my last post and now we are 18 months logged in with China. Families that just received referrals waited 22 months. The CCAA just finished referring families from November 2005! Yes, I said 2005.

Review ~ April is OUT!

2007-06-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Finally, April is out of review!

Everything seems to have slowed down, even the review room. Can you imagine, being in this adoption process & getting thrown out by the review room after a year of waiting already? Does this make any sense?

Jumping back on that tiny little thread that I am hanging onto . . . there it is . . . that red thread of hope, desperation and dreams.

14 months LID

2007-06-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

We have been logged in with China for 14 months. We thought we would be home by now, but it looks like we are going to be posting # pictures for many more months to come. So depressing.

Something Changed & not for the better!

2007-06-10T08:36:00.001-07:00

What changed? That would be our forecast from China Adopt Forecast!

"Our best guess - a weighted average of recent CCAA velocities, guessing that CCAA will perform about as well in the future as they are performing now, but might return to previous trends: 2008-05-26"

My guess is that our referral from China will come August of 2008, which would put travel at October 2008.

Referrals were sent out and the CCAA matched up to November 7 of 2005!

Congratulations to all families that received referrals! They waited 19 agonizing months for a referral!

Still no update in the review room. The last update on the review room was at the beginning of March, so there has been no update for 3 months. Our agency has stated that April is out of review but I would like a little proof of that from CCAA. The review room has gotten just as slow as referrals. Which will make families have to redo documents b/c by the time CCAA reviews them, they are expired or about to be expired. So right now, there is no good news with China. Things have changed but not for the better.

Our secret pal sent us a great gift of CD's! We love them and plan to download them to our laptop so that we can play them at bedtime while we are in China. She sent "Bedtime with the Beatles" and "Chinese Lullabies". Thank you Secret Pal! You help to make the months go by faster and it is great to get surprise goodies in the mail!

Long time no blog!

2007-05-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the hiatus, but it has been good for me. So what has been happening!

We have surpassed the 1 year mark and cruising towards 14 months logged in on the 11th of June. Currently those that are about to receive a referral will have been waiting almost 19 months when referrals finally do come. That will put them at roughly a 20-21 month wait when they do travel. Every month the wait seems to be increasing by 1/2 a month. So for the referrals after next, the wait will probably be at 20 months.

According to China Adoption Forecast ,

Our prediction for LID 2006-04-11
Our best guess - a weighted average of recent CCAA velocities, guessing that CCAA will perform about as well in the future as they are performing now, but might return to previous trends: 2008-04-11
That's our best guess for when you might receive your referral. For completeness, we can also show the largest likely range for your referral, based on the CCAA either going as fast as it has ever gone, or as slow as it has ever gone. The CCAA probably won't do either of these things (go as fast or as slow as it has ever gone before, and stay at that speed), so your referral is very likely to come somewhere in between these dates: 2007-09-25 to 2015-01-11. We just told you these dates are a minimum and a maximum, not a likely outcome.
Since China generally sends out referrals in a batch about once per month, your referral date could easily vary +/- one month depending on whether you just get included or just get missed in a particular batch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our secret pal sent us a great gift! We received a great tag ball toy and a stacker toy! Thank you secret pal!

Now I need to start working on some sort of organizer for all these great toys. Any suggestions?

1 year Log In

2007-04-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today is our 1 year LID anniversary! What should feel like a big deal, is just another day. We are closer to our daughter, but unfortunately we probably have another year to wait.

2 Days

2007-04-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all those families that received referrals! I know you must be thrilled beyond belief.

2 days worth of referrals came out this month! Very disappointing and hopefully not the beginning of a trend! I have nothing to say about the mere 2 days that is nice so I will refrain and say nothing at all.

2007-03-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Refingerprinted today! It went much quicker than last time. We were out of there in 30 min, but had to drive over an hour to get there. Once again, they had trouble getting my prints. He explained to me that women are harder than men to obtain prints because we use lotions and have our hands in water more (AKA do the dishes). So combine that with my handwashing at work about 50 times a night and it makes sense. We are glad that it is overwith but not too happy that we had to renew and pay another $140. We should be home from China by now!

How many more months to go?

2007-03-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Months Logged In!
I am actually looking forward to our 1 year log in, as depressing as it sounds. At least we will be going down hill from there, I HOPE!

Secret Pal - You get me!

2007-03-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

Secret Pal - Are you spying on me? How do you know just what I am looking at online?

Feburary Gift! I Love, Love Love the Year of the Pig Outfit! I have been eyeing it ever since I got the latest Red Envelope catalog! It is just precious and I cannot wait to see our daughter in this outfit. I cannot thank you enough!

January Gift!

This is on my must haves for the trip to China! I love that the beak quakes!! It is already sealed and ready for the suitcase!
I love the travel case fork and spoon set and I did not have any stacking cups, so once again your gift were perfect! Thank you so much SP! I love my gift every month and look forward to opening them!

Favorite Foto Challenge II, Gimmie a W!

2007-03-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

List 10 things you DON'T like that start with the letter you were already given, Gimmie a W.

1. Waiting!- Enough said.

2. Wasps- Every year they build nest all around my house.

3. WORMS!! - Yuck! Ever accidentally step on one, the worst.

4. Wart commercials-Yes, we all need to be educated and I am all for that. But these commercials get on my nerves. Thank God for Tivo!

5. Whistlers - Something about this creeps me out. I am not talking about the short whistle, it is the man in the store whistling for 10 min. It just gives me the creeps. Reminds me of a scary movie.

6. Whining - I don't mind the whining as long as actions are taken for whatever the person is whining about. Some whining is necesary, and some whining is just plain repetitious. Take action!

