HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jane got her TA! She is going to China! Hurray!! Now let 2008 bring on the referrals for EVERYONE! And let my friends Cindi and Debbie go to China soon!!!!

Have a Happy, Safe New Year everyone....we are celebrating at home.....I love quiet time!!!! I'll probably make it until about 10:00 pm............ha ha ha!!

MADDIE MOMMY IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praying for a Miracle here!

Ok everyone! Jane needs a miracle to get her TA here on Monday!! She has been waiting since August with the referral in her hand!! Time to go!! Please take a moment and think of her!!!

So can we ask these people to get the lead out!!

Also Cindi would like to go get her little boy!! Davis has been waiting for his Mommy since April 2007!!!

I think it's time for these people to have a little Miracle here!!!!!!

Stop by and say hey to Jane, she is feeling a little down!!

Merry Christmas

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MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!

I hope you enjoy.....hee hee.....Anthony's Christmas Song.....

He maybe famous one day so remember the face!!!!!

In a million years you would not believe this....

Today we were shopping and decided to stop and get a sandwich. Well we went to a Cafe that we normally don't go to.......

Here is my story!! ALL 100% true.....

Emily kept turning in her seat to play and laugh at the lady behind me. Well me not wanting to be rude, I kept turning her around so she wouldn't bother them. I couldn't see the lady behind me and I didn't want to be staring at her. So around the end of our meal, she comes up and puts her hand on me. An elderly Asian American woman. She smiles and comments on how well Emily is doing with her spoon.....Emily is eating soup, and making a complete mess, but this woman was in love...I could tell. She then gets talking to me about how in the 40's her dad took her and they fled China, into Taiwan. Well she says then she was sent to America to go to school and met her husband......also Asian American, and also seated behind me.

So here it is folks the good part..........She asks me where Emily is from...and we all know how BIG China is.......I tell her Shaanxi....Well she almost fell in the floor....she looks and me and says.............."My husband is from Shaanxi."

Now even beyond that, is this miracle.......Emily (ever since Gotcha Day) has not liked being near the Asians...in fact we had a run in at Walmart and she freaked out on me. (An Asian American attempted to pick her up....just being friendly).

WELL she LOVED this Grandmother...Emily smiled, laughed, attempted to say Goodbye in Chinese, and waved goodbye...........I was FLOORED!

IS THAT NOT INCREDIBLE????????????????????

A Cute Story

This is our friend Honker. (The big gray one) Honker was one of the first friends we made when we moved to this neighborhood. Honker came over and sat by my beach towel. I of course thought it was love. Honker was only interested in my wheat thins! I named him Honker because he is LOUD.

Honker has had a rough time of it. Every year we see him/her (still not sure if he is a girl or boy), sit on his/her egg. It never hatches. Year after year we watch him sitting in the sun and rain with his egg. Never any luck. We always feel sorry for him.

Well big news folks. Honker has adopted. Yes that is right. Honker has taken over another goose's care. His mommy abandoned him. So even Honker has jumped on the adoption band wagon.

It does my heart good to see Honker mothering his baby. So sweet. So you see even the animals know that we are here to look out for one another. It doesn't matter what we look like. We all just need someone to love us.

By the way, we are calling the baby Peep. I have to get some photos of Peep, but Honker is not allowing anyone near his baby right now. I guess they are still in the bonding stage......:)

Wordless Wednesday

New SN List

This is a shout out for our agency! We have a new waiting children list and there is a 4 yr old on there I would LOVE to have.....too bad we can't afford it now!!!

Here is the website....you need to click on "Click here for Waiting Children"


ENJOY!!

www.livinghopeadoption.org

My Christmas Wish

Merry Christmas everyone and if I don't tell you.....you are wonderful friends! I can't believe all the friends we have found thru the adoption of our daughter. Who would have known 2 years ago......

My Christmas wish is that all of you will be holding your children next year. I hope we all have a wonderful Christmas!! I hope those of you waiting will find peace, and enjoy the holiday. I hope the children in China will be warm and loved this Christmas, and that the powers that be will get the lead out, and send these angels home to their families that already love them!!

