4 weeks today

Where are you I-171H?

The ups and downs of adoption…

After catching up on my blog postings, a friend from work emailed me today. She could tell that I have been, shall we say, a bit down after completing my paperwork and entering the dreaded wait. The one thing I never knew when I started all this was how much of a roller coaster of emotions this would be. WOW is all I have to say - along with a HUGE thank you in advance to my family, friends, and new bloggy friends who have to listen to me rant about it all. I will say that I am starting to get used the idea of the wait ahead of me this coming year. Oh, who am I kidding..I can't even say I've officially started to wait. I know I know, I will look back on all of this and say “where did the year go?” Isn’t that always how it works?

My friend wrote this in her email to me…Don't ask God for patience, ask for endurance and joy.

I will.

I’m also trying really hard to live in the moment and just be. So often I reflect on the past and worry about the future…I’m going to try really hard not to do that anymore. My life is going to change drastically FOREVER in just one short year (for the better of course), so I plan to enjoy the things I know will no longer be and will try to enjoy the ride along the way.

Thank you M for your kind words.

Go Go Go!

It’s September referral time! The Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs has matched waiting families with log in dates from July 22nd thru August 9th, that’s 18 days worth!! They only matched 8 days in August. Does this mean things are picking up and the wait might stabilize? Or better yet, do I dare say it…speed up? Only time will tell I guess…congrats to all the waiting families who get to see their sweet babes faces in a mere matter of hours!


In other news…I know my I-171H is coming this week. I can FEEL it! Well, truth be told, Hannah called last night and told me that a gal in her Yahoo group submitted her paperwork exactly one week before us and she received her I-171H in 4 weeks and 1 day.

Weekend Plans

TGIF

Friday
My friend Ana is coming over for lunch. This lovely time will be followed by a pedicure and eye brow wax, I’m seriously due for both.

Saturday
Hmmm, not so much fun. Homework and more homework, followed by making several loaves of Banana Bread to use up my VERY ripe bananas (actually, I like to cook so this will be fun). Maybe I’ll squeeze in a hike, it’s suppose to be a beautiful sunny fall day here…Timber is in need of a good hike (not to mention her mother).

Sunday
Race for the Cure!













Have a good weekend!

Ouch!

A big shout out to my bro Dustin, who is the first member of “Team Munchkin” to begin the series of inoculations needed for traveling to China. Way to go! Be looking for a treats in the mail, because I KNOW no one likes getting shots. :-)

In other news,
My Conversational Chinese for Beginners class was cancelled due to low enrollment. Darn, I was so looking forward to it. If they offer it again in the spring, my Mom and I will sign up again. If it’s cancelled, I’m calling the instructor and asking for private lessons. I can not go to China without knowing how to say "It’s ok, don’t cry" and "I love you". When I really start to think about my ‘Gotcha Day’ I start to get sooo nervous. What will I do if she just starts freaking out, crying, etc. (I know, it will be ok, but it's still overwhelming to think about). I can’t even imagine how scared she will be…breaks my heart every time I think of it.

Holy moly! This season is going to be gooooooood!

Not today.

My friend Hanna called me freaking out today. She had called CIS to ask how much longer until we receive our I-171H. The response she got was less than desirable, something like “it could take another couple of months”. She then texts me with the news. I then email the office in a cute little I don’t want to piss you off and cause you to put my application on the bottom of the pile way asking if they could estimate how much longer until I received my I-171H. A gal responded with:

Sara~

Your file is currently waiting to be adjudicated. This process could take a couple of weeks depending on how many files are currently waiting. Thanks!

So, that's not soooo bad right? I can hold out for another couple of weeks and still be DTC in October. I called Hannah with my email response, she was calmer. I told her to jung hang in there...it'll be soon and she'll have her baby home before Christmas!

Oh, by the way. I had to look up adjudicated in the dictionary. For anyone wondering, the definition is:

1. decide legally: to reach a judicial decision on something
2. decide about: to make an official decision about a problem or dispute

Umm lady...I think approved would have worked there as well.

I have my own personal...

mailbox stalker!!

My poor friend Hannah, who has received her unofficial referral, is (like me) still waiting for her I-171H. As soon as she receives it, they can start the ball rolling to go pick up their precious baby. Pure torture. Knowing who your baby is and one little piece of paper holding everything back. Gives me quite the insight on what to expect while waiting for my TA (travel approval after I get my referral..FOREVER from now).

Anyway, in my world, the I-171H is holding up sending my documents to China (DTC). Hannah gets off of work early in the afternoon, so everyday at 2:15 p.m. she sends me a text message after she has checked her mailbox...today's text reads:

still nothing

I text back:

It will come soon! Hang in there!

Then, I drive home from work knowing damn well there is nothing in the mailbox...but I check anyway. ;-)

Nice to have my own personal mailbox stalker...but man, I feel for them. I hope it comes soon!

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Shelby!!

