I hope he's right

Well we did NOT I repeat did NOT get our I-171H yet! Dave though is now convinced we will get it tomorrow since we can't go downtown again until Tuesday. I REALLY REALLY REALLY want him to be right. Actually I would even be fine with us getting it Friday or Saturday so we could take care of it on Tuesday. Dave is off all next week so if we get it sometime in the next couple of days we will be able to go downtown together....oh did I mention without the boys???? This school thing is getting better and better...LOL.

On another subject I joined Curves yesterday and had my first workout today. Can I tell you I'm really sore now? I will be going on Tuesday and Wednesdays after I drop the boys off at school and either on Mondays or Fridays after work. I think Fridays would be better so its not all in a row huh? We'll see how the schedule at work goes for that. I hope this will eventually become a routine for me and that I will actually NOT dread going. Keep your fingers crossed for my form and also for me to continue to go to Curves and eventually tolerate it...

This past week

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. Tuesday my babies started their first day of kindergarten. I was really worried about Matthew so was thrown for a loop when he was fine and Bailey was crying.

Let me recap the morning for you. The boys woke up way too early and I had to yell at them twice to get back to sleep. Fast forward to us getting to the school. The boys are playing in the playground and Bailey was trying to go on the monkey bars and of course fell. He cried for a few seconds but got over it.

The school bell rings and I put Bailey in his line and tell him I going to get Matthew in his line. By the time I get back to Bailey he is crying. He is confused about where he is supposed to be. A mom of a boy from preschool reassures him but he is still scared until I get back there. He finally calms down and all of a sudden he starts crying again asking "Where will I see you after school is over?????" I reassure him that I will be exactly where I am now. I keep checking on Matthew from a distance and he looks nervous but fine. I do not want to rock that boat so I stay with Bailey until they walk into school. This whole time I am holding back and trying not to cry in front of Bailey. Once they got into school I walked back to my van and started crying for over 10 minutes. After that I went shopping.

The rest of the day was fine and the boys were excited to tell me about their days in school. It was great! Wednesday, Thursday and Friday all had the same ending to the day. We surprised them by both Mommy and Daddy picking them up from school on Friday. They loved it!

On the adoption front things are still at a standstill. I am STILL waiting for our I-171H. My social worker called CIS on Tuesday to find out they are not accepting any calls for the rest of the month since they are moving!!!! This is the most frustrating part of this for me so far. I have other adoption friends who are complaining about the wait between LID and referral. At this point I would just love to be able to say my documents are on their way to my agency or better yet they have gone through critical review and are being sent to China.....As many of you know I am NOT very patient!!!

The above pictures are of the boys with their teachers on "Meet the teacher night"

My boys

Originally I thought this blog would be primarily to post things going on with our adoption. As I have been doing this for the past 6 weeks or so I realize I am also posting about our entire family. Today I will be focusing on the two special boys who I am proud to be their Mommy.

Many of you know that I am having a little difficulty coping with the fact that my babies will start kindergarten this Tuesday. It is hard to believe that they are growing up and no longer babies. It really does seem like just yesterday that I held each of them for the first time. Time has definitely flown.

We decided back in January that we would have the boys in separate classrooms. We did this for a multitude of reasons but most importantly for them to grow as individuals. Bailey is very outgoing and has no problems making friends. Matthew is more quiet and reserved so with his brother there he will just hang with him or the friends his brother has made for the two of them. Bailey tends to be bossy with Matthew though. We wanted them to both be able to bask in their own spotlights and make their own friends.

Well we found last week who their teachers and classmates would be. I was beyond devastated! Looking at the class lists made me literally sick to my stomach. Bailey is in a class with their two little friends from preschool. Matthew is in a class where he knows no one. I dreaded telling them and what the outcome would be. The talk with the boys went much better than I thought. Bailey of course was excited with his classmates. Matthew was a little sad but the more we talked I realized what is scaring them the most (which deep down I already knew) was that they weren't going to be together. We told them that they would be able to see eachother at lunch and at recess and for now they are ok.

Mommy on the other hand is still beyond nervous for her little boys. They have been in daycare and preschool already but this is different. They will be away from eachother for 6 hours a day. They will not have eachother to protect them or encourage them. I know they will be fine but its still scary.

I have changed the song on this to represent the things I want my boys to do. I want them to get in there and shine. I want them to play, learn, and have fun in kindergarten. I want them to play with new children, create new memories and love life. There is a line in the song that says "if you get the chance to sit it out or dance. I hope you dance." This is all I want for my boys.

Boys good luck on your new adventure and know that Mommy and Daddy are right behind you cheering you on.

I am such an idiot!!

