Well not much going on here today so this will be a brief update.
My new favorite number is 37
I had my expectations confirmed as much as they could be today. In talking with my specialist, she of course said that things are hard to predict but that a fall referral should be possible but all will depend on the summer referrals and how that goes. So we shall see. We have prepared ourselves for a 10-11 month wait with hopes that it would not take that long to get a referral. There is some hope it could happen sooner and if it does what a nice surprise that will be. I am trying to not get my hopes up for anything as I have done that before and then things don't work out and I get a little sad. I am trying to protect my heart a little and think the worst and hope/pray for the best. Ultimately I know that I have to wait for our baby to find us and if that is in October great and if not then they just weren't ready for us yet and they will let us know. We will wait. Heck we have gone through hell and high water in a failed domestic adoption so this isn't so bad. And I know once we see our little one it will all make sense.
PS--I have also been told that specialists in general try to be pretty conservative so as to not get people's hopes up only to let them down if things out of their control change and the wait takes longer than they told you it would. I don't know what that means for us but hopefully it means a fall referral :)
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Newest Favorite Number
One more update. My newest favorite number is....
38
Someone special to me was born in 1938 so here's to hoping that that number will be good to us. We are hoping to not stay there long but if we get stuck there for awhile that is okay too.
On other news, I was corrected today on the forum. I was hopeful for a referral by the end of the year and someone mentioned that no one that they no of has ever waited ten months for an infant, especially a couple that is open to an infant of either sex. Well we hit 9 months in October, so I was a little encouraged that we could really then get a referral in September or October. I am still not expecting to travel until early next year since I envision that courts will be pretty backed up come September so there might be a delay there but again with everything in international adoption you just never know.
38
Someone special to me was born in 1938 so here's to hoping that that number will be good to us. We are hoping to not stay there long but if we get stuck there for awhile that is okay too.
On other news, I was corrected today on the forum. I was hopeful for a referral by the end of the year and someone mentioned that no one that they no of has ever waited ten months for an infant, especially a couple that is open to an infant of either sex. Well we hit 9 months in October, so I was a little encouraged that we could really then get a referral in September or October. I am still not expecting to travel until early next year since I envision that courts will be pretty backed up come September so there might be a delay there but again with everything in international adoption you just never know.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun!
This Thursday instead of doing a sappy country song or some crazy hair bad rock song I am doing a Cyndi Lauper song. I do this because the movie "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is still one of my favorite movies as I probably over the years have seen that movies more times than I should say. The main reason though is for my best friend. This is a big shout out to her. She has got a crazy weekend coming up and I can't be there to help so I want her to know that I am thinking about her. She is moving, has her mother in law in town and is also the proud momma of totatlly adorable 18 month old twin girls. She is going to have her hands full.
We watched this movie and danced in her living room an insane amount of times in high school. So heres to you Stacy, you know I love ya and you know if I wasn't thousands of miles away I would love to help.
And for those looking for adoption news, not much but I do have a new favorite number: 41
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
I come home in the morning light
My mother says when you gonna live your life right
Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones
And girls they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have fun
The phone rings in the middle of the night
My father yells what you gonna do with your life
Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one
But girls they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have
That's all they really want
Some fun
When the working day is done
Girls - they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have fun
Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest of the world
I want to be the one to walk in the sun
Oh girls they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have
Some fun
When the working day is done
Girls - they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have fun,
They want to have fun,
They want to have fun...
We watched this movie and danced in her living room an insane amount of times in high school. So heres to you Stacy, you know I love ya and you know if I wasn't thousands of miles away I would love to help.
And for those looking for adoption news, not much but I do have a new favorite number: 41
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
I come home in the morning light
My mother says when you gonna live your life right
Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones
And girls they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have fun
The phone rings in the middle of the night
My father yells what you gonna do with your life
Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one
But girls they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have
That's all they really want
Some fun
When the working day is done
Girls - they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have fun
Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest of the world
I want to be the one to walk in the sun
Oh girls they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have
Some fun
When the working day is done
Girls - they want to have fun
Oh girls just want to have fun,
They want to have fun,
They want to have fun...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Speechless
I don't even know what to say at this point. The world of international adoption is sure a crazy one. We list obsessed, forum reading members of my adoption agency have been on a wacky roller coaster ride for the last week.
To think we were number 88 on the list not that long ago when we started waiting and it seemed like it would take forever for us to get out of the 80's. Then we would have a good month of referrals like March and get excited only to see April be really slow.
May on the other hand has been FABULOUS!!! We started the month of May at #71 on the unofficial waiting list. Ready for my newest favorite number
#44
It is true. We moved up another 5 spots on the unofficial list in the last day. Crazy, huh?
We are so thrilled for all the families who have been anxiously waiting to start or add to their family. We know that someday when the time is right we will have our own good news to share. We are just happy to be moving up the list.
Someone on the message boards posted today an important reminder. She reminded all of us that look at the list to keep in mind that there is lots of info we don't know. All the list shows is our name and dossier acceptance date and what type of child we are open to receiving. There is a TON of private personal and medical info that is not part of the list. We need to all trust that there are reasons we may get skipped over. If a family below us gets a referral before we do there is a reason. Matching families with babies is not an exact science so we must all trust in our specialists to match us with the perfect baby for our family and if a family below us on the list gets a referral first then their baby just happened to find them before ours did. It is easy to think we are all on this list and one by one we move up but it isn't always in order. There are special circumstances with each and every child and the specialists need to match those circumstances with the family that is the best fit.
The list I look at is unofficial so really we figure at this point we are probably in the 80's on the official list. Most likely high 80's to low 90's. The unofficial list only represents about 40-50% of the waiting families and our specialists will never tell us exactly where we are on the official list because of all the special circumstances that each family is open to.
We have heard rumblings of more referrals to come so who knows what is to come in the next few days but rest assured I will keep everyone posted on my new favorite number.
To think we were number 88 on the list not that long ago when we started waiting and it seemed like it would take forever for us to get out of the 80's. Then we would have a good month of referrals like March and get excited only to see April be really slow.
May on the other hand has been FABULOUS!!! We started the month of May at #71 on the unofficial waiting list. Ready for my newest favorite number
#44
It is true. We moved up another 5 spots on the unofficial list in the last day. Crazy, huh?
We are so thrilled for all the families who have been anxiously waiting to start or add to their family. We know that someday when the time is right we will have our own good news to share. We are just happy to be moving up the list.
Someone on the message boards posted today an important reminder. She reminded all of us that look at the list to keep in mind that there is lots of info we don't know. All the list shows is our name and dossier acceptance date and what type of child we are open to receiving. There is a TON of private personal and medical info that is not part of the list. We need to all trust that there are reasons we may get skipped over. If a family below us gets a referral before we do there is a reason. Matching families with babies is not an exact science so we must all trust in our specialists to match us with the perfect baby for our family and if a family below us on the list gets a referral first then their baby just happened to find them before ours did. It is easy to think we are all on this list and one by one we move up but it isn't always in order. There are special circumstances with each and every child and the specialists need to match those circumstances with the family that is the best fit.
The list I look at is unofficial so really we figure at this point we are probably in the 80's on the official list. Most likely high 80's to low 90's. The unofficial list only represents about 40-50% of the waiting families and our specialists will never tell us exactly where we are on the official list because of all the special circumstances that each family is open to.
We have heard rumblings of more referrals to come so who knows what is to come in the next few days but rest assured I will keep everyone posted on my new favorite number.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Adoption news
Well no sooner than I finished my last post did I log on to the message boards to find an exciting thread. A forum friend posted that she had spoken to her specialist and her specialist told her that everyone at CHSFS is VERY busy with a new batch of referrals! YEAH!!!
Since that time we have seen a sibling referral and a triplet referral! How exciting.
We are now #49 on the unofficial list :)
Since that time we have seen a sibling referral and a triplet referral! How exciting.
We are now #49 on the unofficial list :)
Weekend Update
I have been away for a few days so here is what I have been up to.
Saturday: I went to work in the morning and then we were off to Mom and Dad's house. We went to an AWESOME dinner with them in Almond, WI and spent the night. We brought the pugs so they could play with Otto my parents lab. All three dogs are completely exhausted but they had fun I am sure.
Sunday: After lunch with my parents were were headed for home and then after feeding the dogs at home we all piled back in the car and headed to Lake WI for some fun in the sun with my in laws at their cottage on the lake. Well, first problem was the dogs were crazy tired and the second problem was there wasn't much sun on Sunday. We did go out on the boat and over to my DH's aunt and uncle's cottage and spent some time with them and some cousins so that was nice. We opted not to bring the dogs on the boat since they were so tired already. Sebastian LOVES to go on the boat. I think Badger is a little more unsure so he tends to stick by someone the whole time. We even have doggy life vests for them. (See in my profile it says I spoil my pugs, here is a case and point :) ) Anyway, we left the Lake after dinner and drove home during a thunderstorm. Yeah that was fun watching the streaks of lighting touching down somewhere in the distance. We made it home and then just relaxed for the evening.
Monday: Well, Monday was the best day ever as it was May 26th and that is my birthday! I survived turning the big 32. Yeah not that exciting, just another year older. We went to BratFest in Madison. We go every year so we had to make an appearance and eat some yummy brats. After that we went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie. It was funny and entertaining. I recommend it. After the movie we came home and had grilled halibut for dinner. YEAH!! One of the things I miss the most about not living on the West Coast is seafood and I mean fresh ocean seafood. Well, we splurged and got some halibut steaks at the store. Halibut is my favorite fish and I don't eat it often here as it is VERY expensive and hard to find. I always eat in on vacation in CA though. I eat as much seafood as I can while vacationing.
