So many books, so little time...

I've been making good use of my van pool time the past couple of weeks (not that my previous van pool activity - sleeping - was a poor use of time, but this is even better!). First I read our July book club* book, Beyond Good Intentions by Cherie Register. It was a quick, easy, POSITIVE read, which was so good for me. So many of the adoption books focus on what can go wrong, that it is really refreshing to read something that makes you feel that, despite some challenges and mistakes along the way, in the end it might turn out all right.

Then I read Learning the Dance of Attachment by Holly VanGulden and Charlotte Vick. Holly was the speaker we heard back in April. We really learned a lot from that seminar, so I ordered her book from Crossroads. This book did more than just make me feel better, it made me feel empowered to make a positive difference in our child's life. I've reread several parts of the book already and made Rob promise me that he would read it. I consider this a must-read for all adoptive parents. I know that I will keep mine on hand for reference for years to come.

Next up is my library book, Talking with Young Children About Adoption by Mary Watkins and Susan Fisher. I checked this out on the recommendation of C at work and think that I will probably buy a copy to keep, but since they had it at the library I figured I'd go ahead and take it out for a test read.

And if that wasn't enough, in today's mail:

I think I need to take some time off and spend a couple of days reading at the beach. I've got the beach on my brain - this topic comes up at least 2-3 times every day. By the way, I don't only read about adoption. I'm also reading Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, which coincidentally does include an adoption :)

* This is the adoption book club at work.

Feeling...CRABBY!

6 days matched. That wouldn't be bad if there were a lot of dossiers logged in on those days - we *know* that November is a big month, right? But ... the big U.S. China-only agencies do not seem to have received many referrals. I'm now hoping that there were a lot of referrals for families in Canada and Europe. Otherwise, they just did not match very many this month and we still have lots and lots of November dossiers waiting. Unfortunately, I'm thinking that it is probably the latter.

Be the change

Do you remember my lamenting the lack of Mandarin Chinese in our school district? Well I did email the district learning services director asking about foreign language programming at the elementary level. She responded and said that currently our district offers Spanish and German for grade 7 and above, but that their Long Range and Strategic Planning committee was looking into the need for language and cultural awareness at a much earlier age. She said that she would mention my interest at their next meeting and suggested that I share my thoughts with some of the school board members.

That message came last week on the day that we left for the North Shore, so I hadn't responded to it yet, although I've been thinking about it a lot. First I had a big reaction to German being one of the two selected languages, but then decided that it was probably a regional thing. Refocusing on my main objective of getting foreign language in the elementary schools, the next thing to do seemed to be get a list of the school board members and start calling them.

Then today I got a phone call, a voice mail message really, from the learning services director. She said that she has applied for a state grant to investigate offering Mandarin Chinese in the elementary schools and was wondering if I would like to be on the exploratory committee with her. Hmm, let me think about that.... YES!!!!

Aaah

This is an actual un-edited vacation photo. Isn't it lovely? It could be a postcard.

We had a wonderful, relaxing, LONG Memorial Day weekend at the North Shore. So good, in fact, that Rob has declared Northern Minnesota "better than Maui". Good thing for us since it is (1) closer (2) cheaper (3) less-crowded (4) more pet-friendly (5) more kid-friendly. Sign us up for the annual trip and if we should win Powerball tonight, we might just move there.

And for the China a-parents out there... although I do not subscribe to the lucky ladybug thing, I did take a picture of the only one I saw all weekend and it came out quite nicely (after I got the stinking little camera to focus on it). All my pictures this trip were taken with the little camera. I am determined to figure this thing out. Anticipation is key because it is just not as fast as the big camera and I'm having trouble figuring out how to focus manually or focus on a micro object. If anyone knows how to do these things with a Powershot SD900, please let me know. Anyway, here's the obligatory bug shot.

Thank you Secret Pal!

Thank you very much to our Jan DTC Secret Pal! It was Mother's Day in May, so this month's gift was all about me (mostly). She sent bath beads, facial masks, candles, a bib that says "I Love My Mommy" and treats for Abby and Maddie. Thank you SP!!

Maddie will be bringing her new bone on our weekend road trip. It should keep her busy for a while in the car, so really it's a gift for all of us!

Sometimes they turn out really, really well

The women in my adoption book club at work* know how much I worry about being a good parent. It's one of those good-thing-bad-thing aspects of a long wait. Good thing: I've got lots of time to read and prepare for Nora. Bad thing: Most of the books focus on what can go wrong. It can be very discouraging. Raising kids is hard. Not just adopted kids, raising any kid is hard.

