Lilypie Waiting to adopt Ticker
"No I didn't give you the gift of life, but life gave me the gift of you!"

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Disappointing False Alarm

Well, I am going to be honest and say that I have had an emotional past 24 hours, it could have been partially enhanced by that dirty word PMS, but nonetheless I have been sad. Yesterday evening I had a 'travel call' with my agency, at first I didn't think much of the scheduled call, but as I started to ponder it more, I started wondering if maybe just maybe they were going to tell me to start packing my bags and getting ready for travel. I had already had a 'travel call' about a month ago, so I was sure that this was a different, much more important, 'travel call.' Quietly I let a couple people in on my hope, and bam, no LOI, just a plain ole travel call. Honestly, I fear that I tuned out 1/2 of the information given on the call because I was so sad. When the call was over, I vegged on my favorite chair, mind you I was supposed to call my sister right away, but I just vegged, nearly in tears. Beck, my sister, called at 10:00 frantic, what happened? Any news? Nope, nothing, just more travel stuff. And then she made it all clear, "Christy, this is just like those false labor pains when you are all excited, you go to the hospital, and then they tell you that it was a false alarm, you are not even dilated yet, go back home and wait it out." It is true, this was my false alarm. Needless to say, I have been sad all day. We are now entering into Kazakhstan's Holiday season, where Kaz government tends to shut down often for the holidays. Anne just confirmed that the government will indeed be shut down:

Days off will be December 16 to 22

December 16th is Independence day of Kazakhstan.
December 20th is Muslim Holiday Ait(the end of Holly month Ramadan).

Days off will also be December 31 to January 7
January 1st is a New Year day

January 7th is Russian Christmas

What does this mean to me? This means that even if tomorrow I received my LOI, and left for Kaz in one week (due to the time needed to get my Visa), I would hit all of these shutdowns. This means at least another week in Kazakhstan. Although that is great, more bonding time with my daughter, that of course means yet more moola, about $1500 more moola. Ugh! The good part is that even if there is a shut down during my mandatory 14 days of bonding, and I am not able to visit my daughter that day due to the baby house also being possibly shut down, that time still does count towards my mandatory bonding. The government shut downs just slow down my translator as she will be running around gathering documents, getting signature, filing papers, setting up our court date, etc. and if there is a shut down, that halts everything.

Really, I am not a whiner usually, but this is a bit sucky!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

"This is not a vacation!"

I am re-reading my 3-ring travel binder that LMI provided, and it reads: "You will be informed of your lodging before you leave. You will have access to bathing and laundry facilities (these facilities may or may not have hot water.)" and then while re-reading my past emails from my coordinator I read, "The water system is public, so it is possible to get nasty brown water regardless of where you stay."

And then I return back to my 3-ring travel binder and read the quote, "Remember to look upon your trip as an adventure, you are not going on a vacation or a tour." Ummmmmmm yeah, duh, brown cold water? Who would go on a vacation to a seriously chilly region with brown cold water?

Personally, if I were booking a vacation, I would choose a warm beach somewhere in the Carribean with white sand beaches and really yummy alcoholic drinks with umbrellas. :)

But, I am not booking a vacation, so I choose a really chilly region situated between China & Russia where the most precious little girl waits for me! And with that I will learn to live with, but not like, the brown cold water when it comes. :)

Monday, November 26, 2007

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr





Okay, so I think that God is trying to get me ready for anything now, so when I have my little one, I am ready! First the power outage when I didn't have a phone, flashlight or a battery operated radio and now...........a flat tire on a dark County Road. Nope, no flashlight in my car either. I did however have my Roadside Assistance card (good job Christy), gave them a call, and 30 minutes later - after a stop by a full size white van asking if I needed help (yikes, but he was actually a very nice man, the only nice man that stopped out of probably 50+ cars that passed) - my tow truck came to help me put my spare on. Now keep in mind that I drive a Volkswagen so my spare is not yet inflated (not sure if all VWs are the same?) so that means that we first need to figure out how to blow up the spare, where is the pump, where do we plug the pump in, how do we take off the tire (it is all tricky and not so ordinary)......... It was a chore.....but now I know how to do it on my own if I had to. :) A test! And now I will have my flashlight in the car too!