I can't believe myself sometimes!! I went to Kinkos this morning to copy the authentication page and then send off my info minus the I-171H. While there I realized that I never had my adoption petition certified or authenticated!!! I had them with me but for whatever reason I NEVER gave them to the SOS and therefore didn't give them to the Consulate. I never even realized that I had forgotten it until today!!! I am glad I caught it myself but now I am two steps behind again. I now will wait until I get my I-171H and go get those two forms taken care of at the same time!!! I will pay the extra money to have everything expedited though. Hopefully I will have everything to our agency by the beginning of Sept and hopefully have a LID sometime in Sept. Please continue to pray that we speed ahead with this form and get moving again. I HATE being at a standstill!! I HATE not being in control as well.

Pics from Sunday

Extended family pic

The four cousinsMe, Matt, Bryan, Debbie


Bryan, Carly and Joshguests of honor

I have finally beaten the system and am able to post some pictures from Sunday. The top one is of the whole family including Carly's father and grandmother. The middle one is of the 4 cousins that until June of this year hadn't seen eachother in 17 years. Its great to be a family again!!

Still waiting

We are still waiting fot our I-171H. Our social worker believes we will have it this week. I will keep my fingers crossed but no longer am thinking positive about when we will get it. On a more positive note though I will be getting my documents from the Chinese Consulate this morning. Here is the status as of this morning...


Aug 15, 2006
7:28AM On FedEx vehicle for delivery
7:17AM At local FedEx facility

Aug 14, 2006
11:27PM Arrived at FedEx location
10:14PM Left origin
4:07PM Picked up

Today I will go get copies made of the Consulate sheet and also print all of our picutes and get more passport pictures. I will send everything out to my agency tomorrow.

Another cool thing happened this weekend. We got together with my family who we hadn't seen in over 15 years. My older cousin Bryan and his wife Carly had a baby naming ceremony for their son Josh. I will post pictures from the event. It is soo nice having more family again. I only have two cousins so its wonderful to finally be reconnected to them and my aunt and uncle. Can't wait for our next get together in two weeks!!

Tagged again

Thanks Jessica!!


I am...a true friend, loving, caring, sensitive.
I want...my I-171H!!!!
I wish...that we could get Diana by next summer.
I hate...terriorists!!!
I miss...my step-mom Char. She would love to be here for all of this.
I hear...the boys watch some goofy cartoon.
I wonder...if Diana has even been conceived yet.
I regret...nothing.
I am not...good at giving up control.
I dance...with Bailey and Matthew or with Dave at all weddings.
I sing...all the time but terribly in my car.
I cry...at the drop of a hat....
I am not always...organized.
I make....great brownies, taffy apple salad and ground beef with asparagus.
I confuse...peoples' names all the time even if I have known them forever.
I need...my husband and my boys...and Diana even though she isn't' here yet.
I should...get to work.
I start...projects with great intentions until the next project sparks my interest.
I finish...whatever needs to be done the most.

I will now tag Kym and Tina.

Paperchasing at its finest

Ok so I bit the bullet and decided to go downtown and get all my documents certified and authenticated today. I am still missing my I-171H but I thought I would get these done to keep myself sane. I'm not so sure the sane part is working....

I take the boys with me and we get to the SOS and get our stuff certified without any issues. We then go to get them photocopied and then drive to the Consulate. We park at a meter (thanks Debra) two blocks away. We get to the Consulate and I get ready to stand in line and then read the sign. I had brought a prepaid Fedex mailer with me so they could just send me my docs instead of me or Dave having to come back downtown. Anyway the sign says that you MUST pay with a money order or certified check in order to do this. I have cash. I ask the security guard where I can get a money order. He tells me and off we walk two blocks to get the money order.

We get back, I wait my turn in line. When the lady goes through my documents she says "10 documents right?" I respond "No, there are 11." She recounts and then asks me to count them. I realize I have left one document in the car. We get out of line and then walk 2 blocks back to the car to get that other document. I am praying it is there otherwise I have left it in the copy machine at Kinkos about 1 1/2 miles away. We get to the car and thank goodness its there. We go back to the Consulate and the doorman is now laughing because I have been back twice before this. This time everything is a go and we are on our way. We walked 12 blocks (two blocks at a time) to get all I needed. Boy do I have a story for Diana...

Now back to waiting...this time for my authenticated documents and of course for that blasted I-171H. Trust me the world will know when I get that final document.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that Bailey and Matthew were INCREDIBLE throughout the whole morning. They will be rewarded tomorrow. Not sure how but stay tuned...

Weekend Happenings

Some pics from our weekend...






