No news today . . .

Major disappointment.  I talked to our agency today and the referrals didn’t show up in the computer cue like they thought.  So the roller coaster has topped the hill and has started to plummet down the other side!!! And  no one is yelling with glee, only frustration.  Actually, I’m not yelling at all, but naturally disappointed.  We have to wait out the weekend and see what happens the first of next week.  It’s possible our hard copy of pics and medrecs may not  reach us until late next week.   Oh well, we’re still in the home stretch,  it’s  just stretching out a  little further and I’m stretching to my limit, ha ha.   

Will today be the day?

Will we see that precious face for the first time today?  We've made it to Friday with some restless nights, stomach aches, and lots of anxiety!  Only time will tell, I e-mailed our agency yesterday afternoon but no response yet.  Come on Stork, fly baby fly!

87 Months of Waiting . . .

Today marks 87 months that our paperwork has been in China, hopefully we have been matched with a child and our paperwork is on its way back here.  Only time will tell . . . hopefully only a few more days of waiting.  Happy log-in day anniversary to us!

Sleep, restful sleep, where are you?

My mind is so busy it’s keeping my body awake!  For several weeks now I have been awakened to nightmares of bears and kayaking  or restless legs or just plain staring at the ceiling.  Have tried going to bed early, going to bed late, eating before bed, not eating before bed, Tylenol PM and on and on.   But Mr. Sandman is elusive.  I guess I’m getting  enough rest to make it through the day and function fairly well, but just not getting that satisfying restful sleep. Oh how I miss it.  I know that sleep deprivation comes with parenting but it should not come this early! 

 

 

Roller coaster, chug, chug, chug, chug up the hill . . .

So,  just read a post on our face book group and no one is hearing anything from their agencies and now potentially our referral may not make it here until next week.  Crazy Stork, somebody get him a map!  Uugh!!!!

Stork? Estimated time of arrival?

Well, we've made it through Tuesday and we're wondering if the Stork is on the runway ready for takeoff or already in the air.  It's 6:30 pm on Tuesday so that means 6:30 Wednesday morning  in China.  Wonder if they've performed the "pre-flight" check of the Stork, got 'em gassed up and ready to go?  Time will tell.  Honestly we don't anticipate the Stork to arrive until Friday but each day brings us closer and  this time more real.  I've been trying really hard just to have a "normal" week. I'm having bouts of confusion chest pain, tingly arms and at times my thoughts completely leave me in mid-sentence.  I'd say that's pretty normal!

Ladybug siteing and update!

I normally despise these stinky little critters and honestly we have our home exterminated every year for them, spiders and such.  Where we live, they are a huge nuisance and become a huge aggravation every spring.  They invade homes and slip in the tiniest of spots and worse yet, they STINK!  See the lovely little trail this one on the right was producing on my bathroom mirror this morning?  It's a stench trail!  But I digress . . .
You see, in the world of international adoption they are considered "good luck".  This stems from an incident tat occurred in southern China many years ago.  Around 2003 or 2005 a group of families was in Guanzhou China (the exit point for all adoptive families) and there was a huge "ladybug invasion"  From that time forward, the ladybug became a welcome symbol for waiting families and one of hope and excitement as well as good luck for things to come.   So last week we had one our  kitchen window and then a day or two ago, one in our bedroom.  Last night we found one in the chest of drawers on our nursery and this morning, Ta Da!  And as far as updates are concerned . . . our agency phoned us Tuesday evening and explained they had heard from China and they are expecting our referral to arrive before the end of the month!  What?  Oh my golly!!! After roughly seven and a half years . . . we are anticipating "the call" late this week!  It's all coming into sight, thank you so much Heavenly Father! 

What a difference a day makes! . . .What a difference a week may make! . .

Well today we reached 60 degree temps in who knows how long- really pretty unseasonable for February, but still it sure helped with the melting of our snow.  I had honestly thought we may have snow in our driveway until April.  We've had layers of ice, snow, sleet, then repeat! 