Now here is the bad news, I just found out today that because I own an all wheel drive vehicle, and my tire was not repairable, I have to get all new tires, yes all 4! Who knew! I called 3 people, one being my own very mechanically inclined father, and all 3 said that it was highly recommended that I replace all 4 tires. I guess that you can replace only 2 if you want, but it isn't good on your drive shaft. Crap - there goes $800. Grrrr!

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Gifts

Today is yet another 're-packing' day, and I was looking over the gifts that I have purchased for my child's caregivers, my driver while I am in Kaz, my translator, coordinator, etc. I will be giving the orphanage / baby house a $500 donation and on top of that I have purchased 9 really fun pieces of jewelry from Cookie Lee, 9 bottles of yummy aromatherapy lotions from Arbonne, a translation dictionary and a bottle of Curve for Men (for Ceric my driver, I believe he is the only boy that I have to buy for.)
















I would love to know what other families are bringing for gifts & donations. Please do post comments so I know if I am on the right track. :) Thanks!

A New Pair of Boots

So, last week I came home from work and there were my two puppies running umuck (sp?) in my garage, mind you they have a kennel inside the garage that they should have been in. During their day of play in the garage, they chewed up a hose, extension cord, and the pair of boots that I had just purchased for my trip to Kaz. Grrrrr! I scolded the little one, Diesel, as I am sure that was who was to blame for the chewing, darn puppies! So, here are my new boots! :)




Yesterday my great friend Sherree and I went shopping, and Macy's was having a rockin' sale, so I ended up scoring these boots for $50. :) I love them! They are waterproof, super comfy and warm, and pretty darn cute too! I was inspired by Sandi, Shannon and Susan's shopping spree at Nordstroms. :) They even have pom poms!

Friday, November 23, 2007

The Car Seat is In & The Nursery is Coming Along!


Check it out, our car seat is in and it looks great.........Not that looks are everything. :) haha Feelin' like a mom! After visiting the courthouse, I must admit, that there would have been no way that I would have figured out the installation of this seat on my own. I guess that my seat has a Versa Tether, great for rear facing seat stabilization, the girls at the courthouse had only seen this once before, cutting edge hu!!!! The car seat is a Britax Boulevard and it accommodates a baby from 5-65lbs, and I am just sure that my baby will be in that range. :) I love it!



Could there be a more perfect saying? This is the door to my daughter's room, "Heaven's Gift," Perfect!!! I also had my daughter's name printed up already for her room, but I am waiting to actually put it up until I meet her, just in case her name is to change in the meantime.......or should I say her name that I have chosen may still change because the name that she has already been given may stay. :) More photos of her nursery (still in process) to come. :)














And this is the saying that I just added to my mirror in my own bathroom, "Beauty is a Light in the Heart." I love this!!!

Kazakhstan Holidays

Okay, so I am starting to freak out a bit. I am concerned about being in Kaz during their holiday streak, which starts soon. I was really hoping to just miss those darn shut downs due to the holidays; I really would prefer to not 'need' to stay in Kaz for an additional week or two due to the holidays if I don't need to. Just to be honest, financially that would be tough. Here is what I have found for Kaz holidays:

Public Holidays in 2007

New Year's Day 2-3 January
International Women’s Day 8 March
Nauryz Meyrami (Traditional Spring Holiday) 21 March
Kazakhstan People’s Unity Day 1 May
Victory Day 9 May
Constitution Day 30 August
Republic Day 25 October
Independence Day 16 December

I will have to email Anne at LMI to see if Independence Day will cause any delays for me should I be in Kaz during the month of December. ????????? Worry, Worry, Worry! It is good to see that they have a Women's Day! :)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happiest Thanksgiving

Wow do I have a lot to be thankful for this year! This journey to find my daughter has been the most inspiring & uplifting journey of my life. I have met so many wonderful people, most adoptive families like me, via the Internet, and I thank heavens for this technology that has enabled us to all meet, share our stories, excitements, concerns, questions & new found love. What would we do without each other? Truly? To have so many other families that are experiencing everything that I am feeling is so helpful, and I am seriously thankful for all of you! I can't wait for us all to continue to follow each other's journeys and meet all of these little Kaz & Kryg (Suzanne) babies. :) Thank you Suzanne, Kristi, Sandi, Alyssa, Jen & Marshall, Shannon, Pat & Eileen, Susan and all of my SKM moms that I was fortunate enough to meet at this year's Shindig!

