My crazy hubby!

Here is a picture that shows how truly dedicated (and maybe obsessed) he is with flying. He hiked up a big hill and through almost two feet of snow to fly his remote controlled airplane on the airfield by our house. I think the cold got to his brain!

(Note: He used the self-timer to take this shot. I wasn't crazy enough to join him!)

The last of the "Secret Pal" gifts

Well, we just got the last of our secret pal gifts from our no-longer "secret pal" - Lori. She has outdone herself again with this month's theme - pandas. Her little outfit is too cute! Can't wait to see her in it! The stuffed panda allows us to name a star - we just have to think about what to name it. We can't decide! They live in the northwest by all of the lavender - so she sent us lots of goodies from where they live. Can't wait to try them...

Thank You

Well, this past weekend my brother and sister-in-law brought up the crib and changing table (along with my nieces). It's so nice that it is staying in the family. It even matches the dresser and nightstand that I bought for her.

My present to myself was the toy chest/bins located next to the changing table with the hopes of keeping the house cleaner once she arrives. Wishful thinking, I know...


Another thank you goes out to Matt and Mary for the beautiful Asian doll that they bought for her when they were in Japan. She is so sweet!

Next set of matches are in...

Well... it's official! The CCAA has matched families with LID's from December 9, 2005 up through December 14, 2005. As usual, not the stellar amount of days we were hoping. I'm just learning to deal with disappointment. I wish I didn't have to.

Our TV Debut...

Here's a copy of what's written on the WKOW Channel 27 (ABC) website about our TV interview we had yesterday.

Couple's Lengthy Adoption Journey

Deciding to adopt a child is a life changing event. But one Madison couple trying to adopt a little girl from China has found out, it can be quite the paper chase as well. Sue and Robert have been going through the process since July of 2006 and they don't expect to be done for another year and a half or two years. It's a paperwork nightmare for anyone. Luckily Sue is extremely organized and has been able to keep track of all the necessary paperwork. It's a file cabinet worth of papers because documents required for the adoption all expire at different times. But a new law making its way through capitol hill could fix this problem. Right adoptive parents have to complete a home study, which is good for one year. Submit fingerprints which expire after 15 months, and an I-171H form, your favorable determination, which expires in 18 months. As if getting their fingerprints taken multiple times isn't enough of an inconvenience, all adoptive parents in Wisconsin have to drive to Milwaukee to get it done. Sue estimates she's spent about six months filling out all the paperwork and mailing it in. The process to adopt a child internationally is taking longer, even though the number of adoptions is on the decline. Adoptions from abroad have dropped about 15 percent in the past two years. But the federal law requiring that the forms be re-issued at specific times could be changed. H.R. 628 would help families by extending some of those deadlines, and eliminate some of the extra fees. To learn more about H.R. 628 click on the link below http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-628

November's Secret Pal Gift

Well, I just got our Secret Pal gift in the mail today. It is so wonderful. This past month's theme was "Riding in the Car". Now we'll have peace and quiet when I tote her around town...

She has a mattress!

Well, last night I dragged (well, that may be a bit of a stretch) my friend Heather out of the house to have her help me buy a mattress for our daughter's crib. I was feeling shut-in after we got 6.2" of snow on Saturday and just needed to get out. My sister-in-law is bringing over the crib when the family comes in for the weekend. I hope the mattress will fit the crib. If, not, it's off to try again...

Out with the Old and in with the New

Well, it was time to say goodbye to an old friend... my kitchen table that I bought for my loft in Chicago. It had its usefulness, but it just wasn't what I would deem the best choice for a family.


...and time to say hello to our new friend... a lovely oak kitchen table that can actually hold 4 people, plus 2 leaves to fit another 4 more. Yippee! I feel so much better having a sturdier table for when our daughter finally does come home.

