2nd time around, vietnam adoption

New pics of the girls

2008-06-11T15:51:00.001-05:00

Christmas Pictures Continued

2008-01-02T12:34:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T12:20:00.000-05:00

I have been a very bad blogger. Things have been so hectic around her that I have toatally neglected keeping up with this blog.
I will try to do better in the new year.
I am psting some pictures from Christmas.

There are some pictures of all of the kids and some with just the girls in their Christmas dresses.

Our oldest daughter is crazy over Hannah Montana. She received 3 wigs for Christmas, so she and Arianna had some fun playing dress-up.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

I Would Die For That

2007-11-05T14:50:00.000-05:00

This is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. Get your tissues ready!

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T10:26:00.000-05:00

Arianna spent her 1st Halloween with a slight fever. She has been pretty healthy since we brought her home, but today she woke up with a fever and was definately not feeling well.

Abriella was not happy about not getting to trick or treat without her sister, so I assured her that Arianna "would feel well enough to go". We spent about an hour walking around our little community. I pushed the baby in her stroller, while Abby did most of the work asking for candy for both of them.

All in all, it turned out to be a good night and the baby is feeling better today.

Here are a few pictures from Halloween and some when the girls were playing dress up.

New Pictures!!!!

2007-10-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday Arianna!

2007-09-24T07:50:00.000-05:00

USA! USA!

2007-08-24T09:19:00.000-05:00

As you can see Arianna has grown tremendously. She is 11 months old and has 8 teeth. She is pictured with her big sister Abriella. Aren't they both beautiful little Vietnamese Princesses!
Arianna is taking 5-6 steps on her own. She is learning to communicate with us through her many words and is starting to form little sentences. (Can you imagine another person in our house trying to get in the conversations?)
Arianna is holding up one finger when we ask her how old she will be. We thought if we started early she would have it down by her first birthday. She actually mastered it in a couple of days. Big brothers can be so helpful to teach little sisters!
Life is about to change for Arianna as her her big sister and brothers go back to school in a few days. She will get lots and lots of Mommy time!

Dad

Thursday, May 10 2007

2007-05-10T07:36:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday morning here in Ohio and it looks like it's going to be another beautiful day. We are expected to have temperatures in the lower 80's.

The baby is doing well. She is now officially 17.8 lbs and getting bigger everyday. It's nice to see how healthy and active she is.

She is babbling now. She can say bye-bye and da-da and cries mom-mom when she wants me to rescue her from her exersaucer.

She is waving, clapping and doing patty cakes!

She has started crawling( more like lunging, but it gets her where she wants to go). She spends most of her time on her tummy now and seems to favor being like that more than anything,

She is very attached to us! Our families think we have spoiled her, because she literally cries everytime someone outside of our immediate household tries to hold her. We have told them that this is a "good" thing, because that means she is bonding well with us.

Her hair is starting to grow and it's at the stage where it sticks straight up. I think it is adorable, but I hope it will tame down a bit as it gets longer.

I will post some new pictures as soon as I get some free time. Being a new Mom is more challenging than I thought it would be,LOL.

Everyday Happenings!

2007-04-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

I have not been very good at keeping up with this blog since we've been home. With my back going out and the hundreds of things that need to be done around here daily, I've let my blogging slide.

I will try to catch you up on things that have been going on:

Arianna had 2 teeth when we met her and now at almost seven months, is working on getting her 4th tooth. She is having a hard time with this one and is a constant state of drool.

She is able to stand assisted for 20 t0 30 seconds. This is a big deal, since when we first got her she wasn't bearing any weight on her legs.

She is now 15.4lbs. and is growing out of all of her 3-6 month clothing. She can fit comfortably in 6 months and 6-9 months are just a little to big (in sleepers only).

She can sit up unassisted for 10 seconds. We think that within a month she will be sitting up all by herself.

She loves her exersaucer and can spin herself all the way around in it.

She is starting to eat cereal and some baby food. We are only feeding her green beans and squash for now. She doesn't seem to care for the squash though.

She is sleeping all night now ( about 8 hours at a time ) and laying back down in the morning for another 2-3 hours.

She absolutely adores her big brothers and sister. She loves when they come home at the end of the day. She knows it's play time!

I am still having trouble with the adoption video getting posted. I think it's too long for Youtube, so we are working on cutting it down.

I am enclosing some pictures from Easter and of her playing in her exersaucer.

Certificate of Citizenship

2007-04-15T05:57:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Arianna!

We received Arianna's Certificate of Citizenship yesterday. It has only been 4 weeks since we arrived home with her.

We said we would not even start thinking about this until we were home for six weeks. Wow!

Now the next step, the Ohio re-adoption.

Quick update on Arianna....

She is able to sit up now, unassisted and for more than just a few seconds.
Mommy has taught her patty cakes.
Daddy has been teaching her to hug, I get a big one when I get home from work.
Big brothers have been teaching her O-H-I-O.
She watched her first Reds game with Grandma.
And her big sister is teaching her all about how to live like a princess.

I use to think our parents mold us into the adults we would someday become, but anymore, I believe my children are the ones molding me into the adult I am.

Dad

New Pictures!!!!

2007-04-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

Here are a few new pictures! We are still working on getting the adoption video posted. Everything had to be stopped because my back went out on me last Friday and I am just now able to get up and move around. Hope to write more frequently and definantly post more pictures!

Help with Posting Adoption Video

2007-03-30T06:59:00.000-05:00

If anyone is still reading this blog, I have a question to ask of you. We have been trying to download Arianna's adoption video to Youtube and are not having any luck. To those of you who have put video on your page, please give me some advice as what to use and how to do it. You can leave your answers in the comment section on this page.

Thank you all for continuing to keep up with our story. Your support of our adoption has meant the world to our family.

Stephanie

Update!

2007-03-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I have been battling a cold since coming home from Vietnam and it's getting the better of me. I hope that after a week of rest and lots of tlc that I can finally kick this.

We have been working on Arianna's adoption video for the past 3 days and have finally finished it. We will post it in the next few days. I need to show it to my parents and a few more family members first.

Arianna is doing really well! She adjusted to the time change with no problem at all. Right now she gets up 1 time in the night for a feeding and easily goes right back to sleep. It's been great having Daddy home to help out with those nightly feedings.

She had her 1st Dr. appointment and she gained 2 pounds since we had our SOS medical appt. in Vietnam. The Dr. was very pleased with her developement and how well she was doing. She had to get 4 shots, but she didn't seem to mind those at all. She is such a easy going baby. She has a smile on her face almost constantly.