Hugs!!

You have to have this!

Ok, I don't find many baby items that I feel we need, but this one you do! Think about the 13 hour flight home and 1000+ cheerios, or Gerber puffs in your lap! This thing is great. The snack won't fall out....they have to reach in and take it out. Look at the top. It's a very soft plastic that traps the snack!! BTW, everyone says take Cheerios.....Emily hated them....She LOVED the Gerber Puffs, and they come in a very easy to pack can.....although I have seen Cheerios making a similiar can now too.....

I'll show the Gerber puffs next time. I'm hoping to help those of you waiting to go. Most of the gadgets out there you don't need...but for under $3 this snacktrap is the best bargain I've seen!!! You can get them at Babies R Us, and Walmart.....if you can find them...they sell out quick. They also have a website......www.snacktrap.com No I don't get paid for this!!!

Ok need your help so leave me your thoughts

Ok this has been on the news and Anthony has asked for the book for Christmas. "The Golden Compass"....apparently it's supposed to be an anti-God book. Now I'm asking because I don't have time to read the 1000 plus pages, but I also know I've raised my children to have values and know real from fantasy. A lot of people don't like Harry Potter, but this seems to be a different situation. Now the previews to me looks like a Disney Witch movie, but who knows.... Now I have an issue with people banning books, but this one kinda bothers me........anyone heard about this........

ON another note...I'm closed today because my daycare babies are sick. My one little one, (they are twin boys 17months) is so sick he may be put in the hospital. I'm so freaking ticked that the doctor waited SO LONG to do anything. Kept telling the mother that it was a simple cold. MY REAR!!! I knew he was SICK!! Ladies, when you get your babies, don't believe your doctor if your gut is telling you otherwise!!!! I told this mom 3x's that she needed a second opinion!! Finally this doctor looked at them again and the child is so congested that he is wheezing!!! I'm so MAD!!!!!!!!!! Doctors did this to Bruce and I when Hayden was 6 months old. Treated us like worry wart parents......Hayden almost DIED from RSV! We were very LUCKY!!! Believe me we switched doctors!! Don't let this happen to you!!!

Ok total Vent here!

OMG, I have to work with this lady that is such a butt! Is all I can say nicely!! She has an opinion and it's the only one that is right! Do you understand what I'm saying? Oh don't those people drive you insane!!! Oh I am so tired of her!!! And she helps make decisions that decide our license requirements!!! She has voted yes to a lot of STUPID regulations that now I have to follow!! What does these mean for me???? More FRIGGING classtime!!! Ok I'm sorry here, but I'm fed up!!! When is enough enough????

Ok it's time for me to find another job, or quit working......

MAN!!!!! I just want to have a 2 yr old tantrum and roll around on the floor kicking and screaming!!!!!

Enjoy the photo...Emily is making a snowman...or should I say, Messing in the glue.

It's 60 degrees here!

Do you believe this....2 weeks ago snow, and now today the temp is 60! We got some great photos outside today!

First Snow

Ok it was a couple of weeks ago....I'm behind. She didn't really like it. Can you tell?

Special Needs

Update......I now know of two agencies that have a waiting child list. There is a little girl like Emily!! Oh how I wish I could afford another adoption!!!!
Ok today I heard of a child that was on the sn list for needing glasses. Ok I guess I'm sn then. Really folks if anyone is out there reading this......there are so many sn children out there. They deserve to be loved too. Emily's need is so basic. She has to be monitored yearly by cardio doctors...Whoopie! My husband has 3 specialist he has to see every 3 months. It's no big deal. My bio son has a learning disability.....from low birth weight we are sure...it's not a big deal. We are working on it and he is gaining by leaps and bounds all the time. If anyone is thinking of sn.....ALWAYS feel free to talk to me. We were worried at first because we knew nothing about sn, but China's special needs are not a big deal in the U.S.A. where medical care is not an issue for most of us. I would love, love, love, to adopt again, but at this time we just can't afford it. Our agency has told us that they have 4 boys that will be hard to place........I would LOVE to share my agency with you if it gets these children placed....

Ok off my soap box........