Robert's 3rd flying lesson

Yesterday, Robert went on his 3rd flying lesson. Being the brave and supportive wife, I decided to join in on the flight. His flight instructor, Pete, was very kind and didn't have Robert do any major maneuvers so I could also enjoy the ride (which I appreciated). Robert flew the airplane without any assistance and landed the plane twice. He did a great job! Here are a few photos that I took from the back seat. You will notice a few major Madison landmarks, specifically the capital building, lake Mendota and Camp Randall stadium (where the Badgers play football).

While we were away...

Well, while we were enjoying ourselves in Ireland, the adoption world didn't stop. Here is the latest update. Unfortunately, again, they only got through one weeks worth of referrals this past month. We keep waiting not so patiently for a speed-up, but I don't think it's going to happen. We are just in for a really LONG wait. Maybe another 24 to 36 months from now...

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before August 31, 2006. The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before December 8, 2005.

Fingerprints redone!

Well, yesterday we spent the morning in lovely Milwaukee to have our fingerprints renewed. Now we just have to wait for our I-171H forms to come in the mail. Hopefully we won't have to go through this again, but I have a feeling 18 months from now, we'll be doing this all over again!

Thanks mom and dad for a lovely lunch! An extra bonus for coming in to Milwaukee!

Date Night

I've been a bit down lately. The wait seems to be excruciatingly long. They are now thinking that it will be closer to 30 or more months to referral. The CCAA just has not been getting through the dossiers like we would like. Looking back, they have only been getting through around 5 days worth of LIDs per month.

So, I needed a bit of a pick-me-up date night with my lovely husband. We went to see Pixar's Ratatouille (very cute movie!) and then went to an Irish Restaurant - to prepare us for our trip to Ireland. It was nice to get out of the house.

Another bad month

Well, the CCAA has had another dismal month of referrals. Only 5 days worth of LID's. But, it is progress, but not as much as we would have hoped for. At this rate it could be another 2 years before we get our daughter, but I surely hope not. They keep saying that things will speed up. Time will tell...

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before August 31, 2006. The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 30, 2005.

Adopted with Love

I just received this beautiful die cut from Carly, a fellow adoptive mom in one of my chat groups. She was so sweet to send it to about 20 of us. I just about cried when I opened the envelope. I can't wait to use it in my Lifebook for my daughter.

World's Biggest Klutz

Yes, that's me! As I walked downstairs this morning to make myself a cup of tea, I slid down 3 steps and broke my toe! I just got back from getting it x-rayed and I have (to use a non-medical term) a chip fracture. I did this to my lovely 4th toe - which now has a multi-tonal look to it and is a bit swollen (and quite painful, I might add!). They are expecting it to take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks to heal. Bummer! I just hope I'm good enough to walk on it a lot when we take our vacation. I knew I hated our carpeting! Bad, evil carpeting!

World's Greatest Secret Pal

I don't even know where to begin in thanking my Secret Pal for this month's gifts. First, she got us the Yixing Teapot and tea (pronounced EE SHING). She had no idea how perfect it was. I have been collecting teapots for years. This one makes my 30th one! Yes, I had to count mine. This will be a beautiful addition to the collection. I have them from all over the world - and this is my very first Chinese one. The info she sent along with it was so interesting too. Now I know it's history and how to make my perfect cup of Chinese Oolong tea. Yeah! Second, she got us the "Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats" book which is this amazing children's book that talks about Chinese food and culture. I can't wait to share it with our daughter.

Fingerprint Renewal Time!

Well, our I-171H form and fingerprints are expired or are in the process of expiring and it's renewal time! We just got our letters in the mail today from USCIS (Dept of Homeland Security). We are scheduled to get our fingerprints re-done done on October 16th. Thankfully, right BEFORE we leave for Ireland. I was a bit worried that these letters were going to come while we were gone. Well, now we just need to keep our hands moisturized in order to get our "perfect prints." After our fingerprints (or biometrics as they like to call them) are done, we should be getting our I-171H form (favorable determination letter from our govt. saying we can adopt a child) soon thereafter... That is, until another 18 months goes by and we have to go through all of this again (although I hope not!!)

July is out of Review!