View from car, mound is still covered.

Morning leaving home, check out the glare of ice!




Evening-snow melting on mound, you can still see our sled tracks!

Because we were expecting warmer temps we decided to take advantage of the snow this weekend and did a little sledding and went ice skating with our nieces- had a great weekend! 

 

On an adoption note: 

              we may be seeing referrals arrive in a week or two, come on November 27th!



What a difference a week could make!!!









 

 

 





 

No idea . . . but Happy Valentine's Day.

Our Little One is sitting in an orphanage today in China. She/He has  no idea that their little life is about to change in  a few short months.  They aren’t waiting for us like we’re waiting for them.  They have no knowledge of us or of family or what family is or of anything outside the orphanage walls.  Unless they are living in southern China they are likely to be bundled in multiple layers of clothing, maybe up to seven and wrapped in huge quilts and tucked in their crib to stay warm.  Most orphanages are heated by coal in the winter and not heated to what we would consider “comfortable”.  They see nannies coming in and out throughout the day.  If they’re “lucky” enough  to be in a room with just a few babies, they will get more attention than what’s just required to meet their basic needs.   They don’t cry much because crying has no reward.  They’ve learned that crying doesn’t get them any more attention – there are just too many babies and not enough hands. They are likely quiet, staring at a cribmate or self-soothing in some manner to pass the time until the next feeding or changing.  They have no idea of the house that waits for them across the ocean or of the love to come from their Mommy and Daddy.  No idea. 

Here across the ocean it’s Valentine’s Day and we openly share love to those close to us.  We take this day to celebrate our spouses or significant others and to share our true hearts.  Have you ever loved someone and they didn’t know?  It’s a tough thing as a teenager to have a “crush” on someone and them not know you exist.  We love our baby but she doesn’t know we exist.  God loved us before we loved Him and before we understood He exists.  With that thought in mind, our Little One has no idea of the Love that awaits and the nurturing that will come.  Just like we cannot fathom the immense Love of our Heavenly Father.  So thankful He loved  me before I loved Him.  Our God is so good!    

CCCWA is back to work and we're about to be MATCHED!!!!!

Well the CCCWA has completed their first day back to work after the week long Chinese New Year/Spring Festival celebration.  It’ll be interesting to see how soon the rumors start  flying about the next referral batch   I spoke with our agency again last week and we were told that someone has likely pulled our documents off the shelf (all 3 pounds of paperwork), dusted it off (I added that part), and will be looking at our paperwork to prepare to match us with our child.  You see, when your paperwork (dossier) goes to China there are three phases; translation, review, and matching.  Our documents were translated within  a month of arriving in China, then they were reviewed around December 2007 and now finally we are to be matched with our child! 

When I spoke with our agency last week they said they will call in the next two weeks to update us again and to get details about how we want to handle “THE CALL”.  You see, “the call” is pretty much the equivalent of childbirth with a biological child.  It’s the moment our agency contacts us and will notify us of the gender, age and location of our child.  But we’ll have to wait another 8-12 weeks to hold them for the first time. 

Larry and I will probably not be together for the call but may be able to do a conference call and then rush home to be together to receive our agency’s e-mail.  We will then see pictures of our child's face for the first time!  We’ll also receive medical information and other specifics.  Oh what a happy day that will be!  I get teary just thinking of it.  I have daydreamed of this moment for years now, literally years.  Where will we be when the phone call comes?  How will I contact Larry?  Will I be able to remember  how to use the phone?  I’ve dreamt of ways to tell our immediate family.  Of course parents will be told first and on down the line.  Close friends and church family.  Our face book LID group and then any one else in our county who hasn’t heard the screaming and shouts of excitement! 

It is just hard for me to believe that this may be our last month of waiting . . . it’s all I’ve known for 7 ½ years.  My how things are going to change. . .