Just when I think it's impossible to get it right, something happens to change my mind. This weekend it was my niece's high school graduation. Sometime I'll need to ask my brother and his wife how they did this amazing thing. Their kids are smart, funny and kind. How does it happen? I think it must be good parenting. Maybe I should send Nora to spend some time with them...

* Yes, we have an adoption book club at work! Isn't that cool??!! It's sort of an add-on to the adoption network that J coordinates. Our first book was Are Those Kids Yours? and our second was Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew. Up next is - I think - Beyond Good Intentions. I'd better check on that. The next discussion is in about 6 weeks and I'll have some time to read over Memorial Day weekend.

Not the happiest start to my weekend

I just checked the RQ site and saw that she has some new predictive analysis of referral times. Here it is:

So, it would take a good to very good case scenario to bring Nora home for Christmas.

I guess I don't need to worry about my somewhat reckless use of four vacation days for long weekends this Spring/Summer.

Mad, mad, mad - I'm mad.

Great news - Chinese immersion schools have come to our area!! Bad news - we live across a state line from these programs, so Nora won't be eligible to attend. Not even if we pay tuition. I know. I asked. This STINKS.

I've also learned from a friend that our local school district does not offer any foreign language programming at the elementary level. This REALLY STINKS, not just for Nora, but for all the kids in our community.

Those of you who know us know that moving to the other state is not an option. Long story. Project house.

So I figure that there are two options. Right now I'm pursuing both:

(1) Convince the immersion school in the neighboring state - where we both work, by the way - to let our kids attend if we pay tuition. For the record, Chuck in my van pool suggested that I get a P.O. box in the other state and "fudge" our way in and I deemed this unethical. One karma point for me.

(2) Devote my time and energy to bringing language programming to our up-and-coming school district. I just sent an email to my unwitting victim the district learning services director, offering my assistance in the matter.

Thankfully, I have a little time. I figure that Nora will be able to attend Chinese daycare for 4-5 years until I can impose my will on the world figure things out.

For anyone facing the same problem, here are a couple of resources:

NACELL

Nanduti

and, of course, there's always my favorite book.

Spring is here!

Tonight after work I bought some of my annuals. I just decided this afternoon that I was going to get plants. You wouldn't believe how much it improved my day just thinking about it. Tomorrow evening I'm going to plant.

See Maddie "helping"? She's that way.

The falls

I love where we live. Can you believe that this wondrous site is just a few minutes from our house? We were here both Saturday and Sunday last weekend. It's a great place for walking with Maddie -- and plenty of water for a cool-off swim (for Maddie anyway, the water is still too cold for me). We're planning a picnic breakfast for this Saturday.

Fun in the sun

Thank you new Jan DTC Secret Pal - we love our "Fun in the Sun" gift for Nora!

Our new SP has decided to make her own themes (yay - I love a theme!) and this month is "Fun in the Sun". Hmm, beachtime fun where we live in April - that's highly unusual! This is an unusual year though - we actually did take a walk to the beach on Sunday a full two months before our usual first beach trip.

SP sent Nora the coolest stuff - inflatable beach toys, swim floaties, a frisbee, a pail, a sand shovel and rake, two baseball caps (one pink and one denim with ladybugs - Nora's first ball caps! How long do you think it will be before she has a pony tail to pull through the back?), and *my favorite* sidewalk chalk!

Rob's right - I am a cheap date. All this great stuff and what do I like best? Chalk. Figures.

One more thought

Today is my Mom and Dad's 57th (is that right???) Anniversary!! Congratulations Mom & Dad and Happy Anniversary!! We love you!!

Love,
R & J

Some random thoughts...

I'm sorry, this post is not going to be coherent. I have a lot on my mind.

(1) As many of you I'm sure know, a horrible story of a disrupted adoption surfaced this week. Here's a link. It is at once heartbreaking and eye opening for those of us in wait. If you're a worrier, you should probably not read this (Mom - this means you!), but if you are a waiting parent and are not already following Jen's blog, I would encourage you to catch up with the story. I'm sure this sort of thing does not happen often, but it does happen and we all need to educate ourselves and be as prepared as possible.

(2) AmFam wrote a hysterical post this week. First I laughed Diet Coke out my nose. Then I dwelled over our robbing Nora of her culture. I posted the following comment on AmFam's blog:

Comment from Jennifer Time: April 22, 2007, 11:14 pm
Great post - made me laugh Diet Coke out my nose!
I share many of your feelings about the FCC. It’s disturbing. Here’s my dilemma. DH and I neither are Chinese. We are concerned about robbing our daughter of her culture, but nothing we do is going to be really authentic. Thankfully we have a few friends who are Chinese (some live here, some in China). We will travel to China - I love it there. But… that’s an every couple of years kind of thing. In between, though, what can we do that’s not… well… creepy?

