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Not that I am very superstitious, but I am keeping these red boots on until referrals get here! I was going to take them off, but on a dare from some of my best cyber friend's here they are! Maybe, if I wish and hope and pray really hard and tap my heels together, just like Dorothy did in Oz, referrals will include the 23rd! I can't believe I am going to the post office with these on to mail a package! Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!
I totally forgot our 28th LID Anniversary which was last Friday! I guess this means that we are occupying ourselves with more productive and important things! Not that being logged into CCAA for 28 months isn't a major accomplishment, but we are so close to our referral that it just doesn't seem to matter as much! Could this be our last one! Maybe, if CCAA sends referrals thru Jan 23rd we could see our sweet little Kaelin as early as the end of this week! Ok, enough silly talk! But, seriously, if we are not in this next batch we are pretty sure that we will be in next month's batch! That is only 5 weeks away! We still have so much to do, it scares me! I did buy Kaelin's car seat this week and I got my ottoman that matches the glider! So I am confident that we are moving forward getting things done! We really need to start getting our house baby-proofed, and securing the pool!
If we don't get our referral this month, which I am pretty sure the chances are zero, I am still going to be a basket case for the next 5 weeks! Breathe, Breathe, Breathe! I swear this is the hardest labor I have ever had!
Oh and Happy Memorial Day! Please say a prayer for all of the brave men and women in our armed forces who work hard and sacrifice everyday so that others may be safe and have freedom.
Here, in our little pocket of the world, it is pretty much life as usual. But to thousands of people in China, it is a very different story. Another update from Jenny at Half the Sky makes this statement even more real and sobering. "There are 34,073 people confirmed dead, 245,108 injured, still more than 35,000 still missing." Gary and I were talking yesterday and to get an idea of just how many people we are talking about he gave me this visual image. A few miles away from us is The Palace, an arena for sporting events, concerts, and other big attractions. It can hold a capacity of 22,000 people. So I imagined myself sitting at a Detroit Pistons game and visualizing all the people filling those seats, and it is a lot of people! Now with that in mind, multiply it by about 1.5 and that is how many people have died so far in the earthquake in China! It is also how many people are still missing! These people are just like us, they have friends, husbands, wives, children, moms, and dads. They go to work every day and love and take care of their families! So, imagine if something this horrible and catastrophic were to happen in our life. Makes it even more real and heartbreaking, doesn't it. Please do everything you can for these people who are just like you and me. After all, we are all God's children. So please reach out to them whether in prayer or donation (Half the Sky) or both.
We received another email from Jenny at Half the Sky today and the news is not very good. "As of this morning (Friday) there were 19,509 people confirmed dead. The State Council today said there will likely be more than 50,000. Today’s government report describes one terrible scene after another: thousands homeless, thousands missing, thousands injured, thousands trapped or buried alive. Hope for survivors is dimming. There is an urgent call for body bags to prevent the spread of disease. There have been over 4,400 aftershocks."
Our hearts are just aching for the people of China! Since we began our adoption, and even before, we have been fascinated by this beautiful and amazing country. In the last three years China has grown to be very dear to our hearts because our daughter is there. We love everything about China and it has become a part of us. We are so worried that our little girl, along with thousands of men, women, and children, is in need of food, water, medicine, or clothing. Please continue to pray and donate all you can!
First, I apologize for posting something so frivolous in lieu of the earthquake, but I got my chair for Kaelin's room and I couldn't wait to show everyone! I know, I know, I have had the PBKids Dream Glider on my "Kaelin Wishlist," but I just couldn't ever get up the nerve to spend over $1,000 on a glider! Not that Kaelin isn't worth every penny plus a million gazillion times more, but I just couldn't do it! A couple of weeks ago I started looking online for something comparable and looky look, I found it! I know it is a gamble to buy something like this online without taking it for a "test drive," but I just had a good feeling about it and bought it anyway! It is from JCPenney.com and I think it is even prettier than the PBKids glider! Plus, it comes with a matching gliding ottoman (currently not pictured and said to be lost in transit somewhere between Utah and Michigan, UGH!) The set usually sells for $699.99 which is what I was originally charged. Okay, so here is the best part! I went online day before yesterday to admire my chair only to find it had been marked down to $449.99! I immediately called Penney's and they said, "no problem, we'll just credit you and give you the sale."It was that easy! They actually credited me even more than they said! I got the set for $434.00! It is so comfy cozy and I can't wait to snuggle in it with Kaelin!
We got another update from Jenny at Half the Sky about the earthquake and the news is very dismal. "As of now, Thursday afternoon in China, there are 14,866 people confirmed dead, 14,463 in Sichuan Province. There are 22,438 people reported missing – 21,020 of them in Deyang alone. There have been 3,300 aftershocks and they continue". Many orphanages have been affected, too many to list on my blog. You can go to RQ and read more on these orphanages.
My heart just goes out to all of the parents in China who have lost their only children. So very sad.
