Oh what a Merry Christmas is was!! Santa was very good to us and we are very happy to have spent another wonderful, safe and magical holiday with our family! I've done alot and not sure where to begin....
Well last Sunday my sister came over and helped me pack Tia's suite case. Turns out I had a pretty good layout of what to take, just tweaked a few things. Then I remembered that I didn't pack bibs or a hairbrush/comb for her so I fixed that.
Nursery completed.
I bought the gifts for the orphanage - 2 outfits and some meds.
I got the paperwork all completed and organized.
As Sam and I sit down and talk about the most exciting changes that we are about to embark on, we come up with more and more questions. How should we pack our carry on bags? Should I pack mine, like I would if Tia was already with me? Do we really want to make extra copies of our paperwork (worried about lost luggage)? Do the airlines include the suitcase handles in their measurements?? And then there is the whole confusion of paying fees for checked baggage.....
So with all of these questions, we've decided to take our suitcase as is to the airport as it's just a few miles from our house and have them weigh it and then we'll pick the airlines brain! Problem solved!! Now, just finding time to do that......
I have 4 days left of work until I'm officially on maternity leave. I am so Blessed to have the honor to work for a company/firm that is allowing me the amount of time off that I'm taking. I couldn't of asked for a more awesome place to work for and really can't see myself working anywhere else! But it still hasn't really hit me yet that we're leaving in 2 weeks. However, we are getting more and more excited with every passing day!!
For me, there was a period of utter fear of "WTF am I/we doing??" I am assured that this is completely normal whether you're pregnant or adopting. This made me feel better but still wasn't quite convinced. Then I don't know what happened. I was having a daydream of Tia and her being upset about something and she's crying for me. I'm at her side in a heartbeat and soothing her tears. In that moment, a sense of peace and calmness came over me.
Of course I know that I will be doubting myself and have a fear or worry as we are raising her, but I know that will be a different kind of emotion than what I was feeling before.
But now I feel total and utter peace and calmness in my journey to becoming a mother for the very first time. I have totally love and excitement in the joy she'll bring to us and our families. I really can't put into words what I'm feeling, but I'm sure you all know what I mean.
Right now in this moment, I look to enjoy the last few weeks of just being a wife to my darling husband. We are looking forward of celebrating our last New Year's Eve together ending the year of 2010 as it started - just us.
This journey has taught me many, many things. Patience. Those who know me well, will agree with me that I am not a patient person. I want it done when I want it done. But this journey has taught me to have patience because it didn't happen when I wanted it to. But now I'm realizing that is the joy of life! The joy of God and his precious plan for us.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Packing - what a nightmare I'm making it!
So today I thought I would start working on packing Tia's suitcase. WOW! I always knew that I make things complicated, but this is an all new time high! Diaper bag? No diaper bag? How many bottles? I was thinking 6. Will that be too many or not enough? Clothes. That is another nightmare in it's self. Guangzhou is more "tropicle" with the average tempature of 58 degrees. Should I pack all winter type clothes or will short sleeves be ok too? Should I take a winter coat or heavy jacket? Oh I don't know.......
Friday, October 29, 2010
OMG - It's becomming so REAL
Well there has been some excitement and disappointment in the last couple of weeks.
The disappointment is that our church won't allow us to have the people we want to be Tia's Godparents because they don't meet the requirements. It is SO frustrating that one church is so strict and another of the religion isn't. We did think about going to the other church so we could have "our way" but Sam doesn't like that church at all. I understand and respect that. Rules are rules for a reason, no matter how much we disagree with them. So the search was on to try and find someone who we feel comfortable and confident that meet the requirements of the church and of course us.
But the hardest part of this was telling the person when we desperately wanted couldn't be Godparents. That was so heartbreaking for me as it was for them. My heart is still breaking....
After much debate we have solved our solved our dilemma on who will be Tia's Godparents, and I must say that we are both happy and proud that they have agreed! YEA!! Now that is all settled and done with we will have the baptism later in the summer when Grandpa and Grandma can come out for a visit.
Then earlier in this work week we received word that the Travel Approvals were on there way and that meant that the Travel Dates were right behind them! And folks we have them!!