We are so blessed to have had such a great experience in Vietnam and are seriously considering going back very soon for another adoption.

Welcome Home!

2007-03-19T04:30:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it!

All of our flights were on time and smooth flights, but most of all Arianna did very well with the flights.

I think she is going to like Ohio. She has already seen snow flurries. We were hoping it would be December before she saw them (maybe after being in Hanoi we were the ones that did not want to see the flurries just yet.)

Anyway, she seems to like her new home. Her big brothers and sister have enjoyed showing her off. It was quite rewarding to see all of our children "at home".

She is doing well with the time change, though she was a little cranky yesterday afternoon. She has slept the past two nights. She is eating well, enjoying all of her new toys. She seems to really enjoy her swing and bouncy seat. We are not sure how long she will get to use the bouncy seat, as she is really trying to sit up. But that's okay, she has a seat ready for that too.

Our family has visited over the weekend and some have already made second visits, wonder why? It is nice to see her aunts, uncles , cousins and grandparents tripping over each other to get to see her. They have been supportive in so many ways.

Our older children have to return to school this week. The administration at their school has been so supportive of their absence for this very educational experience, that we all know you cannot learn from a classroom or a textbook. They have very important test this week, as we are in the state of Ohio. They will take another day to rest before they return. In total they will have been out for seventeen days, but they are good students and have done some work to keep up.

We went to the kennel to pick up our dogs yesterday evening. The drive to the kennel is about five minutes, but I wanted it to take longer. It was one of those tings you really want to do, but you kind of dread it at the same time. Don't get me wrong we love our dogs. But think for a minute, we have been gone for three weeks, we had over a dozen pieces of luggage sitting around, family in and out and a new baby. Wow! How much crazier could it get? With us you never know. The dogs did fine. They were glad to be home, just like we were. It took them a while to even notice Arianna, but they did well with her. She just sat and smiled at the dogs. I think she likes our pug the best, or maybe she thinks he is the funniest looking, who knows.

Stephanie will be posting pictures shortly, as she has been very busy with our little one. It is so fun to decide who "gets" to change the diapers. We are all crazy over this princess no matter what she does in her pants.

Dad

Departing Hanoi

2007-03-15T09:15:00.000-05:00

We will be leaving Hanoi tomorrow. Though we are anxious to get home and share our new addition with our family and friends, we are not looking forward to leaving Hanoi.

We have had such a wonderful and positive experience here. Words cannot be said for the way we feel about Vietnam. We have been blessed to have met the many people along this journey, from the initial paperwork and decisions 8 months ago to our final embassy appointment today.

A little advice for those who are considering adoption, it is something that comes from the heart. If you are considering an adoption, keep researching. Research your heart most of all, everything else will fall into place. It make take you months to decide on an agency or even where you may want to adopt from. It make take a while to come up with your funds, but perseverance will pay off.

For those of you who have begun this journey, hold on, it will be a ride of a lifetime. For those who have already adopted, why not another one? You know you want to!

We really appreciate our agency, both the US and Vietnam staff were priceless to us. They did such a great job!

Thanks to the other families who we have shared the past weeks with. We really enjoyed sharing this experience with you.

Oh, by the way, we are reserving the following blog name ...(just in case) 3rd time around, Vietnam Adoption.

I feel I am the most blessed Dad in the whole world!

Birthday Party and Rainy Days!

2007-03-13T04:47:00.000-05:00

We are still waiting on our 2nd Embassy interview and still hoping to make our flight for Friday. We have spent the last 2 days hanging out in the hotel until 5:00 to see if we would get the call to come to the interview.

It has been raining off and on all day today so we are content with laying around and watching some of the dvd's we have purchased while here.

Colby celebrated his 15th birthday on the 9th with a really nice party in the hotel resturaunt. We were able to get a very nice cake decorated with the kids school colors. They did put it in a nice pink box for him that kind of embarrassed him. The owner of the agency, our facillitator and her sister came along with 2 other couples that are here adopting also. We all had a great time and I'm sure it's a birthday he will never forget.

We still have alot of shopping and sightseeing to do. We hope we get the chance to see so much more of Hanoi while we are here!

Stephanie

The Latest From Hanoi

2007-03-08T05:11:00.000-05:00

We had the babies medical today at the SOS Clinic. It is a very nice, modern facility. The staff were genuinely interested in all of the babies and spent time ooohhing and aahing over all of them.

The doctor was a French lady who was easy to talk to and gave the babies a very thorough exam. She seemed to think Arianna was in good health. She is a little on the small side only weighing 12.7lbs. This was no surprise to us as we figured she didn't weigh more than 12lbs.
All in all, things went very well as she got a clean bill of health.

Yesterday we went to the Zoo. It was probably not the best day to go there as it was very cold. We were bundled up in our jackets and the baby was covered from head to toe, but it was still really nippy. The Zoo is a mixture of a county fair with a few small kiddie rides and vendors selling small trinkets. It is surrounded by a lake with spectacular veiws of flowers and beautiful trees. We think it must be the place for young lovers. We saw many couples just hanging out together and stolling hand and hand alone the lakeshore.

We are hoping to here news soon on our second Embassy appointment, but as of now we are content to hang out and enjoy our time here in Hanoi.

Stephanie

Beter Late Than Never!

2007-03-06T21:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I will try and catch you up on all that's happened.

First off we are all doing well. The baby is eating and sleeping very well. She is only fussy when we are changing her diaper or giving her a bath. We are pretty sure that she has never been set into a tub before. She literally cries the entire time we are bathing her. Hopefully this will get better with time.

She is attaching to us very well. Her eyes follow us all over the room if we are walking around. She definately loves laying on Daddy and Mommy's chest to sleep. We couldn't be happier with how well she is bonding with all of us. She absolutely adores her big brothers and sister. When she sees them she gets the biggest smile on her face that you have ever seen.

We picked up her passport and had our 1st embassy appointment. We will have her medical on Thursday and then the final interview early next week.

We are all loving Vietnam! It really has so much to offer. The shopping is amazing! There is something for everyone.

The people here are so sweet and really seem to be genuinely happy that we would want to adopt one of their babies. It is easy to fall in love with this country and the sweet nature of it's people.

Pictures

2007-03-03T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip. Hope you all enjoy them!

Introducing...Arianna Cailin-Rose

2007-03-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

Nguyen Thi Hong

Born 9-20-06

Hanoi, Vietnam

G&R date 3-1-07

Arianna Cailin-Rose

After 8 months of planning, waiting and praying, she is in our arms. We had our G&R today and things went very smoothly.

She is very sweet and good natured. She was awake during the G&R, but quickly fell asleep during the 2.5 hour (rush hour) van ride back to the hotel.