I am also thankful for my friends whom I knew prior to starting on this wonderful journey! Your friendships and continuous support is so very appreciated and I love you all! I am blessed to have found such wonderful 'true' friendships in my adult life, it is true that phrase, "Minnesota Nice." Minnesota does have great people!!! Thank you Angie, Sherree, Marla, John & Audrey (my bestest friend from my childhood!)

And most importantly, thank you to my family, your serious support has been amazing. To my parents, who I know I threw for a loop when choosing to adopt as a single mom at 31, I appreciate your support more than you know. I am blessed to have parents that truly love me unconditionally and support me 100%, you are amazing role models as my parents, and I too vow to love and support my daughter this same way.......even if she comes home w/ pink hair and a nose ring. :) Thank you mom for jumping at the chance to travel with me, and thank you for getting your passport, immunizations, reading our Travel guide from LMI, sharing my story with your friends, learning how to Skype, saving up the needed money to travel, purchasing her top of the line car seat, and flying over the ocean for your first time, despite your fears, to bring home our baby! Thank you to my most amazing sister, my best friend, and my travel companion on our return trip to pick up little baby Kazarina. And thank you to my little brother Matt for continuing to touch base and ask how my journey is going, I know that I also threw you for a loop with my choice to adopt internationally as a single mom, and I truly appreciate your support! Our little girls are going to just love each other!!!! This is an adventure for all of us, and I am so thankful that you are not only supportive but just as pumped as I am about adding this mysterious little girl to our family.

Oh yeah, I forgot to add that this Thanksgiving I am spending it with my best friend Angie's family here in Big Lake, they are an Italian family and tend to really 'Do Up' holidays so I know that it will be a good time; my family is getting together in Colorado, but I just don't want to be too far from home right now. :)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Big Day

This morning I have a 9:30 appointment at the County Courthouse to have my car seat installed in my car. Crazy! I can't believe that I will now have a car seat! It feels awfully strange actually. I am sure that it will take some getting used to since I no longer can fold down all of my seats and pop the 2 puppies in the back of the car; give and take hu~! :) I will post photos later. :)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Wish Upon A Shooting Star



Today my mom emailed, and she has wished upon a shooting star for us. Last night, while soaking in her hot tub, mom saw a shooting star, and she is convinced that it was a sign that my LOI is on its' way very soon (she is hoping this week.)

Thank you for wishing on that shooting star for us Mom, I sure hope that it works!! :)

Learning Russian


















I highly recommend this workbook, it teaches you the top 100 words in Russian in an elementary fashion. You get to do word matches, word finds, flashcards, etc. Seriously, it is super helpful. I learned of this workbook from another adoptive mom, her sister actually adopted from Aqtobe too. :)

Lights Out - A Little Bit Of Advice


Okay, so last week, I was up in my bedroom, and the lights started to flicker in my house, within a minute the house went pitch black. I freaked out! I was in my room and didn't have my phone, no battery powered radio, no flashlight, nothing. I locked my bedroom door and stood still, listening to see if someone may be in my home. Nothing. I was not brave enough to even come out of my room, so I tip toed over to my side windows to see if the lights were out around me, and I couldn't tell - was it the moon that was lighting up the streets? And then I saw my neighbor's shadow so I yelled out the window, 'Is your power out too?' It was! Thank heavens! So I scurried down my stairs, still concerned that someone may be in my home and bolted next door to borrow a flashlight. This is the photo of me in my home during the outage, I have candles lit everywhere, my computer screen on for more light. :) The photo doesn't really show well just how many candles I had lit, but it is fun. I will now be purchasing flashlights for my bedroom and Living Areas and will keep a battery powered radio in the house too. Scary!!!! This is when a husband comes in handy! :)

Friday, November 16, 2007

Okay, I am ready to be induced now!