Here is our itinerary for China:
January 6 Arrive in Beijing, China
January 7 Free day to recover from plane trip/jet lag
January 8 Holt orientation
January 9 Fly to Guangzhou, China (this is where the US Consulate is and happens to be the
same province that Tia is in)
January 10 Tia!!! We will FINALLY meet our beloved baby who we've dreamed of for so long!
January 18 US Consulate visa appointment for Tia's visa
January 20 Tia's visa is issued
January 21 Fly home
The days between the 10-18 will be filled with meetings, paperwork and the Adoption Finalization Ceremony. The thing I LOVE about Holt International is they don't leave you hanging. We will have an English speaking representative with us all the time. We will of course have some down time to ourselves to go shopping and or hang out with other families.
We looked at the temperatures for Beijing and Guangzhou and they couldn't be more different! The average temperature in January in Beijing is 28 and for Guangzhou is 58! WOW Which winter coat do I take??
I guess a sweatshirt, scarf, hat and gloves are a must!!
We are toying with the idea of doing a tour of the Great Wall. But after looking at the average temperature and the slope of the Great Wall, we're wondering if we should risk it. If I understand it right, we have to take a cable car - um yea that requires me to be OFF THE GROUND! I'm already worried about the 13-15 hour flight! I'm sure the flight home will be better as I'll have to focus on Tia, but the flight over is a totally different story! I want my mommy!!
Now that we officially know when we will be traveling to get our precious baby girl the reality is starting to sink in. There is no turning back now. I have all these fears and thoughts in my head. The main one is "WTF am I doing?" I know it's the "fear of the unknown" and that once we get her in our arms, our maternal and parental instincts will kick in but until then it's nothing short of fear/anxiety/excitement all rolled into one. I have been assured that this is all normal, however when I told Sam how I was/am feeling he looked at me like I'm crazy. Don't men have these same thoughts??
With the holidays just around the corner, Sam will be gearing up and will soon be starting to work the longer holiday hours. Between getting the store ready for Christmas season and his photography he won't have a day off to put the crib together until Thanksgiving day. On one hand I'm OK with that. On the other hand, I'm getting SO EXCITED that I want it done yesterday!
But honestly, it's working out for the best this way. It will be just enough time for me to work on getting the final touches and get our required documents together and start packing for China.
The BEST thing about these confirmed travel dates is now I can start buying the stuff we need to take to China for Tia. I've been kept on a very short leash but now I think it's safe to say that it's OK to start buying the baby meds, diapers, wipes, formula, bath for our trip. YEA!!
The disappointment is that our church won't allow us to have the people we want to be Tia's Godparents because they don't meet the requirements. It is SO frustrating that one church is so strict and another of the religion isn't. We did think about going to the other church so we could have "our way" but Sam doesn't like that church at all. I understand and respect that. Rules are rules for a reason, no matter how much we disagree with them. So the search was on to try and find someone who we feel comfortable and confident that meet the requirements of the church and of course us.
But the hardest part of this was telling the person when we desperately wanted couldn't be Godparents. That was so heartbreaking for me as it was for them. My heart is still breaking....
After much debate we have solved our solved our dilemma on who will be Tia's Godparents, and I must say that we are both happy and proud that they have agreed! YEA!! Now that is all settled and done with we will have the baptism later in the summer when Grandpa and Grandma can come out for a visit.
Then earlier in this work week we received word that the Travel Approvals were on there way and that meant that the Travel Dates were right behind them! And folks we have them!!
Here is our itinerary for China:
January 6 Arrive in Beijing, China
January 7 Free day to recover from plane trip/jet lag
January 8 Holt orientation
January 9 Fly to Guangzhou, China (this is where the US Consulate is and happens to be the
same province that Tia is in)
January 10 Tia!!! We will FINALLY meet our beloved baby who we've dreamed of for so long!
January 18 US Consulate visa appointment for Tia's visa
January 20 Tia's visa is issued
January 21 Fly home
The days between the 10-18 will be filled with meetings, paperwork and the Adoption Finalization Ceremony. The thing I LOVE about Holt International is they don't leave you hanging. We will have an English speaking representative with us all the time. We will of course have some down time to ourselves to go shopping and or hang out with other families.
