A Special Thank You To

Isn't this beyond beautiful????
Look at the cute buttons!!
This will definitely be used according to packaged directions!

My friend Andrea. I was assigned to be Andrea's secret pal for the first round in my Oct. Tea Monkey group. I really enjoyed spoiling her and getting to know her. After we revealed who we were she sent me a post card from Maine. It is on my fridge and I think of her every time I look at it.

Today I come home to find a package on my kitchen table. Andrea's address is the return address. When I opened it I saw the cutest hand knit sweater I have ever saw! It is gorgeous! She says that she decided that Diana had to have this sweater. I can't wait to see what Diana will look like in it. I will forever cherish it. Trust me this sweater will be worn with love.

She also sent me an emergency chocolate bar. I am sure at some point in this wait it will come in handy. Thank you soooo much for being such a great friend and thinking of Diana and I. I am so lucky to have met you!

6 Months Down

Wow! Even typing those words look amazing. I know there are many more months to go but if i try to think positively its 6 months closer to Diana. The wait is so full of ups and downs and there are times I just want to say I quit. Other times I know that the wait will be well worth it. There have been recent discussions on many boards I am on about the wait. All I can say is hang in there. If you need to take time off to focus on the here and now do it. If you need more comfort and support from us ask for it. We are all going to have our ups and downs and will need others in the adoption community who truly understand what we are going through.

A year ago I believed that we would have Diana in a year from our LID. That would mean I would be half way through our wait at this point. The reality is I still have no control over when I will get Diana but I am sure I will wait well past a year.

It is hard to focus on it but it is hard to put it aside as well. Diana is so much a part of our lives already. We talk about her as a family. We make plans that include her. We buy things for her. Sometimes I feel it would have been easier if we had not told our family and friends about the adoption. It can be hard to hear over and over "What's going on with the adoption?" I know they mean well but when you can't give them a better explanation other than "I don't know" or "We're still waiting" it hurts.

What is even harder though is knowing how much our boys already love their sister and just want to have her home. They stress about when Mommy and Daddy go to China and who will stay with them. They worry about what will happen when they miss us. They are excited about meeting Mommy, Daddy and Diana at the airport and finally getting to hug their little sister who they have loved for so long. So many things to think about when you are six.

Would I change my mind about adopting from China if I knew then what I know now? Probably not! I think I would have just kept my mouth shut about it to our family and friends and maybe even to the boys. At the same time if I had done that Diana would only be a thought in mine and Dave's heart and we wouldn't have been able to share it and have so many people love her already. Like I said this journey is a roller coaster like no other.

So to honor the six months of waiting for Diana I will tell you 6 positive things about this journey.

1. The friends that I have met. Some of them I have never met in person others I have. I have made so many friends who I believe will be my lifetime friends. The two that I feel most closest to need to be recognized. The one who I have actually met in person and is truly now one of my best friends is Kelly. We have been through so much on this journey and knowing she is there has made this so much more bearable. The other friend I have never met in person but we have had many phone calls and lots of support is Jessica. Some day we will meet my friend. Until then know that without you I don't know if I would be the same person that I have become.

2. The new community that I have become a part. The adoption community is so supportive. Whether it is a yahoo group or a more local group we have been enveloped in such a good support system.

3. The love we have seen of our family and friends for a little girl that will not be of our biology but will be our daughter none the less. It amazes us to feel your love!

4. The cyber shower gifts/the secret pal gifts that we have given and also received. This is a great way to make our wait more bearable and a lot of fun.

5. The quilt squares and wishes that we have received for Diana.

6. Our faith that has continued to become more and more a part of our lives. We still haven't started to attend church on a regular basis but I know that it is going to happen soon. Without our love for God and our faith in Him I don't think any of this would be possible.

My crazy life

Bailey getting an award for responsibility in school a few weeks back.

Me and the boys before going out to brunch on Easter Dave and the boys on Easter before going out for brunch
The boys with the Easter Bunny at Brunch
Our family on Easter
The igloo kit from my friend Janet

For those of you who know us personally this will not come as a shock. We truly have a crazy life! Since my last post a lot has happened. Most of it is not good. Anyway on to the story.

Our dishwasher has started not to completely wash our dishes and leave a milky residue on everything as well. We called and set up an appointment to have it looked at but was told that if it wasn't under warranty the guy would charge us $150 just to walk in the door! Ouch! Well we find the receipt and as our luck would have it we bought the dishwasher 14 months ago!!!! We have a much cheaper guy coming to look at it on Tuesday. My hands can't handle too much more washing by hand!

Last Saturday I tried to get on line and couldn't. I had tons to do so I didn't really worry about it. After returning from errands I try again. Still not working. I start unplugging things and plugging them back in. My modem won't turn on! I was on the phone with AT&T/SBC for 35 minutes! The negatives: My modem is dead and of course that warranty is up too! I had to buy a new modem and they said it would be over a week before I would get it! The positives: I was able to get a month credit for my Internet service. She tells me my modem will be there by Wednesday. As you can tell I have my modem and life on that front is good again.

While I was without Internet service I find out that there were only 2 days worth of referrals this month. Supposedly these are big batches but it still hurts. The positive is that I didn't have Internet service so I didn't read post after post about it and it didn't drag me down as much as I was last month.

Tuesday I get a big smile on my mail as I get my mail. There is a package from my friend Janet from Canada! I met Janet on my LBRTB group. She is so much fun and I have loved getting to know her. Well one day she had posted inviting any of us out to visit her with the promise of lots of chocolate. I told her the only way I will come is if she teaches me how to make an igloo. Well on Tuesday I open the funniest present I have ever gotten. You guessed it an igloo making kit. The boys and I will have a blast with this. Unfortunately with the kit came snow the next day! We didn't get much, about a half an inch but I don't like SNOW IN APRIL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then on Wednesday Dave goes to get air in his tires and sees a nail with bubbles around it. He brings it in to get it patched to find out its in there too deep so he needed a new tire. I'm telling you we have spent way too much money this week.

On a positive note our half bath is almost completely put together from our diy remodel. I still need to find mirror and get some more accessories but we have definitely made progress. Dave did a good job painting and installing the light fixture. I will give myself kudos for getting all the wall paper down. Oh well, lets hope things start to pick up for the better in our neck of the woods.....

PS. I did each paragraph in a different color in honor of my friend Janet....If you want fun reading check out her blog

A Year Ago....

I can hardly believe that it was a year ago that we started on this crazy adoption journey. On March 30, 2006 we submitted our application to CCAI. On April 1, 2006 we submitted our application to Glenkirk (our home study agency). I thought I would post our time-line to show what we have gone through so far in getting Diana.

03-30-06 Sent in application to CCAI
04-01-06 Sent in application to Glenkirk
04-13-06 Had first home study meeting
04-15-06 CCAI approval
04-17-06 Sent CCAI first payment
04-20-06 2ND home study meeting
05-06-06 2rd home study meeting
05-16-06 Final home study meeting
07-15-06 Finger prints taken for I-171H
08-31-06 I-171H finally arrives
09-06-06 Dossier sent to CCAI
09-13-06 Dossier out of critical review
09-19-06 Dossier to China (DTC)
10-17-06 Dossier logged in by the CCAA (LID)
11-12-06 Lisa's first vivid dream about Diana
01-30-06 Dave has a dream about a baby girl being abandoned and we adopt her

I know we still have a long wait ahead of us but so far its been good for the most part. I have met so many people in person and on line in the adoption community who I know will be lifelong friends. This journey is definitely worth it!