Come out come out where ever you are!

Hello blog lurkers!

Now that the new blog is up and running, I'm really not posting here anymore. I'll send the new URL with our referral announcement (hopefully this week!) so if you're on our email distribution, you'll get it then. If you are a regular reader, but you think you might not be on our distribution list (or if you know you're on the email list but want to get to the new blog pre-referral), please email me at journeytonora1@yahoo.com so that I can get you the new URL and password.

If I don't know who you are, I'm sorry, but I will probably not send the URL/password. We are really wanting to be responsible and not post Nora's personal information on the internet for anyone to see. Someday, when she's older, that's a choice that she can make for herself. I hope that you will understand and support our decision. We have gotten so much encouragement and support from our online friends and we're so appreciative! Right now, though, we need to do what's best for our daughter.

Thank you for following our journey to Nora!

Love,
R & J

Just about ready

I've got Nora's blog moved and almost ready for use. When the time comes, we'll be posting her information and referral photo there and I'll shut this one down. The URL and password for the new site will be included in our referral email announcement, so keep an eye out for that.

The RQ site/forum has been down most of the weekend and of course our agency is closed for the holiday, so I don't know anything new about the status of this month's matching, how many days might be included or when referrals are expected to arrive in the US. I would love for it to be this week, but it's probably more likely that it will be next week. Not necessarily a bad thing, because I've got a squidzillion things to do!

Have a great Memorial Day! Hope it's as sunny and beautiful where you are as it is here!

Pardon the mess...

I'm in the process of moving this blog so that we can better secure it once we receive our referral. I've explored a few options and have decided on the approach, but it's going to take a few days because of all the moving-around that needs to happen.

I think that the first thing you'll notice will probably be some flakiness here. Some of the graphics that I've used on this blog (most notably the background pattern) have been saved on the server that is hosting our family website. Since that site is moving to a new server, I fully expect that the file for the blog background will be deleted within the next 24-48 hours. I'll try to get it back, but if that becomes too big a hassle I'll change it to a solid color and leave you with this memory of the polka dots.

Packing list challenge #7 - baby meds

I haven't written about the packing list challenge in a while and slacking off is only part of the explanation. I skipped the March challenge (caretaker/orphanage/government official gifts) because our agency provides guidelines by province. I want to follow their guidelines, but it means that we can't purchase gifts until after we receive our referral. I consider this sort of an excused absence.

April's baby meds challenge was doable, though -- and even prompted me to find a pediatrician! Part of what I discussed with her in our first consultation was travel meds for Nora. I know that a lot of people take antibiotics with them to China, but I was concerned about this, mostly because I don't believe that I am qualified to diagnose a bacterial infection and I know that improper use of antibiotics is partly responsible for drug-resistant "super bugs". We talked about this for a while and agreed that the human body, if well cared-for, is amazingly capable of healing itself. What I will carry are Elimite (a prescription for scabies, a kind of louse prevalent in orphanages), hydrocortisone cream (to relieve itching due to scabies), pain reliever, and not a lot else. If Nora is sicker than that, she needs medical attention anyway.

Here's my list-to-date (all over-the-counter, except for the Elimite) and a photo of what we've got so far:

• Aquaphor for eczema
• Little Noses saline drops
• Neosporin antibiotic ointment for cuts/scratches
• Benadryl
• Bulb aspirator
• A&D ointment
• Digital rectal thermometer
• KY jelly (assume this is for the thermometer)
• Adhesive bandages
• First aid tape
• Gauze
• Alcohol wipes (not shown)
• Aveeno hydrocortizone cream for eczema or itching due to scabies
• T-gel shampoo for cradle cap -- do I need this?
• Baby Tylenol
• Baby Motrin
• L'Occitane lavender wipes (as bug repellent, not shown)
• Orajel (not shown - we have a couple of different kinds, in a couple of different flavors)
• Children's ear planes (for ear pressure on the plane)
• Children's sea bands (for motion sickness)

Still needed:

• Elimite
• Echinacea
• Pediatric electrolyte powder
• Baby sunscreen
• Small scissors

Ok, give it to me straight. Too much stuff? Not enough? (I have a bias toward thinking it's too much)

Also, I have a funny husband story to share. Rob and I were talking this evening about the possibility of being referred twins and what our second name would be. We have an already-agreed-upon second name -- or so I thought -- but Rob seems to think that all names should be nickname-able. I disagree. I didn't like either of his suggested nicknames for our second girl name and I think a really good name stands on its own. So, I asked Rob what nickname he thought he'd use for Nora (which I consider non-nickname-able). His answer: "No".