I have officially been paper 'pregnant' for 8 months, 1 week and 6 days, isn't that close enough? If I got my LOI today, I would officially meet my daughter at about the 8 month 3 week mark of my 'pregnancy, that is close enough to a traditional full term pregnancy right?????? Come on Kaz - this mommy is getting a bit antsy. :)

Thursday, November 15, 2007

It Worked It Worked

My mom, a Baby Boomer I might add, is a Tech Goddess! I am proud! Mom downloaded Skype, ordered a USB headset, and actually called me from her computer!!! Who would have thought that was possible even 10 years ago - Crazy! Now we just have to figure out how to conference call, and the whole family can talk at once while I am in Kaz. Too Fun!

Skype Rocks - The Story of 2 Nerdy Friends

One day - not so long ago, okay so it was just today, actually it is right now to be exact - there were these two silly friends, for the sake of privacy, we will call them Christy and Marla (real names to protect the innocent, wait!!!!!!! those were real names) anyhow, back to my story........so these two girls were diligently trying to figure out their Skype headsets, okay so the 'silly' part of the story starts here, they called each other from the same house, now wait a minute, it was actually the same room that they were calling each other from, and it WORKED, Skype actually works!

Hint#1 - No dropped calls when you are in the same room.

And then.............the story takes a bizarre turn, a turn for the worst, code name 'Christy's' mom calls her on Skype, let's call her 'Mom,' now remember, this story is all in real time here, and...............dun dun dun dun, they are connected, Skype works and Christy's Mom is now considered a Tech Saavy Mom, pretty impressive, and then ................ in an instant.........all went silent......... Mom, Mom she says, Mom where are you, what happened? But nothing, mom is gone! This can't be good Christy exclaims!! And then........ring ring, it is Christy's Mom again, calling on her computer, I know, weird hu, but this is totally real, this is a real story here, Christy picks up and indeed Skpye is back up and running and mom is just fine, and wouldn't you believe it, Mom's call is once again dropped. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm - might it be the Mom lives in Yuma, Colorado or does Skpye not Rock????


And the story doesn't end there because a half an hour later, Christy & Marla are still diligently working on their computers and continuing to talk via their Skype headsets while sitting in the same room. Bizarre! Who are these strange women?

And just to prove that this is a real story, the two retarded friends, 'Christy and Marla' are pictured below. Too Fun!

Trouble's with Christy & Mom Skyping, To Be Continued............

I am not 'Bull' shittin' you - 5 days!!

It seems that I may not get a 2 week window between the time that I receive my LOI and the time that I travel. I have been studying another LMI family's blog, they just returned from Aqtobe with their daughter, and they had a 5 day window from the time they received their 'Letter of Invitation'(LOI)and boarded the plane for Kazakhstan. Holy Cow!



HOLD UP - I HAD TO EDIT THIS POST, CINDY JUST POSTED A COMMENT, AND SHE TOO HAD A 5 DAY NOTICE TO TRAVEL TO AQTOBE. HOLY COW!

5 Days? I had to email Anne, my coordinator, to confirm that this was incorrect, but indeed it was not, they had 5 days. Yikes! Luckily, I feel that I could physically be ready for a 5-day notice; my paperwork is all notarized and apostilled, my brand spankin' new money is here, my business is at a good spot - all is at least under control - busy, but under control, my bags are nearly packed, I bought Peanut Butter, I have learned how to say stool in Russian (okay so a little more learning to go there)........hint hint little LOI. :)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

I Broke Down


Yesterday I broke down and bought Peanut Butter for my trip; I have no idea what the rage is about there being no Peanut Butter in Kaz, I am not a huge PB nut. I have heard this so many times, I decided that I best get that Peanut Butter just in case, who knows when it might come in handy. :) Do you really think that it is important that I bring Peanut Butter? Will I truly miss it if I don't bring it? It does weigh a bit, and I don't need any additional weight that isn't 100% needed.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Monday, November 12, 2007