She is quite the hit with her big, 7 year old sister, as well as her 14 and 16 year old brothers.

Thanks to our facilitator here in Vietnam, things are going well.

Thanks to our agency for all they have done for our family.

Thanks to the Vietnam Government for allowing us to have another one of their children.

Enjoy the pics of our second princess from Vietnam.

Will post more after we get some rest.

Stephanie

Love at First Sight!

2007-02-27T05:53:00.000-05:00

It's day 3 here in Hanoi and we finally met our sweet baby girl. She is a beauty! Such a tiny little thing with the calmest and sweetest personality.

When I first saw her little face and her close to me, I realized that the long journey with all the bumps along the way was truly worth it all. She melts your heart.

We are scheduled to have our G&R tomorrow and will get to bring her back to the hotel with us. It was so.... hard leaving her today, but knowing she would finaly be in our arms forever after tomorrow made the wait a little more easier.

Will write and post pictures after the ceremony.

Stephanie

Our new alarm clock!

2007-02-25T17:46:00.000-05:00

It's 5:00 am Monday morning in Hanoi. We were awaken with the familiar sounds of horns beeping. It took a few seconds to realize that we were really here in Vietnam.

As T wrote earlier the trip has gone smoothly so far. We had great flights starting with our Delta flight from Columbus to LA. The service was very good and our seats were roomy and comfortable. The service was top notch. I would definitely recommend Delta to anyone.

Our flight from LA to Hong Kong was with Cathay Pacific. The service was good and the seats were pretty comfortable (not as good as Delta), but for Economy class we were happy.
We really enjoyed the food( 2 or 3 choices for breakfast and dinner).

The only downside of the flight was how long it was: 15 hours. By the time we made it to Hong Kong we were all more than ready to get off that plane, LOL.

We had a 6 hour layover in the Hong Kong Airport. The airport was very nice! Many shops and a food court that offered a wide variety of choices for even the pickiest of eaters.

We left Hong Kong for Hanoi on Vietnam Air. We were in the air no more than 3 minutes and were served a meal. Great service and a very good flight.

When we finally made it to Hanoi, our agencies facilitator was there to greet us with a big bouquet of flowers. She is such a nice quiet soft spoken lady and was very good at helping us corral all of our luggage.

We drove through the busy streets of Hanoi in what we were told was not much traffic. My children were amazed by this statement, as all you could see for miles and miles were people on mopeds, bikes, walking with cows and other animals in the middle of the street, a few cars swerving in and out of traffic and buses and vans vying for any part of the road they could squeeze into(it was definitely an experience they won't soon forget).

The hotel we are staying at is very nice. We chose the Somerset Grand for the convenience of an apartment style living. Since we brought the entire family it was the perfect choice for us. We have a small kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, dining room and living room. We also have a refrigerator, stove, microwave and washer/dryer combo. I hope it makes it a lot easier to be away from home having these amenities.

Our G&R is scheduled later this week. We're not sure when we are going to see our baby, but hopefully in a day or 2.

Will update more later!

Stephanie

Hello, from Hanoi!

2007-02-25T14:51:00.000-05:00

We have arrived!

All of our flights went very smooth. Our luggage arrived with us, as scheduled.

We are all tired, rest, rest rest...is what is needed right now.

Our 3 children did very well with the long trip from Ohio to Hanoi.

We unpacked our luggage and hit the showers. They were so glad to go to bed.

In a matter of days we should have our little girl. (goose bumps)

The new dad (again)

This Past Week

2007-02-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a while since I posted, but let me tell you about my week. Whew!

As Stephanie posted earlier this week, we got our travel date (2-23-07). Well, we had one little issue to resolve, or maybe two.

Our 7 year old had not yet received her passport. We applied for it months ago. The agency had never sent us a letter stating any issues so we assumed everything was fine. Little to our dismay it wasn't. They needed more info besides her Ohio Certificate of Birth. We spoke with the agency probably 4 -5 times and received different requirements each time. Only one thing to do, face to face.

We made a walk-in appointment for Wednesday the 14th at 8:30. Keep in mind that she did not have a VISA and neither did the rest of us. Oh, did I mention the Vietnam Embassy in Washington D.C. would be closed February 16 - 21 for Tet. AND WE FLY ON 2-23-07. We immediately contacted the best travel agent available, Todd Gallinek, and he proved it.

So, I left for New Orleans Tuesday 2-13 (only a 2 hour delay due to weather).
We had an ice storm in Ohio. This was pretty much the case for most eastern states.

I went to my Passport appointment as scheduled, actually about 15 minutes early. I opened up my daughters folder (this contained every legal paper we had for her; adoption decree, VN passport, Certificate of Citizenship and so on). They were satisfied with only seeing the Certificate of Citizenship. I was out of there at 8:32, that was it, I was told to return at 2:30 to pick up her passport.

In the meanwhile Stephanie was talking to the Vietnam Embassy in Washington D.C. I would now need to get 5 VISA's, before the beginning of the Tet holiday.

I wrote a letter to the Embassy and copied all 5 passports. This had to be received by the end of the day. I am in New Orleans (1 hour time zone difference) and picking up the last passport at 2:30. I faxed the letter, copies of all 5 passports and the VISA applications from New Orleans.

I then flew to DC. The Embassy customer window opens at 9:30. I explained my situation and handed over our VISA applications, passports, expedited fees and "The Letter". The lady at the counter was not sure what would happen, so I waited.

Their were others waiting that were just picking up their VISA's. They had applied earlier this week. I did get a few surprised faces when I explained, I was just applying and expected to take the VISA's with me (the same day). Keep in mind the Embassy's window closes at 12:30.

It happened, I had the VISA's in hand before 11:00 a.m. I was so relieved, I was truly blessed and relieved at the same. My eyes teared up right there in the Embassy.

Obviously, our prayers were heard and answered. We are so thankful for a GOD that takes such good care of us.

We are now ready to go.

The new Dad (again)

Getting Ready

2007-02-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

I'm still getting over the shock of having to leave in 8 days. I really can't believe that we are finally going to see the little girl that stole our hearts in pictures months ago. Everything is moving in high gear now.

There is so much to get done before next Friday. It is such an huge task to pack lightly for 5 people and the new baby. We are seriously considering taking up to 12 peices of luggage with us.
I know it sounds crazy, but that does include our carry ons and orphanage donations.

I will be posting as much as possible about our trip. Hopefully we won't have many issues with accessing blogger from Vietnam.

I can't wait to post pictures of our baby. I'm hoping to add some videos also.