This is such a difficult position to be in. At once we are robbing our child of her culture and pretending to be Chinese. How on Earth do you ever do the right thing?? I want to be the best parent possible. I want Nora to be proud of who she is. I will not dress her up in silk brocade and I will also not wrap her in an American flag. If any of you ever see me do either, please give me a good whack, ok?? Wait -what about the red couch photo??* Should we ditch that? Please advise.

(3) I ordered that book, Learning the Dance of Attachment: An Adoptive Parent's Guide to Fostering Healthy Development, that I wrote about last week. It came yesterday and I started reading it this afternoon. I'm also reading Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew for the Adoption Network book club at work. I'm sure I will have thoughts to share about both.

(4) Holy Cow -- I almost forgot the best event of the week! We received our new I-171H on Wednesday. This one is good through 10/26/2008. I sure hope that we have Nora home by then and are on our way to Carys. Carys will be Nora's Mei Mei (little sister) ... I hope!

*The "red couch photo" is a Chinese adoption tradition. Every travel group has a photo taken of the babies dressed in Chinese clothing on a red couch in the White Swan Hotel.

The "dance" of attachment

Yesterday Rob and I attended a very good seminar about attachment. The speaker was Holly Van Gulden, an author and family counselor who grew up in a family formed through transracial adoption (four brothers I think she said - and this was back in the day when transracial adoption was much more unusual than it is now) and who is an adoptive parent herself.

We learned a lot and came away with some good information about transitioning Nora into our family and promoting attachment and also about talking to our families and daycare providers about attachment issues and what we need them to do to help Nora. I should have bought Holly's book, but foolishly assumed that I could get it on Amazon. Turns out the only way I've found to order it is through Crossroads Adoption (where the co-author Charlotte Vick works). Here's a link to a review on the Adoptive Families website and to the order form on Crossroads Adoption's website.

If you ever have a chance to hear Ms Van Gulden speak, take it! She's outstanding.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing...

I had a much more depressing title for this post, but decided to try to keep somewhat optimistic.

There is a terrible, terrible rumor on the Rumor Queen forum today. Some agencies are telling their clients that only two days have been matched. If that's true it will have taken a full month to move from October 24 to October 26. I'm hoping that the truth is that the CCAA has matched two days of LIDs for those agencies and that it will amount to a week off the calendar. Please.. Please...

I understand that this is outside of my control and that the CCAA owes me nothing, but I really would like to get a little bit closer to our daughter this month.

Mega Mail Monday - Daddy edition

Great news!! Are you sitting? Better sit.

Last week Rob took a class at work - something about thinking on your feet - and one of the other participants made a comment about every child needing to be read Aesop's Fables. So he ordered Nora an Aesop's Fables book!

This is the first thing that Rob has bought for Nora on his own! I think that she is becoming as real to him as she is to me. I so love that he's thinking about reading to his little girl!

P.S. Also in today's mail was a replacement for the first Combi diaper bag that arrived damaged. I didn't post about that at the time because I wanted to give BabyStyle a chance to fix it before I bashed them for sending me a torn up bag. They fixed it. All is well. Shop at will.

Jan DTC Secret Pal - Revealed!!

HUGE thanks to Kim R for being our Jan DTC secret pal! I think that Kim must be channeling my thoughts because she sends exactly the kind of stuff that I would buy myself. The pig plate was especially weird, because I came very close to buying the same plate myself about three days before it came in the mail.

This month's theme was bath time for baby (or something like that) - Kim sent a very cute hooded towel and wash cloth set, farm animal bath squirters, baby bath products (including California Baby calming bath wash!) and a swimming stingray and lobster. The lobster, by the way, is a HOOT.

There were also marshmallow peeps (claimed by Rob, of course) and Panda bookmarks (claimed by me, of course).

... and a chewy bone for Maddie! The picture is of Kim's pugs, Caesar and Louie. They are Maddie's new best friends. She's never met them, but anybody who'd get you a bone and not eat it themself first has got to be special!

Thank you so much, Kim!!

*** Update ***

Maddie LOVED her bone - it lasted about 5 minutes, including time spent deciding where to eat it! Isn't she cute??

Walking the dog

It is a lovely Spring day today - 64 ° and sunny! - and Rob has gone into the office, so I decided to take Maddie on a walk. Oh my goodness. We have a lot of work to do before Maddie can walk with a stroller. She pulls, she's distracted by wildlife (especially squirrels - which she chases) and she doesn't pay attention to me like she should.