7. Winter weather -I just don't enjoy the cold, maybe if we got a little snow it would be that bad.

8. Wet Willies -Grody to the max!

9. Wet Dog Smell-

My doggy stinks if he has been caught out in the rain.

10. Waiting- Same as #1 cause I hate it so much. Waiting for our daughter has been one of the hardest things we have had to do. We cannot wait to have her join our family.

BAD DOG CHARLIE, BAD DOG!!!

2007-02-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

Ever want to kill your dog? Mine barely escaped death several times today. First he ran from me when he got out of the gate for about 10 min. Always making eye contact with me and then giving me a Eat Sh*t look and taking off. Then he found the neighborhood mutt that is never kept in a fence and has no collar and played chase with him for another 10 min. Meanwhile I had gotten my car and set off to find him cause it was dusk and I couldn't see 5 feet in front of me. Once I found them, the mutt would come to me, but not Charlie. He would get within 1 foot of my reach and dart out of the way. I finally decided to drive back up to the house and set off on foot.

Once I got close to the end of the road, I could see them in the distance. There was also a car pulling out of her drive. Well, I guess Charlie got tired of playing catch with the mutt. The mutt was growling and coming after him. When Charlie saw me, both dogs came running. Charlie is looking at me like, "Help, help, this little mutt is attacking me." Naturally, the neighbor starts to back out of her drive right about the time both dogs are behind her car. I had to yell at the top of my lungs to get her to stop her car.

Once I got him the mutt is still in attack mode and is growling and biting at his neck. I grabbed his fur (this is a small mutt) and held him to the ground while I was holding Charlie for dear life. I thought the mutt had calmed down so I let him go and he attacks again. Once again, I had to hold the mutt to the ground screaming all the while for them to CALM DOWN!!!

Finally, the mutt calmed down and I was able to pick Charlie up (all 40 lbs of him) and carry him all the way back to the house up a very steep hill. I thought I was going to blow a lung by the time we got to the house. I am still so mad at him that I can't even look at him. I even turned his picture down in the kitchen. I think we are all going to be sore in the morning.

Why are they sooooo stupid sometimes?

I am rethinking those training classes. ARG!

Favorite Foto Challenge

2007-02-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

This week at Double Happiness the challenge is to share 10 things you like/love that begin with a randomly drawn letter of the alphabet that Donna assigns.

So, Gimmie a . .

Weddings -

Our wedding was in November and it was a beautiful day. I have never been more sure of anything in my life.

watermelon

I love watermelons and could eat a whole one easily, if it wouldn't get me sick.

Warm Weather

I am not a fan of the winter months, at all. I love it when the temperature starts to rise and the days get longer.

water

I do love to drink my water. I especially like a lot of lemon in my water. I have been known to squeeze half a lemon in one glass. I almost always get my 8 glasses in a day, sometimes more.

Weekends -

Sleeping in, watching movies and shopping, that is what we tend to do on our weekends. I am lucky that my hubby also likes to sleep in and doesn't mind trips to Target and the outlet mall.

World Wide Web

What did we do before the internet? I have met and made so many friends b/c of the internet. It is a wonderful thing!

Washing Machines -

Can you imagine life without one? We would never have time to get on the internet!

women- What would the world be like without us? Can you imagine? Who would give birth?

work
I truly love my job as a NICU nurse. I lucked into a job in a

level III NICU right out of school and have been hooked ever since.

weight loss - Thank God that this is possible! I play this game every year. Gain a lot, lose a few.

Happy New Year

2007-02-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

THE YEAR OF THE PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007People born in the Year of the Pig are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. They are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep.

I wonder if we will get a year of the pig baby. It would be most fitting since we raised pigs when I was growing up! As it looks, our chances are pretty good for our baby to be born in the year of the pig. I think a Boar Baby would fit just perfect in our family.

2007-02-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Thank you to my sweetheart of 10 years!

What started out as a horrible day, you helped to brighten up.

Happy Valentines!

LOG IN

2007-02-11T04:49:00.000-08:00

Book Meme Tag

2007-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged by Shannon. What I'm supposed to do: grab the closest book and open it to page 123; type 6-8 sentences from that page. So here goes......

Marcus looked away. He would ask God to his face why he had allowed Hadassah to die. He would ask him why, if he was the almighty Creator, he had created a world so full of violence. Most of all, he wanted to know if God even existed. "If I ever find him, I'll ask him about many things," he said heavily and glanced back at the boy. The small shepherd studied him with dark pensive eyes.

"You will not find God on Mount Moriah," the boy said simply.
"I've already looked on Mount Gerizim."
"He is not on a mountaintop, like your Jupiter"
"Then where will I find him?"
The boy shrugged, "I don't know if you can find him in the way you want."

This is from the book, "An Echo in the darkness" by Francine Rivers. It is II in the Mark of the Lion series. I loved these books!

So, now who can I tag. I think it will be . . . Lisa, Kim and Krista.

Review Room Baby!

2007-02-02T05:24:00.000-08:00

Small steps of progress!

This means our dossier is in the review room!!!
Congratulations to all the new families and to all those who have been praying for an update to the review room!

Continue praying that April flies out of the review room next!

LIVE life instead of circling in this holding pattern, is it possible?

2007-01-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

I am so identifying with this post on Donna's Blog and am seriously considering attending and having a good time!!! A girls trip sounds so wonderful and just what the doctor ordered. I would love for some of my fellow April LIDers to come along. We chit chat online and share secret pal gifts but it would fun to get together before we all travel to China together. Chances are that our future children will have spent some time together if they are coming from the same province, so I think their future parents should also. So if anyone is interested, email Donna and lets meet at Disney!

