Another present...

I've said it before...I love presents! Check out the new pillows for Lauren's room here.

Another item checked off the list...

Well, after waiting three long hours at the immigration office today, we are now done with our FBI fingerprinting. When they send out the letter with your fingerprinting appointment date and time, they make it sound like the appointment time is just for you. Little do you know, 100+ other people have the same date and time. Luckily, a friend of mine gave us a heads up about the wait time, so I was prepared with my brand new Oprah magazine to keep me busy.

Now all we are waiting for is the all important I-171H form to arrive. This is permission from the federal government to adopt an orphan and is the result of the court approved Home Study and the FBI fingerprint clearance. The I-171H, along with all our other documents, make up the dossier that is sent to China.

Please keep your fingers crossed for a speedy delivery of the I-171H!

Update on Rumor...

After hearing the rumor yesterday that the CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs) may be instituting a weight restriction for adoptive parents, I e-mailed my agency to confirm. According to my agency, they are aware of the rumor but haven't heard anything about it from the CCAA. They are assuring me that if they hear anything official, they will let us know.

I just read yet another forum discussion thread on this, and I'm starting to get a little freaked out. There are a couple of people saying that their agency has confirmed the rumor but that they don't have the details yet.

I don't know what to think right now, but this is definitely putting a damper on my excitement. Joe and I have our appointment tomorrow morning at immigration for our fingerprinting and I should be really excited about this next big step, but just can't muster up any excitement with this rumor looming. If this turns out not to be a rumor, all our hopes and work on our dossier could be down the drain.

Worried about Recent Rumor...

In the adoption world it seems there is always some rumor flying around about the CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoptive Affairs) on the discussion boards. Usually it's rumors about time frames for log in dates, referrals, travel, etc. and I don't pay much attention to them.

What I heard this morning though, really got me upset because it hits close to home. The latest rumor is that the CCAA is thinking about having weight restrictions for adoptive parents, as Korea already does. Of course, there is no official source for the rumor, but several adoptive parents have heard the same rumor from different web groups and discussion boards.

If China were to institute a weight limit, I'm definitely off the charts! Korea's weight chart is ridiculous...it's separated my male and female and there is one weight depending on your height. There is no consideration for body frame size at all.

I e-mailed my advocate at our adoption agency this morning asking her to check into this rumor for us. Please pray that this is really a rumor and if not, that they will announce a date off in the future that they will start the restriction so it doesn't affect us parents already in the paperchase.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day for reflecting on our lives and everything that enriches them. We are so thankful for our family, our friends and our pets. We are also thankful for our jobs and our home.

It's hard to imagine that last Thanksgiving we weren't even talking about adoption yet, but now we are almost at the end of our paperchase and I am fully absorbed into the adoption world (I know you waiting parents can relate). This year we are thankful for the CCAA (Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs) for giving us the opportunity to become parents. I am also thankful for all the other waiting parents who share their thoughts and feelings and all the parents who are back from China and sharing their lives with us. These blogs are such a wonderful network of support and hope for all of us waiting parents.

Thank you all!

Dog Day Afternoon...

I came home from the office early today and was doing some cleaning. I realized that I hadn't seen Lucy for a while and look where I found her...curled up in a ball on the sofa. She sure has a rough life!


Mom, please get that camera out of my face so I can continue with my nap. I've had a rough morning of eating, snacking, resting, and that long walk.

Waiting Families Dinner...

Yesterday evening, Joe and I attended our first meeting of the Arizona Chapter FCC's (Families with Children from China) Waiting Families group. This is a group of families all somewhere in the waiting stage of adopting from China. Usually the meetings are hosted by one of the waiting families and is at their home, but this was the last meeting of the year and was a dinner at a nearby restaurant. We met several very nice couples, are of who are much closer to traveling to China than we are. The group is chaired by Maria, who has already been to China and has a beautiful daughter named Paige who is 21 months now. She passed around her photo and she is a little doll. The group will meet again after the holidays, and we are looking forward to hosting a dinner sometime next year.

Yesterday was National Adoption Day, so Maria handed out a copy of the following poem at the dinner last night:

The Daughters of China

There's an unseen tie that binds them,
A red thread that will not break.
They are woven in a tapestry
It took five thousand years to make.

Their eyes are wide with wonder
Tiny hands reach out to touch
The faces of the families
Who have wanted them so much.

The daughters of China, they fly across the seas,
Off to unseen places and possibilities.
They are gifts to those who cherish them
By those who just could not.
Acts of hope and faith and love
That we never will forget.

They were given up for reasons
That most will never know.
Now they're daughters to the families
Who have come to take them home.

