The Brown Envelope

Yesterday in the mail we got the "Brown Envelope" from the US Embassy in Guangzho. The USCIS and Dept. of Homeland Security has approved our petition to adopt an overseas orphan. This is just a renewal of our earlier "Brown Envelope" that we received initially when our dossier went to China. I'm sure we'll be getting one more of these yet to come...

Next round of matches are in...

The CCAA has finished matches thru December 27, 2005. They went through 8 days of matches this month. Not great, but better than last month.

Onto some great news, our friends Heather and Dustin got their referrals today (their LID: 12-22-05). They were referred a 2 year 3 month old BOY. Yes, a BOY! He is absolutely beautiful! I got to see his referral photo when we (Heather, Dustin, Kris and myself) met for dinner at Pedro's this evening. I am so happy for them. Now they are waiting for his medical checklist and their TA (travel assignment) which can be any time in the next 5 to 8 weeks.

I Was Tagged

I was tagged by Welcome to the Happy House

~The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours.
~Post the rules on your blog
~Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself
~Tag random people at the end of your post, linking their blog
~Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

1. I love to paint children's artwork and created a huge (24 x 36) alphabet painting for our daughter's room.

2. I am obsessed with international travel and would like to say that I've visited every country on the globe (with a few exceptions). To date I have visited: Great Britain, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Thailand, Mexico, Belize, and Canada.

3. My office is bright orange and makes me feel happy.

4. I love to cook and not clean. (I blame part of it on my allergy to dust and the rest on my too messy hubby.)

5. I consider my cat as my first born daughter (she's 18 now...) and she's definitely a mama's girl.

6. Purple is my signature color. I always have a purple bathroom and carry a purple purse.

7. By the time our daughter comes home, I will probably be on Social Security! (or so I will feel...) Thank g-d for beauticians who hide it well!

I am tagging...
This Angel Child of Mine
Cote Check
Forestgirl

The newest member of the family

No, it's not a human or a pet. It's my new Mac Pro that I got today. The mac store had been trying to fix my old computer for the past 1 to 2 weeks to no avail. So, they upgraded me to the latest and greatest mac - the Mac Pro. I am using it now and love it! It's the new 8-core Intel based mac. What's not to love! The best part, it only cost me the initial repair cost. Now that's something to celebrate!!

Today's Bargain

Well, I know I'm a bit early in buying a diaper bag since we probably have at least 2 more years to go, but when I was at Target doing some shopping I found a Skip Hop diaper bag on clearance for $20. How could I pass it up?! (See bag below). It can be worn over your shoulder or attach to your stroller. It is even red - an important color in China. I will eventually also buy a packpack style one, but that one can wait a while...


I would also like to share a pix of my beautiful kitty. Her health has been deteriorating lately. But, she is like my first-born daughter... It will be sad when her time will come. She will be dearly missed.

Charting the bad referral history of the CCAA

Here is a chart that one of my "MaMa Sisters" created trying to figure out some sort of an estimate as to when we would get our referrals (The magic day when we get to see a picture of our future daughter. Travel is around 5 to 8 weeks later...). This chart is based on her LID of 7-22-06 (ours is 7-14-06).

Remember: this is only an ESTIMATE. It could be worse, but hopefully better than this... Keep your fingers crossed for us and say lots of prayers!

When will the bad news end?

Well, it's another bad day in the adoption world. They only matched December 15 through December 19, 2005. ONLY 5 DAYS!!

We thought all the slowdown was going to end when they got through the November 2005 dossiers, but were we wrong! At this rate, who knows how many more years we are still going to have to wait. 3 years? 4 years? I try not to think about it and get on with our lives. Better have a few more "last vacations alone" lined up...

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!