Double digits here we come!!!

2007-01-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

LOGGED IN 9 MONTHS!!! Double digits here we come!!!

That should make me feel better, RIGHT?

100 Good Wishes Quilt

2007-01-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, I still need some quilt squares! I finally pulled them out last night and was trying to sort through them and match the colors up some. I have yet to decide what pattern I want to use and would love to see other families quilts. So, please if you have a pic of your quilt leave a link to it in my comments section. Anybody want to swap squares just leave me a comment or email me and we will get this swap going! I have about 70 squares so I need about 30 more.

I am kinda liking this pattern!
<<----------------

2006-12-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

December Secret Pal Toys 4 Tots Exchange

We love the wooden food cutting present! This is just an adorable gift! I love these types of toys. The chef hat is just perfect since Dean is a chef! I cannot wait to see them in the kitchen together! I had to keep myself from opening up the present and playing with it myself. Thank so much Secret Pal. You pick the best gifts!

November Secret Pal Exchange

Thank you so much for the wonderful Mother Goose Golden Book! This is our first Mother Goose book and we love it! The alphabet Cards are the best! I have never seen these type of wall art cards and absolutely think they are awesome! The cards are definetely something that will be treasured. Thank you for being a great Secret Pal!

Holiday Gift Exchange Secret Santa

Huge thanks to Keryl Cosenzo for being a great Secret Santa! We love this Santa and enjoyed him and his many candle scents during the holiday season! He is just beautiful! Thanks for being a great Secret Santa!

Our Christmas Card

2006-12-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

We received Charlie a little over a year ago. We were not looking for another dog and have had bad luck with our previous dogs. We agreed that we were done in the doggie department for awhile. The entire time we were trying to conceive we kept it to ourselves because it was supposed to happen and we wanted it to be a surprise. We even kept the adoption to ourselves for all of about a month. We knew we were doing the right thing and didn't want anything to get in the way of starting the adoption process. So, when we came out with it all to our families, it was pretty emotional for us. Both of our families were there for us and supported our decisions. Anywho, one day as I was getting ready for work my husband called me into the living room. He had had just returned from his parents house and was holding this----->

His parents bought us a puppy! They wanted to cheer us up and knew that our dogs had run away so (WTH!) they bought us a puppy! Of course, we were instantly in love with him. He was adorable! We have never had an indoor dog but knew that we wanted him to stay in with us. He was too little to be outside. My niece named him Charlie and it just stuck. This doggie really has been such a blessing to us. He has distracted us and kept us busy. He is very loving and we hope he will be our daughter's best buddy too.
Normally, I don't do Christmas cards. Somehow I either start them and don't get them all out or I just don't do them at all. Every year we get the multitudes of photo Christmas cards from family and friends showing their beautiful children and every year it depresses me. We love to see the kids but once again it is still a reminder that we can't do those cards, there is no child to mention or extra name to sign. So this year when Charlie jumped on the couch for the 100th time, I grabbed the camera. It took a little coaxing but he gave us some great shots. So this year Charlie is our child and next year he will be a big brother, no doubt stealing her food when we are not looking.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

8 Month LID Anniversary

2006-12-11T13:45:00.000-08:00

Are we half way there yet? 8 months down, how many more to go? Currently, the wait is 15 months. So as of today we have 7 months more to go.? That would put us at getting our referral in July and travel in Sept. Could it be?

Christmas Song for Adoptive Parents + a crack at the CCAA!

2006-12-10T22:51:00.000-08:00

Please go to the bottom of the page to pause the current music.
Christmas Song for Adoptive Parents + a crack at the CCAA!

This song reminds me so much of the adoption process and the helplessness that we all feel! If this wait CONTINUES to extends this song will come in very handy next year! I see myself humming it non-stop!

Artist is Alexis Strum

Referrals!

2006-11-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all families that we be receiving referrals!!! So happy for you that this long wait is almost over!

CCAA did 14 days worth of referrals. Not a speed up. At this rate, (14 days/month) we will receive our referral in 2008. Come on CCAA, speed it up!

Thanksgiving!

2006-11-22T00:38:00.000-08:00

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,

MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.

MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP,

MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS,

MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE, MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Our Secret Pal sends the best gifts!!
For October we got a beautiful Winter Outfit that is cuddly soft! Thank you so much for this beautiful outfit. We love it and it is sooo soft. We have very few winter clothes in the closet. So this was very much needed! I love corduroy pants! This outfit is just perfect!

For September our secret pal sent us this beautiful butterfly mobile! Which I LOVE! There are 6 beautiful butterflies on this mobile with different sizes and colors. The colors work wonderfully with the room and I cannot wait to hang it over her crib! It really is beautiful! Thank you so much Secret Pal!

On the 11th of this month, we were logged in for 7 months with the CCAA! Time is slowly trucking along and I am starting to really count down. The light is slowly beginning to be seen at the end of this long tunnel!

Speaking on anniversaries, yesterday was our 5 year wedding anniversary! We decided to celebrate with an anniversary trip. We will be hitting the beach before the year is out!!! I am so ready to go!!!

And to finish up, here is one of my favorite pictures of my hubby and our nieces.

Sheets

2006-11-11T18:54:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had a yard sale. I sold several sets of sheets and had piled them up in the floor to wash before the yard sale. I guess Charlie thought they were his new bed and he made himself at home with them. Glad the new owners didn't see this! Charlie was very sad to see them go.
I made about $125 in the yard sale and it is already spent. What didn't

sale, went straight to the Salvation Army. You can now see the floor in the Baby's room!
The room is still a mess, but hopefully this will inspire me to get moving and get the nursery done.