Score: Rob 1, Jennifer 0.*

*notice that Rob goes by a nickname and I use the name that my parents gave me, just thought I'd point that out.

Operation family dinner - week 2 status report

This week our meals came from Moosewood Simple Suppers and Veganomicon. Everything we made was fantastic, although I should mention that the Veganomicon recipes are somewhat more involved and not all suitable for weeknight meals (i.e. take too long to make).

This week's dinners were:

• Seitan Piccata with Olives & Green Beans (I made my own seitan using the recipe in Veganomicon and it was wonderful!), served with mashed yukon gold potatoes.
• Rustic White Beans & Mushrooms and Tomato Couscous with Capers
• Greek Salad (a different one than last week)
• Mexican Polenta Stuffed Peppers (made a TON - we are still eating leftovers)
• Potato and Kale Enchiladas

We ate out once. I had a seared ahi appetizer with salad greens (as my meal). Rob ordered the ahi appetizer too and also a coconut shrimp appetizer. Then we split a chocolate creme brule for dessert. We ate well, but lightly, so it doesn't feel so decadent.

I had also planned on making Sichuan Silken Tofu with Udon Noodles and Pan Asian Slaw, but with the (unplanned) meal out and a bunch of leftovers from the other dinners, we really didn't need it. I'm planning on making it this week instead.

The family dinner project continues to go well - I even lost 3.8 lbs last week, which puts me in first place in the bigger loser challenge we're doing at work. My goal is losing 12 lbs, so at this rate I'll be there in no time! A little friendly competition is a great motivator. So is fear of swimsuit season.

The best dog ever

I know this probably looks Photoshopped, but it is a real photo! Maddie and I were practicing her down-stays and I decided to try propping a book up in front of her. I'm not sure why we have a Golden Retrievers for Dummies book, but it was good for a photo op.

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I also made a scrapbook layout of the photo with Maddie's evaluation from her Obedience II class on Saturday. She got an "Excellent", by the way, and is approved to move on to just about any class we want to take next. The original plan was to do the Canine Good Citizen class next, but we're having such a good time working together, that I'm thinking of signing up for Obedience III or Rally instead.

P.S. The little girl next door told her mom that Maddie is her best friend. Isn't that cute?! Maddie's gonna be great with Nora.

** Paper and elements from Miss Mint/Peppermint Creative Good Dog kit. **

Operation family dinner - week 1 status report

Our first full week of healthy family dinners has been a huge success. The food has been so good that Rob is concerned that it's going to make him fat (even though there's no reason to think that - everything is super healthy and fresh). Five of our meals came from the Moosewood Simple Suppers book and every one was fantastic.

Here's a rundown of the week:

• Easy Egg Rolls
• Southwestern Black Bean Salad
• Sesame Tofu with Spinach and Soba Noodles
• West Indian Red Beans and Coconut Rice
• Greek Salad (not from the Moosewood book)
• Greek Frittata

One night we were rushed and had Amy's Organics microwave dinners. It was still a fairly healthy meal, so I don't feel too bad about it.

I have another new cookbook, Veganomicon, that we'll be trying this week. We're also making a few more recipes from the Moosewood book.

Now my cookbook cabinet is full. I need to go through my old books and get rid of the ones we never use. Any idea on how to dispose of old cookbooks? Maybe I should check if the Animal Shelter is planning another book sale and see if they'll take them.

Life without plastic

I found a great site this evening - http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/

I've been looking for a while for non-plastic dishes for Nora and was happy to have found some more options (the Reed and Barton ones in my previous post seem to no longer be available at the site linked in the post, but you can see them here - click on the word here).

Baby bottles are still a point of confusion. I'd planned on getting the Wee-go bottles, but when I went to the store last weekend they told me they didn't carry them anymore because the nipples leaked. Ugh. I don't want plastic, but I don't want smelly formula dripping all over the place either.

Anyone have any thoughts about ditching the plastic??