Waiting

As I begin to enter the dreaded wait, I find myself less excited about my adoption…why is this? I was so gung ho a week or so ago, now when people ask me how the adoption is going, I don’t even want to talk about it because it makes me feel sad. It felt real when I was knee deep in paperwork, but now that I have nothing to do it feels so far away. Maybe I feel sad because I don’t know when I can expect her referral. Will it be 12 months? 14 months? 18 months? Later? Earlier? I don’t know and everyone wants to know.

Where is my I-171H? Maybe tomorrow?

Congratulations it's a GIRL!

Holy moly! Remember my new friends adopting from Vietnam? They received their referral yesterday!! They haven't even recieved their I-171H yet, but all of their dossier paperwork had been submitted to their agency and since everything was a go (besides waiting for their I-171H), they were matched with a baby and BAM! referral! I am absolutely thrilled for them, and their new daughter is so beautiful. They plan to travel around Thanksgiving, so she'll be home for Chirstmas!

Go me!

I had my first snipy (sp?) success today on Ebay. oooh! That was fun, and yep, I copied you Connie...sorry, they are just too damn cute not to!

Captain Random

In no particular order...

• Camping last weekend was interesting. I was the only female in attendance, which was weird…thanks for letting me know ahead of time someone special. Men! I tell ya. I also had a rather embarrassing moment happen in front of all of them…yeah, that wasn’t so much fun. Story short - it involved darkness, cocktails, dirty dishes, a river…oh and the lovely ME flat on my back/ass with 5 guys standing on the riverbank, shining flashlights down on me, wondering what the hell had happened and was I ok? Not my most graceful moment for sure. Also, I didn’t catch any fish, but did learn to play horseshoes and spent a whole lot of time RELAXING next to the fire. Ahhhhhh!
  
• Are you watching Dancing w/ the Stars? Emmitt Smith seriously got his groove on, Joey Lawrence and Mario Lopez are forces to be reckoned with, and Willa Ford is my favorite lady to date.

• It's been exactly two weeks since I submitted my I-600A application.

• I’m counting down the days until the season premier of Grey’s Anatomy (not really). Who will Meredith choose and where are her panties going to surface?…chuckle chuckle.
  
• I’m off to a roaring start with my graduate studies, received an A for my first assessment.

• I am seriously thinking of heading to Boston for Christmas this year…can you believe it will be my last Christmas childless (hopefully)? I can’t believe I just wrote that…next Christmas I will either be home from China, in China, or getting ready to travel to China. CRAZY! I can’t wait. I asked my brother if Santa comes to his house in Boston, his reply “Santa BETTER come to my house!!” I guess he has been a good boy this year.

• The Department of Homeland Security sent me a teaser in the mail...and nooo, it wasn’t my I-171H,. It was a notice indicating that my I-600A application had been filed on August 30, 2006. Not sure what that means, but I’m taking it as a good sign that it isn’t lost on someone’s desk in Yakima. Oh, and I am officially zipping home everyday after work, pulling into the driveway like a crazy woman, and rushing to the mailbox to see if it’s here yet!
  
• My agency rep is heading to China in October. Something about training and the waiting child program. Ummm, I plan to be DTC in October. My concern is if she is in China, who will be taking great care to ensure that my paperwork is certified, authenticated, translated and sent to China in a quick like fashion? Heck, I guess if she is going to China and my dossier is ready, couldn’t I just have her hand deliver it to the CCAA?? Kidding, but wouldn’t that be cool?

• While messing around on the internet the other night, I googled “retro baby clothes”. I found this little number for the little one.

and then I snorted diet coke out my nose when I saw this...

Too bad the largest size is 6-12 months...

We Remember

Heading to the woods...

Timber and I are outta here for the weekend. I can hardly wait...relaxing by the fire with someone special, a beverage in one hand roasting a marshmellow in the other....ahhhhh!

 

1 week

It's been exactly 1 week since I submitted my immigration paperwork. Is it too early to start stalking the mailman? Probably, but I'm going to do it anyway. :-)

It's a boy!

Congratulations to my sister Alexis and her husband Zach! They are expecting a BOY sometime late January. I was lucky enough to be invited and attend the ultrasound today...it really was cool seeing the little guy inside her belly! Munchkin is going to have two boy cousins to look after her and rip around with!

By special request...

Anyone out there know how to pronounce nai-nai (Grandma) in Chinese? Grandma is just dying to know. ;-)

Crocodile Hunter tragedy

Such tragic news! I can't believe the world has lost Steve Irwin. I've enjoyed his show for many years...we are mourning with you Australia.

What have I started?

So, nai-nai stopped by for a visit. I said "Do you want to run to Target and check out the clearance rack?" Her response..."sure!" Off we went and came home with this.

:-)

And so it begins....

To celebrate the fact that I am oh so close to being done with the paperchase, I hit Macy's toddler clearance rack yesterday. I found this little number for $6.50. It even has the cute little bloomer pants to match...wait, is that what you call them? You know, the little part that goes over the diaper.


And these cutie capri pants were $4.00

That was fun!