I know not a super exciting weekend but we got to spend time with family and go to the movies which we hardly ever do so that was fun. We also got some news about our adoption too...
WE ARE #51 !!!
We don't expect to move up too much more with the June 1st cut off date looming but you never know. Movement will be slow over the summer and the first part of fall. No one is expecting another big rush of referrals until October and probably end of October. Even with summer referrals, the courts need to open and get situated which takes time and then we need all of those who did get a summer referral to travel so new babies can come into the Care Center before we can get our referral. It all could happen faster than we think but it could also take longer than we think. We will see what happens :)
Saturday: I went to work in the morning and then we were off to Mom and Dad's house. We went to an AWESOME dinner with them in Almond, WI and spent the night. We brought the pugs so they could play with Otto my parents lab. All three dogs are completely exhausted but they had fun I am sure.
Sunday: After lunch with my parents were were headed for home and then after feeding the dogs at home we all piled back in the car and headed to Lake WI for some fun in the sun with my in laws at their cottage on the lake. Well, first problem was the dogs were crazy tired and the second problem was there wasn't much sun on Sunday. We did go out on the boat and over to my DH's aunt and uncle's cottage and spent some time with them and some cousins so that was nice. We opted not to bring the dogs on the boat since they were so tired already. Sebastian LOVES to go on the boat. I think Badger is a little more unsure so he tends to stick by someone the whole time. We even have doggy life vests for them. (See in my profile it says I spoil my pugs, here is a case and point :) ) Anyway, we left the Lake after dinner and drove home during a thunderstorm. Yeah that was fun watching the streaks of lighting touching down somewhere in the distance. We made it home and then just relaxed for the evening.
Monday: Well, Monday was the best day ever as it was May 26th and that is my birthday! I survived turning the big 32. Yeah not that exciting, just another year older. We went to BratFest in Madison. We go every year so we had to make an appearance and eat some yummy brats. After that we went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie. It was funny and entertaining. I recommend it. After the movie we came home and had grilled halibut for dinner. YEAH!! One of the things I miss the most about not living on the West Coast is seafood and I mean fresh ocean seafood. Well, we splurged and got some halibut steaks at the store. Halibut is my favorite fish and I don't eat it often here as it is VERY expensive and hard to find. I always eat in on vacation in CA though. I eat as much seafood as I can while vacationing.
I know not a super exciting weekend but we got to spend time with family and go to the movies which we hardly ever do so that was fun. We also got some news about our adoption too...
WE ARE #51 !!!
We don't expect to move up too much more with the June 1st cut off date looming but you never know. Movement will be slow over the summer and the first part of fall. No one is expecting another big rush of referrals until October and probably end of October. Even with summer referrals, the courts need to open and get situated which takes time and then we need all of those who did get a summer referral to travel so new babies can come into the Care Center before we can get our referral. It all could happen faster than we think but it could also take longer than we think. We will see what happens :)
Friday, May 23, 2008
It's a Small World!
I have been fortunate to reconnect with some long lost friends from high school and college lately. We found each other on facebook.com, which is a networking site for young people to stay in touch with classmates and friends. It is really nice to reconnect and get caught up with everyone.
It is no secret to anyone that we are adopting from Ethiopia and that info is on my facebook page. I have found a couple of high school friends who either spent time in Addis Ababa themselves or their fiance has. How awesome is that? They are offering me suggestions and good wishes. One friend even knows some people in Addis Ababa who just adopted children themselves and is willing to put us in touch with them.
What a small world we live in. Who would have thought that I would reconnect with these people and that they have experiences with Ethiopia. Needless to say I am asking questions and getting as much help as I can. The more knowledge that I can gather about my child's birth place the better.
We are gearing up for a summer of not a lot going on with our process. The June 1st cutoff date is looming at the end of next week and then courts close in August. We are open to a summer referral but it is unlikely given our spot on the list but you never know and we still wouldn't make progress beyond a referral until courts reopen in September. All signs are pointing to June 1st (really May 30th since the 1st is a Sunday) as the last possible date to get a referral and still have a chance of making it through court before it closes since court dates seem to be about 4-6 weeks after referral. There is some hope that there will be another batch of referrals coming next week but no one knows for sure.
We know everything will happen when it is supposed to so we just have to wait it out. I will still have my good days and my bad days but I know that no matter what our baby,boy or girl or twins, will find us. We know that when they find us they will be 0-12 months old so if we are meant to have a 2 month old we will and if we are meant to have 1 year old we will. So given the wait from referral to court to travel it is possible that our baby could be closer to 15 months if we were referred a 12 month old and that is okay. We have seen referrals for as young as 4 weeks so they would be closer to 5 months when they come home. Either way we have lots of love to give and are looking forward to the day we can shout from the rooftops that we are having a baby.
And we have more movement.....
WE ARE NOW #55 ON THE LIST!
It is no secret to anyone that we are adopting from Ethiopia and that info is on my facebook page. I have found a couple of high school friends who either spent time in Addis Ababa themselves or their fiance has. How awesome is that? They are offering me suggestions and good wishes. One friend even knows some people in Addis Ababa who just adopted children themselves and is willing to put us in touch with them.
What a small world we live in. Who would have thought that I would reconnect with these people and that they have experiences with Ethiopia. Needless to say I am asking questions and getting as much help as I can. The more knowledge that I can gather about my child's birth place the better.
We are gearing up for a summer of not a lot going on with our process. The June 1st cutoff date is looming at the end of next week and then courts close in August. We are open to a summer referral but it is unlikely given our spot on the list but you never know and we still wouldn't make progress beyond a referral until courts reopen in September. All signs are pointing to June 1st (really May 30th since the 1st is a Sunday) as the last possible date to get a referral and still have a chance of making it through court before it closes since court dates seem to be about 4-6 weeks after referral. There is some hope that there will be another batch of referrals coming next week but no one knows for sure.
We know everything will happen when it is supposed to so we just have to wait it out. I will still have my good days and my bad days but I know that no matter what our baby,boy or girl or twins, will find us. We know that when they find us they will be 0-12 months old so if we are meant to have a 2 month old we will and if we are meant to have 1 year old we will. So given the wait from referral to court to travel it is possible that our baby could be closer to 15 months if we were referred a 12 month old and that is okay. We have seen referrals for as young as 4 weeks so they would be closer to 5 months when they come home. Either way we have lots of love to give and are looking forward to the day we can shout from the rooftops that we are having a baby.
And we have more movement.....
WE ARE NOW #55 ON THE LIST!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Dance
Well, once again we have hit Thursday. So here is another of my favorite songs. I have used a song before by Garth Brooks but I just couldn't help it. I will explain.
I have chosen the song "The Dance". This song sums up my feelings perfectly with what happened with the twins this last summer and it makes sense as to why we are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Read the lyrics and you will see what I mean. And then after the song we have more updates to share :)
"The Dance"
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but
I'd have had to miss the dance
I do really think that my life is better off to chance. Look at everything I am going to be able to experience in my life that I would have missed if we had been able to adopt the twins. Don't get me wrong I did love those little ones but I wouldn't change what happened since I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I also did feel like a queen when I held the girls as I thought I had it all. I was a mom. I know the whole thing was really painful but I had to go through that dance to get where I am now. I am so excited to be adopting from Ethiopia and I have met a tremendous group of people who all experiencing the same things that I am. I really think I learned a lot about myself because of the pain I went through and I am okay with that. I had to do it. There is a little boy or girl out there that needs me more and I am meant to be there mom. I am willing to wait for them (hopefully not too long). I had to experience this dance to know how much I want to be a mom and how ready I am for that role.
Okay so are you ready....
We
Have
Moved
Up on the list....
10 spots to # 59!
YEAH!!! Big shout out to all those who got a referral call today. There are lots of new families that were formed and that is just amazing after the months of waiting.
I have chosen the song "The Dance". This song sums up my feelings perfectly with what happened with the twins this last summer and it makes sense as to why we are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Read the lyrics and you will see what I mean. And then after the song we have more updates to share :)
"The Dance"
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but
I'd have had to miss the dance
I do really think that my life is better off to chance. Look at everything I am going to be able to experience in my life that I would have missed if we had been able to adopt the twins. Don't get me wrong I did love those little ones but I wouldn't change what happened since I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I also did feel like a queen when I held the girls as I thought I had it all. I was a mom. I know the whole thing was really painful but I had to go through that dance to get where I am now. I am so excited to be adopting from Ethiopia and I have met a tremendous group of people who all experiencing the same things that I am. I really think I learned a lot about myself because of the pain I went through and I am okay with that. I had to do it. There is a little boy or girl out there that needs me more and I am meant to be there mom. I am willing to wait for them (hopefully not too long). I had to experience this dance to know how much I want to be a mom and how ready I am for that role.
Okay so are you ready....
We
Have
Moved
Up on the list....
10 spots to # 59!