New PSE skill - spot of color

This week's Photoshop lesson was making a color photo into b&w and then reintroducing some of the color. I did a little still life of the stuff on top of our office armoire. Isn't this the coolest thing?! I think there are some great possibilities for using this technique with baby photos.

I also learned to make my own patterned paper. I made a dot and a plaid, which I used in a layout with the photo above. Really, though, the photo is the star.

Love my Photoshop class!!

Back to bottles ... and an apology for the crabbiness!

So, my mom read the last couple of posts and made the following comment on the phone today, "You're right, you were crabby, but I didn't want to say anything." Gosh, I admitted that at work, but thought I had done a better job hiding it on my free time. Guess not. I'm very sorry to everyone who may have fallen victim to my crabbiness. Especially Rob and my Mom. If I should ever turn crabby again, just tell me to snap out of it!

As of now I have chosen to use my personal energy for good rather than crabbiness. Among the many things on my to-do list:

1. Finish pre-work on referral announcements
2. Work on intermediate digi-scrapping class
3. Learn to use new camcorder
4. Work on baby toiletry/medication packing list challenge
5. Decide on diapers and bottles for Nora.
6. Teach Maddie about her rug

... and, next Friday, NEW FINGERPRINTS! Party on, Wayne.

Update: Oops, and again I forget that I'm supposed to be making a crib quilt for Nora. Thanks, K, for pointing that out!

Getting past the crabbiness

... or trying to anyway.

There's still no final word on the cut off date. Someone posted on the RQ forum that her agency said it was the 10th, but so far she's the only one to have said that and as far as I know no one has received their referral yet. So, we really don't know for sure, but it seems like the cut off is probably 1/9/06. I think that this puts our best case back to June.

Two months for me to worry about what might go wrong. I really need to stay busy. So, I signed myself up for another digital scrapbooking class and I bought a camcorder. I figure I can learn to use it now and get some practice in before the call. If anyone is interested, I decided on the Canon Vixia HF10 (flash memory - sweet!). I have one from the new shipment on reserve at the camera store and am planning on picking it up on Friday.

This is new territory - we've never had a camcorder. Rob's prediction is that I will tap out the capability of our home computer in the first week. We'll see - we just added a terabyte of network storage for photos, etc. Hopefully we can get by with that and the 2.5 year old laptop for a while. If not the Mac - PC war will resume between me and Rob (I'm on the PC side and won the last round, but he makes some good arguments).

Digi-scrapping - learning a new skill

I've started taking a digital scrapbooking (Photoshop Elements) class online at Go Digital Scrapbooking. This is the end of the second week and I think it's going pretty well - I've learned way more about PSE in the past two weeks than I'd picked up in a year of trying to learn on my own with a book.

This is my assignment for this week - the assignment was using selection tools and layers. We were also supposed to create photo borders. The header wouldn't have been my choice, but it is somewhat in keeping with the assignment. I do like the way the bottom portion of the layout with Maddie's boots drying by the fire came out, though. Maybe I'll rework it a little later.

Really, I'm trying to prepare for making Nora's referral announcements, baby book, lifebook and our travel journal. I tried paper scrapbooking a while back and it didn't go very well. Digi-scrapping seems to be much more my thing (and I don't get glue all over the place). Hopefully by the time Nora comes along I'll have gotten the hang of it.

Update 10:29pm - after some more playing, I have what I think is an improved title. What do you think?

Credits: Digital papers from Emma's Smile by Danielle Young

Hmmm... I still think June

The table above is from RQ's latest analysis. I've highlighted the cells including our LID in green. The good case, which never happens anymore, has us in April. Bad case has us in May and the horrid case has us in June. The past several months have been between bad and worse-than-horrid, so it seems that May is a possibility, but June is much more likely. So, I still think June.

Now that our referral is getting closer, we're starting to think more and more about Nora -- who is she, where is she now? This weekend, when we were romping in the snow with Miss Madness, we couldn't help but wonder if Nora is from someplace warm. If that's true, will she like our climate? Will she like water (of course she will - she's our daughter!)? Will she share my birthday (June 30), Rob's birthday (July 14)? We can't wait to learn all about her!

When life gives you snow ... make a snowman!

We've been wanting a little Spring getaway, so when I got an email for Dog Lovers weekend "Up North", we decided to go. It was chilly - 4 below this morning (yikes!), but still fun and Maddie had a ball (photographic evidence below).