I hope to write again soon. I will definately try before we leave.

Stephanie

WE GOT TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!

2007-02-12T12:32:00.000-05:00

WE JUST GOT THE CALL!!

I am so happy. After waiting on pins and needles all weekend we finally got the call.

We will leave for Vietnam on the 23rd and have our G&R on the 27th.

So...... excited. So....... much to get done. So....... very happy!

Stephanie

Bummer

2007-02-07T17:30:00.001-05:00

It's February and still no word on travel. I'm starting to think that we aren't going to get TA until the very last moment. If that happens, it is going to be very difficult trying to book flights for a family of 5.

I am not good at waiting. I am not good at being patient. I'm feeling like there is a big ballon hanging over my head and at any minute someone's going to poke it with a needle.

I'm starting to feel really gloomy and down in the dumps. I've tried to blame it on the bad weather we've been having, but I'm pretty sure it's because of not knowing what our travel date is.

I really hope to hear something before Tet. If we don't, it's very likely that we won't travel until March.

Good News

2007-01-31T09:26:00.000-05:00

I spoke with our agency yesterday and it looks like my estimated time to travel is right on the money.

They said we would be in Vietnam by the end of February and that our G&R dates should be here any day now.

We have been frantically trying to purchase otc meds, travel supplies, and more stuff for the baby.
I don't think we realized how many things a baby needs. After all it has been almost 8 years since we've had one, and the list of stuff to buy is getting longer and longer.

We are tying up loose ends around here too. I have found someone to watch all 5 of our dogs. We are having our mail stopped until we return. I am getting bills ready to be mailed out while we're gone and making sure the house is clean and tidy for our return.

It's hard to imagine leaving here as a family of 5 and coming home as a family of 6. Things are definately going to be different!

I am hoping all the kids adjust well to having a baby in the house. Especially when she is keeping the whole house awake all night long from crying.

I am trying to prepare myself for the late night feedings and diaper changes. The whole process of packing and repacking diaper bags, toys laying all around the house again, teething, little runny noses and all the good stuff that comes along with a baby.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to complain. I am just trying to be realistic about things. Babies are sweet! They are adorable. They can melt even the hardest of hearts, but they are alot of work, LOL.

Better get moving now, there's still alot of shopping to do.

I am praying that my next post will read, "WE GOT THE TRAVEL CALL!"

Feeling very overwhelmed but extremely grateful,
Stephanie

Giving me the boot!

2007-01-23T08:28:00.000-05:00

Well I did it. I went and got myself kicked out of the jury! Maybe I should tell you how it happened from the beginning.

As you all know, I wasn't looking forward to serving jury duty at all, but I did go and try to do my civic duty.

First off , 34 potential jurors showed up for this trial. That is a huge amount of people for this little county that I live in. I was thinking since so many people came, they would surely not choose me.

So anyway,we get inside the courtroom and the judge starts going over a list of rules and laws pertaining to be picked as a juror. Then they start calling out names for the first set of 12 people to go and sit in the jury box (I think that's what it's called, right?).

Well guess who's name is 3rd on the list? Your right, it was me.

We all sat down in these really hard chairs and were grilled by the defense attorney for 2 hours.
Then it was the prosecuting attorneys' turn. Some of the questions they asked were really personal and in some cases embarrassing for some people.

We were finally given a 1 hour lunch break. I spent most of my lunch buying baby clothes and things that she will need, but I will have to talk about that in another post.

After lunch we all pile back into the courtroom and continue to be questioned by the lawyers. A few people started getting dismissed for a variety of different reasons, but I was still hanging in there.

Finally the judge starts talking a little bit about the case, and I realize that I am related to the murder victim. Well to be honest with you, my cousin is married to the victims sister. This is a family member that I am not that close to, but he is still family.

I decide that this is important information, so I raise my hand a tell this to the judge.

I am then questioned further as to whether I could be impartial in a case where I have family involved. I think about it for a second and agree that yes, I can be impartial and go with the facts of the case and not with how I think it will affect my family relationships.

We are then given a 15 minute break. I call my husband to let him know how things are proceeding, and to tell him I think I will be picked.

Once back inside, I am questioned again by the prosecuting attorney. He keeps asking if I really believe that I could be impartial when this case involves a family member. I adamantly say yes. I am honest and would not let family ties pull me in either direction.

He then ask the judge for a few minutes to confer with his client. As they are talking, the accused man keeps looking at me and smiling. It makes me a little uncomfortable so I just stare at the exit sign in the back of the room.

Finally, after 5 minutes the prosecutor says thank you for your time Mrs. L, but we don't feel like we can keep you because of your family connections to this case.

The judge thanks me for my time and tells me I am dismissed. I am given a $10.00 voucher for spending 4 hours trying to do my civic duty.

I guess in the end the accused had the final say so as to who would be decding his fate, so I really can't blame him for giving me the boot.

Stephanie

Snow Day!!!

2007-01-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

Look how hard she's working!

It's almost clean!

Is this big enough for a snowman?

Watch Out!!!

Jury duty ?

2007-01-21T11:41:00.000-05:00

I've got jury duty tomorrow. I think it is a murder trial. I've never had to be a juror for anything, so a murder trial is a big deal. I really don't want to go. The idea of having someone's freedom in your hands is really scarey to me. I'm hoping that I don't get picked. You probably think that is wrong of me to not want to do my civic duty, but hey that's the way I feel.

In other unrelated news, we are getting snow. Lots of snow and ice. My kids are probably going to get that snow day they've been praying for.

We did a little more shopping for the trip. We finally found 2 dresses that match for the baby and our 7 year old. We think we might use this for the G&R, but we're not sure yet.

We still have to get the car seat, portable crib, swing, high chair and dresser for the baby. It's alot of stuff I know, but we're hoping to work on purchasing these in the next few weeks before travel.

I will be posting a picture of some of the new things that we got last night as soon as I can.

Wish me luck tomorrow. I'm really going to need it.

Stephanie

A little Snow

2007-01-16T11:28:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it! It's snowing! You might think that is not such a big deal, after all I do live in Ohio. Everyone knows that if you live in Ohio you are in for snow from late December to mid to late March. But not this year. We have had the strangest weather. Yesterday it was 60* and rainy.
I don't particularly like snow, but my kids have been praying for at least one snow day from school. I don't know if there going to get that, but we do have a little dusting.

As far as the adoption goes, we are still waiting on travel approval. I really hope to get some news soon. It keeps you on the edge of your seat everytime the phone rings, thinking this is the TA call.