Scroll Down to 'Older Posts'

For all of you Newbies that aren't addicted to other adoptive family's blogs (I put that in there because us 'Adoptive Parents' have a blog addiction, it seems that you can't even go a day without looking at 10-15 blogs looking for updates, possibly we should seek counseling) anyhow, for those that don't know this, you can scroll down to the almost bottom of this page, just before the photos of my nephews, and you will see a small link that says, "Older Posts" to the bottom right of the page, click here and you can read past posts that I have entered as well. :) How was that for a run on sentence!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

This is Appalling!



The first onesie was so uncalled for that I just had to pick it up! I love it, in a very inappropriate way! :)

The second one I just loved and had to post, she doesn't have much choice on this one. ;)

Does it get any better?


Every day I do a little more to get ready for the little one, today I washed some clothes and worked a bit more on my Baby Shower online. As I walked into the Laundry Room, I saw the little clothes folded on my dryer and thought, 'Does it get any better than this?' :)

Thanks Sandi


So, Last night, I boiled all of my nooks and the nipples to my bottles - thanks for the heads up on boiling the bottle nipples too Sandi, I would have realized that later down the road, really I would have. :) I also discovered that I purchased 2 Latex nooks, which according to Consumer Reports, is a no no, so yesterday while Baby Shower shopping, I picked up 4 more Silicone nooks. :)

Saturday, November 10, 2007

We Are Registered!!!









Well, after 9 hours of shopping, we are now registered at Pottery Barn Kids, Babies R Us, and Target. I must say that my Consumer Reports 'Best Baby Products' book was a great help since this is my first time shopping for baby stuff; it gets quite overwhelming looking at 15 types of nearly everything. Most of the big stuff has already been purchased, but the little stuff sure adds up quickly too. :)

Regarding my Baby Shower, Angie, Sherree and Marla will be helping to get that together. Thanks a million you guys, I can't wait! We plan to get a bit loopy at my Baby Shower, just because it is so wrong. :) Who can drink at their baby shower? Either you are pregnant or possibly breast feeding, but nope, not me, I will be ready for a glass of wine or four. :) This will be one of the last times that I will feel comfortable getting a little loopy with friends because when my little Kazarina (Shannon's idea for a name, so I borrowed it until I have her 'real' name) comes home, mom needs to be ready at any time to meet her needs and take care of her. :) No wine for me! Our plan is to have the shower between my first and second trip to Kazakhstan, so I am thinking that might be sometime in January possibly?? Once I find out my definite travel date, it would be ideal to plan the shower 6 weeks from the day that I leave. Just a little fyi for friends and family. :)

For those of you that would rather shop online, you can go to potterybarnkids.com , target.com , or babiesrus.com and just go to registry, pull my name (Christy Simon - hehe) and all of my selections will be there for you. :) Even if you want to shop in the store, you can go online and print off my registry and decide what you like best before getting completely overwhelmed once you get to the store. :)

My selections at Pottery Barn were mostly bedding and storage related, I love the colors there and picked out a couple great sheet sets(need these), a sweet hooded towel (absolutely love this), green clothes hamper / bin (super cute!), another fuzzy diaper changing cover, Boppy and Boppy cover (would love to get), etc. I love Pottery Barn and my nursery colors are all centered around their shades of Pinks and Greens. :) It is fun because when you go online you get to see the photos of some of the items right on my registry list. :)