We looked at the temperatures for Beijing and Guangzhou and they couldn't be more different! The average temperature in January in Beijing is 28 and for Guangzhou is 58! WOW Which winter coat do I take??
I guess a sweatshirt, scarf, hat and gloves are a must!!
We are toying with the idea of doing a tour of the Great Wall. But after looking at the average temperature and the slope of the Great Wall, we're wondering if we should risk it. If I understand it right, we have to take a cable car - um yea that requires me to be OFF THE GROUND! I'm already worried about the 13-15 hour flight! I'm sure the flight home will be better as I'll have to focus on Tia, but the flight over is a totally different story! I want my mommy!!
Now that we officially know when we will be traveling to get our precious baby girl the reality is starting to sink in. There is no turning back now. I have all these fears and thoughts in my head. The main one is "WTF am I doing?" I know it's the "fear of the unknown" and that once we get her in our arms, our maternal and parental instincts will kick in but until then it's nothing short of fear/anxiety/excitement all rolled into one. I have been assured that this is all normal, however when I told Sam how I was/am feeling he looked at me like I'm crazy. Don't men have these same thoughts??
With the holidays just around the corner, Sam will be gearing up and will soon be starting to work the longer holiday hours. Between getting the store ready for Christmas season and his photography he won't have a day off to put the crib together until Thanksgiving day. On one hand I'm OK with that. On the other hand, I'm getting SO EXCITED that I want it done yesterday!
But honestly, it's working out for the best this way. It will be just enough time for me to work on getting the final touches and get our required documents together and start packing for China.
The BEST thing about these confirmed travel dates is now I can start buying the stuff we need to take to China for Tia. I've been kept on a very short leash but now I think it's safe to say that it's OK to start buying the baby meds, diapers, wipes, formula, bath for our trip. YEA!!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Happy Hump Day! This week has been so long and stressfull but yet, it's going by fast! Work has been crazy busy and we received our paperwork to prepare us for travel. Man, is that ever intimidating and overwhelming!! I sent what I needed to send back today and I'm hoping and praying that I didn't forget anything or complete something incorrectly! Keep your fingers crossed!
Thank goodness the remaining paperwork is paperwork is paperwork that we have to take with us when we travel to China. So with that being said, I can take my time filing it out as most of it has multiple pages of instructions and sample pages.
Still haven't done anything new to Tia's room. Sam has been crazy busy too and so I'm hoping that the crib will get put together before the end of the month, but we'll see. My goal/dream is to have her room done by mid November so we can bring up the suitcases and start getting things ready. We have started "lists" (as recommended) and I still worry that we will forget something. And I know that Sam will complain that we're "taking everything but the kitchen sink!" He still hasn't either realized or accepted the fact that babies require a lot of stuff, but he will soon learn!!
Well I suppose I'd better hit the hay as tomorrow is going to be another long day at work - I need to find the bottom of my desk before Friday night!
Thank goodness the remaining paperwork is paperwork is paperwork that we have to take with us when we travel to China. So with that being said, I can take my time filing it out as most of it has multiple pages of instructions and sample pages.
Still haven't done anything new to Tia's room. Sam has been crazy busy too and so I'm hoping that the crib will get put together before the end of the month, but we'll see. My goal/dream is to have her room done by mid November so we can bring up the suitcases and start getting things ready. We have started "lists" (as recommended) and I still worry that we will forget something. And I know that Sam will complain that we're "taking everything but the kitchen sink!" He still hasn't either realized or accepted the fact that babies require a lot of stuff, but he will soon learn!!