We have a gentle leader from our obedience classes, so we started off using that. That experiment lasted about 4 blocks, then I switched the leash over to her regular buckle collar. She needed a lot of correction at first, especially when she spotted a squirrel, but by the end of our walk she was at my knee where I wanted her. She was even good when we passed people she knows and when our neighbor Mason (who's about 7 or 8) passed us on his scooter.

I called Rob when we got home and we've made a pact to only walk Maddie on her leather lead (not the flexi) and really work on her pulling and squirrel chasing. If she doesn't improve, I won't be able to take her on walks with Nora and that would make me sad.

Dec Secret Pal - Revealed!

...it's Kim B! Thank you so much for all the cool gifts and kind words of encouragement. We have really looked forward to opening the box each month - Rob tries to be stoic, but I know he secretly loves all the baby things.

This month's gift was typically wonderful -- a bright rattle, bath squirters and a V-tech ball that will be great for Nora when she's crawling and learning her animals, shapes and colors. Thank you again for everything - you've been a terrific secret pal!

A Sad Day

Today we said goodbye to a good friend...

Our Missy lost her five month battle with kidney disease this morning at 16.75 years of age. Stinky, we'll really miss you and all your sassy, dog-like ways. You've been a great friend and companion to all of us. Someday we will see you on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. Until then, I know you'll have a good time with Tyler, Cody and all the other furkids who are waiting for their people to join them. God bless you little one. I love you.

Gearing up

While I've bought some toys and books and a couple of little outfits, I really haven't purchased any of the baby gear that I know we'll need. No high chair, no car seat, no stroller... I know that we have plenty of time before Nora comes home, but I'd like to spread the expense if I can and avoid the big cash outlay right at the time when we'll be paying for a trip to China. So what I've decided to do is watch the sale sections on all my favorite websites and start snapping up some of these necessities.

This morning I found a Combi Urban Sling diaper bag for $24.99 at BabyStyle. That's an awesome price for a diaper bag and it's stylish and neutral enough (we got the black) that I think either Rob or I could carry it without embarrassment. I'll let you know what we think of it once it gets here.

By the way, the downside of frequenting all these websites is that I find a gazillion other things that I'm not shopping for but can't resist. So, in the box with the diaper bag, there will also be a 12-18 month velour track suit.

Ready for Spring.

After much looking, we've decided on a larger tent!

It's a Columbia Cougar Flats 2-room tent. It's a 2006 model, so we were able to get a really good price. We also bought a double sleeping bag (more family-friendly than our mummies) and an adjust-a-grill for the campfire. I know it's not a top-of-the-line tent, but we've never had a great tent anyway, so this is still a step up for us. Truthfully, we will not be camping in any sort of extreme conditions for a while anyway. Mostly we just want a little quality family time at the park.

So, what else do we need to take Nora camping??

The Three Questions

1. When is the best time to do things?
2. Who is the most important one?
3. What is the right thing to do?

.

Having not bought a book for a few weeks, we decided it was time to go to ... (all together now) Borders! And we found a gem from Nora's wish list among the sea of children's books. The Three Questions is a Tolstoy story retold and beautifully illustrated by Jon Muth who also wrote Zen Shorts and the Chinese version of Stone Soup.

It also carries a powerful message: There is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side.

This is a must have for every book collection.

More Family Fun

Do you remember last year when I decided that camping would be a fun family activity? Well, I still think that (I know - who'd have thought? Until last year I thought that vacation involved room service!) . We have a reservation for Memorial Day weekend and will probably do at least one more trip between then and Nora's referral. Our goal will be figuring out what we need for a successful family camping trip with a ~1 year old.

First order of business is a larger tent. Our little three-man dome is barely big enough for Rob, Maddie and me. We are thinking about Kelty Mantra 7, Sierra Designs Moken 6 or North Face Trailhead 6. We'll only be 4 with Nora, but I still think that a 2 (or 3)- room tent would be nice for the separate living/sleeping quaters. We do have a screen room, but that usually goes over the picnic table and it doesn't have a floor.

We're also thinking about getting a *gasp* canoe. Yes, much less cool than the kayaks, but much more family (and dog) friendly. Probably that will be next year.

If anyone has any tips for camping with little kids, please let me know. We've got some time to experiment this Spring.

Immigration Update

After we sent in our I-171H extension application, I asked our social worker how long it would take to receive a receipt and fingerprint appointments. She said that our local USCIS office had been taking about 2-3 weeks for this logging in/scheduling process, so I've been trying hard to be patient.