Babies R Us is where I did the bulk of my shopping, so if you live in the Twin Cities, the Maple Grove store rocks! I can't even begin to list all that I registered for here, but here are some specifics: Diaper Champ (double recommendation - Patrick & Eileen and Consumer Reports), Summer Infant Secure Sounds Monitor (Consumer Reports Recommendation), Huggies Supreme (my sister's recommendation), Especially for Baby Electric Bottle Warmer for the Nursery and a second First Years Fast Heat Travel Warmer for my car, Convertible Bath Tub (with a non-skid bottom, drain plug & contoured design), Boppy & cover, Birp Cloths, Snack Containers, Car Seat Protector, Ultimate Wipes Warmer, Halo Sleep Sacks (Consumer Reports), Hospitals Choice 3 in 1 Thermometer (Consumer Reports), Baby View Mirror, Desitin, Sateen Crib Mattress (allergy free), Keep me Dry Quilted Pads, some toys, Board Books - Eric Carle & several others, Dreft, Wash clothes, Sensitive Wipes, Powder Formula Dispenser (Cousin Stacy's Recommendation), Pantry Feeding Center, Dishwasher Safe Basket, Stacking Cups for the Bathtub, Changing Pad Cover (I am told that I need a couple) and a Jumperoo. :) If you go online you will also see many photos of the items that I have registered for, it is a great!

And lastly I registered at Target too, but I really didn't register for a ton here. Because I had registered for so much at Babies R Us I didn't want to double up too much. At Target I actually found two swings that I liked, but I only registered for the Graco Lovin' Hug Swing, this swing holds up to 31 lbs which is the best that I have found. :) I double registered for the same Jumperoo, my nephew loves his, so I figured that I best put this on my list. :) Other than that, I registered for additional Dr. Brown's Bottles (Brother & Past Client's Recommendations), Huggies Supreme Diapers, Sensitive Wipes, Aveeno Lavender Baby wash and lotion (Lady at Wal-Marts recommendation), a couple pair of super cute little boots, a musical gym, alphabet blocks, Board Books, a Veggie Tales DVD and a Musical Choo (super dooper cute toy train w/ animals - love this little toy).

I didn't register for any clothes, as I think that I am set in this department. Have you seen her closet? The girl is stocked up! :) Slowly but surely it is all coming together.

Baby Shower

Today is a fun day, I am going to go register for my Baby Shower at Target, Babies R Us and Pottery Barn Kids. I have finished my Consumer Reports book and am ready with my list. I can't wait!! Believe it or not, I have decided to go out in public in tennis shoes (I call them tennie shoes??), it is crucial to be comfy all day, so I am forgoing my normal boots w/ a heal and dressing for total comfort. haha sounds a bit girlie, but I just hate wearing normal shoes, I feel so darn short. :)

But first I am stopping at Carribou for a Latte. :)

Friday, November 9, 2007

Am I Truly In Safe Hands?


Today I spoke w/ Kim, my personal contact, at my local credit union; I must say that I love my credit union, so if you don't belong to your credit union, chop chop! Anyhow, all of my brand new money came in today. :) Big Huge Smile! All crisp, clean, no rips, tears or wrinkles money. Perfect! So this is just one reason that I like them so much, because they truly care about me as a client, and secondly I truly appreciate that they are truly concerned for me. Kim wanted to be sure that I was not being taken advantage of and that everything with this adoption was on the up and up. She said, "I know that you are smart, and I know that you did tons of research, but we are a bit concerned about you because this is such a strange request." I must admit that if I hadn't researched my butt off, talked w/ other adoptive families and read so many darn blogs, I would be super leery if someone came to me asking for $24,000 in brand new $100 bills. It is a weird request, and I must admit that when Kim asked if all was okay as this seems like a shady request, I started to question the weirdness of it too. :) And I know it is just the way things go in the adoption world.

I do have a question however, is this rule the same when adopting from other countries? If you adopt from China, do they ask you to bring brand spanking new cash too? Are there adoptions from other countries where you don't have to carry the cash on you? This is the one thing that most freaks me out about this entire journey, to travel with this amount of cash on me to a foreign country where people quite obviously know that I am traveling to adopt and have this money on me freaks me out! I know that much of this money is given to my coordinator the moment that I step off the plane in Almaty, but not all of it, just a bit freaky. I best quit posting on this topic or my mom will get too nervous as she reads. :)

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Comments................Please :)

I enjoy reading everyone's comments on my posts, thank you so much for taking the time to comment. :) Every time you comment, I am forwarded an email that lets me read your comment to my posts on this blog, and it just brightens my day! For those who are following my journey but have not yet posted any comments, please take a minute to try to leave a comment. Just scroll down and at the bottom of each post you will see a little green link that says, "Comments." Click on that word and just leave me a comment, you can also read other people's comments here too. Hopefully you have written down your user name and password because it may ask for that when posting, and then again, sometimes it doesn't ask for it. :) I will especially love to read your comments when I am overseas!