We had a pretty eventful weekend this week. Friday night me and one of my adoption friends Kelly went out for dinner. We had great food, great (strong) Margarita and of course most importantly great conversation. I told Kelly how amazing this whole process is. When we started out on this journey we knew we would be getting a baby girl and that we would begin to incorporate her heritage within ours. I never knew how many GREAT people I would meet who I probably would have never met except for this adoption. We have truly made some wonderful new friends!!

Saturday we went to Dave's company picnic. It was at a AA baseball game. After the game they put on a great fireworks display. The boys had a blast!!

Today was another awesome day! We had a get together/bbq with other families who are either adopting or have adopted from China. It is so good to meet people in our area who know exactly what you are going through. Also it is great because there will be families that look like our family to have playdates with. Again it was great food and Great company. Thank you Danielle for hosting us especially since you will be leaving in less than two weeks to get your little boy Charlie. Good luck with everything!!

Some pics to view

Make your own PhotoShow

How we decided to adopt a baby

I realize that I should have made this one of my first posts but better late than never. Many people ask us how we decided to adopt a baby. The answer is not simple but here it goes. Dave and I got married 10/10/98. One year later I went off the pill and tried to get pregnant. I found out Easter 2000 that I was pregnant. A couple weeks later we found out I was carrying twins. At that moment and for almost 3 years later we thought that our family was complete.

As the boys approached their third birthday I realized I wanted another baby. Dave on the other hand did not. We went on like this for about 4 months and again I went off the pill. Each month I prayed that I would get pregnant and each month I was not. There were a few months I thought I was so those were very hard for me. We then went to a fertility specialist who put me on Clomid. I thought that I would be pregnant that first month. We tried 3 rounds of that and decided that we didn't want to go into any more "extreme" fertility treatments. I still was consumed with wanting another baby.

Dave looked at me and said "Why don't we look into adoption?" We talked about it before so why not?". I hit the ground running..I started researching agencies and programs and within a week we attended our first adoption seminar. We left there with an adoption application packet. In the car I was talking a mile a minute about the seminar and finally I looked at Dave and asked him what he thought. I did not want to get my hopes up for him to decide adoption wasn't for us. He looked at me and said "nothing would be more honorable than to give a child a loving home who wouldn't be able to have one without us." I melted instantly. This was the man that I had fallen in love with 8 years ago telling me that yes adoption was definitely the way to expand our family. We quickly decided on adopting a baby girl from China. We then finally picked the right agency.

Throughout this journey I have thought about the words from a song by Garth Brooks called "Unanswered Prayers" Part of the chorus goes "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers. Remember when your talkin to the man upstairs that just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care. Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." I firmly believe that God didn't answer my prayer to become pregnant because my daughter would be born miles away in another country. I now pray that God will take care of her while she is in utero and until someone finds her and then until I am able to travel across the world to bring her home.

Feeling discouraged

Well today I found out we are not getting our final document in a week as I had thought. We are still being "expedited" seeing that they are taking 6-8 weeks to complete. We will hopefully get it in the mail by the 2nd week in August. I am just frustrated because I doubt there will be any way we will have our documents sent to China in August. Every delay just makes our wait to get to China to get Diana longer. I know it will happen but I originally thought that my documents would be to our agency by my birthday. Once reality set in with that I thought that for sure they would be there by the beginning of August to ensure an August DTC/LID. I am positive they will be sent out in September so I guess that is a good thing. I just hope that they start processing more than 2 weeks worth of dossiers at a time soon.

Its a.......boy?????

Parker

Mary Jane aka MJ

Checking each other out

Mary Jane & Parker

Well we figured since we have a while before we go to China to get Diana we would adopt domestically. We have added another boy to our family. His name is Parker and he is a 2 year old beagle. He is so different from MJ. He is very laid back and relaxed. We all know that MJ wants to be in your face and she wants to be the center of attention. He is just as happy to let her bask in the spotlight and then get whatever you are willing to give him. So far he is adjusting very well to all of us. I think since Dave let him out of his cage this afternoon Dave is now his favorite. We will see tomorrow since I will be home with him all day. Everyone is getting along quite well and we hope to continue to see the pups become great friends. The boys love him and are extremely excited that we now have two dogs.

Things for Diana

Necklace with Diana's name in English & Chinese

Diana's first Minnie Mouse

Chinese porcelain doll from Epcot

Sonya Lee doll from the Little People

Well I am finally posting the pictures of the things that we got for Diana in Disney World. The necklace is my favorite! I just had to buy her a Minnie Mouse while we were there. The doll is actually for the both of us to share. I have another Chinese porcelain doll who is even more special to me. I was on eBay looking at a specific auction but couldn't afford to bid on anything. I then was looking at dolls. When I saw this one's name was "Diana" I of course had to bid on it. It is not the best quality as far as my doll collection goes but trust me it is one of my most cherished. I thought of it as a sign that we were meant to go through this adoption process. I also posted a picture of the Little people doll we got her. This week I was going through some stuff and stumbled across a box of infant/toddler toys that I had packed away. I went through them and was able to salvage most of them. It looks like Diana's toy collection is already getting to be a decent size.

