REFERRALS!

Forever families were created this past week. Several families just received their referrals and I thought I'd share the good news and excitement!

www.salsainchina.blogspot.com --double the excitement!
http://www.babyjellybeans.com/web/do/site/home?ID=61815
http://www2.caringbridge.org/canada/donnelly/photo.htm
http://www.linktolia.blogspot.com/
http://www.caringbridge.org/mi/korriesue/

These are just a few to get you going. Man...it's exciting, but it makes the wait seem forever away!

Just making it girlie!

Well, we added curtains to the nursery for the extra added girlie touch. A big thank you to Robin for them too. We both think they look very very pretty.

Stay tuned later this week for pictures of our new stroller we bought. There will also be another post with links to family websites that received their referrals last week!!

Abby Miles

Praises

• We have added three more miles to our "Miles of Love" to Abby! Only 492 more miles to go! *Only said with a slight tinge of sarcasm*

• The next batch of referrals should be coming in at the end of the month! I'm so excited to see more families united with their beautiful children!

• We are going to enjoy a great dinner on Friday night with a couple from our local adoption group that received their referral a few weeks ago. They will be traveling to bring home their daughter in just a couple of weeks!!! We'll keep you posted on all the great details we learn!

Praise/Prayer

Praises

School has started successfully

We added another mile of love for Abby (see sidebar)

We have officially be waiting two months now!

Prayer Requests

A rumor is out there that our wait for Abby definitely will increase, possibly to 18 months. This would put us at receiving her referral (picture/medical info.) DECEMBER 2007.

Please pray for Tony and me.

I'm really struggling with this (even though I know I have NO control over the wait times).

Christmas Eve

Oh my, it feels like Christmas Eve. Not the Christmas Eves as an adult, but the Eves of long ago. The kind where you are getting ready to go to bed, you've left out the milk and cookies, you've checked under the tree one more time, and you're off to try and pretend you'll be getting a good night's sleep. My stomach is all a flutter, my mind is racing, and I absolutely cannot WAIT for school to start tomorrow. I know, I know, I moan, and I groan, but it was all a front. It was just an act so everyone wouldn't think I went nuts!

The reason for all this emotional dribble? I feel like we're finally at the top of the roller coaster. You know, the part where you hear the last click........click.....click..............and you get the first glimpse of the ENORMOUS hill you're about to fly down. I KNOW we have months and months of waiting ahead of us. And I KNOW we have no idea what we're about to get ourselves into with raising a child. I KNOW we're totally not prepared to NOT sleep in any more, NOT just pick up and go, and to NOT be the carefree couple we are. BUT ALL THAT DOESN'T matter! This is it...no turning back now! The only way off the roller coaster is to finish the ride!

The start of the school year means that time will no longer stand still. Our months of waiting will not slowly creep by like the turtle at the top of the screen. They'll fly! August leads to Fall Break (and local town festivals), to Halloween, to Thanksgiving, to Christmas, to Valentine's Day, to Spring Break, to May, to ABBY!

Shoooo, ok, so I so will NOT be this excited a week from now, but come on, jump on the roller coaster with us! Abby-girl, we are coming to get you soon. Hang tight baby girl! Mommy's got a few kids to teach, Daddy's got some City problems to solve, and we'll be there as soon as we can!

Nothing but sweet dreams for Abby-girl

We now have a beautiful crib ready for our Abby girl. (Thanks for the crib, Mom) It was quite an emotional event to finish putting it together. It makes that room seem so different. I can't help but do a double take every time I walk past it. That's the place where our little girl will sleep (hopefully). That's the place she'll feel safety and dream of things to be. It has definitely made our dream of being parents, seem a little closer to a reality.

We finished the crib off with bedding, a baby doll, stuffed animals, and prayer. (The extras will come out once she's home--for safety!) Now we just need a one more thing to make it complete. Please continue to pray for the whole adoption process, for our little girl and her birth mother.

"Weight"ing on Abby

So I was super optimistic that come August 1 Tony and I would have this profound turnaround on our lives and our eating habits. BOY WAS I WRONG. We had an agreement that come August 1, we'd change our way of life. We'd eat better, we'd exercise, just get all around healthier over the next year so that we'd be prepared to take on chasing a toddler. It sounds great right?

We even started a walking program (that we invented) called Miles of Love. It was our goal that we would walk at least 500 miles before we brought Abby home. (One lap around our block is one mile). Anyway, if you've noticed the side bar I even put a place where we would update everyone on our progress. Yeah, well, it hasn't changed from the initial post. We haven't walked any more. Yeah, I'm weak, and lazy.