Overheard

2006-10-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today as I was browsing the booths at a Fall event , I overheard the following conversation concerning an adoptive family. I have recently met this family, they have adopted from China from the waiting child list.
The short version of the overheard conversation:
"Yes, they have biological children, but the rest are adopted. I so admire them. All the children they have adopted are handicapped."

Their children have cleft lip/palate! WTF is wrong with people! What person does not have a special need? Some are born with one and others develop many special needs over their lifetime. This really burns me up. Who is perfect? Not the old cow that I overheard talking about this lovely family. At least medical science can help with cosmetic problems, STUPID IS FOREVER!

My Hubby's Celebrity Look-alikes

2006-10-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Not a bad group to look like!

6 months!

2006-10-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

That's right, we made it to the 6 month mark! Another month has come and gone!! We have no idea when or IF China will speed up. The current trend is a 14 month wait and could extend out further. We are just thankful that 6 months of this wait is behind us. We have much to do and have done none of it. How am I suppossed to get things done when the computer is on? I am very busy checking out all my favorite blogs and yahoo groups! I do have a yard sale planned in the next month and maybe will be able to see the floor in Baby T's nursery. I was going to take a pic but quickly changed my mind, maybe after the yard sale.

CCAA update!

2006-09-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

18 days worth of referrals!
Congratulations to all those families receiving referrals!

M3 has referrals posted on her site so I am linking to her referral web page.
Click here ----> Salsa Referrals

Review Room update!

2006-09-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah,
December is out of the review room! Referrals are expected any day now and CCAA needs to move some BUTT! My best guess at this point and according to the recent rumors is that we will get our referral in June of 2007 and travel 4-6 weeks later. That is an optimistic guess. I refrain from comment on my pessimistic guess. This wait is hard. I knew it would be hard. I heard all the talk that it would suck! But some days, it really BITES ASS!

5 month LID anniversary

2006-09-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

In reality, we have been waiting about 6 times longer than this LID anniversary to have a family.

So I have had plenty of time to shop! Yes, I did get this and I love it!

One of these days I will really start working on the nursery. I am currently shopping for some furniture! Nursery updates to follow!

In Rememberance

2006-09-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Secret Pal Gifts!

2006-09-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

For the month of August, we received a beautiful pink baby luxuries baby blanket. It is soooo soft and cuddly! We also received the cutest knit hat for our daughter. I cannot wait to see her wearing this hat. I have actually got a mini collection of hats growing in her closet. She needs to be coordinated!

For July, we got 2 of the Baby Bjorn Soft Bibs. I have been wanting these bibs for a while now. I cannot wait to use them and see how messy they can get. We also got the "Yum Yum Dim Sum" book. It is too cute!
Thank you so much secret pal! It is so much fun to get these gifts in the mail. You do a great job!

Unexpected Referrals!

2006-08-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Unexpected referrals arrived yesterday! Even the agencies didn't know they were coming. Congratulations to all the families! Now CCAA get back to work!
Here is a list of some families expecting their referrals! Go congratulate them!
Do they have Salsa in China? TWINS!
The Journey
My Happily Ever After
Waiting for our Little Girl
Our Journey to Dori
Miya's Memoirs
Once upon a time

Caring Bridge
Cherry blossom baby

A Sister for Madison
Caring Bridge Site
A Forever Family for Mei-Ling
Link to Lia
Journey to Kate
Olivia Jane Schmick
Zoe's Place

Haynie Family
Rubie Kate Fu Yan
Our Adoption
Journey to Lia Nicole

Our journey to become a family

Just Charlie

2006-08-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

Isn't he a beauty? Too bad he is also a killer! His hunting instincts never fail. He has reduced the bird population by about 20-30 birds in the past 3 months alone.

If This Boot Could Talk

2006-07-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

My husband and I started dating the summer of 1997 when I was home from college. To say it was a HOT summer would be an understatement. One night as we were walking to the car for him to drive me home (mom & dad's), I stumbled on the broken pavement and broke my foot. Being the trooper that I am, I told him that I was ok and limped to the car. I propped my foot the entire way and refused help to the door. Once I reached the door, I turned to future hubby and waved him goodbye with a smile. Then I promptly opened the door and yelled MOM!!!

The next morning, I got out of bed only to fall to the floor. My foot was broken. I would be confined to a boot cast for 8 weeks and crutches for 2 weeks.
So as you can imagine this boot was around for the beginning of our courtship. There was many a make out sessions where the boot was either removed or always in the way. This boot got more than an eye full.

Fast forward to present day, Hubby's mom fell off a ladder while triming the hedges at her home. Luckily, she had her cell phone sitting in the grass and was able to call for help. So my hubby, her son ran to her rescue. She was lying in the yard and hubby carried her to the car and off to the ER they went. What they thought was a broken foot turned out to be a couple of badly broken toes and guess what she gets to wear ........
THE BOOT & SHE IS BORROWING MINE!
If this boot could talk, what a tale it would tell.

Referrals!!

2006-07-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered before July 13, 2005. Congratulations to all those families receiving referrals!!!!

We Chose Adoption!

2006-07-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

As a NICU nurse we have to attend any high-risk deliveries in case the baby needs assistance. Last night, I attended one and had the following conversation with my OB. (A resident was delivering the baby)

Him: When are you getting your baby?
Me: It will be a while.
Him: But when do you think?
Me: Well, it will be next year.
Him: Next year! Wow, I thought it would be this year.
Me: Yes, so did we.
Him: You could have been pregnant by then.
Me: Yes, but we chose adoption.