It turns out that that 2-3 week estimate is about right. Yesterday we received our fingerprint appointments - they will be on 3/28. We also got the receipts for the fingerprinting fees, but not for the I-600A application fee. I'm hoping that will come soon. I think I remember it taking a few days longer last time also. Fingerprints and applications must go their separate ways within the CIS office.

Right now my main concern is getting all the paperwork in order so that we don't have any problems when it's time to bring Nora home. The other bit of pressure is that Rob is trusting me to keep track of the adoption expenses, so I want to be sure to get that receipt!

Update: I just checked the USCIS website for the processing times at our local office. As of February 20, they were processing documents received on November 20, 2006 - so three months. That is approximately how long it took the first time through. Ugh. Anyone who needs to reapply, start early.

Say hello to my little friend

I have a new "toy" - a brand new crackberry pearl from work (yes, I know it's not a toy, but the idea of 24/7 availability sits a whole lot better with me if I think of it as a techno-cool plaything instead of an electronic ball and chain).

So far I've got the phone part working ... and my work email, my calendar, and two personal email accounts. Pretty good, I think, for day 1 set up. Now I'm starting to wonder if it will work in China, possibly as a backup plan for posting to this blog.

I googled "blackberry in China" and found this. The posts are a little bit old, but still encouraging. I'm going to check with my carrier and see if it will work. My employer will probably not be thrilled with the $2.99/minute, but if it keeps me connected to the office and lets us publish an occasional update to the blog it will probably be worth taking along. I never would have guessed that it would even work. The last time we went to China my supposedly global cell phone was completely useless.

Has anyone out there gotten either their cell phone or blackberry to work in China? What did you need to do to set it up?

One step closer

I just did my weekly Wednesday evening check of our agency's website and see that families with LIDs through 10/24/05 received their matches yesterday. I had no clue - see how out of touch I am without the Rumor Queen?!

That means there are 84 LID days between us and Nora's referral. My brain is already shut down for the evening, so I'm not sure what that equates to in real time. 6 or 7 months I think, but I don't have the brain power to make a good guess right now. Referral in October maybe ... so she *might* be home for Christmas. I hope that's true.

A picture (book) is worth a thousand well-pruned synapses

A couple of times I've mentioned a book that I've been reading called, Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten. It was written by a neurologist and has taught me a lot about brain development and the importance of early experiences.

Because we will have missed roughly the first year of Nora's life, I want to be sure that in addition to our boundless love we also give her the right kind of stimulation while she's still very young. It really matters; developing the right neural pathways early on affects your ability to learn and process information throughout your life.

One of the first sections I read was about books (you know how much I love books) and it said that there are two kinds of children's books - picture books and storybooks - and every child's library should have both. Now, Nora's got a nice, growing book collection (you can see the current list by clicking on the "Nora's Library" link under the site navigation section on the right), but I realized that she mostly has storybooks and very few picture books. Since that's obviously going to have to change, I bought a nice picture book when I was at Target.

I think that, in addition to teaching some words, it will also help her to learn colors. Hopefully she will also develop a love of books and reading.

Sometime I'll show you her puzzles...

Thank you secret pals!!

Rob made a little discovery this week. I came home one evening and the first thing he said to me was "Jenn, I went into Nora's room. Have you seen it?! She's got a lot of stuff!"

We've had some great new additions this week too, with packages from both secret pals. First on Wednesday we received a shopping cart/stroller bar cover (a genius idea!), plush caterpillar rattle and pretty pink bibs from our December secret pal.

Then yesterday we received a quartet of pink photo items from our January secret pal. This month's theme was "Pretty as a Picture" and we received a painted wood frame, a soft magnetic bunny frame, a baby brag book and a little flower frame.

Thank you very much to both our secret pals!

Today's lesson in opposites (aka the camera dilemma)

We have not done much preparation for our trip to China, but one thing that has become clear to me over the past year or so is that I will not be able to carry my beloved digital SLR every place we go. It's a great camera, but it's big and it's heavy. Too big. Too heavy.

So, for Christmas, Rob got me a teeny little camera. It is so teeny that I can carry it in my pocket ... and it's 10 megapixel so the images are really quite good. It can also take short video, which will be nice for our first days with Nora. There are a couple of tradeoffs though. The big camera has better optics and it's MUCH faster; it powers up instantly and takes some crazy number of shots per second. The little one, you push the button and wait for what feels like an eternity. I took it with us to the dog park once and came away with a bunch of pictures of Maddie's tail (the rest of her was out of the frame).