And on top of that, I think I need to go on Dr. Phil to talk about this food addiction I have. Forget cigarettes, forget crack, forget alcohol.....I just want something fried and/or sweet. I'm not picky, I'm not craving anything specific...just fried, and hot, and greasy...or sweet, I'll take that too.... Go ahead, laugh. I know it has only been 1 1/2 days but man......when you're watching everything you eat and trying NOT to think about food...food is ALL you can think about. It's pathetic.

People have their things...their hang-ups...mine, simply, is calories. Not sure how Tony's doing w/ all this. He doesn't eat really bad to begin with. *sigh* and I REFUSE to let him lose more weight than me....although I know that's bound to happen b/c he's a guy. I'm hoping it'll get better once I get back to school, and we'll find that out in just a short week or so.

Anyway, feeling kind of crappy, and cranky, and hungry, and pathetic. Maybe it's just the withdrawl (sp?)period and it'll get better, right????? OK, well, just pray for us. (yes, I'm even including Tony--see, I'm a good wife) Pray that our cravings diminish and that we start feeling better, even good enough to NOT want that bad stuff. Of course, please continue to pray for our Abby girl. She needs her mommy and daddy to be healthy so we need all the prayers we can get! Ok, I'm going to go NOT eat something now. :)

WOW. We were fortunate enough to be a part of the FTIA (our adoption agency) Family Reunion Picnic last Saturday. This was an opportunity for families brought together through adoption to meet up with their travel groups and reconnect. There were also families there who were adding additional members to their families, and couples just like us waiting on their first child!

Just try and wrap your mind around 2,000 people from all walks of life and from all different countries. There were children from China, Vietnam, Russia, Azerbaijan, India, Guatemala, and others, I'm sure. The children were beautiful! We were just so excited to eat, watch the children play on the carousel, play games and putt-putt, shop at the vendors, and just be a part of something so big and so cool. We pray that we're home from China to take Abby there next year!

We also got a chance to hang out with some of the local adoption group people, and meet our June DTC group. These are the people we'll probably travel with! It was great to put a face with the names on the message boards.

I just want to thank God for providing these opportunities to see just how much adoption is a part of building families. GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Finally, vacation

So just over a week ago, Tony and I got to go on a LOVELY vacation. We could have went anywhere in North America for our last kid-free vacation and we chose Gatlinburg, TN. Not only did we choose Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, we chose the EXACT same cabin we stayed in the year before. If we could do it all over again, we'd choose the exact same vacation spot.

We had a great time just hanging out together, shopping, mini-golfing, site seeing, and auto touring through the mountains. I just LOVE spending time alone with Tony and so this was a perfect getaway. Everyone keeps telling us to soak it up, soak up every minute we can before we bring Abby home. They (and you know who you are) say that everything changes once you have a child, so sleep in, spend time alone, and read. Well, we did all of that on vacation and it was perfect!

The pictures I posted are of the wild turkeys that were outside of our cabin (neat huh?) and the view outside our front door. This also happens to be the view we would see when we woke up and sat up in bed. The windows were perfectly placed!

Anyway, thanks for the advice and we'll continue to enjoy one another as husband and wife, before we switch roles and become mommy and daddy! (I know we'll enjoy one another that way too!)

Adopting Rupert?

Ok, so we're really not adopting a guy named Rupurt (sp?) but last Saturday, we went to a "Waiting Families" meeting with our adoption agency FTIA and the coolest thing happened. After the meeting (no new news by the way) we were driving through Indy with Robby and Allyson and came upon one of the coolest guys ever....Rupert. Do you remember him? He was the guy who won on Survivor. He wore the tie dyed t-shirt. Big bearded guy. He is also the guy who has given most of his time and money to children's charities. What a cool guy! Anyway, the picture I attached is one JUST BEFORE he turned and smiled and waved at me, well, us, but I prefer to think me. Anyway, thought it'd make a cool post. I'll post more on our vacation later :)

Congratulations!

We want to send a big CONGRATULATIONS to Allyson for passing her Praxis teaching exam! We knew you could do it girl! Just think, a few more months, and that's it....you'll be done, and working for the rest of your life! Hahahaha!

Really, you deserve the best with all of your hard work! CONGRATS again!

We love you!

A little insight...

To pass the time, I thought I'd share a little excerpt from the journal that I write to Abby.....