After a lot of thinking we are considering staying at the Somerset hotel in Hanoi. It is supposed to be an apartment type of hotel with a full kitchen, laundry, and 2- 3 bedrooms suites. Since we are bringing all 3 kids it will probably be the best choice for us.

We still haven't recieved our children's passports, but I've checked the website and it says they should be here by the end of January.

We did get some news yesterday that our 7 year old has to have tubes put in her ears. She will be having this done before the trip. She wants the "whole" family there for the procedure. She is such a little trooper about the whole thing. She asked me yesterday if people would be sending her flowers and cards after her surgery,LOL.

Well, that pretty much sums up what has been going on around here. Kind of boring, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Stephanie

Let Them Be Little

2007-01-10T11:13:00.000-05:00

The song that you hear playing on our blog is called Let Them Be Little. When I first heard this song I was so completely overwhelmed by it's message.

When our children are babies, we are the ones who clothe them, feed them, change their diapers and make sure they are safe and warm. As they reach the toddler years, they are starting to show some independence by putting on their own clothes and feeding themselves. Hopefully, by this stage they are potty trained and can do little things on their own. They still need us to provide food, shelter,hugs, kiss boo- boos and tuck them into bed at night.

As they enter the grade school years, they are becoming very independent. They are starting to explore the world around them. They still think we are okay to be around, and want to share their lives with us.

When they enter jr high and high school they are asserting their independence and need for privacy. They no longer need us for every little thing. They can speak for themselves and in most cases are very articulate when they are trying to express their opinions.

We become the people that they depend on for money, rides and an occasional shoulder to cry on after a fight or a broken heart. They are slowly finding their way to adulthood and all of the challenges it brings.

I guess I'm saying this to remind all of us to, "Let Them Be Little".
Cherish your time with your children. Take the time to sit and play Barbies. Don't go crazy when you see Legos and matchbox cars thrown all over the floor. Enjoy playing dress up and tea party with your princess. Throw the baseball with your sons. Play a game of one on one. Take time to listen to them when they speak.

Remember, there will come a time when they won't want to do these things with us.
One minute they are little, the next minute you turn around and they are grown. Time goes by. Life doesn't stop for us to catch up with it. We have to live everyday like it is our last. We have to give our children what they deserve: our time, and most of all, our love.

Stephanie

Random Ramblings

2007-01-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe it is already the 5th of January. Time seems to be flying by now that the new year has come.
2 more people in our agency just recieved referrals for their baby girls. Congratulations!
If I am right, they will be our traveling companions. Speaking of traveling, I haven't even started packing anything for the trip. Is it crazy for me to wait until February to start such a monumental task?
I guess it's because we are taking all 3 of our children with us this time, that I am putting off packing. I know that we are going to take way too much luggage.
After all we not only have to pack for all 5 of us, but the baby and any orphanage gifts that we will be bringing also.
Our kids will probably be bringing MP3 players, handheld games, dvd's and books to keep them occupied.
We need to bring the laptop, camera, and video camera. I think that is about the jist of our electronic equipment that we will have to lug all over the world.
I am hoping that the power outlets have changed somewhat since we went to Vietnam 8 years ago, and that we won't need adapters for every peice of equipment.
I am going to start looking at airlines and hotels soon, also. Hopefully we will get some good prices if we are able to book a month or so in advance.
I better sign off now, the list of things I need to do just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Feeling a little overwhelmed,
Stephanie

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T19:43:00.000-05:00

2007 is finally here. We have waited patiently for the calander to finally turn over to the new year. It is the year that we will bring our baby home. Patience, unfortunately is not one of my virtues. I am the type of person who does things on the spur of the moment, so to have to wait this adoption journey out has been significantly hard on me.

I have changed our counter at the top of the page to reflect the estimated time of travel to Vietnam. Our agency has told us that we will not travel during Tet. Although we would have liked to have gone sooner, we do not want to be over there when the government is shut down. I am hoping that my estimated guess is close and that we may even travel by the end of February.

We have had a year filled with laughter, tears, trials and triumphs. We have been blessed in so many ways that I could never find the words to write them down. Every new year I make resolutions that I can never really keep. This year I will keep my resolution. I will bring my sweet little angel home and she will forever be loved.

Happy New Year,

Stephanie

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T17:02:00.006-05:00

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas spent with those you love.

Stephanie

Year In Review (Idea From Nicki's Blog)

2006-12-23T19:24:00.000-05:00

We are adopting our second daughter from Vietnam and invite you to join us for the journey.
We finally received our finger print appointment letters
It's our 18th wedding anniversary today.
It seems like we are never going to finish all of this home remodeling!
We finally had our first home study appt. and it turned out well.
We e-mailed our agency yesterday and found out we will be 10th on the waiting list for a girl ages 0 to 18 months.
It seems like forever since I've written anything here.
Today we got the best news about where we are on our agency wait list.
I know it has been awhile since I've updated this blog, but to be honest with you there isn't a lot of news to report.
We haven't written in a while, I guess that's because if you don't have anything good to say then your better off saying nothing.
We finally did it.
Today is Columbus Day, big deal to some people, but to us it means getting things around the house winterized.
Just wanted o update my blog.
It has been a crazy week here.
I am very excited to be a dad again.
As I sit here this morning reading through all of the many blogs on Vietnam adoption, I am reminded of how I felt when we adopted our 1st daughter from Vietnam.
I guess it's my turn to say what I am thankful for.
Something terrible has happened.
Whew! It has been a whirlwind 24 hours.
It is so windy here today!
Finally Saturday is here.
Hey everybody! Did you see our counter at the top of our blog?
Somewhere out there
It's been 4 days since we received our referral and we are still walking around with our heads in the clouds.
I woke up on Monday morning, got my kids up and off to school, took care of the dogs, had breakfast and decided to check e-mails and read a few blogs.
I am posting today to get some information on reasonably priced hotels in Hanoi.
Every holiday season we insert 3 photographs in our Christmas cards

Traditions

2006-12-15T22:17:00.000-05:00

Every holiday season we insert 3 photographs in our Christmas cards. Well, this year we are blessed to place 4 photographs in our cards. Yes, one of each of our children. Our family and friends are anxious to see how they have grown. Some will see the new one for the first time.

Stephanie, the Princess and I went shopping(again) this evening. We purchased a couple of things for our new little one, mainly pink. I think her mother and "big" sister are convinced PINK is her favorite color too.

Our children are off for an all day school outing tomorrow. So we will be off on another shopping day. Baby stuff and Christmas gifts. I look forward to the time alone with my bride. Even if it involves $$$$. It has been too long for us to have the time alone to just "visit".

The new Dad

Know Any Good Hotels in Hanoi?