YEAH!!! Big shout out to all those who got a referral call today. There are lots of new families that were formed and that is just amazing after the months of waiting.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The 'Burbs
My name is Cathy and I live in the Suburbs. I was thinking the other day how great it is to say that. I am not a city person. I like to go to the city but couldn't live there. Oh, and for me even though I don't live there anymore, the city refers to San Francisco. It probably always will like I am sure to some people the city will always mean New York City or Boston but to me I left my heart in CA so that will be the city always. Okay, enough babbling.
I am also not a country girl. I don't do dirt, bugs or wildlife. I have been camping one time when I was in Blue birds when I was like 10 and we slept outside under a tarp and it rained all night. It was awful. I don't like camping. I want running water, indoor plumbing and a real bed. Yes I am aware that I somehow went from the young girl who walked barefoot everywhere and climbed trees to an adult who is kind of a girly girl who likes to get her nails done and wear make-up.
I am a product of the suburbs. I grew up in the suburbs my whole life so I don't know anything else. I did visit my grandparents on their farm and churned butter once but that really wasn't my cup of tea and the traffic alone in most major cities would drive me insane.
The suburbs give you the best of both. At least mine does as it is pretty quiet yet close enough to a major city that I can go shopping, see Phantom of the Opera, or go to just about any chain restaurant that you can name.
I couldn't imagine a better place to raise my children and in that was a major deciding factor in us moving to WI in the first place. I was fortunate enough in CA to go to private school until 8th grade and then off to public school. I loved high school or at least what I got out of it which was a lot of great memories and my BFF (best friend forever) but I also saw a lot of scary stuff. I saw a huge fight that resulted in my principal getting punched and my vice principal breaking his finger all while trying to stop a fight involving broken bottles. There were gangs and drugs and all sorts of crazy stuff. I am no naive to think that those things don't exist here as I know they do but we live in a smaller city with a MUCH better school system than CA so I feel comfort in that.
With living in the 'burbs comes responsibility at least in our neighborhood it does. We have rules as to things we must do and things we cannot do. We have to have building plans for fences and decks approved and we have to have 5 evergreen shrubs and a tree (maple,oak, pine,etc) on our property. We have no plans for a fence and our deck is done so that isn't an issue. We have plants that meet the requirements. We have a hard time getting them to live past 1 winter but we try which is huge for me as I HATE gardening. Back to the dirt, bugs thing again.
It also brings a sense of worry in terms of will we have good neighbors (which we have AWESOME ones), will our grass look nice all summer, will our flowers bloom and will our dogs barking bother the neighbors. We are very fortunate to live where we live with the people we live with as we know it could be so much worse. Now, if only I could get my one neighbor to keep her dog from barking out the window at me and mow her lawn more than once every 3-4 weeks that would be awesome.
I am also not a country girl. I don't do dirt, bugs or wildlife. I have been camping one time when I was in Blue birds when I was like 10 and we slept outside under a tarp and it rained all night. It was awful. I don't like camping. I want running water, indoor plumbing and a real bed. Yes I am aware that I somehow went from the young girl who walked barefoot everywhere and climbed trees to an adult who is kind of a girly girl who likes to get her nails done and wear make-up.
I am a product of the suburbs. I grew up in the suburbs my whole life so I don't know anything else. I did visit my grandparents on their farm and churned butter once but that really wasn't my cup of tea and the traffic alone in most major cities would drive me insane.
The suburbs give you the best of both. At least mine does as it is pretty quiet yet close enough to a major city that I can go shopping, see Phantom of the Opera, or go to just about any chain restaurant that you can name.
I couldn't imagine a better place to raise my children and in that was a major deciding factor in us moving to WI in the first place. I was fortunate enough in CA to go to private school until 8th grade and then off to public school. I loved high school or at least what I got out of it which was a lot of great memories and my BFF (best friend forever) but I also saw a lot of scary stuff. I saw a huge fight that resulted in my principal getting punched and my vice principal breaking his finger all while trying to stop a fight involving broken bottles. There were gangs and drugs and all sorts of crazy stuff. I am no naive to think that those things don't exist here as I know they do but we live in a smaller city with a MUCH better school system than CA so I feel comfort in that.
With living in the 'burbs comes responsibility at least in our neighborhood it does. We have rules as to things we must do and things we cannot do. We have to have building plans for fences and decks approved and we have to have 5 evergreen shrubs and a tree (maple,oak, pine,etc) on our property. We have no plans for a fence and our deck is done so that isn't an issue. We have plants that meet the requirements. We have a hard time getting them to live past 1 winter but we try which is huge for me as I HATE gardening. Back to the dirt, bugs thing again.
It also brings a sense of worry in terms of will we have good neighbors (which we have AWESOME ones), will our grass look nice all summer, will our flowers bloom and will our dogs barking bother the neighbors. We are very fortunate to live where we live with the people we live with as we know it could be so much worse. Now, if only I could get my one neighbor to keep her dog from barking out the window at me and mow her lawn more than once every 3-4 weeks that would be awesome.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I did it!
I made and ate Chicken Curry! I thought for a minute I wasn't going to be able to go through with it but I did. And...it wasn't too bad. My mouth was on fire for a little bit but it did taste good. And... I will make it again.
So, one new food down and a few more to go in my quest to broaden my food horizons.
So, one new food down and a few more to go in my quest to broaden my food horizons.
Couch Update
Well, this morning I got a phone call from the makers of Promeris, the stinky flea and tick medicine that bleached my new leather furniture and made poor Badger smell for days. I spoke with a very nice woman who insisted that they try and fix my furniture. She said she would call me when she had more details.
About 10 minutes later, I got a phone call from a company in Janesville that repairs leather furniture. I set up an appointment for this afternoon at 2pm. Promptly at 2pm, he showed up and less than 40 minutes later my couch is back to normal. He found three spots that were damaged and he cleaned them and then reapplied the top coat. He said he has seen much worse. I was so grateful and shocked as I didn't even know that these techniques existed to fix leather furniture. He said if needed he could custom dye the leather to match the rest of my sofa. He didn't need to do that, thankfully.
The rep for Promeris called again later in the morning to make sure that I heard from the repair company. I told her I had and she said that they would take care of the bill. She also told me that I wasn't the first person to call and complain that the product had bleached leather furniture. I should have asked her then why that wasn't on the label for the medication. I really hope that since this has happened a number of time before that they would really consider changing the packaging to express that. If I had known that this might have been a possibility I would have covered the whole couch with a blanket to try and prevent it.
I am glad that this is over and that my couch is back to normal.
About 10 minutes later, I got a phone call from a company in Janesville that repairs leather furniture. I set up an appointment for this afternoon at 2pm. Promptly at 2pm, he showed up and less than 40 minutes later my couch is back to normal. He found three spots that were damaged and he cleaned them and then reapplied the top coat. He said he has seen much worse. I was so grateful and shocked as I didn't even know that these techniques existed to fix leather furniture. He said if needed he could custom dye the leather to match the rest of my sofa. He didn't need to do that, thankfully.
The rep for Promeris called again later in the morning to make sure that I heard from the repair company. I told her I had and she said that they would take care of the bill. She also told me that I wasn't the first person to call and complain that the product had bleached leather furniture. I should have asked her then why that wasn't on the label for the medication. I really hope that since this has happened a number of time before that they would really consider changing the packaging to express that. If I had known that this might have been a possibility I would have covered the whole couch with a blanket to try and prevent it.
I am glad that this is over and that my couch is back to normal.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Cooking conquests
Back in the days when I lived in CA and worked in a Residence Hall, DH and I NEVER ate at home. It was partially a part of my crazy work hours and a CA thing. People in their 20's and 30's don't really cook at home in CA. They may get take out and eat at home but that doesn't really count.
Well, I came from a family that ate at home a lot and usually a home cooked meal by my mom and sometimes my dad. My DH had a similar experience that he always sat down with his family for a home cooked meal. Both my Mom and MIL are great cooks and I have gotten recipes from both of them.
I was never one to just cook on my own. I would buy pasta sauce in a jar which in my family is terrible since we are Italian and my Mom, cousin, Aunt, etc all made their own sauce. They all made it differently but they made it from scratch. Now, I do to. I love it. There isn't really a recipe but I based it on the ingredients my Mom puts in hers and add more garlic. Love the garlic!
I also make my own enchilada sauce and have sworn to NEVER buy premade grocery store sauce for enchiladas or spaghetti. Since we have moved into our house almost 4 years ago I have held true to that.
Our CA life consisted of eating out or doing take out 7 days a week. Every Tuesday night was staff meeting night for me so we went to Subway. Still miss the owner of the Subway in Santa Clara, CA. He always had fresh cookies for us and he gave me extra avocado on my sandwich :)
I have found that I really enjoy cooking and DH and I are committed to having family dinner every night. We had that experience and we want our kids to have that experience as well.
I have this list of dishes that I want to make and haven't and a growing list of things I have made from scratch and that have come out pretty well. I also have a list of things that I tried to make and were horrible failures. (I can't get the smell of that funky meatloaf out of my mind--trust me it was bad. I tried to do something new with meatloaf and I should have stuck to the basics.) My next feat is to tackle curry. I have just recently started to try curry in preparation for Ethiopian food. Some components of curry will be similar to Ethiopian food but not exactly the same. That being said it is hard to find all of the spices you need to make Indian or Ethiopian food so I have purchased a mild curry paste. Yes, I bought a whole jar and I am planning on using it tomorrow.