"Good friends of ours, Sarah Latello and Shannon Smith, did something so special for us a few months ago. When I was feeling ultra frustrated with the efforts to become a parent, Sarah began praying and God gave her an image. Well, she shared that image with Shannon, who is an artist, and she drew it for us. It is a picture of God's hands holding a precious baby. Needless to say, I cried very hard when I received it. It was so special.

Well, Abby girl, that picture has changed meanings for me over the past few months. At first, when we hung it outside your nursery, we knew it signified how God had a plan for us and our baby. Now that God has been revealing His plan, the meaning has changed slightly for me. Now I see it as God holding you safely in his arms and hands until we can bring you home."

The Kiros at the top of the picture signifies God's timing. We normally work in Chronos...or things in order, in our timing. Kiros isn't quantity of time like Chronos. It's actually quality of time. It's a reminder that all things come in the quality of God's timing. I definitely need this reminder as our wait time to referral increases.

We're PAPER PREGNANT!

Well, the test came out positive! Our coordinator emailed us to say that our documents were actually delivered in China on June 13 and our LOG IN DATE is June 15. That means, we officially on the waiting list for our baby girl!!!! A Log in Date is the date that the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) officially logs us in to their system of waiting families. For those who don't understand all this adoption mumbo jumbo, this is THE BIG DAY (next to our referral day--but we'll discuss that later), So please celebrate with us. Thank God for the ease we have experienced since we started this process. It's amazing what happens when you just LISTEN to God and act FAITHFULLY.

Just to head off any questions, our wait time is still 11-12 months until we receive our referral (picture and medical information). We'll let you know if that changes.

Thanks to everyone who's helped us build our excitement and who has offered valuable advice. The next chapter in our lives entitled "Waiting" has just started. Please continue to follow along in our journey, because actually, it has just officially started. Also, we need your prayers now more than ever. We're praying for: God's perfect timing, protection of our Abrielle, complete review of our paperwork in China, safety and peace for Abby's birth mother, and quality couple time for Tony and I while we wait.

I just want to thank God for being God. Scripture says, "With God, ALL things are possible." I say, "WITHOUT God, possibilites simply don't exist."

Parent workbook....CHECK!

Just got word via email that our parent adoption workbook completion record was reviewed and given the stamp of approval. They said we had done a good job researching adoption topics and it showed in our answers. We'll just see how much research we've done when we have Abby the toddler wanting to shove peas up her nose! We have SO much more reading to do! Or, can you ever truly prepare for that? HAHAHAH!

By the way, I just want to give a shout out to my cuz, TIFFANY HILL. She is just FAB-U-LOS! She cares so much about her family and will be Abby's favorite cousin T! Tiffany is the most compassionate person I know. And she'd give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. Well, that is, unless she was wearing her TOTALLY 80's Da-sheki (How the heck do you spell that?). She looks too cute in that one to give it up! Anyway, love your family and get some insurance from the best agent around, Tiffany Hill at Harrington Hoch in Richmond.

One foot in the grave!

It's official...I'm old...and I couldn't be happier! We are just patiently awaiting our LID for Abby's paperwork. This is the day we are officially on the books and WAITING. (not like we haven't been waiting already!) Anyway, pray for a FAST LID! I just want to take a second and thank everyone for blessing me with a fantastic birthday. It was chock full of emotions and I loved it. I loved everything from the thoughtful ladybug gifts, to the gift cards, the the willow trees, bath products, to the e-cards, and the phone calls. The list was endless of those who called or got me a gift. I cannot tell you how special you made this day for me. God has blessed me with a loving family and supportive friends and for this, I am thankful, truly thankful. I laughed, I cried, and my heart swelled with love for you all. You'll just never know how much you all mean to me. I love you. Ok, well, I've been emotional enough for one posting. I'll save some for another time when I write a letter to my Abrielle. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness. THANK YOU!

OUR PAPERWORK IS ON ITS WAY TO CHINA!

Whoo Hoo! Charlene, our coordinator at FTIA said that our paperwork was in perfect order and that it would be mailed out TODAY! She said it would be delivered to the China officials ON June 12!! What a BIRTHDAY present for me and Dad! Now, let's hope we get a log in date (LID) by Mom's birthday!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL JUNE CELEBRATION!!!! Abby will be a Junebug! Ok, ok, I need to calm down now. hehehe, Can I get a whooooooooo hooooooooo?

Wow.

I hope you can watch this video.

Enough said.