Here's the official notice from the CCAA website. As of Sunday night at 10:30 p.m., our dossier made it through the Review Room! Our next step is to wait for our referrals! I don't think they can come fast enough...

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before July 31, 2006.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 25, 2005

Aug/Sept Referrals are in...

Well, some sad news. Today the CCAA posted the cut-off date for referrals for the month. They only matched 4 days! Not exactly a stellar performance. They are now through November 25th. While we all have been aware that November is a HUGE month with lots of waiting families, it's still hard to come to terms with this long wait. We should be hearing any day now that our dossiers will be through the Review Room. Just one more step closer to our daughter...

My Secret Pal

Today I got my first gift from my Secret Pal. Every month from now through December, our daughter gets presents in the mail. Isn't she so lucky! Each month has a different theme. This month was "Fun in the Sun". Today she got two adorable summery outfits and the cutest hats. I can't wait to see her in them.

A break in the storms

Well, we've finally had a break from all the rain that we've been having. Today is day 2 without rain. Yeah! It was so nice to have a little sunshine finally! So, today, Robert could finally mow the back yard, which until today was swampland. You couldn't even step on the ground without it trying to swallow you up whole! Our grass got way too long - it's the longest our grass has ever been. The photos are what our backyard looked like a few days ago, and then what it looks like today. The ducks liked the swampy version...

Not just cute, handy too!

Today, Robert fixed the brakes on my car for me. He just loves to fix things. Now, if only I could have him finish working on the baseboards in our bathroom. It's only been 4.5 years... Some day...

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Today is Robert's 45th birthday! He wears it well! Now, he fears, he's on that downward spiral towards 50. Being politics week, here... I felt he needed a political card as well. He loved it, of course!

Tonight is beer and pizza night (his request) with some friends.

I love you so much! Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Meeting State Senator Fred Risser, D-WI

Well, today I met with Senator Fred Risser, President of the Wisconsin State Senate. I shared my meeting with Anne (my home study social worker). Believe it or not, he spent 1.25 hours talking with us! I found out that he is a father of 3 domestically adopted children. He was so sorry to hear about what we've been having to go through - with all of the varying expiration dates of our fingerprints, I-171H, and home studies and especially the longer than 2 years that we will be having to wait. Since he is on the state level, and not the federal level there is really not much he can do. He suggested that Anne and I write an article and try to get one of our local papers to publish it. He also offered to write letters or to help in any way that he could.

After leaving his office, we headed over to meet Andrea Baglowski - in Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin's office. She is in charge of the fingerprinting and adoption section in the Congresswoman's office. Congresswoman Baldwin is on the Judiciary Committee to approve H.R. 628 to extend the I-171H to 2 years. The one good thing we found out is that our fingerprints will be renewed once for FREE! The USCIS had been so unclear on that, so that was so nice - saves us $160. Yeah! She seemed to think that it would be hard to bring about change, but that's what we all thought about the I-171H's and now we are getting our FREE renewals on those, too. The squeaky wheel is the one who gets things done...

My next stop is to get in touch with the lobby group in D.C. that deals specifically with children's issues regarding international adoption. I have an e-mail out to them already. Just waiting on a response. Wish me luck!

Ma Ma Sisterhood is born!

I would like to introduce our new logo that I designed for my cyber "sisters" who have been instrumental in my sanity these last months - as we are all still waiting for our daughters to come home from China. What started out as a "chat" has now become our mantra - we are all sisters, going thru the same pains of childbirth (albeit, not the normal way and a heck of a lot longer...). This group of about 25 women usually send on average about 75 emails a day! Mind-blowing, isn't it! We are all logged-in during July 2006 and are keeping our fingers crossed that we all get to travel together. For those who don't read Chinese, the characters say "Ma Ma," and the Ma Ma Sisterhood is born! The red thread saying is a saying picked up by the adoption community, stemming from an Ancient Chinese belief.

If you'd like to check out our "Ma Ma Sisterhood" gear, see my CafePress store.
http://www.cafepress.com/blackkatstudio

Happy 18th Birthday!