I'm determined to learn to use the little one, though, because there is no way I'm going to schlep the giant camera and a baby and a boatload of baby stuff all across China. Now what I wonder about is video. Is it worth it or will we never watch? Is a video camera something we'll want or can we get by with video clips from the Elph? What about those one-use video cameras from CVS?

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Happy Chinese New Year!!

The photo above is a picture of the CNY greeting cards that I ordered from our local FCC group. If my secret pal is seeing this, it will probably give away who I am, but oh well, there was only one month left anyway!

Our original plan was to make a Chinese dinner and watch A Chinese Tall Story on dvd. Unfortunately, Maddie came down with a stomach bug on Friday night and threw a bit of a wrench in our weekend plans. Poor thing threw up at least 10 times between 10:30 pm and 3:30 am. We took her to the vet the first thing Saturday, then spent the rest of the day watching her and trying to get her to drink Pedialyte. She's better today, so we spent the afternoon doing all the things we didn't get done yesterday. We'll probably still watch the movie, but Chinese food isn't going to happen unless it's take out.

... pink knitted booties topped off with bling, these are a few of my favorite things

Wendy from the Dec DTC group has an Etsy store called The HeiWen Way where she and her friend sell all kinds of neat soaps and stationery and stuff. My favorite item was these baby booties -- I just had to order them for Nora! They are so cute with the "bling" at the top. They must look suspiciously like a dog toy, though; Maddie is fascinated (or maybe she just likes the bling?). I hope that she doesn't try to steal them off Nora's feet!

Do you ever wonder if it's a test?

We received our home study update in the mail yesterday, so we have everything we need to apply for our I-171H extension. Knowing that our local USCIS office has been known to experience periods of slowness (our first I-171H took 11-1/2 weeks!), I want to be sure to get it all ready and sent off this weekend. I've read every bit of instruction we've received - messages from our home study agency, messages from our placement agency, a mailing we received from an adoption support network that I must have subscribed to at some point. Of course, all were different. Here's what I think we need to send:

• Cover letter
• Completed I-600A application
• Photocopy of our previous I-171H approval
• Photocopy of previous fingerprint expiration information
• Photocopy of each of our birth certificates
• Photocopy of our marriage certificate
• Two photocopies of our original home study
• Original + 1 copy of our home study update
• Original + 1 copy of our home study addendum
• Check for $685, payable to "Department of Homeland Security"

At the top of the cover letter it is supposed to say either "EXTENSION" or "ORPHAN". I'm not sure which is right, so ours will say both. Apparently "EXTENSION" needs to be highlighted and "ORPHAN" needs to be green.

As I am so carefully following every instruction, I have to wonder is this real? Does it really make things easier for the USCIS? ~or~ Is it some sort of test by which they weed out the lazy or uncommitted? ~or~ Is it purely for entertainment and they just laugh when we do this?

Really?? Why??

So, I was catching up on my email backlog this evening and came across Tuesday's email newsletter from Cookie magazine. First, I want to say that I love Cookie magazine and one of the things I like best is recommendations for kid-friendly playlists of real music. So when I read "... listen to Rockabye Baby's lullaby versions of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Ramones or the Pixies" I got all excited and clicked on the link.

It is not nearly as cool as it sounds. It is all that great music (and more - U2, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins...) on what sounds like a xylophone or something. WHY??? Is there some reason that kids can't listen to the original music as long as you keep them away from questionable lyrical content? And why is there a need to adapt the Beach Boys for children - does that really need cleaning up? It was practically children's music to begin with!

This is one for the mini-van list probably (i.e. things I say that we'll never do, but will probably renege on once there's a baby in our lives).

Thoughts of Spring

As cold as it has been the past couple of weeks, it was really fun to receive something Springish in the mail!

Danielle sent Nora this cute kitty cat bucket hat and gardening gloves - hot pink and apple green, our favorite colors! I sure hope that Nora likes hot pink and apple green. Those two colors account for about 80% of her stuff.

Bedtime for baby

Thank you to our Dec DTC secret pal for the great box of bedtime goodies! She sent a lavender ladybug fleece blanket, Johnson's bedtime lotion, a baby toothbrush with mixed fruit toothpaste and a sweet board book called Mommy Always Loves You.

I really wanted to smell the lotion, but was foiled by a safety seal that I decided that I should leave alone so that the lotion is kept fresh for Nora. I'm sure it is soothing and wonderful, though. In my imagination, it smells either like babies or lavender.

It's never to early to start the brainwashing

This week I had the opportunity to go on a recruiting trip to our alma mater, the University of Illinois. Traveling there is sort of crummy -- it involves two flights, one on a prop plane -- but it was great to visit for a little while. I also got Nora her very first Illini-wear, in two sizes so that she is never without some Illini orange!