Many friends and family have asked, "Will this will affect our adoption?" We honestly have no idea. Time will tell. If you would like to give money to help with this terrible tragedy here are just two of the many places you can donate: Half the Sky or you can donate at GWCA .
Once again, please keep the people of China, especially the children, in your prayers.
We received an email from our agency, Great Wall China Adoption, yesterday regarding the earthquake in China. Several of the orphanages in Sichuan and Chongqing provinces have been directly affected by the earthquake. Great Wall receives many of it's referrals from Sichuan and Chongquing. They have set up a relief fund for the orphanages in need. If you would like to donate you can go to GWCA and click on "Donate for Earthquake." You can also donate at Half the Sky.org
Please send your prayers to all of the people, especially the children, in China who are suffering the effects of this horrible catastrophe.
This news is so upsetting! For the article click here
Hopefully all of our Precious Pandas and other adoptive parents who are in China right now are alright! Please pray for all of the people in China that this disaster is affecting!
I take back everything I ever said against Detroit USCIS! We got our new amended I171H in the mail on Saturday!We were in Chicago moving Marie on Saturday so I didn't actually find it until Sunday! That means it was lurking in our mailbox for a whole day and a night! We were re-fingerprinted on April 29 and after only 11 days it is here! We were totally not expecting it until at least July! So, imagine my surprise when I was going through the mail and there, nestled in between the junk mail, was a letter from United States Department of Homeland Security! We have to have this document in order to obtain Kaelin's Visa in Guangzhou! What a great unexpected Mother's Day present! Speaking of presents, my amazingly thoughtful and wonderful children got me the most beautiful solid gold ladybug bracelet! I cried buckets when I opened it! What a great day it was!
Our paperwork is all up to date! Now, all we need is our referral! GO JUNE! GO JUNE! GO JUNE!
Not that I am very superstitious, but I am keeping these red boots on until referrals get here! I was going to take them off, but on a dare from some of my best cyber friend's here they are! Maybe, if I wish and hope and pray really hard and tap my heels together, just like Dorothy did in Oz, referrals will include the 23rd! I can't believe I am going to the post office with these on to mail a package! Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!
Here, in our little pocket of the world, it is pretty much life as usual. But to thousands of people in China, it is a very different story. Another update from Jenny at Half the Sky makes this statement even more real and sobering. "There are 34,073 people confirmed dead, 245,108 injured, still more than 35,000 still missing." Gary and I were talking yesterday and to get an idea of just how many people we are talking about he gave me this visual image. A few miles away from us is The Palace, an arena for sporting events, concerts, and other big attractions. It can hold a capacity of 22,000 people. So I imagined myself sitting at a Detroit Pistons game and visualizing all the people filling those seats, and it is a lot of people! Now with that in mind, multiply it by about 1.5 and that is how many people have died so far in the earthquake in China! It is also how many people are still missing! These people are just like us, they have friends, husbands, wives, children, moms, and dads. They go to work every day and love and take care of their families! So, imagine if something this horrible and catastrophic were to happen in our life. Makes it even more real and heartbreaking, doesn't it. Please do everything you can for these people who are just like you and me. After all, we are all God's children. So please reach out to them whether in prayer or donation (Half the Sky) or both.
First, I apologize for posting something so frivolous in lieu of the earthquake, but I got my chair for Kaelin's room and I couldn't wait to show everyone! I know, I know, I have had the PBKids Dream Glider on my "Kaelin Wishlist," but I just couldn't ever get up the nerve to spend over $1,000 on a glider! Not that Kaelin isn't worth every penny plus a million gazillion times more, but I just couldn't do it! A couple of weeks ago I started looking online for something comparable and looky look, I found it! I know it is a gamble to buy something like this online without taking it for a "test drive," but I just had a good feeling about it and bought it anyway! It is from JCPenney.com and I think it is even prettier than the PBKids glider! Plus, it comes with a matching gliding ottoman (currently not pictured and said to be lost in transit somewhere between Utah and Michigan, UGH!) The set usually sells for $699.99 which is what I was originally charged. Okay, so here is the best part! I went online day before yesterday to admire my chair only to find it had been marked down to $449.99! I immediately called Penney's and they said, "no problem, we'll just credit you and give you the sale."It was that easy! They actually credited me even more than they said! I got the set for $434.00! It is so comfy cozy and I can't wait to snuggle in it with Kaelin!
I take back everything I ever said against Detroit USCIS! We got our new amended I171H in the mail on Saturday!We were in Chicago moving Marie on Saturday so I didn't actually find it until Sunday! That means it was lurking in our mailbox for a whole day and a night! We were re-fingerprinted on April 29 and after only 11 days it is here! We were totally not expecting it until at least July! So, imagine my surprise when I was going through the mail and there, nestled in between the junk mail, was a letter from United States Department of Homeland Security! We have to have this document in order to obtain Kaelin's Visa in Guangzhou! What a great unexpected Mother's Day present! Speaking of presents, my amazingly thoughtful and wonderful children got me the most beautiful solid gold ladybug bracelet! I cried buckets when I opened it! What a great day it was!