Well I suppose I'd better hit the hay as tomorrow is going to be another long day at work - I need to find the bottom of my desk before Friday night!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Tuesday October 12, 2010
Today I got an e-mail notice that we will be getting a Fed Ex package/envelope by Monday with paperwork that help get us ready for travelling to China. Thank goodness we don't have to be present to sign for it so that is a huge relief for me as I don't want to have to take time off of work to wait around for it. Not that would be a bad thing, but I'll be taking 3 months of maternity leave and I have jury duty for the entire month of December. So I feel like I'm going to be gone too much. Now I know that is just guilt talking and my bosses (all 3 of them) are excited and supportive of my maternity leave, not so thrilled with jury duty though. To be honest, I'm not that excited about jury duty either. I think the jury duty/court trials is so fascinating that the other 2 times I've been summoned I prayed I'd get picked. But I work for an accounting office. I basically run the front office and I will be gone during the most important time of the year - tax season. So that means I have to train a temp to do my job and that will be hard to do if I'm gone on jury duty. I know that I can't help it and that it's my duty and that's fine. But the timing is just bad, that's all. But I'd rather have jury duty in December than when I'm on maternity leave! So I'm counting my Blessings!
Well Sam and I have registered for the Baptism class that is in 2 weeks (10/24). Thankfully we can take the class now and when we get home from China we can schedule her baptism. We're hoping that we'll travel by December 28, 2010 and be home by mid January. Our plan is to have my in-laws (who I adore and am very close to) here for her 1st birthday party (2/5), her baptism and my baby shower. I realize that is a lot in a short time, but they don't live here and I want them to be part of those very important moments. It is one thing that Sam and I won't concede on. We just want to make sure that our daughter KNOWS her Grandma and Grandpa Wellman regardless of the fact that they live in Ohio. With that said, we've made changes to our phone/cable/internet package to include unlimited free long distance calling. Now if I can just get my mom-in-law back onto the computer!! LOL
Well I'm happy to say that I have finally gotten all of my baby clothes washed, folded and sorted. I've gotten the 24 months/2Ts and older stored in totes. The 9-18 months are still sitting in the laundry basket. I need to just put them in her dresser. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to do that. Do I want to put all it all away like I have our clothes? Shirts in one drawer, pants in one drawer, shorts in one drawer, etc. Or do I want to put matching outfits together and then by seasons? I know that I am making this harder than it needs to be. That is what I do, which I am working on. That is probably why I haven't put all the clothes away yet. Good thing I still have some time to get that done!!
Hugs
Well Sam and I have registered for the Baptism class that is in 2 weeks (10/24). Thankfully we can take the class now and when we get home from China we can schedule her baptism. We're hoping that we'll travel by December 28, 2010 and be home by mid January. Our plan is to have my in-laws (who I adore and am very close to) here for her 1st birthday party (2/5), her baptism and my baby shower. I realize that is a lot in a short time, but they don't live here and I want them to be part of those very important moments. It is one thing that Sam and I won't concede on. We just want to make sure that our daughter KNOWS her Grandma and Grandpa Wellman regardless of the fact that they live in Ohio. With that said, we've made changes to our phone/cable/internet package to include unlimited free long distance calling. Now if I can just get my mom-in-law back onto the computer!! LOL
Well I'm happy to say that I have finally gotten all of my baby clothes washed, folded and sorted. I've gotten the 24 months/2Ts and older stored in totes. The 9-18 months are still sitting in the laundry basket. I need to just put them in her dresser. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to do that. Do I want to put all it all away like I have our clothes? Shirts in one drawer, pants in one drawer, shorts in one drawer, etc. Or do I want to put matching outfits together and then by seasons? I know that I am making this harder than it needs to be. That is what I do, which I am working on. That is probably why I haven't put all the clothes away yet. Good thing I still have some time to get that done!!
Hugs
Sunday, October 10, 2010
October 10, 2010
WOW!! What a week and a half we've had!! As most of you know we FINALLY got "THE CALL" about our darling precious baby girl that only took 4 years, 4 months and 11 days to get!!
Were to start? Well I had been checking the rumor site about the possible reality of it actually coming true. When I realized that it was true, I ran into the bedroom and woke Sam up out of a dead sleep and told him. His response was and has been "I'll believe it when we get the call from Ginger and have a picture in our hands!" I can understand why he had felt that way. After years of fertility treatments that failed, it was hard to get your hopes and dreams up.
So I was at work and I had been checking the rumor site and I had noticed that people in the eastern part of the US had received their calls. I was on edge, but I did manage to get some work done, surprisingly. It was about 3:40 pm Wednesday September 29, 2010 when Ginger called me on my cell phone. We started this dream 5 years ago and now it was coming true. I'm nervous and scared. I can feel my blood running. Cyndi and Naomi (my friends and co-workers and boss) are watching me as I'm getting the information of our baby girl. When I get off the phone they are at my side, full of joy and excitement. As they too have been on this journey with us. They have been full of support and encouragement!