Calling all Cat Lovers

Ok Hayden's cat is celebrating his 1st Christmas. I couldn't help myself he is so cute.....this is his favorite place in the window. I call these "Waiting for Santa"

Think we could do a Petco commercial?


On another note, this was my Christmas Shopping Day. Emily wanted to touch everything so at the end of my shopping I relented and put her down from the cart. She stays right with me......this freaky man kept trying to get between Emily and I. I was ready to slug the nut!! I don't know if he was a freak or just wanting to see her, but it was our personal space and he made the hair on my neck go up!! Of course Bruce was not with us!

More News!!!!

At long last Sandy has her referral!!! Stop by the blog and say Congratulations!! Wow what a week!! I have some pictures of our first snow...hope to get them on today!! So crazy here!!

CONGRATULATIONS SANDY!!!!!!!! PS....Sandy's blog is in my favorites list!!

UPDATE.............OH MY GOODNESS!!!! IT JUST KEEPS COMING IN!!!!! My Friends Jonni and Regina are adopting again!!!! I will be putting up Regina's blog, sorry Regina I lost it!!! Regina has her referral so hop on over to her blog!!!! Jonni is starting the paperchase!!! Congratulations Ladies!! I'm so excited to be allowed to follow your adoptions for number 2!!!!! Please let me know if I can post photos of your children!!!!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jane has FINALLY received her LOA....this is Letter of Approval. For those who don't know it's China's way of saying we are fit to adopt a special needs child. I had a 14 day wait for my LOA....Jane's wait was over 100 days because they LOST her papers! I'm so glad that Maddie is coming home!!! Now everyone join me in praying for the quickest TA ever!!! Wouldn't China for Christmas be wonderful!!!!!!

Make sure you check Jane's blog.....to the left in my favorites!! Send her a note!!!

Maddie is the little one in front!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS JANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Emily Tumbles

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Ok we do this all day and she still won't sleep at night!!! This is Emily, and my part time daycare child Abby. Emily has learned the forward roll, and now is working on the backward roll......little gymnastic star in the making!

Miss Santa 2007

Friends, I lost your blog lists...if I don't have it, please send me your http address! Thanks!!...Also, if I listed you and you don't want to be listed, please let me know so I can remove it!!! Thanks!!

Putting up the Tree

Worked on putting up the tree this weekend. Tried to get a Christmas Card Photo, but the boys wouldn't put on a nice sweater for me.......Oh well I'll keep trying!
Amy is playing a fun game on her blog....look over to the top left at my blog list and give her a visit!

The Step Game

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Yes folks this is actual speed! She is kicking her feet all the way down.

Giggle box

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I'm having so much fun with this! After I figured out how to post videos! Dummy me, it's so easy!! I know what I'm doing this weekend!! I'm going to get her talking for you!!! Look for more next week!!!

Happy Birthday JANE!!

Everyone wish my friend Jane a Happy Birthday!!! She is still waiting on LOA! Her papers were lost at the CCAA. They have been found, but she is still waiting!!!!!! Jane I'm so sorry!!! Here is hoping that we bring good vibes and that paper comes today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a picture of me meeting her daughter at the orphanage!!!!

Just notes

Ok quick post and that's all there is time for..................

Our friend Jane is still waiting for LOA! Please send some good thoughts her way!

Emily is TALKING! YES! She says "Momma, Hello, An-nee (Anthony), A-den (Hayden), bye-bye." Aint it cute!!!

I met via internet a mom-to-be of a child in Hope Haven! She was a friend of Emily's!

We still can't get her to sleep thru the night..yes we are tired

Having a toddler is a full time job!! Not to mention I already have a fulltime job! Seriously thinking of refinancing and seeing if I can swing stay-at-home mom.

We won't be able to return to China for number 2...due to above.

Family can get ugly when it comes to money. Yes I am having troubles with my dad's estate. And it is all ugly money hungry family members.....very sad!

I love this picture of Emily in the corn! Please tell me these babies didn't have to shuck the corn!! Emily knows a lot about cleaning for 2yrs of age...very odd!

Just some photos

Just some photos, I'm off to the dentist today.....yuck!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Christmas?

