Good news for the Holiday!

Wow, what can I say.....................we are in a consistent adoption program!

Surprised when I checked my e-mail today to get an update from Holt! We were not expecting to hear anything more until mid-December.....

Anyways, 4 more families have been referred!!!! 4 more babies !!! 4 more families! I can imagine their happiness today! I am tearing up as I write, just thinking about how much closer we are, but yet it is all still so far away.........but I am Thankful!!!!! :)

So, here we are, still waiting but with more hope that we will receive our referral next year, maybe spring, maybe early summer. Ahhhhhhh, it feels so good!

We hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving!

Mom!

Shaun- we love you already!

A year ago.............

These pictures crack me up!!!!

What a pretty face! Still a bit chubby then.......


! Ha-ya...........

"Don't you mess with me!"


Ahhhhhhhhhhh, gotta love her!

Just a cute pic!

Just a cute picture of Abby and friend Zan at Sharon Woods a few weeks back.

It was a beautiful day and the colors were great! But the walk did me in for the rest of the week............

It was planned to bring the kids there to take pictures.............but............I accidentally left my SD Card in my computer, spare card at home (not in my camera bag ----where it should be)

Anyways, these were sent to me today, can't wait to see more (hint, hint)

6 MONTHS and waiting............

Well, with the cold weather, we hit our 6 month mark of our wait. This fall we will be re fingerprinted to update our paperwork. Which means we have been waiting a long time.

Remember, we started out waiting in Mongolia!

I cannot help feeling a bit sad thinking that maybe if things with Mongolia didn't change, our family may be complete at this moment..........but then I think that it will not matter once he IS home. Timing is not in our hands......we have to have faith! Since we are at the 6 month mark I am allowing myself to feel more comfortable. I am thinking of him more often and wondering the same things I had wondered about Abby. ( we only waited 7 months for Abby) Like, is he waking as I eat dinner? Is he healthy and growing, being cuddled a feeling safe? I am pretty sure he has been born............so at times I do hear my baby cry. Of course it IS someone elses baby in my listening distance, but just the same it makes me think of my little boy.

I am reminded of all the little things that helped me through the wait with Abby. Silly things like putting notes around the house and kissing her picture ever night (once we had it). I had little fun shopping for her before hand (believe it or not) so this time I am not buying much. One thing I do remember happening during our wait was a weekly phone call to our home asking for a Mrs. Rice. We thought it was funny (get it China, Rice) anyways, every week we would say "sorry " but it would make us think of our little Miss "rice". We also made a 16 pound "rice baby" to carry around the apartment to get used to the wait (boy, were we amatures or what!) We made a room for Abby not knowing we were moving just before becoming her parents......

We had lots to keep us going.............

Now, we have Abby herself! She is just amazing, can I say that again? AMAZING! A wish come true! It still takes my breath away sometime when I look at her. She is truly a gift. AND worth every bit of waiting!

A joke from Abby

Just something to share......

A few months ago Kevin and Iworked on an adoption book for Abby. We have some lovely pictures of China and wanted to do something with them. What better way to do it than to put them to a story!

We took pictures from our first weeks together and pictures that the orphanage gave us and made Abby her very own journey book from birth to forever family. We made it 30 pages, just enough and told her story. She loves it! We read it all the time and it helps her understand about her adoption. We have always talked to Abby about how she became our daughter and this helps her tell it to whom ever she wishes. It's also nice to get cozy with her and read it together, it always brings me back..... but the most beautiful thing is seeing her read it on her own, mostly by memory, but still she picks it up daily and thumbs through the pages. I HIGHLY recommend doing this for your adopted child. It has brought beautiful feelings here!