I am going to make Chicken Curry. DH likes Indian food and really hates that I don't want to eat it. He used to eat Indian food quite often when we lived in CA and has eaten it some but not often since we have moved here. I think he is quite shocked that I am making Chicken Curry. I have no idea how it will come out or if either one of us will like it but it is a step.
A step that I need to take. I don't tend to try new things or eat spicy (hot) or heavily spiced (seasoned) food. I am pretty boring. That needs to change as I am going to need to eat while in Ethiopia and everyone talks about how awesome the food is and I don't want to miss out on that. Sure there are things that I will never eat (liver, tripe, other weird animal parts or animals) but I feel like I am missing out on this whole world of food. I am tackling Indian and have yet to tackle Thai and then this summer we are hitting the Ethiopian restaurant in Madison.
I will keep you all posted on my culinary feats and my hopefully tasty new favorite foods.
Well, I came from a family that ate at home a lot and usually a home cooked meal by my mom and sometimes my dad. My DH had a similar experience that he always sat down with his family for a home cooked meal. Both my Mom and MIL are great cooks and I have gotten recipes from both of them.
I was never one to just cook on my own. I would buy pasta sauce in a jar which in my family is terrible since we are Italian and my Mom, cousin, Aunt, etc all made their own sauce. They all made it differently but they made it from scratch. Now, I do to. I love it. There isn't really a recipe but I based it on the ingredients my Mom puts in hers and add more garlic. Love the garlic!
I also make my own enchilada sauce and have sworn to NEVER buy premade grocery store sauce for enchiladas or spaghetti. Since we have moved into our house almost 4 years ago I have held true to that.
Our CA life consisted of eating out or doing take out 7 days a week. Every Tuesday night was staff meeting night for me so we went to Subway. Still miss the owner of the Subway in Santa Clara, CA. He always had fresh cookies for us and he gave me extra avocado on my sandwich :)
I have found that I really enjoy cooking and DH and I are committed to having family dinner every night. We had that experience and we want our kids to have that experience as well.
I have this list of dishes that I want to make and haven't and a growing list of things I have made from scratch and that have come out pretty well. I also have a list of things that I tried to make and were horrible failures. (I can't get the smell of that funky meatloaf out of my mind--trust me it was bad. I tried to do something new with meatloaf and I should have stuck to the basics.) My next feat is to tackle curry. I have just recently started to try curry in preparation for Ethiopian food. Some components of curry will be similar to Ethiopian food but not exactly the same. That being said it is hard to find all of the spices you need to make Indian or Ethiopian food so I have purchased a mild curry paste. Yes, I bought a whole jar and I am planning on using it tomorrow.
I am going to make Chicken Curry. DH likes Indian food and really hates that I don't want to eat it. He used to eat Indian food quite often when we lived in CA and has eaten it some but not often since we have moved here. I think he is quite shocked that I am making Chicken Curry. I have no idea how it will come out or if either one of us will like it but it is a step.
A step that I need to take. I don't tend to try new things or eat spicy (hot) or heavily spiced (seasoned) food. I am pretty boring. That needs to change as I am going to need to eat while in Ethiopia and everyone talks about how awesome the food is and I don't want to miss out on that. Sure there are things that I will never eat (liver, tripe, other weird animal parts or animals) but I feel like I am missing out on this whole world of food. I am tackling Indian and have yet to tackle Thai and then this summer we are hitting the Ethiopian restaurant in Madison.
I will keep you all posted on my culinary feats and my hopefully tasty new favorite foods.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Reading Update
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was reading a few books. I am going to take today and update you a little on everything.
"I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla"--I am learning so much from this book. I have only read the toddler/preschooler section so far but it is still very helpful. I realize that kids at a young age don't recognize race and skin color the same way that adults do. Children are so innocent and it is the job of parents to make sure they stay that way. Children don't form judgements about people based on the color of the skin the way that adults do. In fact, most children don't even realize that their skin color won't change throughout life. Some black children said they wanted to be white because they like vanilla better than chocolate. That statement has nothing to do with race, it is about a young child's perception that they can change their skin color and that their skin color doesn't define them. How awesome is that, to be so free to not have judgements and to not form opinions based on race or skin color?
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult--Still reading my book club book. It is a long one. I am really enjoying it. It is however a little controversial as it centers around a high school shooting and bullying and all the players involved from the families of the victims, the judge, the shooter, the family of the shooter and the survivors. It really makes me realize that time is precious and that we should make the most of it. You never know what might happen so appreciate those around you and pay attention to your kids. It is a heavy topic. Parents have a responsibility but at the same time you can't always know what your kids are doing. There has to be some trust there but in this book that trust is shattered. It all started with kids picking on the smallest, and presumably weakest kid in the class and now 10 years later he has fought back and killed 10 people and injured others. I am at the trial stage of the book. It is just creepy to read as we all remember Columbine, Virgina Tech, Northern Illinois, and all the rest. You always hope that something like this won't happen where you live but you just never know.
Amharic phrasebook-- It is a small book with tons of info so I started with food and family sections. Why those? Well, I want to know what I am eating before I eat it so for example I will no be ordering Duleut (tripe, liver, beef cooked in spices). I will however order my food Alecha (not too spicy). I will be drinking lots of Bunna (coffee) and probably some Bira (beer). As for family I have learned that Enat means Mother and Abbat mean Father. Hesan mean baby and Lej means child. I am sure my pronunciations are off but I am trying. I really want to learn some basic words so that I can try and use them while in Ethiopia and I want my child to learn some basic words as well.
Well back to Tivumayeut (watching TV).
"I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla"--I am learning so much from this book. I have only read the toddler/preschooler section so far but it is still very helpful. I realize that kids at a young age don't recognize race and skin color the same way that adults do. Children are so innocent and it is the job of parents to make sure they stay that way. Children don't form judgements about people based on the color of the skin the way that adults do. In fact, most children don't even realize that their skin color won't change throughout life. Some black children said they wanted to be white because they like vanilla better than chocolate. That statement has nothing to do with race, it is about a young child's perception that they can change their skin color and that their skin color doesn't define them. How awesome is that, to be so free to not have judgements and to not form opinions based on race or skin color?
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult--Still reading my book club book. It is a long one. I am really enjoying it. It is however a little controversial as it centers around a high school shooting and bullying and all the players involved from the families of the victims, the judge, the shooter, the family of the shooter and the survivors. It really makes me realize that time is precious and that we should make the most of it. You never know what might happen so appreciate those around you and pay attention to your kids. It is a heavy topic. Parents have a responsibility but at the same time you can't always know what your kids are doing. There has to be some trust there but in this book that trust is shattered. It all started with kids picking on the smallest, and presumably weakest kid in the class and now 10 years later he has fought back and killed 10 people and injured others. I am at the trial stage of the book. It is just creepy to read as we all remember Columbine, Virgina Tech, Northern Illinois, and all the rest. You always hope that something like this won't happen where you live but you just never know.
Amharic phrasebook-- It is a small book with tons of info so I started with food and family sections. Why those? Well, I want to know what I am eating before I eat it so for example I will no be ordering Duleut (tripe, liver, beef cooked in spices). I will however order my food Alecha (not too spicy). I will be drinking lots of Bunna (coffee) and probably some Bira (beer). As for family I have learned that Enat means Mother and Abbat mean Father. Hesan mean baby and Lej means child. I am sure my pronunciations are off but I am trying. I really want to learn some basic words so that I can try and use them while in Ethiopia and I want my child to learn some basic words as well.
Well back to Tivumayeut (watching TV).
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Bless the Broken Road
So it is Thursday song day again and I have selected "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. I have loved this song ever since I heard it the first time on the radio. There is just something about it that always gets to me. It has a lot of meanings to me. First off I had a few bad relationships, not bad in the sense of abusive, just not good overall before I met my husband so that was definitely a broken road I went down. After all, one of my ex boyfriends is a happily committed gay man so that tells you things were a little off.
I also more recently when listening to this song, think it pertains a lot to our pending adoption. We went down a very broken road of infertility and pushed through that . Last summer was beautiful and terrible all at the same time with the twins we hoped to adopt so in a way that was a broken road leading us to our precious little one in Ethiopia.
I truly believe the words of this song that everything is part of a grander plan and I just need to get there. I also believe that there is only one person in my life who completely understands what this whole things has been like and that is my husband. We hit the broken road together and he picked me up so we can get to the grander plan and our beautiful baby. Scroll down to the end of the song for the latest update :)
"Bless The Broken Road"
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.
WE MOVED UP A SPOT!!! YEAH! We are now #69 on the unofficial list.
I also more recently when listening to this song, think it pertains a lot to our pending adoption. We went down a very broken road of infertility and pushed through that . Last summer was beautiful and terrible all at the same time with the twins we hoped to adopt so in a way that was a broken road leading us to our precious little one in Ethiopia.
I truly believe the words of this song that everything is part of a grander plan and I just need to get there. I also believe that there is only one person in my life who completely understands what this whole things has been like and that is my husband. We hit the broken road together and he picked me up so we can get to the grander plan and our beautiful baby. Scroll down to the end of the song for the latest update :)
"Bless The Broken Road"
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.
WE MOVED UP A SPOT!!! YEAH! We are now #69 on the unofficial list.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
My poor couch :(
Well, this will be a really random post but I am frustrated. So last year after the TERRIBLE summer we had we decided on the probably the worst day of my life so far to treat ourselves to some new furniture. We bought a leather sofa and love seat and had them special ordered in the leather color we wanted. It took almost 13 weeks for us to get this furniture. Regardless we love it and it was worth the cost.