Can I use this for the Christmas cards? Do you like this one? Emily doesn't like cameras so I gave up trying to go and have photos done..... Should I keep trying, or is this ok.....

Never mind, it's blurry.....the salt water must have got on the lens....ugh!!!

Things to think about

I've had a lot of questions about China. Thought I'd pass on some things I learned. Feel free to add....
Credit cards...ok in Beijing, and Guangzhou, but we could not use them in providence. I didn't have a problem using the Bank of China to get cash from my ATM card.

If your guide offers to take you to the store, go! We went days without seeing one. People told me not to take a lot of diapers. I took about 20 and was glad I did. We were days without seeing a store.

Clothes....laundry is not cheap. Or at least we didn't find it to be.....I would take the extra clothes if you have the room!!!! Clothes we washed in our room never got dry. I actually burned out the hairdryer in our room from drying some socks I think!!!!!!

Gifts for the nannies...I saw pretty much everything we have in America, in China. What I can suggest for nannie gifts is something that is from your State, or something that you have made. I didn't see any Chapstick, or Blistex, as Anthony needed this for the dry plane rides and we forgot to pack it. Luckly someone in our group had an extra. You may want to pack some!!! We brought candy for the nannies and found it in every store in China.....we felt kinda dumb, but it was probably something they wouldn't have bought for themselves..........

Safety.....there was a lot of concern about us walking around without the guide. We did do this. I never felt scared of the people in China. Maybe I was wrong, but I met some wonderful moms and grandmothers...there were police and security everywhere. I was careful of how we carried our money, but we were never scared. Pretty much every sign in China has an English translation on it.

Definetly pack the snacks! Don't go crazy, but if there is something you love, take it. After 4 days, we were all tired of Chinese Food.

There is no Diet Pepsi to be found...regular soda did not taste the same to me. I never got enough to drink in China....I was always begging the guide to get us more bottled water......they just don't drink like we do!!

Toilet Seat covers...Walmart carries them in the travel section. Very small package of 10. Worth every penny if you are not planning to squat! Look for handicapped bathroom, that means western toilet. WARNING...there were times we had to squat.

Wipes, and napkins.....yes you need them!

Money...wrinkles were ok, rips, or faded bills were not excepted.

We waited to shop in Guangzhou and were glad...it's cheaper!!

Our daughter.....came to us very scared, and after she stopped crying, did not make a sound for 4 days. Be prepared. She is fine, but she did shut down completely. She barely ate or drank for about 3 days.

She has to see me every second of the day, which means, she marches in the bathroom with me. Sometimes I forget and walk out to get something from the car....hubby will be with her. She completely freaks out until I come back in. She is terrified of being left, even now after being with us for a month.....

Airplane.....just be prepared to walk the isle....we had to do this, and carry plenty of baby snacks.....we took the Gerber Puffs and she loves them....no Cheerios for her.

Fruit....I couldn't get her to eat it until I was told that even apples are heated before serving in China. She likes her foods hot. No cold drinks either. I keep forgetting these things...as soon as I began to heat the fruit, she started eating them......vegtables are the same way. I'd never think of cooking my garden salad, but she likes it........

Our toilet is scary. I never thought about it, you would think I'd know better. She has never seen a western toilet, and here I am trying to put her on this thing naked........be prepared. We got the shortest potty chair we could find and she still trys to squat on it..........

Stuffed animals, dolls, and things that make sound are SCARY!! Emily took a long time to get over her stuffed animal fear. She doesn't like toys that move by themselves, or sing.....they just don't get to play with that stuff...she likes hard plastic toys......Fisher Price Little People are a HUGE HIT!!! She loves all of that.....

Ok we have been home almost a month and at age 2, she is not sleeping thru the night. Night, dark, all that is scary. She is getting up at least 3 times a night. We have done night routines, songs, rocking, nightlights, we have switched bedding a couple times too. We finally now have her on a toddler bed and she is doing better....still not 100 percent yet.......Ok, that is all I can think of for now........

Updates

Updates, we are still praying for Jane's family, see post below. Still no word on when they will receive the LOA. CCAA is now working to find her missing dossier.