Dreams Do Come True - My Heart


This morning I realized that not everyone understands what a passion I feel towards this adoption. Can you believe it? Not everyone understands me, Christy. :) This is what I was put on this earth to do, to adopt this little girl, I truly believe this. This adoption is my heart. This is the path that God has always intended for me. He knew that I was to be single at 31, he knew that I was meant to seek out adoption and he has led me to Kazakhstan for a reason. He knows my daughter. I have so much faith in this experience, in this journey. I can't explain it to people, some people just don't understand how I could be so drawn to adopt a child. My heart is so full right now. Don't you yearn to have a child biologically some people ask? Nope, at least not right now, right now I yearn to adopt this little girl. We need each other. This morning I thought that same thought, that 'we need each other,' and for a minute I felt like that high school girl that gets pregnant just to feel loved and to be able to love unconditionally, and then I had such peace in that at 31 I am allowed to feel this. This is a normal feeling. It is darn okay to yearn to be a mom at this stage in my life, and it is also darn okay to move forward on my own and bring this little girl into my world. I have so much to offer! I do want to love this little girl so unconditionally and she deserves all of that unconditional love, I am old enough, I have experienced enough to make good decisions for myself and the start of my family, I am educated, I am not making a rash decision. I sound like I am trying to convince someone here, but I am not, these are just facts. Okay, maybe I want to convince myself a bit, but that is just a bit. This is all so crazy to me, that I am actually doing it, that I have actually allowed myself to start this journey and that I am actually going to truly follow my heart's dream and adopt! This is a decision that I have dreamt of for so many years, I knew that I would adopt. I always worried that my husband wouldn't support my dreams of adoption, it just seems that there is more hesitancy from those darn boys. I do have to admit that I wish that I had found that perfect someone (and maybe I have but life has just found a sneaky way of getting in the way), I wish that I were happily married, and I wish that I could offer this little girl an amazing father, but that will have to come down the road for us. Who knows, maybe it will happen sooner than later, God only knows the answer to this one. And then again, maybe we will be our little family forever. I could go up on a soapbox right now about marriage versus the blessings of being single, but as Kristi would say, I digress. :) At any rate, I would love to adopt a second little one some time down the road, siblings are amazing. Adoption has always been my dream and dreams do come true!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Proud Momma



Nope, No LOI yet, but I do have to post a 'Proud Momma' photo of my littlest one Diesel. :) This past weekend, Diesel and I journeyed over to South Dakota to meet my dad, sister, brother-in law, nephews and my aunt, uncle and cousin (and her 3 little ones). I had to include everyone in there ya know (MN talk there - yah ya know you betcha), anyhow, look at the little man with his pheasant wing. :) Isn't he so cute! This was Diesel's first time actually hunting, and for his first time, I would say that he did pretty good. He wouldn't pick up the bird yet, but he sure chased them like he was on a mission, but he let the momma dog Shilo retrieve the actual bird. Isn't he so handsome!!!! It was a fun trip, my dad brought Shilo and Nitro, Diesel's mom and brother, and my sister brought up Sera, Diesel's sister. Wouldn't you know it, Diesel was the biggest one and both his brother and his sister tried to kick his butt, and if we would have let them, they would have. My dog is a puss! And I love him all the more for that!