This breaks my heart - please help

...but I know that I am a good dog and I just want to go home.

I'm sure by now everyone has seen the Pedigree adoption drive commercial. If you haven't, you can view it here. This is a truly outstanding commercial - I cry every time I see it (Rob would tell you that "cry" is an understatement, I SOB), but more importantly it has moved me to action.

I went to Pedigree's website and donated food to a shelter near our home (only $9.99 for each 22lb bag of Pedigree and they match donations if you order through their site!). And now I'm telling you, so you can do the same. Or, if you'd prefer, you can also donate to the ASPCA or the Humane Society of the United States. I wanted to adopt a shelter dog, but have been told that three pets is enough for now.

I should probably add that Maddie does not eat commercial kibble. We lost our two previous dogs to cancer and after doing some research I concluded that it was not the most healthful choice for Maddie. It is a convenient, economical option for a shelter situation, though, and I give Pedigree a lot of credit for their efforts in this area.

Quilt update

It's been a while since I've given an update on Nora's One Hundred Good Wishes Quilt - and for once that doesn't mean that nothing is happening! I have been diligently piecing away and have now completed 13 of the 24 blocks needed for the main body of the quilt. More than half, which feels really great!

Right now the 13 blocks aren't yet sewn to eachother, I just have them laid out in order so I can see how it's going to look and feel some progress. I'm really happy with it so far, but seeing it like this makes me question my choice of border, binding and backing fabric. I'll have to see how it looks once I get all these blocks together and the inside border on.

I've found that I really enjoy sewing. I keep thinking up new projects, but I'm resisting the urge to start anything new until I get this quilt top done (I will probably not quilt it myself, since I'm not really set up to handle something that size). Next up will be Nora's crib quilt - remember the ladybug quilt? - I think I need to take an applique class, I'm really struggling with getting it to look good. Maybe I just need more experience with my sewing machine...

The mailman needs a calendar

Our mailman is clearly confused. I went out to check the mail this afternoon and there was a box on the front porch. A BOX... on SATURDAY. We never get boxes on Saturdays. Boxes come on Mondays.

Anyway, it was for Nora (of course - all boxes are also for Nora) from our January DTC secret pal. This month's theme was "learning adventure".

Here's the "learning" part - a shape sorter that is also a bucket with a lid that Nora can carry around. This is a great gift - if the smarter child book is right, this is a very good toy for cognitive development.


And here's the "adventure" part - a Crocodile Creek jungle animal placemat. I have to check, but I'm pretty sure we have a bib that matches this! Plus a Good Night, Sweet Butterflies book and a Chinese New Year lift-the-flap book, called Dragon Dance

AND, if that wasn't enough, our pal also sent the cutest pink dinnerware!


Thank you so much, secret pal!!

Beware - sale at the toy store

I really don't intend for Nora's blog to be all about shopping and "stuff", but I do have to share a terrific sale at Stewart Toys.

I'm still reading that David Perlmutter book, Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten and have been really interested in brain-boosting activities. Besides being a fascinating book, it has also served to redirect my retail therapy from cute little outfits to puzzles and toys (books, of course, are still allowed).

Imagine my excitement this morning when I logged on to check the Rumor Queen (yes, I check first thing every morning) and spotted an email announcing a huge post-holiday clearance sale - 40-50% all in stock merchandise. I ordered a red Rody horse (photo above), three puzzles, a shape sorter, a stacking toy, a ball-pounding ramp thing and a xylophone! All before my morning shower. It was such a fun way to start the day.

Go. Shop. Enjoy!

Mega Mail Monday ... x2!!

Mega Mail Monday is back with a vengeance! Today Nora received her hat from the CCAI Dec/Jan DTC swap and it's a Hanna!! Thank you so much, Sandy, we LOVE it! I tried taking a picture of the hat and mittens by themself, but it just didn't do them justice so I put them on Nora's stuffed panda instead. Soooo cute!

As if that weren't enough for one day, we also received our Jan DTC book swap package from Karen. It was three terrific China-themed books - The Red Blanket and Little Miss Ladybug & Her Magical Red Thread, both of which I was admiring in the China Sprout catalog and Lon Po Po, a book I'd never seen before but am absolutely captivated by. It is a Chinese Little Red Riding Hood story with gorgeous illustrations by Ed Young.


Thank you so much Karen and Sandy - you made my Monday!

Too much time on my hands...

I really don't have too much time on my hands, but I am feeling anxious, like I should be doing more to prepare for Nora. Even though her arrival is still many months out, it feels so much closer now.