As I'm sitting there, in total shock that "the call" finally came. They are encouraging me to call Sam. I tell Naomi that I would rather tell Sam in person. As I am being lovingly shoved out the door my mind is racing. I drive to Safeway and find a panda and "It's a Girl" balloon in the shape of a bottle. I run to my car and I'm trying to hold onto the balloon that is as long as I am tall without running into people and cars in the parking lot. Driving to the mall with balloon in the front passenger seat without causing an accident was a miracle.
When I finally walk into Sam's store, he's talking to some customers. Vanessa sees me and notices the balloon right away. When Sam's done and notices me I gave him the panda with the balloon tied to it. He looks at it and asks me "what is this?" He's looking at me, having no clue of what I gave him means. Finally he asked if I got "the call" and I tell him that I did. He's in shock. I tell him the information that Ginger gave me: her birthday, name and later that night we'll get an e-mail with her picture. We hug and kiss, and realize the long waited dream is coming true. He calls his parents and my mom. I call my sisters Debbie and JoAnna. Then I send out a mass text message to those near and dear to our hearts of the joyous news we've gotten!
Later that night, I get the e-mail that we've been waiting for. As my sister Debbie sits next to me (Sam had to work late that night) and her son Zachary next to her, we open the e-mail. Debbie's eyes fill with tears right away. I'm just sitting there, staring at her. Numb. In shock. I look at Debbie and she knows right away what I'm feeling and tells me "it's OK, you're in shock." I tell her I feel bad, and again she reassures me telling me that "this is totally normal and not to beat myself up over it."
As we send out the mass e-mail of Tia's pictures, the excitement is starting to generate. Hugs and tears and support all around as we are printing pictures of her.
Now that things have settled down some. I've been keeping busy washing and sorting baby clothes. I have been slowly working and organizing on Tia's room. I am now at a standstill until Sam puts the crib together and that will be a couple more weeks.
We've got one batch of paperwork done and am currently waiting for the second set. I'm not sure how much more is to do, but I am looking forward to tackling it. With that, work and everyday life I am hoping that the next 3 months will go smoothly and quickly.
Were to start? Well I had been checking the rumor site about the possible reality of it actually coming true. When I realized that it was true, I ran into the bedroom and woke Sam up out of a dead sleep and told him. His response was and has been "I'll believe it when we get the call from Ginger and have a picture in our hands!" I can understand why he had felt that way. After years of fertility treatments that failed, it was hard to get your hopes and dreams up.
So I was at work and I had been checking the rumor site and I had noticed that people in the eastern part of the US had received their calls. I was on edge, but I did manage to get some work done, surprisingly. It was about 3:40 pm Wednesday September 29, 2010 when Ginger called me on my cell phone. We started this dream 5 years ago and now it was coming true. I'm nervous and scared. I can feel my blood running. Cyndi and Naomi (my friends and co-workers and boss) are watching me as I'm getting the information of our baby girl. When I get off the phone they are at my side, full of joy and excitement. As they too have been on this journey with us. They have been full of support and encouragement!
As I'm sitting there, in total shock that "the call" finally came. They are encouraging me to call Sam. I tell Naomi that I would rather tell Sam in person. As I am being lovingly shoved out the door my mind is racing. I drive to Safeway and find a panda and "It's a Girl" balloon in the shape of a bottle. I run to my car and I'm trying to hold onto the balloon that is as long as I am tall without running into people and cars in the parking lot. Driving to the mall with balloon in the front passenger seat without causing an accident was a miracle.
When I finally walk into Sam's store, he's talking to some customers. Vanessa sees me and notices the balloon right away. When Sam's done and notices me I gave him the panda with the balloon tied to it. He looks at it and asks me "what is this?" He's looking at me, having no clue of what I gave him means. Finally he asked if I got "the call" and I tell him that I did. He's in shock. I tell him the information that Ginger gave me: her birthday, name and later that night we'll get an e-mail with her picture. We hug and kiss, and realize the long waited dream is coming true. He calls his parents and my mom. I call my sisters Debbie and JoAnna. Then I send out a mass text message to those near and dear to our hearts of the joyous news we've gotten!
