It's looking like next week...

I've been on pins and needles all week checking Rumor Queen just about every couple of hours. I know, but I just can't help it!

I've updated our phone info on file at our agency so they can get a hold of us and I've printed out Stephe's infamous call sheet (you can find this on her sidebar). I also have the camera battery all charged up and ready to go!

I need to contact our agency again and find out what the best day is for us to both take off work. We both want to see Lauren's photo together at the same time. If we have a head's up on the call and they e-mail a photo when they call, we would like to be home on that day. If they just call out of the blue, then we want to be home the next day for the Fed-Ex package. I need to see if they can tell me how it usually plays out. I know this is a silly thing to worry about, but after waiting so long and anticipating the moment we see our daughter I want it to be as perfect as it can be. For you BTDT's, how did it all play out for you? I would love to hear about it.

Will this be the week?

It's hard to believe that this month is almost over and our referral will actually be on it's way soon.

I'm wondering if we'll get the call this coming week or next. Either way, our lives are about to change forever in ways I probably can't even imagine right now. We've been trying to become a family of three since 1996 and now 12 years later, that dream is about to come true. Everyone is saying that we should savor these final days of anticipation and take advantage of being a party of two before we travel to China. We definitely intend to do that!

It's going to be a heck of week waiting to hear when the stork will fly! I have a feeling my brain will be mush...should be an interesting week at the office. ;)

First offical rumor...

According to Rumor Queen today...

Matching?
October 22nd, 2008
An agency is reporting that matching has begun. Just one agency reporting it so far.

It may be only one agency reporting this right now, but I really do think that matching has begun. It gives me goosebumps to think that our agency's stack is sitting on someone's desk right now waiting to be matched!

Joe and I went to Pei Wei's for lunch on Sunday and check out what my fortune said for the Chinese vocabulary word...


I guess it's travel in January...don't ya think?

On another note, I want to send a BIG thank you to Fuzz and Fuzzlet for asking Kim to send their prize to me for Lauren!!! Check out these adorable little clippies and clip holder. All the shopping I've done and I don't have one of these holders...I love it! THANK YOU!

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32nd LIDversary and baby calendar...

Yesterday was our 32nd LIDversary, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. As each day of October goes by that light gets brighter and brighter.

Last week I was ordering some 2009 calendars and couldn't pass this one up...


I know that we won't have Lauren for most of her first year, but I'm going to use this calendar to record all her firsts with us as a family.

This calendar has adorable graphics and comes with lots of little stickers to mark important dates and milestones. It's a blank calendar, so you can start it whenever you want.


I especially like how each month has a spot for a photo and space to write new things Lauren can do and make special notes about the month. I think this will become a special scrapbook type keepsake to put away for her.

Brain fog and fish tacos...

Tonight we had one of our favorite weeknight dinners courtesy of Costco. We get the frozen, breaded talapia and cut each piece into three strips once it's baked. We have it with flour or corn tortillas, shredded cheese, home-made salsa and shredded cabbage. Quick and yummy fish tacos! Gotta love Costco.

Well, so far this week I feel like I'm walking around in a fog. Is this a normal feeling for the weeks before referral? It's getting harder and harder to concentrate on any one thing for any period of time. My mind keeps wandering off to so many things:

• Is our file sitting on someones desk just waiting to be matched?
• What will Lauren look like?
• How old will she be?
• What province is she in?
• Is she healthy?
• Is she in an orphanage or with foster parents?
• Is she being taken care of?
• Did she have any of the tainted formula?
• Is she getting enough to eat?
• Is someone playing with her and caring for her?
• Where was she left and was there a note?
• Will she accept us as her parents?
• How will she adjust to her new life?

The list goes on and on and it's getting harder and harder to focus at work and on anything that's not adoption related for that matter. Is this normal or is this just me?

Baby carrier has arrived...

Here we are already heading into mid-October and I'm SO hoping that referrals come out before the end of the month and that ours is in the batch! I'm getting so excited! We may only have a few short weeks left until we see our daughter. I keep asking myself if this is really happening after all this time...someone pinch me!

Last week we got our Baby Hawk baby carrier in the mail. We picked out a dark espresso brown for the trim with this fun fabric on the front. Joe is modeling it with our new baby, little Miss. Idaho. She's 10 lbs and tastes delicious with a little butter and sour cream...

Here's what the back looks like...

Joe says it's pretty comfortable for him and distributes the weight pretty evenly. I'm a bad judge of baby carriers because I have a bad back and have daily trouble with low back pain. I'm going to have to pump myself full of meds and suck it up on the China trip because I want to carry Lauren as much as she'll let me while in China.

***Attention Target Shoppers***

If you like ladybug things for the nursery, I just picked up this adorable changing pad cover today. It's very soft and oh so cute! It seems to be a brand made for Target since there is a whole line of items that match. It's called tiddliwinks and was $12.99.

Projections are out...

Wow, our LID (2/17) finally made it to the top line of the Rumor Queen projection chart!!

For family and friends not familiar with her projections, referrals for the last year have fallen on her "Horrid Case" date, her "Spring 2008 Small" date or something in between. We can't be 100% sure we are in for the next batch, but I'm feeling pretty darn good about it. I would say I'm feeling about 95% sure. Over the past year, referrals have only fallen below the "Spring 2008 Small" projected date twice. I think I'll take those odds! ;)

Ok, now it's poll time to see which province you think Lauren will be from. Here's a map of the provinces...

and here's a graphic from the FCC website on most referrals by province...

and now it's time to vote...

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