And someday they'll too be mothers
And have children and a home.
Thread by thread they will tie the knots
To weave new tapestries all their own.

The daughters of China, they fly across the seas,
Off to unseen places and possibilities.
They are gifts to those who cherish them
By those who just could not.
Acts of hope and faith and love
That we never will forget.

Tim Chauvin

100 Good Wishes for Lauren

I need help from you all on my new project...check it out here.

Fingerprinting Scheduled...

Well, the USCIS (immigration) did get back to us quickly as soon as our approved Home Study was filed, but I'm a little disappointed that our fingerprinting appointment isn't until Tuesday, November 29th. I guess there are a lot of people in line for fingerprinting. I just hate for the paperchase to be at a stand still for 2 weeks, although I guess I'd better get used to waiting because our LONG wait really starts after we are DTC (dossier to China).

Dinner with Lucy...

Hummm, I wonder if Emily will feed me from the table like Mom does sometimes...


I bet if I really try and reach I can snag something when she's not looking...


Finally, she dropped something...thank goodness...


Aunt Donna...Lucy is eating Emily's meatball!

Scrapbooking...

I posted a new page, check it out here.

Baby Book...

I ordered a baby book that's custom made for China adoption from Cadoam. They have a bunch of different fabrics to choose from and I selected red with gold blossoms. All the pages are customized for China adoption including a page for referral day, arriving in China, first day together, etc. The pages have a copyright on them, so I probably shouldn't post them here, but this is the opening page.

Shopping Again...

Check out the new decor for Lauren's room here.

Home Study Approved by Court Already!

Wow, our Home Study was forwarded for Superior Court approval on October 18 and I got our Court approved Home Study copies in the mail yesterday! I can't believe I have the approval in my hands only 3 weeks from when my agency submitted to the courts. They had given me an estimate of 4-8 weeks, so it was a really nice surprise to get that envelope in the mail.

Now I can send the approved Home Study to USCIS (immigration), which will trigger them to send us for the FBI fingerprinting. The Arizona CIS office was quick early in our process sending us our confirmation of receiving the I-600A form, so I'm hoping they will be quick again.

I'm still hoping for an early January DTC! Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Passports have arrived!

Joe and I both applied through our City Clerk's Office for our passports, but Joe applied about 10 days before I did, so when a priority envelope came for me last week I wasn't really thinking about my passport. I figured Joe's would come first.

When I opened the envelope and saw what it was, it suddenly struck me that all this is real and we are actually going to fly to China to get a baby girl. I got a lump in my throat and with teary eyes I said to Joe...oh my gosh, are we really going to China and coming home with a baby? I think other waiting parents can relate. With all the paperwork and planning, I guess it's certain landmarks along the way that make all this seem real.

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like to fly and that I probably wouldn't be getting a passport under normal conditions. For some reason my fear of flying has grown over the years and now I fly only pumped up on meds. I'm definitely not looking forward to the flight to China, but I'm trying to focus on my reward for getting on that plane....becoming a family of 3!

Adoption Video...

I've been following Karen's blog for quite a while now and they have been home with their beautiful daughter Gwen for about 4 weeks now. They recently had an adoption video made by Red Thread Stories. I thought I'd post her video here so you all can get an idea of what our trip will be like next year.

Before you pull up the video, you'd better grab a hankie and make sure your volume is on. I LOVE the song they choose for the opening of the video and the choice of Here Comes the Sun when they meet Gwen is perfect. Click here to link to Karen's blog where you can pull up the video.

60th Wedding Anniversary...

Joe's parents, Fran and Ed, have been married 60 years on November 3rd, so last night we all got together to celebrate their anniversary.

The group included Joe's sisters Mary, from Florida, and Peggy, who's local, and his brothers Charlie and wife Teresa, from California, and Ed and his daughter Christa who are also local.

The evening started with Fran and Ed renewing their marriage vows after mass at the church they have been attending for over 30 years. After that, we headed back to their house where Mary, Charlie, Teresa and Peggy had recreated their wedding reception menu for dinner. Charlie barbecued a roast beef on the rotisserie and it was delicious.

Peggy ordered this pretty cake with calla lilies, the same type of flowers that were in Fran's wedding bouquet.

Ladybug Gift...

I love presents and these little ladybug juice glasses are so cute!

Thanks again, Jennifer!

Application Filed!

We just received a letter from the Superior Court of Arizona stating that our Application for Certification to Adopt has been officially filed as of October 27th. From what I've heard it takes about 4-5 weeks for their approval.

I can't wait to get this approval because the last step is next...getting fingerprinted and approved by the federal government to get that all important I-171H.