2 Month Log In Today! How many more to go?

2006-06-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today marks our 2 month anniversary for our LOG IN DATE (LID) with China!! We still have a long way to go but we are happy to be at this point. It has been a long time coming and we are looking forward to the future.

I have been trying to keep busy and have gotten involved with some of my fellow April LID families. We are currently participating in a Secret Pal Gift Exchange and a Secret Pal Book Swap. Each month has different themes for the gifts.
The Secret Pal Gifts are from the same person each month. The exchange will end right before referral time and then your secret pal will identify themselves. This past month was Baby Bath Time. I got a wonderful 100% cotton hooded towel from my pal! Thanks!

For the Secret Pal book exchange the pal changes up every month as does the theme. Last month's theme was "Mother and Child" and I received 2 wonderful books from Cyndi W. "Mama Loves me", which is just too cute with the pop-ups. She also sent Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Touch and Feel Cards. Great for me, as a first time mom cause I can't remember these nursery rhymes! Thanks so much!!!

STORK ALERT!!!!

2006-05-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

STORK ALERT!!!!
Congratulations to all those families receiving referral's!

Love Without Boundaries Auction

2006-05-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the Love Without Boundaries Ebay Auction! Today is the last day! There are some great items up for auction. These are two prints that I purchased.
All of the proceeds from the auctions will be used to fund heart surgeries for orphans in China.

This is the photo itself and the next is the matted photo. This amazing photo of berries was taken in Hawaii by photographer Marcia Armstrong.

The rose photo may go in the nursery, depending on how it looks.

This was the description in the auction: "Beautiful photograph taken by nurse on a cleft mission trip to Henan, China. Single pink rose accented by deep green of the leaves. Photograph is matted in white and ready for framing. In upper left corner, Luoyang, Henan, China, Photo by Carol Just. "

Love Without Boundaries is a wonderful organization that helps children. Please check out their website here. Also, if you plan to shop at Amazon, go to Love Without Boundaries & click on their Amazon link. Amazon will donate part of the proceeds to Love without Boundaries.

Now, go spend some money!

Who's Your 80's Heartthrob?

2006-05-06T22:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, this was a lttle dead on with me. I must admit that I have ALWAYS enjoyed looking at John Stamos! What was Rebecca thinking?
See who your heartthrob is (was)!

Your 80s Heartthrob Is

John Stamos

Who's" Your 80's Heartthrob?

I have been tagged!

2006-04-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

OK, I have been tagged, not once but twice! Thanks to Stacy and Sara.
So the tagging is that I have to list 6 weird things about me. So here goes,

#1. When I was younger, I had an obsession with the number 4. I had to try to do everything in 4's. If I tapped my foot it had to be 4 times. If for some reason I could only do something 2 times, I HAD to find a way to do it another 2 times to equal 4. Everything had to equal 4. I did outgrow it and am so far from being OCD today that I have no idea why I had this obsession.

#2. I sleep with earplugs and an eye mask on. I started the earplug thing while I was in college and trying to get into nursing school. I would study with them in. We lived in an apartment on campus at UGA (Rivermill) and lived on the main drag. There were always motorcycles roaring during the day and drunks walking home at night. So before I knew it, I was sleeping with them too. Fast forward to present day, (10 years later) I work nights and added the eye mask.

#3. One of my favorite foods to snack is Regular Doritos and gherkin pickles. You may say, "gross!" But, Just try it!

#4. I hate for my big toes to be touched. It sends chills up my spine. My husband loves to aggravate me and try to grab them sometimes. It makes me so CRAZY!

#5. I am a nurse and blood doesn't bother me. I start IV's on babies and it really doesn't bother me. However, my husband had an abscessed tooth the first year of our marriage and it burst in the middle of the night. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!! We woke up and looked like we were in the middle of a horror movie. I had to clean the mattresses and it was a site. About half way through the cleaning, I just couldn't take cleaning up HIS blood anymore. It was making me crazy! I don't do loved ones blood very well. I cannot handle thinking about their blood and them losing it. Totally freaks me out and I feel like I could pass out!

#6. I like to sniff my food before I eat it. Not all food but especially new foods, sauces or finger foods. I can usually tell if I will like it or not by the sniff test.

These are the folks I am tagging:
Heather
My Baby Ava
Waiting for Sophie

Stephanie
Alison
Angel

If you have already been tag then don't worry about it!
Rules of the tag:
1) Now you list 6 weird facts about yourself and post them on your blog and in my comments section. Then tag 6 more people.
2) Leave a comment in their comments section telling them they are tagged and to go to your blog.

Logged in!

2006-04-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

We are logged in!!! I just got the email. Our Log In Date is April 11th!!! That is 4 days from DTC! Right after I got the email, I went into the kitchen and there was a ladybug on the floor. She didn't look too healthy and I think my dog may have attacked her, but hey a sign is a sign. Now we are officially Paper Pregnant! Woo Hoo!

Hallelujah!! WE ARE DTC APRIL 7th!

2006-04-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to annouce that we are DTC on April 7th. I cannot tell you what it feels like to know we are on our way. It has been a long journey. We started this process in late October, knowing that we would have to wait for my birthday on April 8th. The Big 30!! However, we wanted to get started early and be proactive. We always had the goal to be finished & ready to go by my birthday and we just barely made it. This has been the best gift that I could ever receive and it just plain feels kinda weird. We have been working, praying and obsessing over making this goal and now it is done. We have made it, we are going to be parents. Someone pinch me. Is this for real?
I have so many things that I want to do for our daughter(s) over the next year. I have already started on a scrapbook and the closet is getting ridiculous. NO MORE SHOPPING! I think I am going to start a journal for her as to what we are doing pre-parenthood. I know life will change so much after she arrives. It will be a welcome change. We have petitioned for twins but know that it is unlikely to happen. We will be happy either way and our hearts are just set on being parents. People may think that we are helping a child, however she is helping us more than she will ever know.
Our dossier consisted of 12 documents and two photo pages. I took a bunch of pics and hope to recreate our picture page for a scrapbook page. Our dossier arrived at Great Wall China Adoption on Tuesday, April 4th and was mailed to China or DTC on the 7th of April. Now we wait for the infamous Log In Date (LID). This is the date that China logs in our information to their system. From your log in date, referrals of a baby are now currently taking about 10 months. When we started they were taking 6 months. So we still have a long wait. I remember being so down and out after Christmas and complaining that we would never get to April and NEVER be DTC. My wonderful and supportive hubby tried to tell me that it would be just right around the corner and here it is.