Later that night, I get the e-mail that we've been waiting for. As my sister Debbie sits next to me (Sam had to work late that night) and her son Zachary next to her, we open the e-mail. Debbie's eyes fill with tears right away. I'm just sitting there, staring at her. Numb. In shock. I look at Debbie and she knows right away what I'm feeling and tells me "it's OK, you're in shock." I tell her I feel bad, and again she reassures me telling me that "this is totally normal and not to beat myself up over it."
As we send out the mass e-mail of Tia's pictures, the excitement is starting to generate. Hugs and tears and support all around as we are printing pictures of her.
Now that things have settled down some. I've been keeping busy washing and sorting baby clothes. I have been slowly working and organizing on Tia's room. I am now at a standstill until Sam puts the crib together and that will be a couple more weeks.
We've got one batch of paperwork done and am currently waiting for the second set. I'm not sure how much more is to do, but I am looking forward to tackling it. With that, work and everyday life I am hoping that the next 3 months will go smoothly and quickly.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday September 27, 2010
Well what a day! There is a rumor going around that some agencies are going to be receiving some referrals with the dossier dates through May 18, 2006. As you know, our log in date for our dossier is May 18, 2006! The rumor is from a reliable source so as you can guess, we are sitting on pins and needles hoping and praying that the rumor is true, but only time will tell!
Sunday Sam humored me by going to Toys R Us and looking at everything. I am obsessed with bath toys and they only thing that caught his eye was a monitor. He admitted to being pretty oblivious as what we need. He has been telling the stories his staff has been telling him about the diapers that have poo all the way up the back and down the leg. He is having a hard time imagining that can even happen. Boy is he in for a shock!
I have tried to "break him in" on diapers with our niece Abby, but he says he'll wait for Tia. It's a good thing I'll be around when he does his first one, but I would love to have a nanny cam on him when he gets a messy diaper when I'm not around! I'm know I'm terrible or maybe even evil!!
We are getting SO EXCITED!! After years of waiting and dreaming of the moment, I have all these ideas of how to tell family and friends. Sam tells me that he has his work cut out to keep me grounded! I must say, he certainly does!!
I am currently reading "From China With Love, A Long Road to Motherhood" by Emily Buchanan. I'm at the part where she has just received her daughter. She's talking about all the fears that she had about maybe her baby not liking her or she not liking her baby; what if she can't do this; what if her daughter won't bond/attach. As she goes on talking about these feelings, she realized that she is already completely in love with her daughter and that this is what she's been waiting for. It dawns on me that even though I feel like I'm alone, I'm really not.
As my mom and sisters tell me, I do have experience with my nephews and nieces. But as I often point out, I can send them home when I'm done. This will not be the case. The only thing that truly terrifies me is the flight there and home. Granted on the plane from China will be full of other families heading home too so if our daughter cries for a long period of time, the passengers won't care as they are in the same boat. However, the legs of the US flights are a little different. But I here I am putting the stroller before the baby! OK so that wasn't very funny....
I do have to say as the wait has gone on and one, we put our faith in God. Telling ourselves that He has a plan and we will come to understand it when it's time. Well, I do have to say NOW I understand His plan! Sam and I are feeling very calm and reassured of what lies a head of us
Of course I do have to give a shout out to our families, friend and co-workers for the prayer and support - especially my bosses! Especially now that we SO close to the end!!
Sunday Sam humored me by going to Toys R Us and looking at everything. I am obsessed with bath toys and they only thing that caught his eye was a monitor. He admitted to being pretty oblivious as what we need. He has been telling the stories his staff has been telling him about the diapers that have poo all the way up the back and down the leg. He is having a hard time imagining that can even happen. Boy is he in for a shock!
I have tried to "break him in" on diapers with our niece Abby, but he says he'll wait for Tia. It's a good thing I'll be around when he does his first one, but I would love to have a nanny cam on him when he gets a messy diaper when I'm not around! I'm know I'm terrible or maybe even evil!!