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

There is Another New Mommy in our Midst




Today, November 6th, 2007, Suzanne is officially starting her adoption journey to meet her little Kyrgyzstan baby! Yahoooooo! I remember back to January of this year when we were both sitting in our Living Rooms with our glasses of wine, crackers and cheese, with fireplaces roaring diligently researching adoptions on our laptops. How many hours do you think we researched? How many emails did we share? How many emotions did we experience? How many glasses of wine did we drink? Oh - ooops, wasn't supposed to type that one. :) Thank you for being such a wonderful friend throughout my journey. I have always looked forward to your emails and am super pumped that you too are now able to start your journey! I can't wait for our daughters to play, for us to come see you in California, and to follow along on your journey to find and meet your little one. Congratulations on your great news today!!!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Pacifiers


Just reading my Consumer Reports book again, and found this to be a good hint: Before you use a new pacifier, boil it for 5 minutes to remove any chemical residue. After that, wash your baby's pacifiers often with warm soapy water by hand or in the dishwasher and squeeze the bulb to remove excess water.

Friday, November 2, 2007

The Nursery.........So Far






Well, here it is, the nursery. :) We are still working on it, but at least if I received my LOI tomorrow (hint hint), I wouldn't stress too much about the current state of the nursery. I ordered her name (or at least I think it will be her name) in sweet white cursive letters from Upper Case Living, that will go above her dresser / changing table. I also want to put up some black and white photos from our trip to Kaz, but other than that, I am pretty simple in my taste, so here it is! :) No traditional mobile I decided, instead, a delicate butterfly mobile that hangs from the ceiling just above her crib. No bumper, Consumer Reports told me not to, so I have listened. As one of the other adoptive mom's said, "Her crib looks quite bare right now, but when she comes home and is sleeping in there it will be the cutest crib ever.........even w/out the sweet bumpers, quilts and stuffed animals." Her quilt is being finished up by her Aunt Becky, and I cannot wait to see it!!!!! :) Becky and I went material shopping in Iowa and I am super excited to see how our picks came together. I think that I will be bringing back her hot pink curtains and exchanging them for the lighter pink dupioni curtains, the hot pink seems to just be a bit too hot. ;) I also ordered the phrase "Heaven's Gift" in chocolate brown to put on the outside of her bedroom door, so when I look down the hallway from my room and see her little room with 'Heaven's Gift' looking back at me. :)

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Oh Little 'LOI' Where are You?

Thank heavens that I am a patient person and that I have faith that this wait is meant to happen for me / for us; my daughter must not yet be ready for me, thus I am waiting for her until I get that darn letter of invitation.

October 8th I was told that I should travel within 4-8 weeks, and although that time frame is not carved in stone, I am hoping that it was not far off from my reality. This means that I have been waiting now for 3 1/2 weeks, so hopefully in the next couple weeks, I will get that magic 'Letter of Invitation.'

Pray for us! :)

Kicking Ourselves - The Story of One Sad Little Chair



One day there was this sad looking little kid's folding chair, it was covered in old tan 70s vinyl with little cream flowers. The cushion on the chair had a rip and the metal was beginning to rust, it was so sad, nobody loved this little chair. And then one day Marla, a good friend of mine, rescued that little chair from a garage sale. Seeing the potential, she brought it home to me. Gosh, what a great friend........for saving the chair I mean, not for bringing her garage sale find home to me. :) Cheap skate! And who would have guessed, I too saw the potential in this little chair and was excited to give it a new, much happier, little life. Off I went the next day to find the perfect fabric to recover the chair. Purple was a must as the chair came from Auntie Marla, and Marla is a purple fanatic. Waaaala, the perfect material was found, and a new little charming chair was born. Check it out! We totally HGTVed that chair! I would have to say that Marla and I deserve a t.v. show now...........and then here comes the 'kicking ourselves' part......we never took a photo of the sad little chair before her complete makeover. Shoot! Just try to imagine a sad little vinyl chair and then look at our new sparkling purple polka dot chair. It rocks!

Izaak, Elijah & Ty 'Bear'

Izaak, Elijah & Ty 'Bear'
Cousins (Izaak wants to name my daughter (his cousin) Isabella, Sant (for 'Santa') or Hershey (his friend's dog's name.) Hmmmm I told him that if we name her 'Hershey,' that would mean that we get to give her a lot of kisses.

Kolter Matthius Simon

Kolter Matthius Simon
Littlest Cousin......possibly. Kolter may indeed be the same age as his little girl cousin in Kaz. :)