So today I noticed 2 lavender-esque spots on the couch, one on the seat and one of the arm. After much thinking and a call to my hubby we determined that the stain had to have come from our dog Badger. You see we put flea and tick medicine on the boys last night since I just gave them a bath. Sebastian got the Frontline Plus and Badger got this new medicine called Promeris. Badger was recently in the vets office and we saw a new vet and she recommended this medicine since Badger is having some type of skin issue. Well, we got one tube of this Promeris stuff and there were no warnings what so ever that it could stain furniture. Let me tell you, I have dog hair looking marks on my furniture. We are 99.9% sure it was from Badger's medicine and not Sebastian's as we have used Frontline for years and have used it since we have had the furniture and haven't had any issues.
To top it off this medicine SMELLS!!! We were warned about that but as he is sitting next to me as I write this he still smells almost 21 hours later.
Anyway, back to the couch, when we purchased the furniture we also purchased the leather protection warranty. This warranty covers human and pet stains within reason and some rips, tears, etc. I decided to call the company to see if by chance this stain would be covered. A very nice man politely explained that this type of stain/bleaching would not be covered. I actually think that this man felt bad for me. He wished me luck and hoped I could get some resolution.
I have tried cleaning it twice to no avail. I really don't think it is that bad. It is just a couch. I am upset though as if I had known I would have covered the couch with a blanket. I am going to call my vet and complain and I am going to call the Promeris company and lodge a complaint. I have no expectations that this will get me anything, that isn't why I am calling. I am calling to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. One thing is for sure, I will NEVER buy Promeris again.
So today I noticed 2 lavender-esque spots on the couch, one on the seat and one of the arm. After much thinking and a call to my hubby we determined that the stain had to have come from our dog Badger. You see we put flea and tick medicine on the boys last night since I just gave them a bath. Sebastian got the Frontline Plus and Badger got this new medicine called Promeris. Badger was recently in the vets office and we saw a new vet and she recommended this medicine since Badger is having some type of skin issue. Well, we got one tube of this Promeris stuff and there were no warnings what so ever that it could stain furniture. Let me tell you, I have dog hair looking marks on my furniture. We are 99.9% sure it was from Badger's medicine and not Sebastian's as we have used Frontline for years and have used it since we have had the furniture and haven't had any issues.
To top it off this medicine SMELLS!!! We were warned about that but as he is sitting next to me as I write this he still smells almost 21 hours later.
Anyway, back to the couch, when we purchased the furniture we also purchased the leather protection warranty. This warranty covers human and pet stains within reason and some rips, tears, etc. I decided to call the company to see if by chance this stain would be covered. A very nice man politely explained that this type of stain/bleaching would not be covered. I actually think that this man felt bad for me. He wished me luck and hoped I could get some resolution.
I have tried cleaning it twice to no avail. I really don't think it is that bad. It is just a couch. I am upset though as if I had known I would have covered the couch with a blanket. I am going to call my vet and complain and I am going to call the Promeris company and lodge a complaint. I have no expectations that this will get me anything, that isn't why I am calling. I am calling to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. One thing is for sure, I will NEVER buy Promeris again.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Wrestling with reality
I was thinking this morning how different my life is than what I pictured at age 16. As I am rapidly approaching age 32 I thought wow, I need to look at my life a little and come to terms with some things that will be in my future.
At 16, if you asked me what I wanted my life to look like as a grown up, this is what I would have said. I would be married by 25, have a house with a picket fence, a good job, a couple of dogs, a great husband and have 2 or 3 children. I would take tropical vacations or trips to Europe and I would live in sunny CA most likely in the San Francisco Bay Area. I would basically live in this little bubble of my comfort zone.
Well at almost 32 here is the reality. I got married at 23 to a wonderful man, have a great house in a great neighborhood in WI, have a decent job, 2 crazy pugs and the kids are a work in progress. I left my comfort zone and moved to the Midwest far from my hometown, my best friend, my job and everything that was familiar. I now live close to both my in laws and my parents in the 'burbs'. As for vacations, we travel to CA when we can and yeah that is about it. We took one tropical vacation for our honeymoon and other than that we drive to visit friends in IL, IA and this summer we are going to Michigan. Our next big adventure will be to Africa. Now the reality of my life is different than my expectations at age 16 but that is okay. It took me a few years to get over the ideal life I created in my head and realize that while different, my life is pretty awesome and I really do have an ideal life.
Here is where I wrestle with reality. Never in a million years would I have thought of travelling to Africa and much less Ethiopia. Now, I can't wait to be in Ethiopia to hold my precious baby. Never did I think I would adopt children but as the years passed, something just clicked inside and this feels so right. I am meant to be doing this even though the waiting gets tough it is what I am supposed to be doing. I now consider myself officially expecting. No I am not pregnant per say but hopefully in the next 9-10months I will be holding my beautiful baby. So yes, I am expecting.
Now, if you ask my husband I am the world's worst traveller so this trip half way around the world will be interesting. I am not a patient person and I hate lines so things like customs and waiting for my Visa in Ethiopia will be trying. I also know that I will have a VERY hard time dealing with the children begging on the streets. I know that I will buy food vouchers to hand out but what I will do when I don't have enough, I don't know. I am a little scared that my emotions will get the best of me. In my head I know that I will have done what I could but my heart is going to be telling me to do more. This is something I am going to have to address and realize that I can't fix it. I know that. So I am trying to take each thing in stride and I have worked on being more patient through this adoption process. I had to, I have no control which is hard for me but I had to let go and hand the process over and just wait. I have learned a lot about myself and I know that I can do this. I can wait in lines and deal with flight delays anything it takes to get to my precious little one.
Reality changes. You can't control everything. As much as I would like to control everything, there are just some things I don't get a say in. At 16, that wasn't an option. I was going to be in charge and everything was going to fall into place just like I wanted it to. I basically set myself up to be disappointed. That is why when things in my life didn't go as planned it was hard for me to deal with. I wanted everything to be perfect and that just isn't realistic. When some of my younger friends say I want to do this by age this and have kids by age this, I try to tell them not to set them selves up. If those things are meant to happen in that timeline great but if not then you will be disappointed.
So while I am wrestling with my new reality and future travels I am holding on to one expectation. That expectation is that our little one will be the perfect addition to our family no matter what.
At 16, if you asked me what I wanted my life to look like as a grown up, this is what I would have said. I would be married by 25, have a house with a picket fence, a good job, a couple of dogs, a great husband and have 2 or 3 children. I would take tropical vacations or trips to Europe and I would live in sunny CA most likely in the San Francisco Bay Area. I would basically live in this little bubble of my comfort zone.
Well at almost 32 here is the reality. I got married at 23 to a wonderful man, have a great house in a great neighborhood in WI, have a decent job, 2 crazy pugs and the kids are a work in progress. I left my comfort zone and moved to the Midwest far from my hometown, my best friend, my job and everything that was familiar. I now live close to both my in laws and my parents in the 'burbs'. As for vacations, we travel to CA when we can and yeah that is about it. We took one tropical vacation for our honeymoon and other than that we drive to visit friends in IL, IA and this summer we are going to Michigan. Our next big adventure will be to Africa. Now the reality of my life is different than my expectations at age 16 but that is okay. It took me a few years to get over the ideal life I created in my head and realize that while different, my life is pretty awesome and I really do have an ideal life.
Here is where I wrestle with reality. Never in a million years would I have thought of travelling to Africa and much less Ethiopia. Now, I can't wait to be in Ethiopia to hold my precious baby. Never did I think I would adopt children but as the years passed, something just clicked inside and this feels so right. I am meant to be doing this even though the waiting gets tough it is what I am supposed to be doing. I now consider myself officially expecting. No I am not pregnant per say but hopefully in the next 9-10months I will be holding my beautiful baby. So yes, I am expecting.
Now, if you ask my husband I am the world's worst traveller so this trip half way around the world will be interesting. I am not a patient person and I hate lines so things like customs and waiting for my Visa in Ethiopia will be trying. I also know that I will have a VERY hard time dealing with the children begging on the streets. I know that I will buy food vouchers to hand out but what I will do when I don't have enough, I don't know. I am a little scared that my emotions will get the best of me. In my head I know that I will have done what I could but my heart is going to be telling me to do more. This is something I am going to have to address and realize that I can't fix it. I know that. So I am trying to take each thing in stride and I have worked on being more patient through this adoption process. I had to, I have no control which is hard for me but I had to let go and hand the process over and just wait. I have learned a lot about myself and I know that I can do this. I can wait in lines and deal with flight delays anything it takes to get to my precious little one.
Reality changes. You can't control everything. As much as I would like to control everything, there are just some things I don't get a say in. At 16, that wasn't an option. I was going to be in charge and everything was going to fall into place just like I wanted it to. I basically set myself up to be disappointed. That is why when things in my life didn't go as planned it was hard for me to deal with. I wanted everything to be perfect and that just isn't realistic. When some of my younger friends say I want to do this by age this and have kids by age this, I try to tell them not to set them selves up. If those things are meant to happen in that timeline great but if not then you will be disappointed.
So while I am wrestling with my new reality and future travels I am holding on to one expectation. That expectation is that our little one will be the perfect addition to our family no matter what.