I bought a book (at Borders, of course) over the weekend. It's called Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten and was written by a neurologist. It is fascinating.

We also received a phone call from our agency on Monday and a "Waiting Families Support Packet" from them tonight. The support packet is wonderful - it talks about the logistics of match day, travel arrangements, attachment... 20+ pages of really useful information, all new to us. I've already read it twice and will probably print off a hard copy to read tomorrow.

Oh, and we're resuming Mandarin lessons. This time we're taking a community ed class with my friend and co-worker "J" and her DH. Nicole will be our teacher again, which is great. Our previous dropout had everything to do with our lack of discipline and nothing at all to do with Nicole. We're excited, we're hopeful and I've had enough caffeine to make me feel like I can accomplish anything.

The New Year's resolution about Diet Coke. Let's pretend I never said anything about that.

Another Milestone

Happy Anniversary to us! Today marks our one year LID anniversary - we have been officially logged in with the CCAA for a full year. Right now it's looking like we'll get Nora's referral in July or August 2007, which would be 17-18 months from LID or 25-26 months since starting the process. This would likely mean travel sometime between September and November. Feels good, really good.

I think they missed me at Kinko's

There was a time, at the height of paper chasing and in the middle of a zillion fabric swaps, when I was at FedEx/Kinko's several times a week. Now I hardly ever go there. In fact, I so seldom go there that I became concerned that they were missing me. To help rectify this situation, I've decided to start the I-171H renewal process.

I'm not quite sure of everything that I need to do to accomplish this, but I'm fairly certain that we at least need another copy of our birth certificates and marriage license, an updated home study and new fingerprints. Our state requires an annual home study update, so that's in process anyway. The part that I figured I could start on today is requesting new copies of our birth certificates and marriage certificate. Since we were both born and married in another state, I needed to request everything by mail and send copies of proof of identity (i.e. photocopied drivers' licenses). This is where Kinko's comes in. It was exactly as I remembered it.

Exploring Chinese cooking

We received a Borders gift card as a Christmas gift (thank you Holly, Jason & Jane!) and decided that it would be nice to get a Chinese cookbook. Today was another dreary day, so we decided to go over to Borders for a while and found what I think looks like a really great Chinese cookbook. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes. Maybe we'll even prepare something special for Chinese New Year!

I'm also looking for a knife skills class, btw, because the way I chop now it's gonna take me all day to make anything. If you don't like to chop, this is a book to avoid!

First two quilt blocks!

I've finished the first two blocks of Nora's One Hundred Good Wishes Quilt!!

I have about a zillion more to go, but even this little bit gives an idea of the pattern and the scrappy feel. I'm really happy with how it's going so far - the star points are coming out better than I expected and I love using my new sewing machine.

Ouch (part 3)!

Tonight after work, I went to the clinic for my third (and final) hepatitis vaccination. I thought that, except for typhoid which needs to be taken closer to our travel date, my travel vaccines were complete. The very nice immunization nurse - who, by the way, is very passionate about her job - now tells me that this may not be true. Depending on where we travel, I may also need Japanese encephalitis (a series of three vaccines over a 4-week period) and malaria (which I think is oral). If there should happen to be an outbreak I may also need protection against the whooping cough, delivered by a vaccine called TDAP.

As if this weren't enough, I then asked about the bird flu and left with a research assignment. The nurse is also going to get some more information and give it to me when I come back for the typhoid vaccine.

To anyone currently in process, be sure to talk to your health care provider about travel vaccinations at least six months before your expected travel date. It really does take that long.

And, note to self, remember to schedule a follow up appointment as soon as Nora's referral arrives.

Music for Baby

Thank you so much to our wonderful Dec DTC Secret Pal for the marvelous musical gifts -- two Songs for Learning cds and a Little Tykes piano! I haven't listened to the cds yet, but I can tell you that the piano promises endless fun. I've played with it several times already. Nora's going to love it!

The start to a productive year

The new year is off to a productive start at our house. Today I not only finished cutting 848 1-1/2" and 121 2-1/2" background squares for Nora's quilt, but I also finished her butterfly bookends.

I'm not sure I ever mentioned it here, but several months ago I purchased unfinished wood butterfly bookends for Nora's room. I couldn't find anything pre-finished that I really liked, so I decided that I would paint something to match her bug art and wall letters. It took a couple of trys, but I finally have something that I can live with.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy 2007!

Those who refuse to make New Year's resolutions because they always break them anyway miss the point. Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.
~Eric Zorn~

That said, I resolve to exercise more and drink less Diet Coke*. Really. I mean it. I'm going to have Nora to chase this year.

*I've already had one 24-oz bottle this morning