Where I want to be.....

Right now I'm sitting in my office going over the last of my accounting stuff to get things ready to file our taxes. But, where I want to be is pictured above.....Ventura beach, chasing after my niece who spent the morning running through the sand in her p.j.'s. How dreamy is that?!

UPDATE: Here's one more reason I want to be with Vienna on the beach and not in front of my computer: I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CHECK THE RUMOR QUEEN SITE!!! Look what she just posted:

There are a few early rumors floating around, none are higher than an R2 at this point. The rumors range from a cut off of the 9th to the 14th.

The 9th OR the 14th???!!!.......Kind of big difference for us! GIVE ME STRENGTH!!!

Noth'in but love

What an amazing weekend we just had!

• First of all, Doug and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Friday night we had a family night with the boys! We exchanged gifts (kind of a family tradition) and took the boys to dinner at a cowboy/western restaurant which they loved, surprisingly enough! Saturday morning I dropped the boys off to Sarah and.....well, the rest of the weekend was heavenly. Doug and I ate out, sat by the pool, shopped and just enjoyed one another's company (I'll spare you the details on that one). We talked a lot about the last 15 years and how blessed we both feel to have one another, the boys, our friends and family....and of course, we talked and dreamed of our baby girl.
• Second of all, Sarah organized and sponsored a yard sale at her home on Friday and Saturday in honor of our adoption. She enlisted the help of all the friends and family members she could think of. She asked everyone to drop items off to her home that they were looking to get rid of. She made sure to mention that all the proceeds of the sale would go towards a donation to her niece's orphanage. There was an overwhelming response. She was able to raise over $1000.00!! Both her and Norah worked hard all weekend to make this sale a success. They did an amazing job. Doug and I are so full of gratitude toward the both of them. I've said it a million times before, but I'll say it again.....I HAVE THE BEST SISTERS IN THE WORLD! Doug and I will hand carry the money to China with us when we travel and will proudly turn it over to our daughter's orphanage director. Orphanage donations are a mandatory part of the required adoption fees. It's one fee I have no problem paying. The money is given directly to the Social Wellfare Institute that houses the children being placed. It is used to help improve the conditions of the facility, employ nannies, and provide food and clothing for the children. Our daughter will have benefitted from the donations of the families who have traveled before us and her "sisters" will benefit from ours. It's a good thing.
• And finanlly, I went ahead and hopped on Rumor Queen just a few moments ago and read the following: I’m seeing multiple agencies who are giving their clients the idea that the next two months could cover more days than we might be expecting them to cover. She went on to mention that the hint is that the next batch of referrals COULD cover through the 13th!! Although early rumors tend NOT to be true, there is that glimmer of possibility that our LID will be included in the next batch of referrals (due to arrive in the next 2 1/2 to 3 weeks). So, hang on folks, the roller coaster ride is about to get extremely exciting. I for one will choose to keep my hands and heart inside the ride at all times, until it comes to a complete stop!

Love to all,
Mary

P.S. I know the pictures are horrible, but they are the only ones I have from this entire weekend! They were taken on Doug's cell phone...Jacob took the one of Doug and I..we look a little rough....I guess that's what 15 years of marriage will do to you (ha ha).

P.P.S. I chose the Eric Clapton song out of desperation. I couldn't find another song that fit the post. I have to remove the music thing from my blog, it's too much to try to manage. Anyway, this was the song we danced to at our wedding. Isn't that sweet?!

Our 3 Year LID Anniversary!

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of our log in date. It's amazing to think that 3 years have passed since we received word that our documents were officially "logged in" at the CCAA. So much has changed in our lives since then. So much has changed in the world on international adoption. The one thing that has remained the same is the uncertainty of this program. This has been one long, hard journey but I'm so glad that we have stuck it out. It already feels so worth it!

Our little sugarplum is in our thoughts and dreams everyday. There's hardly anything I do throughout the day that doesn't make me think of her. I don't know who or where she is right now, but I know I love her. It won't be long before we see her precious face.

We love you, baby girl, and will continue to wait for you with open arms and open hearts!

(The flower pictured above is some type of a "sugarplum" flower....who knew?!)

March referrals!!

The March referrals starting arriving in the U.S. earlier this week. They matched families with LID's of 3/3/06 thru 3/6/06!! Our agency did not have families logged in during those days, so they have not announce any referral news, or even that the 6th was the official cut-off date for this batch, but I'm reporting it anyway.

This means that there are only 4....that's right, 4 days left to match to get to us! Aaaaaahhhh! We are so close! I knew March was going to be an exciting month.

As far as my guess as to when we will see our referral, well here it goes. I think that the next batch of referals will cover only 1 day, March 7th. Those referrals are expected to arrive around the first week of April. The next batch, which will arrive around the first week of May, will hopefully cover the 8th thru the 10th!!! So, I'm hoping to receive our referal then! My biggest fear right now is that the CCAA won't be able to match the 7th in one batch and that they will have to split it into 2 batches. I hope not. What a hard, hard pill that will be for people to swallow. A half day batch. I really, really hope it doesn't happen.

One of my biggest thrills right now is knowing that my good friend, Mardi, is up next for a referral!!!!! She has an LID of 3/7/06! I can't believe that she will be seeing her daughter, Lauren's, precious face in just a few weeks! It's so exciting to see someone who has been enduring this wait right along side us actually get to this point. I can't wait to celebrate the arrival of Lauren's referral. Yippee!