Shayna enjoyed an extra treat and catnip. What more can a kitty want!

CCAI July 06 LID - Madison contingency

It was a wonderful breakfast this morning with Lisa, Davis, and Lily. We are both logged in during July 06 (they are one week ahead of us) and are with the same adoption agency (CCAI). Hopefully, we will get to travel together. Keep the fingers crossed!

Mary and Maddy

Thank you Mary and Maddy for coming this weekend. Here Maddy is showing her mom the proper technique to fishing in the creek in our backyard. We finally had water after 3 or 4 weeks without a drop of rain.

Our new stroller!

Well, I finally made our first "big" purchase for our daughter. I just ordered online a new stroller (Peg Perego Aria MT Single Stroller 2005 Metallica). It is actually almost the same one as the 2007 version, but half the price! Yeah! It is even RED. I am so excited to get it! The car seat we'll wait on until we know how big she's going to be.

Congratulations Joel!

Today I went to Milwaukee to watch my brother Joel finish off his Super Week bike races. It ended on a great note. He took 20th place, which meant he actually got paid! (albeit not enough to cover the cost of the race, but paid nonetheless). Great job, Joel! My mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, and my cousins Lisa, Rob, Abby, and Ryan were all there to cheer him on.

June is out of review!

Well, we are getting so close! They just finished the reviews of June 2006 dossiers and we're next! I can't even believe it. We are getting there. It's just too exciting for words.

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before June 30, 2006. The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 14, 2005.

One Year Down, More To Go...

Well, it has officially been one year since our dossiers have been logged in at the CCAA in China. On the one hand, the time sure has flown by, but on the other, the wait has been excruciating! Right now they are saying that the total wait time could be up to 3 years. I hope not, but at the current pace the CCAA has been placing children with their families, this could be what we're looking at. I try to be optimistic about all this, but some days it's just so hard. I see all the children of my family and my friends, and I think, "when is it going to be our turn?" I hope to say that "our turn" comes in the next year, but I just don't know... It's the not knowing that is the most painful part. I know our daughter is coming - I just wish it was today and not some tomorrow in the future.

To mark today's occasion, Robert and I went to a very nice restaurant and looked out onto Lake Monona and had a really nice dinner. I guess this is the time to cherish our alone time together before our daughter arrives. But, I would rather our lives be crazed with a lovely little girl who exhausts us completely on a daily basis.

I already miss our daughter, and I don't even know who she is yet...

Getting to meet Rachel

Well, my day began yesterday shopping with my friend, Kris, who's also adopting a little girl from China. She bought a crib (very nice convertible crib) and I bought the cutest pair of Robeez with pandas on them. See below. A girl can never have too many shoes! Now she has her airplane shoes that make her daddy happy, and her panda shoes that mommy couldn't resist!


For dinner, I met our friends Darrell and Deborah who just came back from China with their daughter, Rachel (Rui Rui - pronounced Ray Ray). She's 2 and doing very well. She's only been home for 2 weeks. She was amazing especially since she had spent all day at the doctor's offices. Poor thing. And I shouldn't forget about their son, Alex who was also stuck waiting at said hospitals all day. Also in the group were Heather and Dustin who are about 6 months ahead of us in the adoption process and also live in our subdivision. Yeah! Play dates! And of course, Kris, who is about 6 months behind me and helped me spend my money on our shopping date... many more of those to come.

Doctor's Park

Firstly, I'd like to wish Debbie a Happy Birthday today! Happy 21st, again...

Yesterday, I went to Milwaukee to see my brother, sister and their families since everyone was in town. Yeah! I got to spend some really nice quality time with my nephews. We went to Doctor's Park and played on the beach. Joel and Debbie had their rock skipping contest. Debbie won! Tommy enjoyed the water and chasing butterflies. Billy had fun kicking the beach ball around, running into the water and beating up on his big brother. I miss them already!


Right now, Joel and Ellen are on their way to New York City for 5 days. Hope you're enjoying!

Mom, thanks for the yummy Faijitas! Dad, sorry you had to work. I miss you!