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/adoption/video/16379

THANK YOU and the Fed Ex Guy

We had a fantastic Friday and Saturday. Have I mentioned we have the best family EVER? We had a garage sale at Robin's on Saturday to raise moolah for Abby's adoption fund, and WOW. We raised $186.00!!!!! It was fantastic! A special thanks goes to Mom and Dad Sadler, Mom Foster, Robin, Renee, Ronnie, Duane, Missy (yummy sloppy joes!), and Allyson (yummy pie!) for all of your help setting up or donating your profits to Abby. And thanks Jarrett for the great play room additions! We SINCERELY appreciate it! As a thank you, Tony has generously offered to wash and wax your cars (except Robin's...it's huge! Just kidding. hehehe) I guess if he's going to wash and wax them, I can at least do the windows! Also, thanks to anyone who purchased items at the sale. You all were definitely contributing to bringing a little girl home to her mommy and daddy! I also want to thank my mom for purchasing our first BIG item for Abby. It was so fun to go and buy the crib! We'll be getting it set up in her room in the next couple of weeks and that will make things seem so REAL! Although we have a year to wait, that crib will remind us that she'll be sleeping soundly in it one day soon! THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM! WE LOVE YOU! Also, we thought everyone would like to know that we sent everything to FTIA on Friday and it will arrive on Monday. From there, they'll review it and send it to the Beijing staff. The exciting thing is that the Beijing staff will then DELIVER IT TO THE CHINA OFFICIALS (China Center of Adoption Affairs-CCAA) ON MY BIRTHDAY! What a GIFT! So, PLEASE pray that FTIA doesn't need any additional documents and/or changes to the current ones. And also pray that we get a super speedy Log In Date (LID). This is the date where China acknowledges our paperwork and logs us in to be officially waiting! The sooner the LID, the sooner we get ABBY HOME! Consider the LID the date of conception! ahahahahah We attached some pictures of the collection of documents, the package we put them in, and the Fed Ex office we took our documents to. The Fed Ex guy was happy to have his picture taken. I called him the "Pre Stork". It was very emotional for us to take this package and send it off. It has been 4 + months in the making and now, it's becoming more and more official. GOD IS GOOD!

Wait, is that a light I see???

LOTS happened this weekend! We got our documents back from the Chinese Consulate all authenticated and written in Chinese. They have a cool red stamp that says something important I'm sure! And.....drumroll please.......Tony finished his workbook! LIFE IS GOOD! That means we're done. Done. Wow. It feels weird to say that. Done. GOD IS GOOD!

I think we're just going to organize everything and mail it in instead of driving it to Evansville. That'll save us moolah on a hotel room, etc. FTIA won't be able to send it all to China until my birthday, but at least it will be in their hands early. Soooooooo look toward the end of June for us to announce our Log In Date (LID). This date is SUPER important because it's the official date China recognizes we're here waiting for Abby. Yes, waiting....and waiting....and waiting....

Speaking of waiting, the latest incoming referrals took about 12 months. So, for now, our wait will be 12 months. That would put us at getting a referral (medical info and picture) next June. Then, hopefully, we'd travel late July/early August. Looks like I'll be missing the start of school in the Fall of 2007! And that is FINE BY ME! Now, this timeframe could change (it was 8-9 months when we started in January). So, instead of praying the process speed up, I'm just thanking God that His timing is perfect. Absolutely perfect. I have to trust in this. As Pastor Gloria said at IDX the other night, we just pray that for every step ahead we take, that God takes two. He's got it all figured out and will shine light on the next stepping stone when we need it!

Oh, and THANK YOU to Mom Sadler and Mom Foster. Abby got goodies this weekend. She got the most ADORABLE little Chinese baby doll. She also got the CUTEST Boyd's bear with a ladybug outfit, AND a Chinese pj set (in pink satin). Both the bear and the baby will probably travel to China with us when we bring her home.

I'll leave you with a neat thought. As you go to bed tonight, send a good morning thought to Abby (if she's conceived) and to Abby's birth mom. When you wake up in the morning, send sleep tight wishes to both of them. Trust me, it'll start your day fantastically, and end it peacefully.

WHEW!

Ok, our documents were submitted to the Consulate on May 22. Our courier emailed to say that she wouldn't email again until she sent them back to us via Fed Ex on May 26. Soooooo, our life will only hang in the balance for 2 more days. Pray that they find everything in order, stamp them, and send them back successfully! Good thing is, God is in control! How do people get through this process that don't believe in God?