2006-12-15T12:38:00.000-05:00

I am posting today to get some information on reasonably priced hotels in Hanoi. We are just trying to test the waters on some good places to stay. We are planning on taking our 3 children with us, so we would need a place with at least 2 bedrooms. Our children are 16,14, and 7 (2 teenage boys and a little princess).

I am hoping to find something nice in an area where we could easily get to shopping centers, food stores and resturaunts.

If anyone out there has any suggestions please feel free to use my comments section to let me know your ideas.

Thanks,
Stephanie

New Pictures!!!!

2006-12-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

I woke up on Monday morning, got my kids up and off to school,took care of the dogs, had breakfast and decided to check e-mails and read a few blogs.
As I opened my inbox I was surprised and excited to see an e-mail from one of the ladies who is in Vietnam getting her baby right now.
I opened it up and there staring back at me were 2 new pictures of our baby daughter taken on Sunday of this week. I was so overwhelmed with emotion at seeing her little face again. I think she has grown quite a bit, and it's obvious that she is eating well, because she has the pudgiest little cheeks. They took her hat off and she has just a small amount of hair. Not sure when she will be able to wear clasp bows, but we have the cutest headbands ready to go.
We are not sure on a travel date as of yet, but it may be sometime in February. The only problem that we will run into, is the Vietnamese government closes down 2-3 week in February for Tet. I don't think our agency would even consider sending us over at that time, so we just hope it is sooner than that.
In the meantime we are trying to frantically finish Christmas shopping and get things in order around here in case, by some miracle, we would get to go in January to Vietnam.

Stephanie

A Little Information on the Baby!

2006-12-07T12:24:00.000-05:00

It's been 4 days since we recieved our referral and we are still walking around with our heads in the clouds. We got the pictures on Saturday night at 8:45 p.m. I was home by myself when the call came from our agency. I really wasn't prepared for it to be "the call". I think I played it cool though and was able to comprehend the fact that they were actually e-mailing us the picture right away.

Believe it or not I had to wait for my husband and family to get home before I could open the e-mail. I think I called them at least 3 times to tell them to hurry up or I was going to lock myself in our bedroom and away from the computer until they got here.

Finally the moment came! When we saw her face for the 1st time, it was like we knew her. I know that sounds strange, but it was like God had given us a glimpse of her in our dreams, and now that dream was coming true. She is a tiny little thing. In the picture she is wearing a hat and it is hard to tell how much hair(or no hair) that she has. She looks long, but our agency says they think she is pretty small.
She has the tiniest little mouth and the most expressive and beautiful eyes.

Even though we requested a child a little older, we feel that this is the baby we were always supposed to have.

We are now getting ready to set up the crib and get the room ready for her arrival.

We can hardly believe how blessed we are.

Stephanie

God Bless The Children

2006-12-06T16:56:00.001-05:00

There are so many children out there who need love.

A Song For My Daughter!

2006-12-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moon light
Someone's thinking of me
And loving me tonight

Somewhere out there
Someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another
In that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing
On the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping
Underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we'll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing
On the same bright star

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping
Underneath the same big sky

Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we'll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true

A Beautiful Baby Girl!!!

2006-12-03T21:31:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody! Did you see our counter at the top of our blog. It's true, we received our referral yesterday! And Stephanie was trying to play it cool in her posting yesterday, like we all spent the day in a Barber shop or something! She was trying not to get everybody so excited. That girl, what would I do without her?

Now that we know her age and size we can start planning for some everyday baby items. Yes, I said baby. I know, we originally asked for a child of 12 months plus. Our main goal was that she be healthy and everything else would fall into place. Falling into place is just what is happening. Anyway, by the time we get her home she will still be under 6 months old.

She is healthy and absolutely beautiful! Words can't be said for the joy in our hearts. Lots have prayers have been said for us and we thank all of you for that.

Wow! Stephanie talked me into a shopping trip today (well actually, this was one shopping trip I volunteered for).

Stephanie will be posting better information in the next day or so.

Wow! What a week it has been.

The new Dad(again)

Another Saturday Bites the Dust!

2006-12-02T19:49:00.000-05:00

Finally Saturday is here. I love Saturday. It is the only day of the week that I get to "sleep in" and can stay in my nightgown all day if I want to.
Unfortunately, today was not one of those days.

We decided to clean out our daughters room. This entailed rearranging books, boxing up summer clothes, and making room for the new babies stuff. What should have taken a couple of hours, turned into a half a days work. Oh well, it is one more thing we can mark off our list.

In the afternoon I gave my huusband and our 2 teenage sons haircuts. I am a hairdresser and it seems like they are always the last ones to get their hair done.
After that I finally got my shower and we went and had more passport photos taken.

This evening my family decided to go the the highschool basketball. I decided to come home, curl up on the couch and find something good to watch on tv.

I guess it wasn't such a bad Saturday after all.

Stephanie

Scrambling!

2006-12-01T12:27:00.000-05:00

It is so windy here today. We had tornado warnings out all morning, but they have been cancelled. We are now left wih 40 mile an hour winds.

I had so much to get done today. Last minute bloodwork, update on local police clearance, flu shot; you name it, I did it. I made an appointment for Saturday to have more passport pictures taken. We are told we need 9 each. This was not the case in 99, so we were a little unprepared for this step. It does bring us one step closer to our daughter, so it is worth it.

A Final Thought:
I want to say thank you to all of the people who have left comments here. Your thoughts and well wishes are so greatly appreciated. When someone takes a minute out of their busy day to spread a little sunshine in our lives, it can make all the difference in the world. Thank you again, you are all very special people.

Stephanie

A New Day, A New Agency

2006-11-30T06:23:00.000-05:00

Whew! It has been a whirlwind 24 hours. Yesterday I was sure that things could not get worse and that we would have to put our adoption plans on hold.
Today the sun is shining(only a figure of speech, it is auctually pouring down the rain here) and the world looks alot brighter.

With a little advice from a friend, we dusted ourselves off and climbed back on the adoption bandwagon. I'm happy to say we found a new agency, and have already submitted our application. We spoke at great length with the director and found her to be very honest and caring individual. We were happy with the answers she gave us and with the way she had genuine love and compassion for her job and for the children of Vietnam.

Thank you Jenn for everything. You helped us in ways that we can never repay. You are a angel.

Stephanie

Emotionally a Mess!!!!!

2006-11-29T08:27:00.000-05:00

Something terrible has happened.We are sad to say that our referral isn't coming. We have waited patiently for 3 weeks, assuming that everything was going well with our agency. We recieved a call last night saying that the program had been CANCELLED.