Monday, May 12, 2008
First Mother's Day gift
As promised a few days ago, I would tell you all about my latest gift from my Secret Pal. Below is a picture.
It is 2 tins one for me and one for hopefully my child's birth family. In the card my Secret Pal said in honor of Mother's Day for me and for my child's birth mom she wanted to give us these gifts. The tins are to be used to make hand prints of our child to have as a keepsake. We can leave one at home and bring one with us to Ethiopia.
It is 2 tins one for me and one for hopefully my child's birth family. In the card my Secret Pal said in honor of Mother's Day for me and for my child's birth mom she wanted to give us these gifts. The tins are to be used to make hand prints of our child to have as a keepsake. We can leave one at home and bring one with us to Ethiopia.
Once we meet our baby we can take their hand print and bring this tin with us on the trip to Hossana to hopefully meet members of our child's birth family. I thought this was a truly touching gift. I really appreciate the thought that went behind this gift not only was my Secret Pal thinking of me but also of my child's birth family. That is so sweet.
Again, this gift came at a good time. I had a really rough couple of days at work having worked 20 plus hours in two days so to come home and see this was awesome. It was my first official Mother's Day gift and I couldn't have asked for a more thoughtful gift so thanks again Secret Pal for adding sunshine to my day.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
A tribute to 2 very special Mom's
Happy Mother's Day!
I am dedicating this post to the 2 mom's in my life, my own mother and my mother in law. Each of them are special in their own way.
To my dear Mother:
It is so hard to put in to words how truly wonderful you have been throughout my life. Sure I made mistakes as did you but one thing I always knew is that when I needed my Mom, you would always be there for me. I am so grateful to have had that growing up as not everyone is that fortunate.
As we transitioned from Mom and Daughter to Best Friends, you were my rock. You are hands down the strongest woman I know. You have tackled so much in your life and you always keep your head held high and your shoulder there for the rest of us to cry on. I don't know how you do it. In fact when I have hit low spots in my life I look to you as the example. If you where in my shoes what would you do. That philosophy hasn't failed me yet. And I apologize if this makes you cry, but there is one day in particular that stands out as the day you became more than just my mom. The day of Aunt Fran's funeral, at the church when I leaned over and told you it was okay for you to cry was the day I felt I had something more to offer you than just being your daughter. I will never forget that day because I felt I could finally offer you what you have always given me. A warm hug and a shoulder to cry on when you needed it the most.
Mom, I love you and I want to say thank you. Thank you for making me the woman I am today and hopefully the mother I will be very soon.
And to my Mother in Law:
I feel so truly blessed to be a part of your family. From the first day we met almost 12 years ago, you have been nothing but wonderful. I showed up at your house and immediately felt welcomed with a hug and a warm smile.
I feel so fortunate to have married into a truly wonderful family. I look at you and your compassion and kindness in awe. It takes a special woman to give so much of herself for others in need. I just love that and have taken so much from that. I have been called in to action for causes that I am passionate about because I see how one person's love and support can make a difference. I thank you for that.
You give the best hugs and I want to thank you for being the most amazing mother in law. I don't know how I got so lucky but I am truly blessed to have you (and your son) in my life.
These two women are very important to me and I wanted to dedicate this post to them. Happy Mother's Day! And to add to the joy of the day, we are now #70 on the unofficial list. So we have moved up another spot. YEAH!
I am dedicating this post to the 2 mom's in my life, my own mother and my mother in law. Each of them are special in their own way.
To my dear Mother:
It is so hard to put in to words how truly wonderful you have been throughout my life. Sure I made mistakes as did you but one thing I always knew is that when I needed my Mom, you would always be there for me. I am so grateful to have had that growing up as not everyone is that fortunate.
As we transitioned from Mom and Daughter to Best Friends, you were my rock. You are hands down the strongest woman I know. You have tackled so much in your life and you always keep your head held high and your shoulder there for the rest of us to cry on. I don't know how you do it. In fact when I have hit low spots in my life I look to you as the example. If you where in my shoes what would you do. That philosophy hasn't failed me yet. And I apologize if this makes you cry, but there is one day in particular that stands out as the day you became more than just my mom. The day of Aunt Fran's funeral, at the church when I leaned over and told you it was okay for you to cry was the day I felt I had something more to offer you than just being your daughter. I will never forget that day because I felt I could finally offer you what you have always given me. A warm hug and a shoulder to cry on when you needed it the most.
Mom, I love you and I want to say thank you. Thank you for making me the woman I am today and hopefully the mother I will be very soon.
And to my Mother in Law:
I feel so truly blessed to be a part of your family. From the first day we met almost 12 years ago, you have been nothing but wonderful. I showed up at your house and immediately felt welcomed with a hug and a warm smile.
I feel so fortunate to have married into a truly wonderful family. I look at you and your compassion and kindness in awe. It takes a special woman to give so much of herself for others in need. I just love that and have taken so much from that. I have been called in to action for causes that I am passionate about because I see how one person's love and support can make a difference. I thank you for that.
You give the best hugs and I want to thank you for being the most amazing mother in law. I don't know how I got so lucky but I am truly blessed to have you (and your son) in my life.
These two women are very important to me and I wanted to dedicate this post to them. Happy Mother's Day! And to add to the joy of the day, we are now #70 on the unofficial list. So we have moved up another spot. YEAH!
Friday, May 9, 2008
WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!!
Well, if you read my last post and saw how upset I was there has been progress.
http://www.americasfavoritemom.com/mothers-day-2008/static/semiFinalists
They have now changed the Non Mom Mom category to Adopting Mom. At least something happened. I am still upset that it took 100's of emails for NBC to get a brain and realize how insensitive they were but progress is progress.
Hopefully, we sent a message that you don't mess with adoptive moms. We are some of the strongest women I know. You go Girls!
http://www.americasfavoritemom.com/mothers-day-2008/static/semiFinalists
They have now changed the Non Mom Mom category to Adopting Mom. At least something happened. I am still upset that it took 100's of emails for NBC to get a brain and realize how insensitive they were but progress is progress.
Hopefully, we sent a message that you don't mess with adoptive moms. We are some of the strongest women I know. You go Girls!
Non Mom Mom
I was originally going to share with you all my latest Secret Pal gift and I will later but for now I am too angry and need to vent.
NBC is airing a show on Sunday called America's Favorite Mom. Nice idea, there are different categories of Mom's including the military mom, the working mom, the single mom, the chairman of everything mom and my all time favorite the non Mom Mom. How is that possible to be a Non Mom???
Well to top it off one of the finalists in the Non Mom category is an adoptive Mom. This is how they describe her:
She was an adopted child who is now mom to her own daughter, plus six adopted children who started life as "meth babies".
I was in shock. We have had a good week on the forum with lots of court dates, travel dates, and referrals so I logged on today hoping for more good news to find out about this show. I have already emailed NBC twice and Teleflora, the major sponsor of the show.
Here is a link to the show: http://www.americasfavoritemom.com/mothers-day-2008/static/semiFinalists
And here is the email address if you feel the need to complain as did a bunch of us:
mailto:support@americasfavoritemom.com
I am not typically the type of person to let things get to me but as Mother's Day approaches and I am still waiting for my baby, I was offended. I am aware that I don't have the right to not be offended in life and I usually don't get offended easily but this ticked me off.
How am I less of a Mom? I will be doing all the same things my Mother did for me so why isn't that seen as worthy of the title of just Mom on this show. Does that mean that Hallmark will now make a Non Mom Mother's Day card? Is that what we want our adopted children to feel, that we aren't actually Mom's??
I am sorry to babble about this but the one thing I want more than anything is this world is to be a mom and NBC somehow feels that Mom isn't the right title for women like me. We are Non Mom Moms which hurts.
I know to my child I will be Mom and to my family and friends I will be Mom but for a major TV network to be so insensitive is just crazy. We are in the year 2008, can't we recognize that families are formed in other ways besides giving birth to children? I didn't think that was a new concept but apparently, the powers that be at NBC have been sleeping in a cave and haven't realized that progress has happened.
NBC is airing a show on Sunday called America's Favorite Mom. Nice idea, there are different categories of Mom's including the military mom, the working mom, the single mom, the chairman of everything mom and my all time favorite the non Mom Mom. How is that possible to be a Non Mom???
Well to top it off one of the finalists in the Non Mom category is an adoptive Mom. This is how they describe her:
She was an adopted child who is now mom to her own daughter, plus six adopted children who started life as "meth babies".
I was in shock. We have had a good week on the forum with lots of court dates, travel dates, and referrals so I logged on today hoping for more good news to find out about this show. I have already emailed NBC twice and Teleflora, the major sponsor of the show.
Here is a link to the show: http://www.americasfavoritemom.com/mothers-day-2008/static/semiFinalists
And here is the email address if you feel the need to complain as did a bunch of us:
mailto:support@americasfavoritemom.com
I am not typically the type of person to let things get to me but as Mother's Day approaches and I am still waiting for my baby, I was offended. I am aware that I don't have the right to not be offended in life and I usually don't get offended easily but this ticked me off.
How am I less of a Mom? I will be doing all the same things my Mother did for me so why isn't that seen as worthy of the title of just Mom on this show. Does that mean that Hallmark will now make a Non Mom Mother's Day card? Is that what we want our adopted children to feel, that we aren't actually Mom's??
I am sorry to babble about this but the one thing I want more than anything is this world is to be a mom and NBC somehow feels that Mom isn't the right title for women like me. We are Non Mom Moms which hurts.