We are getting SO EXCITED!! After years of waiting and dreaming of the moment, I have all these ideas of how to tell family and friends. Sam tells me that he has his work cut out to keep me grounded! I must say, he certainly does!!
I am currently reading "From China With Love, A Long Road to Motherhood" by Emily Buchanan. I'm at the part where she has just received her daughter. She's talking about all the fears that she had about maybe her baby not liking her or she not liking her baby; what if she can't do this; what if her daughter won't bond/attach. As she goes on talking about these feelings, she realized that she is already completely in love with her daughter and that this is what she's been waiting for. It dawns on me that even though I feel like I'm alone, I'm really not.
As my mom and sisters tell me, I do have experience with my nephews and nieces. But as I often point out, I can send them home when I'm done. This will not be the case. The only thing that truly terrifies me is the flight there and home. Granted on the plane from China will be full of other families heading home too so if our daughter cries for a long period of time, the passengers won't care as they are in the same boat. However, the legs of the US flights are a little different. But I here I am putting the stroller before the baby! OK so that wasn't very funny....
I do have to say as the wait has gone on and one, we put our faith in God. Telling ourselves that He has a plan and we will come to understand it when it's time. Well, I do have to say NOW I understand His plan! Sam and I are feeling very calm and reassured of what lies a head of us
Of course I do have to give a shout out to our families, friend and co-workers for the prayer and support - especially my bosses! Especially now that we SO close to the end!!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday September 17, 2010
Well we've been told by 3 different Holt representatives that they are "pretty confident" that we will be getting our match/referral sometime in October 2010 and (most likely) travel to China in January 2011. We are getting very excited!! We're like kids right before Christmas!! Sam is really getting what I call the "daddy gene!" He comes home from work and tells me all about the cute little baby girls he saw in his store or printed pictures of that day!
2011 will be a HUGE year for us!! We will be going to China as honeymooners (we never had one) and coming home with a baby!! We will celebrate our first mothers day and fathers day, our 10th wedding anniversary and baby's 1st Christmas!!
God had a plan for us and even though we didn't understand it at first, it's all coming together now!!
2011 will be a HUGE year for us!! We will be going to China as honeymooners (we never had one) and coming home with a baby!! We will celebrate our first mothers day and fathers day, our 10th wedding anniversary and baby's 1st Christmas!!
God had a plan for us and even though we didn't understand it at first, it's all coming together now!!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
September 12, 2010
This is the first time ever that I have ever created a blog. I have only visited one other blog so I am VERY new to this process.
Where to begin? I have no idea. Well I'll just "dive in" with it. Yesterday Sam and I received in the mail our 4th and final approval of the I-600A. This form allows us to adopt our baby from China. We were very excited about this as our previous I-600A was due to expire on 9/30/10 and we VERY close to getting our referral or match from China.
When we started this process in October 2005 the wait was only about 8 months long. However when our paper work was logged into China on May 18, 2006 the wait time had steadily increased and has from that point on.
After years of no movement we FINALLY seeing some movement. The last e-mail match update for the standard program had matched families with dossier logged into China throuh May 15, 2006. Our LID (log in date) is May 18, 2006 - THREE DAYS DIFFERENCE!!
Finally!! We are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! After years and years of wondering if this were ever going to happen we can now begin to dream the dreams that new parents have!
Where to begin? I have no idea. Well I'll just "dive in" with it. Yesterday Sam and I received in the mail our 4th and final approval of the I-600A. This form allows us to adopt our baby from China. We were very excited about this as our previous I-600A was due to expire on 9/30/10 and we VERY close to getting our referral or match from China.
When we started this process in October 2005 the wait was only about 8 months long. However when our paper work was logged into China on May 18, 2006 the wait time had steadily increased and has from that point on.
After years of no movement we FINALLY seeing some movement. The last e-mail match update for the standard program had matched families with dossier logged into China throuh May 15, 2006. Our LID (log in date) is May 18, 2006 - THREE DAYS DIFFERENCE!!
Finally!! We are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! After years and years of wondering if this were ever going to happen we can now begin to dream the dreams that new parents have!
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