Kisses In The Wind

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.
I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.
Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.
Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.
--- Unknown



This is one of my favorite adoption related poems. I will continue to post ones I like as the mood stikes or as I find them.

Thinking of Diana

Today was a busy day. I had an early morning doctors appointment and then we did some errands. I FINALLY got the boys pool set up today. That meant I had to pull weeds on the patio and the list goes on....Funny though even though I was so busy Diana was on my mind a lot today. While doing errands I found a cute little plush Little People of Sonya Lee. For those of you not familiar with the Little People line she is the Asian character. As soon as I showed the boys what I found they both said that Diana will love it. Of course we now own it and it is waiting for her in her room. I just want her to know how bad we want to meet her and become her family. She is already a part of our lives and she probably hasn't even been born yet. Diana....Mommy loves you and can't wait to hold you in her arms....

I have been tagged

This is my first tag...I'm sure it won't be the last. Here goes nothing.

"7" Things I would like to do before I die...
1. Bring Diana home
2. Attend all my childrens' weddings
3. Hold all of my grandchildren
4. Go to Hawaii
5. Go to Australia
6. Go on a cruise
7. Maintain a healthy lifestyle

"7" Things I cannot do...
1. Hold a grudge
2. Be late
3. Swim very well
4. Watch gory movies
5. Run
6. Stop worrying about my children
7. Stop loving my family

"7" Things I can do...
1. Tell my children I love them
2. Be there for my family
3. Be there for my friends
4. Love my husband
5. Respect people
6. Understand people
7. Dream

"7" Things that attracted me to Dave
1. His humor
2. His eyes
3. His sarcastic ways
4. His sweetness
5. His compassion
6. The way he fell in love with all of me the good and the bad
7. His understanding of people

"7" Things I say most often...
1. When we go get Diana
2. When we are in China
3. Has that letter gotten here yet?
4. I love you to both the boys and to Dave
5. No
6. Be careful to Dave when he leaves for work
7. Because I said no (oh my I am my mother!!)

"7" books I love...
1. Angela's Ashes
2. All the Harry Potter books
3. Marley and Me
4. Any cookbook I can get my hands on
5. She's Come Undone
6 A Walk To Remember
7. Any of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books

"7" movies I love...
1. Westside Story
2. Annie
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Grease
5. Terms of Enderment
6. Jerry McGuire
7. Spiderman

It has arrived!!

The infamous fingerprint letter!!

Well after almost 4 weeks our fingerprint letter actually found its way to my mailbox! I was so excited to see it in the mail today. Hopefully if Dave and I are able to get off work in time tomorrow we will go then. According to USCIS they will expedite our I171-H and we should get about a week after we get fingerprinted. After we get our final paper Dave and I will spend a day downtown going to the Secratary Of State office to get all of our forms certified, then get the seals photocopied and then going to the Chinese Consulate and dropping them off for authenecation. The authentication takes about a week so we will have them send them back to us in a pre-paid mailer. We are getting closer!!! Yea!!!

Finally an answer....

Well I finally heard from my social worker about why it is taking so long to get our finger print letter. Apparently our home study either got lost in the mail or CIS has lost it. My social worker was able to fax CIS our home study and we should expect to hear from CIS by next Monday. Since CIS is taking responsibility for this they said we should expect our I171-H in about a week after we get fingerprinted!! This is great news since I wanted to be DTC sometime in August and now it looks it really is possilble. Keep your fingers crossed that we things go as planned. I will continue to keep you posted.

Our trip to Disney World

The boys with the bears from Brother Bear

Family picture with Mickey Mouse

After finding out where we were going...

On Monday June 26 we woke the boys up to tell them we were leaving soon to go to Disney world! They were beyond surprised and excitement. It was sooo awesome. Besides having a few issues with the weather we had a blast. I don't think that I really knew how exciting it would be to see that place through the eyes of your child. The boys even talked about when Diana is five what they will show her when we come back. I thought that was really sweet. We did buy her a few things like a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal and while we were at Epcot I found a necklace with her name in English and then the Chinese characters. I just couldn't resist especially since I didn't even know what I was looking at when I went over there and saw the name "Diana" immediately. Yet another sign. I will post pictures of what we got Diana another time.