We are in shock! We are extrememly upset! We are angry! We are sad!

We don't know what we're going to do.

I ask that everyone who reads this, to pray for us. We will try to come to grips with this and hopefully God will show us what our next steps will be.

We still believe our daughter is out there waiting for us. We have not lost hope.

Stephanie

Giving Thanks

2006-11-20T18:51:00.000-05:00

I guess it's my turn to say what I am thankful for.

First and foremost I am thankful for my God and for all the blessings he has given me. I don't always deserve his grace but it is something that I am eternally thankful for.

2nd. I am thankful for my husband. He is my rock. We have known each other since kindergarten and he is truly my best friend. He takes care of me, he loves me(even when I'm not easy to love). He is the one person who I know will always be there no matter what. He is an excellent father and a great provider.

3rd. I am blessed with the most beautiful, kind and caring children anyone could ever want. They are my reason to get up every morning. My favorite time of the day is when they come home from school and tell me all about their day. I love being their mother and can't wait for baby #4.

4TH. I am thankful for my family and my husband's family. They have inpired me in so may ways. I am so glad we have their love and support with this adoption
5th. I am thankful for my church. We are blessed to attend a church that is comprised mostly of family, and we are so thankful to have found such a open and loving place in which to worship.

6th. I am thankful for the many blog friends I have made. The whole blog community has been an invaluable source of comfort and encouragement as we have been on this adoption journey.

7th. This is the hardest thank you of all.... How do you properly thank the women who had the strength and courage to give us the opportunity to raise their children. I can only imagine how hard it was to leave their babies on the steps of an orphange, to walk away and not look back. I believe it had to be one of the most heartwrenching things they ever had to do. I can only say " Thank You, Thank You" from the bottom of my heart. Your love and and sacrifice does not go unnoticed. You are never far from our thoughts. We will always share a link, and although you may never know us, we will be bonded for life. Thank you for our babies. I only hope that somehow you can know how much they are loved and how precious they are to us.

Stephanie

Memories

2006-11-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

As I sit here this morning reading through all of the many blogs on Vietnam adoption, I am reminded of how I felt when we adopted our 1st daughter from Vietnam. It was 1999 and at that time Vietnam was not the popular place to adopt from. China seemed to be one of the countries that most people were choosing. I remember when we started the process that we actually were going to go with China, but at that time there was an issue with us already having 2 biological children and something about our ages(I'm really not positive on that issue). In December of 1998 we recieved a newsletter from the agency that we had been working with, telling us about their new Vietnam program. We talked about it and really prayed hard as to whether it was the right place for us and ultimately decided that we would pursue our adoption thru Vietnam. It took us 6 months from start to finish(things were alot different then) and we had our daughter home when she turned 3 and 1\2 months. We truly felt blessed beyond words at what God had given us. The whole experience was something that we will never forget. When we looked into our little baby's beautiful face we knew that this was the reason things didn't work out with China. Our destiny was waiting for us in Vietnam. That is where our family was supposed to go and where God had our special angel waiting for us.
Seven years later we are ready to meet our new baby. The agony of waiting for her picture is so very hard, and not being there for all of her 1st moments of life is even harder. It is a comfort to know that where ever she may be, God is watching over her and keeping her safe until we can be there for her.
We have been blessed with the love of 3 precious children. Knowing that we will be given the opportunity to share our hearts and home with another child is truly the biggest blessing of all.

Dad's Get Anxious Too!

2006-11-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to be a dad again. This is another blessed time in our lives. We have been blessed so much. God is so good to us.

I tend to blame S~ to be the one who gets so anxious. But, to be quite honest, I just hide it better. But don't think for a minute that a true Dad doesn't think about his child a lot, even if he hasn't seen her face.

It's times like these that I appreciate my fast paced job that demands my full attention for 10-12 hours a day, though it is sometimes hard to concentrate.

I know exactly what she will look like. She will have her mothers smile, her sisters eyes, and God's love in her heart. What a beautiful little girl.

Our adoption has had its ups/downs, but it will all be worth it. This is our fourth child, second adoption. What a great family! One in high school, one in junior high, one in primary school and one waiting in Vietnam. Kids everywhere!

As S~ has said (in previous post) we are awaiting our referral. I know she(we) will really become more anxious after receiving our beautiful daughters picture.

Hats off to you S~! You work with the agency and translate the info to me. You take such great care of our families needs. What a great wife(mom)!

The new Dad

Ramblings

2006-11-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy week here. The five of us have all been sick in some capacity. It started off with my middle son bringing us home a nice little stomach flu. He then passed it on to every member of the household. To be honest our daughter hasn't gotten it yet, but she has had a nasty cold, so I guess you could say we have had a miserable week. Thankfully now everyone is on the mend and I'm hoping that we all stay healthy for the holidays.
We are getting ready to attend our schools annual Fall Festival tonight(I am actually working it) and trying to keep ourselves busy with all the activities going on around here. We recieved some very good news on Wednesday on the financial front so it seem like things are really looking up for us with the adoption.
I am hoping to start posting some photos of my family as soon as I figure out how to upload pictures to Blogger. We are getting ready to work on the babies room soon and I would like to show you all what kind of progress we are making. Hopefully I will be able to update this blog more often and keep up with all that is going on here.

Stephanie

Catching Up

2006-10-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

Just wanted o update my blog. First off, congratulations to Mrs Broccoli Guy for finally getting travel approval. It is about time! To those that have recieved referrals a big congratulations to all of you. I am so happy for all of you.

We are now officially waiting for our referral to come. Our agency is saying 4 to 6 weeks, and we are on pins and needles. I can't wait to see that beautiful little face. We have been so busy lately with remodeling and getting things ready for winter that we really haven't slowed down enought to think about our adoption. Which is a good thing, because I am the type of person who truly agonizes over everything. I am also not as patient as I would like to be, so this is really going to test my faith. O do believe that God is watching over our daughter and that when the time comes for us to meet her, he will make it happen.

We have decided to not buy anything baby related until our referral comes. Does anyone think this is a good idea? I just don't want to jump ahead of the horse and not have the right sizes. Is this crazy?