WE ARE DTC!!!!!

Answered Prayers!!!!

2006-03-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

Our Prayers were answered today! We finally received the I-797!!! Which means we are approved to adopt an orphan, actually we are approved to adopt 2. I am so happy and come Tuesday, I will be in ATL getting our State Seal on these last two documents and sending them off to Houston for authentication!!!! Next stop after that will be to our adoption agency!! We just may make it to my birthday yet!!!!!!

Sara Ann

2006-03-14T21:13:00.000-08:00

Introducing "Miss Sara Ann"
Is she a cutie or what?

NIECE #4, WE ARE GETTING A BABY!

2006-03-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

SOOO excited! My sis got admitted tonight and hopefully will be giving birth tomorrow!!! I will be an aunt for the 4th time and to all GIRLS! I can't wait to see her pretty face. Her name will be Sara Ann. I will post a pic when she makes her arrival.

I-797?

2006-03-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

I have resorted to asking my dog when he thinks the I-797 will come. So, Charlie, when will the I-797 arrive? This is his standard answer, a little head cocking and blank stare. So, what do all you fellow bloggers think the answer will be? The agency sent the homestudy in on Feb 14th. Anybody got a scope on how long Atlanta is taking? Any juicy news would be appreciated! Mr. Charlie

Little Ladybug & Homestudy Hell

2006-02-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

I love this little ladybug outfit from gymboree! It is just too cute. Now where is the little girl that belongs in it? I went a little nuts buying clothes the other day and got some extras to put on eBay. So if you are interested, click here!

In other news, I am not quite sure how they managed to do it but my home study agency has screwed up. I was told that they sent the homestudy to immigration last week and they were mailing my copies. Well, I got my copy the other day and right away noticed that my address was wrong. Upon further inspection I caught many errors. Umm, like PAGE #2 IS MISSING! Arg!!!!!I had already sent my corrections to them the week before so why didn't they send me the finished copy to proofread before mailing it off?!?!?!?!?

Another nice mistake that I found was where they left a sentence in that I had written about correcting our address. Who proofreads this stuff anyway? Isn't the $1200 that I payed them enough to catch these mistakes? So I am a little miffed! I wrote them an email and called today and finally got contacted after 5 pm that she was out of the office til Wed. So as of right now I have no idea if immigration got the same copy that I did. I am sure if they did they are having a good laugh over the mistakes. Thank God we have enough time to get this all fixed.

Lightning Fast!

2006-02-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, my first thought when I woke up today was about our paperwork that I sent to Houston. I haven't kept track of it at UPS and wasn't sure where they were at with it. We sent it out on the 8th and it got there on the 9th early morning.
As I was getting out of bed I heard a truck in the drive. I just knew it was the documents. Now it could have been one of my many purchases from eBay, but I just had a feeling it was the paperwork. I can't believe it is back already. They got it done in 5 working days!
The Chinese Consulate in Houston ROCKS!!!!!

Valentine

2006-02-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!

We are delivered!

2006-02-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

We are delivered! I love next day air!!!

Package Progress:
Location HOUSTON, TX, US
02/09/2006
9:55 A.M.

Signed in by WIN

Paperwork to Houston!!!!!!

2006-02-08T21:26:00.000-08:00

All the paperwork (minus the homestudy and I-171-H) is on it's way to Houston for authentication!!!!!!! I have never been so happy to get something out of my house. It should return in 10-15 days and then we will be waiting for the homestudy to get approval from Immigration and to be issued our I-171-H. I cannot wait to be DTC!!!!!!
Meanwhile, I have been listing some clothing on eBay to raise some $$$$. If you want to check it out then click here.

2006-02-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

I got this email today from our agency!!!!

The home study for the Thomas family has been approved.

WOO HOO!!!!!!

We also drove to the SOS office today and got all our documents state certified!!!!!!!! Well, all except the homestudy and I-171H but we are almost there! Tommorow, I am mailing it off to Houston for authentication. I cannot wait to get this paperwork out of my house and be DTC!!!

LifeBook Paper!!!!

2006-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

What is a Lifebook? A lifebook is like a scrapbook of your adopted child's life before, during, and after the adoption. The purpose of a lifebook is to document your child's early life history in a story form. These are some of the papers that I am going to use in my daughter's lifebook. I absolutely LOVE the Urban Collection! I can order these collection packs for $18.00. The pack includes 18 papers, one sheet coordinating letter stickers and one sheet coordinating tags. Acid & lignin free. If anyone is interested in these papers for your lifebook, leave me a comment. I cannot wait to use these papers!

The Urban Collection!

Oh, Baby Girl! Collection Pack

Color Me Silly Collection Pack!

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2006-01-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

2006 is the Year of the Dog!

What's it mean to be a Dog?
People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

If you were born in 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, or 2006 - you were born under the sign of the dog. Like the dog, you are honest and faithful to those you love, although you also can be somewhat eccentric and very stubborn at times! For dogs in 2006, any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally.