My new look and my dear friend

Isn't the new look of my blog just precious?! I would love to take the credit for it, but I had very little to do with it. My dear friend, Stephanie Wise, took time out of her busy life to create a new look for me and transfer everything over. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I'm truly amazed with Stephanie's creative abilities and her giving heart. She's a smart, talented, caring individual and I feel blessed to have had her friendship and support throughout our adoption journey. Stephanie is also waiting to bring her daughter, Zoey, home from China. We both have LID's of March 2006 and are with the same agency. We have shared many of the same highs and lows throughout the past 3 years. We have spent countless hours on the phone together discussing our adoptions and our lives....we laugh a lot, but not always. There's been some really tough moments on this journey. But through it all a great friendship has formed. It's one of the many gifts this process has afforded me.

Thank you Stephanie for taking the time to do this. You truly are a great friend. I can't wait to see Zoey in your arms and to celebrate all the joy's that this coming year will have for our families.

Your friend, with gratitude,

Mary

The beautiful print at the top of this post is one of Stephanie's many "adoption art" designs. You can view more of them if you visit http://www.jiinkindesigns.blogspot.com/

While we wait....

OK, I'm starting to loose my grip on staying calm and not obsessing about when the next batch of referrals will arrive and how many days it will cover. It's not a good thing because it's only February 9th and we probably won't see referrals until the first week in March!!! It's doesn't help that when I look on Rumor Queen to see if there's even a "buzz" starting about the next batch I have to read stuff like this....

Rumor Queen post:

I reported on January 15th that the “the general atmosphere at CCAA is better than it has been in a long time, and that there is hope that things may not be so dismal in the near future”. I also reported this was coming from multiple places, and that while we’ve had these kinds of rumors before, it somehow feels different this time.

I still get an email or PM every two or three days from someone else who has talked with someone who has contact with the CCAA and this is again reported in some manner.

Her post went on and on... It makes me want to scream, "STOP MESSING WITH MY HEAD!!!"

I'm not alone in feeling this way. Most of the people that I've talked to who are in the China program are wondering what these rumors are all about and why there out there. You could spend all day trying to figure it out, searching blogs, checking for email updates.....but, what we really need to do is distract ourselves.

So, here's my advice (and the real reason I'm posting today)....get on a Segway and take a tour of your local zoo. Doug and I did this for the second time this weekend and had a blast...again. This time we went with our friends JB and Leigh and their son Tyler (who was a total riot on his Segway). Last time we went with my sister Sarah and her husband Cody (who is equally as funny as Tyler, but a lot more dangerous). These things are so much fun it's ridiculous. It's a little awkward when you first get on them, but after a while you get really comfortable.

If there was a Segway gang in Phoenix...I would join it. I'm even thinking about starting my own Segway gang! Seriously...these things are fun!

To our dear baby girl:

We are thinking about you constantly....even when we're riding Segways around the zoo. It won't be long before you and I visit the zoo together. I'll be so happy to be there with you that it won't even bother me to have to WALK instead of ride on a Segway. I love you THAT much!

March is being matched & Boo Boos is growing up!

Last week (actually it was the week before last) referrals came in and March 2006 families officially began to be matched! There were rumors leading up to the arrival of the referrals that this could possibly be the first large batch we've seen in a while. Rumors that the CCAA has been unusually busy and very excited about their work. Some felt it was due an increase of children's files being given to the CCAA from the various Social Wellfare Institutes, possibly due to the recent increase in the mandatory donation. Some felt it had to do with the Olympics being far enough behind us. It was interesting to read all these rumors and wonder what this might mean for us personally. Some even felt that this might be the first "double digit" (or 10 day) batch we have seen in years. What?! The first 10 day batch?! That would mean that we would receiving our referral....like NOW! I laughed about it all, not believing a word of it and yet wondering constantly whether or not there could be even an ounce of truth to any of it. Then they came in and it turned out to be a TWO day batch. March 1st and 2nd! I laughed...some more. Not that's there anything funny about a two day batch, but what else are you going to do?! Our agency received referrals with this batch since we had families logged in on the 2nd, so that was exciting. I love seeing people post their referrals announcements and seeing all the precious little baby's faces! The next batch of referrals will start with the March 3rd families and move forward. Our agency doesn't have people logged in again until March 7th and then again on March 10th....THAT'S US! So, feel free to keep your fingers and toes crossed for an 8 day batch!!! Could you imagine?! OMG! There's only 8 LID days left to match to get to us. I CAN NOT BELIEVE WE HAVE COME THIS FAR!! I will have knots in my stomach with the arrival of the next few batches...the ancitipation and excitement is hard to explain. The next batch of referrals will most likely not arrive until the first of March, so I have some time to just enjoy life and not be a nervous wreck. But, it's going to be wild ride from here on out!

March is going to be an exciting month for us. We will move ever closer to seeing our baby's face for the first time, we will celebrate our 3 year LID anniversary (this time without tears, just pure excitement) and Doug and I will have our 15 YEAR wedding anniversary! Woo hoo!

I can not leave this post without mentioning that, on January 25th, my Benjamin turned 10!!! He was so proud of the fact that he had made it to the double digits that he was telling everyone. He's really growing up fast. He's only 2 1/2 inches shorter than Jacob...there's a good chance he's going to be taller than him by the end of the year. Benjamin is such a loving child. He gives me more unsolicited hugs and kisses than any mom could hope for. He loves his friends and family so much and everyone just loves him back! How could you not?! He absolutely can not wait to be a big brother to his little sister. He talks about her more than I do. I know he will give her such sweet love.

"We love you Benjamin and are so, so, so proud of you. You make us smile everyday. You truly are a gift to us and all of those who have you in their life."