I know to my child I will be Mom and to my family and friends I will be Mom but for a major TV network to be so insensitive is just crazy. We are in the year 2008, can't we recognize that families are formed in other ways besides giving birth to children? I didn't think that was a new concept but apparently, the powers that be at NBC have been sleeping in a cave and haven't realized that progress has happened.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Two more spots!!!
Well, it has been a long time coming but we did finally move up 2 spots on the unofficial list. It has been a frustrating month so far as in total we haven't seen that many referrals. I truly do feel for those families at the top of the list who have been waiting for almost 9 months.
I hope and pray that this families get their referral before the court closure. We are all hoping that there will be a big flood of referrals in the next few weeks.
I as always will keep you posted!
I hope and pray that this families get their referral before the court closure. We are all hoping that there will be a big flood of referrals in the next few weeks.
I as always will keep you posted!
Unanswered Prayers
This weeks song is one of my all time favorite songs by one of my favorite singers, Garth Brooks. There is nothing like hearing this song live at a concert which I was fortunate enough to be able to do a number of years ago in Sacramento. This song has so many meanings for me. I am a big believer in prayer and I must admit when my prayers aren't answered sometimes I do get frustrated.
This song reminds me that there is a reason why God has chosen to not answer that particular pray. Maybe He will answer the next one. This is where faith comes in since without faith I couldn't continue to pray and praying brings me peace. It is how I end my day.
"Unanswered Prayers"
Just the other night at a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be
She was the one that I'd wanted for all times
And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine
And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
She wasn't quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
In her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn't much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all
And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he may not answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a link to the song or the video. It is an older song (from the 90's) but it will always be on my list of favorites. If I happen to find a clip of the song I will add it to this post later.
This song reminds me that there is a reason why God has chosen to not answer that particular pray. Maybe He will answer the next one. This is where faith comes in since without faith I couldn't continue to pray and praying brings me peace. It is how I end my day.
"Unanswered Prayers"
Just the other night at a hometown football game
My wife and I ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them the past came back to me
And I couldn't help but think of the way things used to be
She was the one that I'd wanted for all times
And each night I'd spend prayin' that God would make her mine
And if he'd only grant me this wish I wished back then
I'd never ask for anything again
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
She wasn't quite the angel that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell that time had changed me
In her eyes too it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn't much we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he's doin' after all
And as she walked away and I looked at my wife
And then and there I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts in my life
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he may not answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
Some of God's greatest gifts are all too often unanswered...
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
Unfortunately, I couldn't find a link to the song or the video. It is an older song (from the 90's) but it will always be on my list of favorites. If I happen to find a clip of the song I will add it to this post later.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Ignorance is bliss???
I have been holding off on commenting on something I saw on TV but it keeps popping up and I can't take it anymore. I admit that I watch MTV/VH1. I am the MTV generation, I was 5 when MTV started so life without MTV is just not natural for me. Now, I don't watch music videos on either channel as they hardly show videos but I do watch 1/2 hour "reality" shows and thus the reason for this post.
I watch "The Hills" on MTV. I know terrible but it is mindless and I usually have it on while blogging or cooking dinner. Well, there are 2 characters on that show that are in my mind ridiculous. They are a couple and they recently appeared on the "Tyra Banks Show" (No I don't watch Tyra but I do watch the Soup and Best Week Ever where I saw the clip) Anyway, Tyra asked them if they had names picked out for future children. The male member of this couple said he would like to adopt from Africa and then they would name their son Dunk since he will be tall and play basketball. Really?? People like this drive me crazy! How ignorant is this guy??? Apparently he hasn't entered the year 2008 where it is so not okay to say or believe things like this. I was just shocked and the fact that Tyra, a black woman, didn't say anything in response to this was even more shocking.
I have always heard the statement that ignorance is bliss but I am starting to wonder why people say that. Why would you ever want to be ignorant? Isn't it best to stay present and have as much knowledge as possible?
I also read a story today where a mom was told by a daycare provider that she needed to cut her Ethiopian sons hair as other children are interested in it and are pulling it. What? April Fools right? Since when does a daycare provider get to tell a parent how to style their children's hair. Would this daycare provider tell a mom that she should cut her little girls hair because kids are pulling it? This little boys hair isn't long, just soft floppy baby curls. What is wrong with that? NOTHING!
I was so appalled when I read this story. My heart goes out to this mom and her family. She shouldn't have to deal with this. She should be able to style her children's hair however she likes and the daycare provider should refocus the children's behavior to something more productive than hair pulling. Someone suggested that if pinching a child's arm was the problem, would the daycare ask to have the arm amputated? I know silly, but since cutting the hair solves hair pulling according to the daycare....
I think I have vented enough for one day. Stay tuned for tomorrow's song. (ok, when I start writing bad puns, it is time to walk away from the computer)
I watch "The Hills" on MTV. I know terrible but it is mindless and I usually have it on while blogging or cooking dinner. Well, there are 2 characters on that show that are in my mind ridiculous. They are a couple and they recently appeared on the "Tyra Banks Show" (No I don't watch Tyra but I do watch the Soup and Best Week Ever where I saw the clip) Anyway, Tyra asked them if they had names picked out for future children. The male member of this couple said he would like to adopt from Africa and then they would name their son Dunk since he will be tall and play basketball. Really?? People like this drive me crazy! How ignorant is this guy??? Apparently he hasn't entered the year 2008 where it is so not okay to say or believe things like this. I was just shocked and the fact that Tyra, a black woman, didn't say anything in response to this was even more shocking.
I have always heard the statement that ignorance is bliss but I am starting to wonder why people say that. Why would you ever want to be ignorant? Isn't it best to stay present and have as much knowledge as possible?
I also read a story today where a mom was told by a daycare provider that she needed to cut her Ethiopian sons hair as other children are interested in it and are pulling it. What? April Fools right? Since when does a daycare provider get to tell a parent how to style their children's hair. Would this daycare provider tell a mom that she should cut her little girls hair because kids are pulling it? This little boys hair isn't long, just soft floppy baby curls. What is wrong with that? NOTHING!
I was so appalled when I read this story. My heart goes out to this mom and her family. She shouldn't have to deal with this. She should be able to style her children's hair however she likes and the daycare provider should refocus the children's behavior to something more productive than hair pulling. Someone suggested that if pinching a child's arm was the problem, would the daycare ask to have the arm amputated? I know silly, but since cutting the hair solves hair pulling according to the daycare....
I think I have vented enough for one day. Stay tuned for tomorrow's song. (ok, when I start writing bad puns, it is time to walk away from the computer)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Give a little...
Today was my day off and I decided that I would finally get to put together the box of supplies to send off to AHOPE in Ethiopia, a care center for HIV+ children.
It was nice to go on a hunt in WalMart (not my favorite place but I could get more for my money). I was looking for things like baby shampoo, hydro cortisone cream, anti-fungal cream, first aid spray, calming creme and toothpaste. I really enjoyed it and it made me realize a few things.
1) I am really grateful for all the blessings I have in my life.
2) It really didn't take much time, effort or money to gather much needed supplies for children in need.
3) I am really committed to the people of Ethiopia, more than I ever thought I would be. I haven't even been there yet but I feel like I should be helping out whenever I can and I plan to.
4) My forum friends are amazing for organizing such giving drives as this.
So now that I have all the stuff that I bought , I contacted the person organizing this part of the giving effort and she put me in touch with the person I need to send the box of stuff to. From there it will be off to Ethiopia. It is so awesome that we can all work together for the greater good. When each person does just a little to help it really does make a big difference.
I have already committed to another box of supplies in another month or so. It is something that I can do so I should do. Sure, I could go spend the money getting something for myself, my DH or my lovely pugs but there are people that need it more than I do or my dogs do. They might disagree as they always love their treats and toys but in the end a little sacrifice on my side can help a child half way across the world.
One of my favorite movies is Pay It Forward. I feel like Ethiopia is giving me a beautiful gift of a child so the least I can do is pay it forward with supplies to help other children.
So if you have a little extra and want to give a little, let me know. I would be happy to help more people pay it forward.
It was nice to go on a hunt in WalMart (not my favorite place but I could get more for my money). I was looking for things like baby shampoo, hydro cortisone cream, anti-fungal cream, first aid spray, calming creme and toothpaste. I really enjoyed it and it made me realize a few things.
1) I am really grateful for all the blessings I have in my life.
2) It really didn't take much time, effort or money to gather much needed supplies for children in need.
3) I am really committed to the people of Ethiopia, more than I ever thought I would be. I haven't even been there yet but I feel like I should be helping out whenever I can and I plan to.
4) My forum friends are amazing for organizing such giving drives as this.
So now that I have all the stuff that I bought , I contacted the person organizing this part of the giving effort and she put me in touch with the person I need to send the box of stuff to. From there it will be off to Ethiopia. It is so awesome that we can all work together for the greater good. When each person does just a little to help it really does make a big difference.
I have already committed to another box of supplies in another month or so. It is something that I can do so I should do. Sure, I could go spend the money getting something for myself, my DH or my lovely pugs but there are people that need it more than I do or my dogs do. They might disagree as they always love their treats and toys but in the end a little sacrifice on my side can help a child half way across the world.
One of my favorite movies is Pay It Forward. I feel like Ethiopia is giving me a beautiful gift of a child so the least I can do is pay it forward with supplies to help other children.