I'm still plugging along at closing dad's estate. I've had a couple of issues pop up and things are still not settled. It's getting there.

My house is a wreck. I forgot what toddler hood was like. And somehow I got elected to do the Thanksgiving thing this year. We have at least 4 guests coming. I thought it would be a quiet day at home with the kids...ha ha ha .....so much for that. Well I need to get shopping because as you can see from the photo, we are down to cheese crackers!!! Not that I mind the company, but absolutely no one can come to my home today and see the mess that is everywhere!!

My job is up in the air. I don't know what to do about it. I really would like to close the daycare and be a stay at home mom. I'm working out some things to see if I can indeed live without that 2nd income. If not, I'm really thinking of working part time at something else. Emily really does need the one on one time with us. But can we pull it off with the bills we have....that is the question.

And another total question.....if I stayed with the daycare....could I afford to adopt again? We are probably out of the China program due to the income requirements, but there are a lot of other programs out there. I don't know....every day my husband says, yes, and then no, and then yes......it's up in the air......so tell me, where do we go for advice on other countries here????

Need prayers!

Friends, we need to pray for my friends who have been waiting forever for their LOA. They have been told that CCAA may have lost their paperwork. Ok this is so unfair. I can't begin to think of how awful they feel tonight. Please everyone pray they get GOOD NEWS from China tomorrow! This little girl is so sad, she needs her Mommy!

Doctor and home

It is hard to get a good photo of Ms. Emily because she is always on the move! Here is the best I can do.

Doctor appointment went well. She hated it...no surprise. There is still noise in the heart. Doctor said that is nothing for the surgery she has had. He wants us to wait a couple months and then see a specialist just to be sure, but she is growing, eating, and healthy so he is not worried....oh for those on the waiting list, Emily had to get 3 more shots when she got home. Something about she got them too early and now needs to re-do to be safe. Daddy had to hold her because I couldn't stand that. Now I have two boys, but with everything Emily has been put thru, those shots just made me want to cry!!

We tried to get a family photo done, but Emily would have none of that. I'm going to have to do my own Christmas Photos I guess....

Enjoy the photos because there is zero time to keep up with this blog now!!! I'm trying!!!

1st!!

Ok time for some happy posts again!!
1) First Photo
2) First Smile
3) First Day
4) First Bath

Dedicated to my Father

This is my dad. He was a Waterman. Part of a dying breed now. People don't take this job anymore because it's a hard, rough way of life. I remember my dad's hands. His hands were like leather. Worn, and rough from the ropes, and salt water. I remember growing up poor. We didn't have a lot. We worked hard everyday of the week. We never knew that we didn't have everything in the world. Christmas was exciting to us, not like kids today that complain they didn't get everything on their list. I don't think we ever had a list. I think we all got something that we shared and we were the happiest kids in the world to have that. I remember the church giving us a food basket one year and my father sent it back saying that someone more needy could use it. Sometimes I feel sorry for kids today. They have it all, but they really have nothing.

My father built this boat. He didn't write any specs down. It was all in his head. He amazed people by his abilities. Yet his love was the water. He worked the river my entire life. I remember when I was about 10 yrs old there was a very bad storm and we had to swim out in our PJ's to save the neighbors boat from sinking. We had the only railway (to pull boats out of the water)for many years. My father also built that himself. It was a hand crank tractor engine that pulled that railway out of the water. I think that old motor still works, the railway was long ago done away with. Hydraulics now do all that work.

My father battled cancer for a long time. His one comment over and over was that he wanted to get back on that boat. Well, he never did. Cancer took him October 9th....4 days shy of his 75th birthday. We gave that boat to his best friend Gene. Gene took dad every Monday for months to his Chemo treatments. I thought that was best. We couldn't have taken care of the boat, and I didn't want someone we didn't know to have it. Gene cried to me on the phone one day and said he felt like he had not lost a friend, but his dad. He said my father was more a dad to him then his own father.

Dad is happy now, the waters are calm, and the nets are full. The gulls are screaming as they chase the boat into shore, the sun is setting, another day's work done.