Stephanie

Winter Blahs

2006-10-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

Today is Columbus Day. Big deal to some people, but to us it means getting things around the house winterized. We have put off getting the pool ready for winter so today is the day. I really dread the whole aspect of winter coming. Can't stand driving in the snow, don't like cold temperatures and hate wearing layer after layer of clothes to keep warm. I do enjoy the fall though. Seeing the leaves change colors is probably my favorite part of fall.
On the adoption front, we spent the week-end in Cleveland attending the Harvest Moon Festival party that our agency throws every year. It was so much fun getting together with other people who have adopted or are adopting from Vietnam and China. Our daughter had a ball reconnecting with friends she has made over the years at this event. We were able to talk with the agency director one on one and now feel that this was the best choice for us to come back to this agency. She made us feel good about the Vietnam program and how it was going to go. We should get a referral pretty quickly and travel within 4 or 5 months after. It is nice to feel so secure about the choice of changing agencies.
Gotta get moving now, the pool is calling.

Stephanie

Feelin Good!

2006-10-06T07:47:00.000-05:00

We finally did it. We were able to go back with the agency we used with our first adoption. We would have went with them from the start but they didn't have their Vietnam program up and running until a few weeks ago.
It was an easy transition, and now we are just trying to get our dossier together, so we can get on their waiting list for a referral. We are told that they have children available and that we should travel quickly. We will be back to waiting again, but at least this time we feel comfortable with the agency and the choice that we made to switch.

Stephanie

Changing Agencies?

2006-10-02T07:54:00.000-05:00

We haven't written in a while. I guess that's because if you don't have anything good to say then your better off saying nothing. It has been a long 3 weeks of praying and praying about our agency and whether or not to stay with them. Although we feel that they want the best for the children in Vietnam, we also feel that they lack the one thing that we need: communication. Are we wrong to want a agency whom when we call, will return our call the same day or the day after? Are we arong to want an agency to return e-mails within a reasonable amount of time. Is it wrong to want to have a more specific timeline for referral and travel.
We realize that with international adoption anyting can and ultimately does go wrong. Maybe it's because we're older and hopefully a little more wiser, but I beleive when you enter into an agreement with an agency, they are working for you, and should be there for you when you have questions that need answered.
If they don't know the answers, they should say so and not beat around the bush.
We have come to the conclusion that we will not find our daughter with this agency, but that she is still out there and we are going to bring her home.

Stephanie

The Waiting Game

2006-09-21T12:04:00.000-05:00

I know it has been awhile since I've updated this blog, but to be honest with you there isn't alot of news to report.
We had a little snafu with our I71H and we have had to take time to fix that situation. Luckily my husband works very close to UCIS and we should have everything back on track very soon.
In other adoption news, it looks like the wait time for a referral has increased to a 6 month or longer timeframe. We really thought things would move a little quicker than that and now we are feeling really discouraged. I know adoption is uncertain, but we are only human and want things to speed up. Unfortunately all of this is out of our control, so we just have to sit back and remain patient. Please continue to pray that things will work out the way God has planned, and that we will have the fortitude to listen to God.

Stephanie

Maybe number 3

2006-09-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Today we got the best news about where we are on our agency wait list. We are number 3. Yeah! I never thought I could be so happy to be in 3rd place in anything. We are hoping that a referral won't take as long as we previously thought and that our beautiful little girl will be joining us very soon. Please say a special prayer that God will take care of "A" until we can bring her home.

Stephanie

Waiting on I600

2006-09-09T15:02:00.000-05:00

It seems like forever since I've written anything here. I've been having alot of trouble accessing this sight and my blog. Hopefully things are fixed now.

Since my last post things have really started moving along with the adoption. We finished our homestudy, sent it to our agency and our SW sent it to INS. Now it's just a waiting game. We have been told that the Columbus office gets thru the paperwork really fast. Sometimes in as little as 2 weeks. We are hoping to have our approval by the end of September.

Everyday our daughter says "Did we get the picture yet?" I think it is so hard for a 7 year old to understand why it takes so long to do this. It's hard for us to understand why this process takes so long and we're almost 40. We just have to keep telling ourselves that it takes 9 full months to have a baby, so we need to have patience if it takes that long or longer to adopt one.

The only thing we can do while we wait for our referral is continue to remodel(this is a never-ending job) and start shopping for things to go in the babies room. Our daughter will be sharing a room with the new baby and she is so excited about it. We have been discussing paint colors and if we will need a crib or a toddler bed(we are requesting a child around 2 yrs of age).

I believe in Vietnam the children stay in a crib for as long as possible and then sleep on a mat on the floor as they get older. I hope she will adapt well to a real bed. Only time will tell.......

This is one of my favorite quotes:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Stephanie

Referral Time So Long!

2006-08-22T20:37:00.000-05:00

We e-mailed our agency yesterday and found out we will be 10th on the waiting list for a girl ages 0 to 18 months. We were sure that when the homestudy was completed we would have a referral within no time at all.
When we adopted our daughter in 99 from Vietnam the whole process took only 6 months. We hoped it would be that fast this time.
No matter how long it takes we will hang in there because we know our little angel is out there waiting for her family to come and take her home.

Stephanie

First Homestudy Appointment

2006-08-14T23:12:00.000-05:00

We finally had our First homestudy appt. and it turned out well. We will finished on the 24th and hope to have a referral by the end of September.

Nothing New

2006-07-28T21:59:00.000-05:00

July 29, 2006

It seems like we are never going to finish all of this home remodeling! Everyday there is something new we are ripping out and tearing down. I'm sure it is a good way to keep from worrying about our little girl who is waiting for us to come and get her.
We still need to work on our CPR classes and get our fire inspection done. I think we are both frustrated with how little time we have to get things accomplished.
I think we just need to take a step back and reevaluate our time management skills and work at getting our paperwork done.

Happy Anniversary!

2006-07-23T22:29:00.000-05:00

July 23, 2006

It's our 18th wedding anniversary today. We are doing so much home remodeling that we decided fixing up the house, would be our gift to each other this year. We have been painting wallpapering and getting ready to put down laminate flooring. Hopefully it will keep our mind off of waiting for this adoption to happen sooner.
We didn't get our CPR classes done yet, but maybe by next week-end that will be something we can check off our list as complete.

Stephanie

Fingerprints and Medicals Complete

2006-07-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

July 21 2006

We finally recieved our finger print appointment letters. My husband works in Columbus, so we were able to take the afternoon and get our fingerprints done. We had to take the kids with us, but suprisingly it all turned out well.
I had made our medical appointments for the same day and we were able to get that taken care of also.
Our agency also requires a local backround check done by the sheriffs office. We made it just in time to get that taken care of.
Thankfully things seemed to fall in place and now we are almost finished with all of our papers for the homestudy.
We have our CPR classes this weekend and need to get our fire inspection done and we are ready to roll.
Wish us luck! This journey is just beginning.

Stephanie

Here We Go Again

2006-07-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

July 18th, 2006

We are adopting our second daughter from Vietnam and invite you to join us for the journey.