So if you have a little extra and want to give a little, let me know. I would be happy to help more people pay it forward.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Cookbook
I think I might be crazy! Someone suggested on our agency's message board that we put together a cookbook full of Ethiopian recipes and good quick family meals and we can sell them to waiting families (or anyone else that wants one) and send the profits to Care Center where our children are/will be. Well the crazy part is that I have offered to collect the recipes and get it printed.
I figured I could really use a project to occupy my time this summer. After all, things will slow down a lot over the summer so why not right?
I have a few traditional Ethiopian recipes that were submitted to the forum. I haven't tried them yet but I really want to and then there are a few others I have for great family meals. I am pretty excited about this. I have gotten the names of a couple of companies that print cookbooks specifically for causes like this.
I have already started thinking of a cover design and can't decide if we should do hardback or laminated paper. I am leaning towards the laminated paper as it is a lot cheaper and can still look nice. I have a church cookbook that is very similar in layout to what we are looking to do and that is paperback and I have had it for years and it is still great.
I think we are on to a good thing here and I am counting on my forum friends to keep thinking of great family friendly recipes as well as Ethiopian recipes that their families love so we can add them to our cookbook.
Here's to a summer of good cooking and publishing :)
I figured I could really use a project to occupy my time this summer. After all, things will slow down a lot over the summer so why not right?
I have a few traditional Ethiopian recipes that were submitted to the forum. I haven't tried them yet but I really want to and then there are a few others I have for great family meals. I am pretty excited about this. I have gotten the names of a couple of companies that print cookbooks specifically for causes like this.
I have already started thinking of a cover design and can't decide if we should do hardback or laminated paper. I am leaning towards the laminated paper as it is a lot cheaper and can still look nice. I have a church cookbook that is very similar in layout to what we are looking to do and that is paperback and I have had it for years and it is still great.
I think we are on to a good thing here and I am counting on my forum friends to keep thinking of great family friendly recipes as well as Ethiopian recipes that their families love so we can add them to our cookbook.
Here's to a summer of good cooking and publishing :)
Friday, May 2, 2008
Court Closure Decision
Well, we got some interesting news from CHSFS today. We get a monthly newsletter that gives us updates on the Ethiopia program. The court closure date is looming so CHSFS has given waiting families a couple of options.
If you receive your referral before June 1st, they will try and push your accepted referral through with the hopes that you will get through the court process before the closure in the first week of August. This will not (almost definitely) apply to us. We are too new to the wait to receive a referral by this date.
Now, where it gets interesting is after June 1st. In the past CHSFS has stopped handing out referrals around June 15th in order to allow for the court closure and so that families don't have their referral information and have to wait for the courts to reopen. The courts are scheduled to reopen in the end of September.
This year CHSFS is giving families the option after June 1st to consider a referral during the court closure. What this means is that they could refer a child to us and we can have everything checked out by a doctor, accept the referral and then just have to wait for courts to reopen in the fall before anything else could happen. In essence, we would have picture of our baby but that child couldn't become officially ours until after our court date in the fall. Yes, it would be hard to know what our child looks like and know that they are waiting for us but the plus side is that there is a chance that we could travel this year. I know, crazy but possible.
On average from accepted referral until travel is averaging about 12-14 weeks right now. If we were to consider a referral during the court closure that time would increase since nothing can move forward until the courts reopen. And then even after the courts reopen, it takes a little time for things to get up and running again since they may be new judges and a big back log of cases.
We have decided to consider a referral during the court closure. We were going to have to wait out the closure anyway so we figured we have nothing to lose. We know that if it does happen it will be hard to look at that adorable face for so long but we think the risk is worth it. We also realize that there are still a lot of families ahead of us on the waiting list so if they are all open to this option it may not make a difference. However, if there are families ahead of us that wish to wait until the courts reopen, we could skip over them. Those families ultimately don't lose their place on the list but could get skipped over during the court closure and then once the courts reopen CHSFS goes back to the master list and everyone returns to their place. So we could move ahead or if enough families elect to go with this option we could stay where we are.
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and if we are meant to receive a referral during the court closure then we will and if we are meant to wait then we will wait. It is exciting though to think of the possibilities. It could make for an interesting summer or it may not. I guess we will have to wait and see.
If you receive your referral before June 1st, they will try and push your accepted referral through with the hopes that you will get through the court process before the closure in the first week of August. This will not (almost definitely) apply to us. We are too new to the wait to receive a referral by this date.
Now, where it gets interesting is after June 1st. In the past CHSFS has stopped handing out referrals around June 15th in order to allow for the court closure and so that families don't have their referral information and have to wait for the courts to reopen. The courts are scheduled to reopen in the end of September.
This year CHSFS is giving families the option after June 1st to consider a referral during the court closure. What this means is that they could refer a child to us and we can have everything checked out by a doctor, accept the referral and then just have to wait for courts to reopen in the fall before anything else could happen. In essence, we would have picture of our baby but that child couldn't become officially ours until after our court date in the fall. Yes, it would be hard to know what our child looks like and know that they are waiting for us but the plus side is that there is a chance that we could travel this year. I know, crazy but possible.
On average from accepted referral until travel is averaging about 12-14 weeks right now. If we were to consider a referral during the court closure that time would increase since nothing can move forward until the courts reopen. And then even after the courts reopen, it takes a little time for things to get up and running again since they may be new judges and a big back log of cases.
We have decided to consider a referral during the court closure. We were going to have to wait out the closure anyway so we figured we have nothing to lose. We know that if it does happen it will be hard to look at that adorable face for so long but we think the risk is worth it. We also realize that there are still a lot of families ahead of us on the waiting list so if they are all open to this option it may not make a difference. However, if there are families ahead of us that wish to wait until the courts reopen, we could skip over them. Those families ultimately don't lose their place on the list but could get skipped over during the court closure and then once the courts reopen CHSFS goes back to the master list and everyone returns to their place. So we could move ahead or if enough families elect to go with this option we could stay where we are.
I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and if we are meant to receive a referral during the court closure then we will and if we are meant to wait then we will wait. It is exciting though to think of the possibilities. It could make for an interesting summer or it may not. I guess we will have to wait and see.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
It's My Life
Quick update on Sebastian, he is doing great. We never did take him in to see the vet as he stopped limping for the most part. He still has a very slight limp occasionally but is MUCH better.
Now on to the Thursday song, I told you I love but country but I also love rock. So this week's song is by Bon Jovi. I have been a Bon Jovi fan going back to grade school. My first concert at Shoreline Amphitheater in CA was Bon Jovi when I was 16. It was AWESOME!! I have since seen them a few more times and always it is an awesome show. I picked this song in particular for a couple of reasons. A) I just like it and B) it reminds me of CA. When I lived there I was a Resident Director in a dorm. My DH and I (and Sebastian) lived in a dorm of about 300 sophomores and we had the great pleasure of our apartment facing the street. Now this was a small college and the street we faced was the main thoroughfare to get to all of the parties. In fact one of the biggest party houses was on the corner across the street from us and this song was their personal anthem. We heard this song I would guess hundreds if not thousands of times throughout the course of the year. One night in particular they decided to sing along and destroy their front porch in the process. Never a dull moment.... So here are the lyrics and a link to the music video.
"It's My Life"
This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud
[Chorus:]It's my life
It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life
This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks
[Chorus:]It's my life
And it's now or never I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life
Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down
[Chorus:]It's my life And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
[Chorus:]It's my life
And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life!
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1044&vid=18105
Now this song isn't as deep as my first choice but I really like it. And I take it at face value. It is a fun song that tells me to take full advantage of every day that I am lucky enough to be on this planet. I try to take that to heart and go from there. This song brings back memories of years past and good times that I will never forget. Enjoy!
Now on to the Thursday song, I told you I love but country but I also love rock. So this week's song is by Bon Jovi. I have been a Bon Jovi fan going back to grade school. My first concert at Shoreline Amphitheater in CA was Bon Jovi when I was 16. It was AWESOME!! I have since seen them a few more times and always it is an awesome show. I picked this song in particular for a couple of reasons. A) I just like it and B) it reminds me of CA. When I lived there I was a Resident Director in a dorm. My DH and I (and Sebastian) lived in a dorm of about 300 sophomores and we had the great pleasure of our apartment facing the street. Now this was a small college and the street we faced was the main thoroughfare to get to all of the parties. In fact one of the biggest party houses was on the corner across the street from us and this song was their personal anthem. We heard this song I would guess hundreds if not thousands of times throughout the course of the year. One night in particular they decided to sing along and destroy their front porch in the process. Never a dull moment.... So here are the lyrics and a link to the music video.
"It's My Life"
This ain't a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain't gonna be just a face in the crowd
You're gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud
[Chorus:]It's my life
It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life
This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow's getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain't even lucky
Got to make your own breaks
[Chorus:]It's my life
And it's now or never I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life
Better stand tall when they're calling you out
Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down
[Chorus:]It's my life And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
[Chorus:]It's my life
And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just want to live while I'm alive
'Cause it's my life!
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1044&vid=18105
Now this song isn't as deep as my first choice but I really like it. And I take it at face value. It is a fun song that tells me to take full advantage of every day that I am lucky enough to be on this planet. I try to take that to heart and go from there. This song brings back memories of years past and good times that I will never forget. Enjoy!
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