I do want you to also know that there are, indeed, people weirder than us. This weekend there was an outdoor wedding at the same resort. Yesterday. Minus 4. Outdoor wedding. Wow. I don't even know what else to say about that.

Aside from the cold, it really was a lovely weekend. Here's my favorite non-dog photo, taken on the drive back this afternoon. This is Lake Superior. Isn't it gorgeous? With good boots, a hat and a warm pair of gloves, it really wasn't bad out at all. We really need to get those snowshoes we've been talking about so we have a fun family winter activity.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Happy Birthday, Gram Louise!

We would like to wish a very Happy 108th Birthday to Nora's great-great-grandmother (Rob's great-grandmother), Gram Louise! If you watch the Today Show, Willard Scott will be wishing her a happy birthday on Wednesday, February 27 in the fourth half hour of the show. Pretty cool, huh?!

Election night traditions

By now you probably know how important I think it is to establish family traditions. Shared experiences are, I think, a big part of what binds us together as family. We have some (and a few of them are really good), but I think there's always room for more.

Election nights are no exception. Rob and I usually go together to vote after work, grab a pizza for dinner, then come home and watch the returns on CNN while munching on a bowl of popcorn.
If at all possible, I stay up until all the results are in, otherwise I could go to bed thinking that Al Gore is president and then wake up to... Well, that's another story.

Our state's primary is tomorrow and we're planning on our usual election day activities. I'm wondering, though, what could make it better (aside from my guy winning). Any ideas?

P.S. I made that little piece of type mask artwork at the top of this post in Photoshop. It's part of my digital scrapbooking practice - if you can't tell, it's pizza, popcorn, an American flag and CNN's election set inside the word VOTE. I lack the patience for paper scrapbooking, so I'm trying to learn digiscrapping. It is quite possible that I don't have the patience for this either. I really like to be good at things right away.

New Years Resolution

I'm not sure if it's really fair for me to give up Diet Coke as a New Year's Resolution, since I technically quit on December 10, but this is hard for me so I'm counting it anyway. I even managed to resist while we were in NC visiting Rob's DC-addicted family for Christmas.

I haven't given up caffeine - tea and coffee are still ok in my book, but the chemical goodness of DC is off limits. I'm also off most other carbonated beverages, but did make an exception for a couple of cans of Canada Dry during my recent bout with the flu. It was better to not get dehydrated than to rigidly stick to the no-carbonation thing. We'll see how I manage when the stress of work returns.

Just a little sad

You know what, I didn't really think that Illinois would beat USC, but I'd hoped that we'd do a little better than this. Still, this season was WAY more than any Illini fan could have hoped for. They should be very proud of their season and really looking forward to 2008!

I'm even sorrier that the CCAA seems to have only matched through 12/19/05 - this was actually worse than the RQ horrid case. Ugh. My current guesstimate for Nora's referral is now - gulp - August. Or later, if they really do stop referrals from May - August due to the Olympics.

Baby girl, I really hope that you're here for Thanksgiving and Christmas - you have lots of people waiting to meet you!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone! Rob and I are very excited for 2008 -- this will be the year that Nora joins our family!

I'm also hopeful that this is the year that Illinois wins the Rose Bowl! We're 2TD underdogs against USC, though -- so go put on your orange and blue and get ready to cheer your hardest for the Fighting Illini in Pasadena!

Click on the console bar above for the Illinois War Chant. I know it's not so politically correct, but it always gets me in the spirit of the game!

The most beautiful diaper bag ever

Rob picked up on my none-too-subtle hints and got me this amazing diaper bag for Christmas.

It's the Skooch Groovy, Baby in Chocolate (sort of looks black in this photo, but trust me, it's a lovely chocolate brown) and it came with a matching changing pad. Of course I can't speak to it's functionality yet, but I can say that it is a great looking bag and seems to be very well made. I can't wait to try it out!

We also got some wonderful gifts for Nora from Rob's sister K and her family who had our name in this year's family exchange. They got her a red (yay!) Chicco backpack carrier, which Rob has already put away on the top shelf of Nora's closet where I can't reach it. They also got her some sporty Christmas jammies for next year, Counting Kisses board book and Tails board book (the Tails book is from Nora's cousin J who is 2). Thanks, J, for wanting Nora to have a copy of your favorite book. Nora is very lucky to have you to show her the ropes!