Here Piggy, Piggy!

2006-01-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

I bought this piggy bank yesterday and just love it! It came from K-Mart and I have been waiting to purchase it. They only had 1 the last time I went and it had a painting defect. So, I was sooooo happy to find the perfect one. Notice the ladybug on the rear!

Final Homestudy DONE!

2006-01-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

Little late on the post but we had our final homestudy on Monday (Jan, 16th) and everything looks good. Now we just wait for the SW to finish the final draft and then all the approvals have to come from us, homestudy agency and our agency. I faxed all of our documents to our agency and received word that all our documents look ready to be certified etc. Hopefully, some time next week I am going to make the trip to the SOS office in Atlanta and get all these docs certified and maybe do a little shopping! :)
Meanwhile, I am going to start and finish Lauren's good wish scrapbook page this weekend at the monthly scrapbook crop that my sister and I hold. I am hoping to get to work on my own scrapbook for our little one. I have done a few pages but now that we have let the cat out of the bag to family, I can really get started. If there are any fellow Georgians around that would like to join us for some scrapbooking, feel free to email me and I will give out directions.

1 more visit

2006-01-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

We have one more homestudy visit and it is planned for next Monday!!!! Then we will really be making some progress. The social worker emailed me our homestudy and all she has to do is fill in some blanks. Once completed, she will email it to Great Wall for review and approval. Once approved, she will mail a copy to the USCIS so that we can obtain the illusive I171-H.
After we get I171H back, I still have to have everything county certified then state certified and finally courier it to Houston for Authentication by the Chinese Consulate.
Then we will be DTC (DOSSIER TO CHINA)!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The goal is to be finished before my 30th birthday and waiting to be DTC! I hope we can make it!
Meanwhile, I have been shopping a bit and need to stop! I am working on getting all my stuff out of the nursery! No small task! The nursery is already painted a deep pink or cranberry color, so the walls are done. I do want to buy new furniture and bedding though. I bought this picture (Love TJ-Maxx) and would like to have it on the wall. I think it is going to be my inspiration for the room.
So if anyone finds some bedding that will go, feel free to pass it on to me. I am thinking something with green in it as the walls are so pink! I am going to go with white furniture.

It's Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-01-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Holy Crap!
Right after I pressed send on my last post, I heard the UPS man show up!!!!!!!!
IT'S HERE and more importantly, I DID IT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have no idea what it says cause it is in Chinese but WOO HOO, my first authenticated piece of paperwork!!!! I am jumping for joy!!!!!

Tick Tock

2006-01-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

Waiting for the UPS man is no fun! D's birth certificate was mailed out to the Chinese Consulate in New York on Dec 15th for Authentication. His final step. I hope that I did everything right. I followed all the directions, so surely it is right. It is now in Rome, Ga but now I have to guess when the UPS man will get here. TICK TOCK! Doesn't he know that I have two 4 year olds and an 8 year old waiting for me to get to grandma's house with Charlie?

"You know you will get pregnant now that you are adopting!"

2005-12-29T13:59:00.000-08:00

Why does this comment drive me nuts? Why does every Tom, Dick and Harry feel the need to share this sentiment with me? Do they just not know what to say? How about, "That is great, Congratulations!" Instead, I get stories of all the wonderful other couples that have adopted and then get pregnant right after the adoption or right before the adoption. My OBGYN said it to me just yesterday when I told him we were adopting. The receptionist at the OBGYN felt the need to tell me about a friend she has that got pregnant right after the adoption. "You know that is what will happen to you!" ARG!!! This is the very reason that I do not want my co-workers to know we are adopting yet. Yes, I am PMSing but this is becoming my new pet peeve. Why is adoption viewed as second best?

So if I get pregnant right after adopting will I feel some sort of wonderful satisfaction that I have created life? Will I look at my daughter and be able to thank her for granting me the ability to get knocked up? What about those adoptive parents who never get pregnant? Maybe they didn't drink the adoption water that was going around. Next thing you know, adoptions will happen in 3's in the workplace and everyone will adopt at one time, only with the soul mission of becoming pregnant afterwards. Adoption must be the cure to infertility! That must be why we are doing it, right?
Ok, vent over!

Introducing "Charlie"

2005-12-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

What will be our daughter's favorite accessory! An early gift from Dean's parents, he is such a good puppy!

Shopping, I couldn't resist!

2005-12-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

2nd Homestudy Visit

2005-12-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

Today we had our 2nd homestudy visit. It went really well. She did our individual interviews and met with us together. So we just have one more visit to go. She said that she is going to start typing up the homestudy already and then just fill in the blanks as we get them done. I still have to have my physical, the references need to be turned in, financial statements, guardianship statements, employment letters etc., etc. Once all this is completed it will all be a part of the complete homestudy report. The SW will then type everything up and the completed homestudy will be notarized. Hopefully, we will be done in Jan. and everything can be sent to be certified and authenticated! Then the true WAIT will begin. Yuck!

2005-11-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Our Child

With anxious hearts and open arms, we sought you everywhere. You, dear child, are a gift from God. The answer to our prayers. No matter whether birth or choice, a home is blessed from above. When caring parents claim their child, A family is formed by love.

2005-11-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after Thanksgiving lunch, we all moved to the porch to watch the kids play and enjoy the sunshine. Dean came out and sat in front of me. After a few minutes passed I looked at him and there it was. A ladybug was crawling across his shirt. It was a beautiful site and reminder of our journey ahead. I wanted to get the camera and take a picture but didn't want to clue anyone off. He picked the ladybug up and let her crawl around on his finger for a few minutes. We are so thankful to be able to adopt and it was just a reminder of how blessed we really are to be adopting.

1st Homestudy visit done

2005-11-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

We have completed our first homestudy visit. Our social worker is very nice and has 3 children, 2 have been adopted internationally. This first meeting was just a get to know you kinda meeting. We talked for about an hour and then she did the quick tour of the home. Every room was clean except what will be the nursery. It is rather a mess right now. I have got to get working on sorting all my clothes in there and have a yard sell. Things are moving along and our next visit will be on Dec 4th. We will do our individual private visits with her at this meeting. We have been talking about names and playing with some for a day or two. Dean is pretty much set on Emily and I like it but think it is too premature to decide now. So for now we will just continue to dream about our future daughter and imagine what her name will be, what her laugh will sound like and the feel of her hugs.

Fingerprints done!!!!!!

2005-11-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

One more step completed!!! We got our fingerprints done today. I kept giving D instructions on what I have heard from my internet friends as to proper fingerprint technique. He was well informed. I was called first to get my fingerprints. I got to the area and turned to see D surrounded by 3 INS workers. My only thoughts were "Oh, Sh*t, what has he done, something is wrong." Meanwhile this poor woman is trying to take my fingerprints. Slowly D starts to walk over to get his fingerprints taken and is about 5 feet away from me, but I couldn't find my voice. I just could not even remember to ask him what had happened. I was just so happy to see him getting his fingerprints taken. Meanwhile, my fingerprinter starts telling me to stop pressing down. I didn't feel like I was pressing down, I was. It was pretty funny, she was telling me to "Look at your husband, look at your husband." The more that I looked at him the worse my prints were turning out. I finally had to just look at the wall and not focus on anything to get my prints to work. She was the fastest fingerprinter that we had been watching but she made sure to tell me that, "I was making her work!" We finally both got our fingerprints completed and it was 10 minutes down the road before I even remembered to ask him what all the fuss was about. It ended up to not even be about him and they were checking out someone else's paperwork. I got all worked up about NOTHING! Can you imagine how I will be when we are about to get our daughter? I already know, I will be CRAZY!!!!

I forgot to mention... Today is our 4th Wedding Anniversary!!! I love you!

Fingerprint Me Please!

2005-11-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

We go tomorrow for our fingerprint appts. Time to get this ball rolling. It is so easy and yet so hard to imagine our little girl. We have dreamed of becoming parents for 2 years and our dream still seems so very far away. D talked with the social worker the other night and we have our first visit on Monday. She did tell him of about 6 other couples from our area that are adopting. I wish that we could all somehow get together. Maybe she will have more info on Monday. Next step is the physicals and getting our employment records notarized. Surely we will have the dossier completed before April, then all we will have to wait for is my 30th birthday!

Passports!!!

2005-11-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

So happy we got our Passports today!!!!!!!!!!! I have been checking the mail for them daily!!! We also got our fingerprint appts and it is scheduled for our anniversary!!!! I am still working on the paper work for the home study agency. I am hoping to finish it tonight and mail it tomorrow. Trying to work, fill out paperwork and finish my real estate course on time has been challenging. We are so excited about adopting and having a little girl to share our lives with and to love. We throw names out there sometimes and will call her that for a day or two to see if we like it. It is fun to daydream! We love you even though you are probably not born yet!

I-600A

2005-10-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

We got our I-600A receipt today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So they are getting started on our petition We should be getting the fingerprint appt soon. Hope it is at a good time for DH. Oh, well we will do what we have to do. I am working on the application for the homestudy and should be sending it in today! Moving along. However, I realized today that we are going to have to have all the b/w redrawn because when we send our dossier in it will be over 6 months. One more thing to pay for. Such is life!

Approval

2005-10-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

We got our agency approval today!!!!! Now the paper chase begins!!!!!!!

Application sent

2005-10-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we sent the application into our agency today. DH went inside the post office to mail it and I just assumed that he would send it reg. mail but he had it sent priority. When I asked him why he said he wanted it to hurry up and get there so we could get started. We still have to wait till April to sent the dossier to China when I turn 30 so there is much waiting to be done. There is also so much we will be doing to get the dossier ready to go.
Yesterday we went and had our criminal backgrounds checked. We should have paid $10 for them both to be checked and notarized but the nice woman didn't make us pay. You can only assume that it is b/c we were checking them for an adoption. It was a nice surprise!

Snuggle Wishes

2005-10-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.

~An Ancient Chinese Belief~

We went to another adoption seminar yesterday. They seemed like a good agency. They were less expensive and a larger company. We just didn't feel at home with them though. We talked alot last night and decided to go with . At the seminar yesterday they had a family there that had adopted about 6 months ago. The little girl was so cute and the first thing that she did was come up to DH and give him her toy. He kept trying to give it back to her but she would just hand it back. Then I would take it and give it to her and she would just give it back to Dean. She pretty much stayed at our side the whole time and kept handing DH her puppy toy and babbling to him. What can I say, I married a chick magnet! The girls love him and his brown eyes. We really want to move forward and get our paperwork started. I am so nervous and want to be 100% sure that we are doing this for the right reasons and it is what God wants for us. Is this the reasons for all our struggles to conceive? I feel the red thread pulling at my heart and have since I was a little girl. I had an emotional breakdown last night and just cried my eyes out. I am sad that we have had to go through all the struggles with infertility and it has crushed my spirit. Playing with my nieces makes me so happy and sad at the same time. Emma was so sweet last night and just snuggled with me, it broke my heart. I cannot wait to have my own sweet angel to snuggle with me and DH. We want to be parents! 1 more year! 1 more year! We will continue to wait impatiently!