Saturday, April 28, 2007

I'm so proud of my hubby!



It's been a very "crazy and hectic" week for us and I really don't want to go in to details. Those who know us, know what we're talking about. But one little ray of sunshine was when my talented husband, Doug, received Employee of the Month at his job! GREAT WORK Douggie! I told you that you are amazingly smart and talented! If you want to see his picture on the bank's website, go to www.amnb.com. Love you darling!
Susan

Friday, April 20, 2007

March Secret Pal Goodies Arrived Today!!!!!






I don't have a clue who our Secret Pals are with the March DTC 2006 Yahoo Group but they are absolutely amazing with their gifts. This month the theme was Picture Frames and Photos. When we got our box and started going through it (I had to wait 2 hours for Doug to get home!!!) I was just amazed at what they had picked out for us! Here's what our box included this month:
1. A little cloth book called, We Love You, Baby by Lamaze that has spots for us to insert pictures of mommie, daddy, grandparents, etc.
2. The book, "My Family Is Forever" which I have never seen before. It is by Scholastic and is about a Chinese girl being adopted and how she fits in with her family even though she doesn't look like them! GREAT book!
3. TWO picture frames: one says "Family" all the way around it and the other says, "Friends" at the top (and yes, Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal we do plan on putting a picture in there of you with your baby girl!)
4. A scrapbook that has a HUGE ladybug on the front! This is JUST what we have been looking for to put Rebekah's Lifebook in! We have one that Doug gave me Christmas that I am putting the 100 Wishes in but I just haven't been able to find one that I liked for the Lifebook! WOW!
5. A bag FULL FULL FULL of adoption/China related papers, stickers, poems, cutouts, borders etc........to use in the Lifebook! It came from a company called Archiver's: The Photo Memory Shop. It is a TON of stuff and I had to look at EVERY little thing. Of course those of you who know me, KNOW that I cried!!!!! It just made it seem a little more REAL that one day we WILL be traveling to China and we WILL have a baby girl from there to love, and raise! Gosh, I am emotional now as I type this!
Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal, you are just AWESOME! I know I say that every month, but you REALLY outdid yourselves this month! I am blown away and just an emotional sap right now! Thank you for thinking of us and going all out once again to support, encourage, and love us as we go through the months of waiting! I can't WAIT to get started on her Lifebook NOW! I know I can't do a lot of it, but I can do the pages about our decision to adopt, our love for this child that we don't know physically but know so much in our hearts, and our preparations for our referral one day!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Frilly Dress!



















I forgot to post the pictures of this dress that I got for Baby Bekah about a month or so ago. It is another Lid'l Dolly dress from Pigeon Forge, TN and I just love the purple color and LOTS of frills and "froo froo." I had it in mind for an "Easter Dress" but I'm sure when we get baby, she will wear it a LOT! hahahahahahahahaha I just love the layers and layers of lace and how it poofs out! Knowing my luck, baby won't be prissy like mommie........she'll probably take after Aunt Stacey! hahahahahahaha (Love ya Stace!)

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Savannah's Birthday




Today was our kitty, Savannah's 3rd birthday. As you can see, we've lost our mind and put a candle in her Fancy Feast! hahahahahahahaha Yes, we NEED a baby! Seriously though, we love our furbabies and Savannah is the "babiest" one of them all. We got her a window perch but her sisters use it ! I have a pic of Tabitha on it and Chelsea uses it to Springboard onto the top bunk of the bunkbed! hahahahahahahaha Gotta love those furbabies!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Sesame Street OLDIES!



Ok, y'all are going to laugh at this! Today Doug and I were talking and decided that each month we are going to buy a different children's video because we realized that we have NONE! hahahahaha Oh we have TONS of movies for US but no kiddie ones. Plus it will help us pass the months ahead. Today I was looking at good ones that I want like Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Robin Hood (all Disney movies) and THEN I SAW the OLD Sesame Street set 1! HOW COOL!!!!!! I'm sitting here right now watching some.......talk about a FLASHBACK to your childhood! These things are GREAT!!!!!!! You know what? Growing up and watching these, I didn't realize how multicultural Sesame Street was!

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Friday, April 13, 2007

Cross-Stitch Ladybug



Last night I was sitting there WANTING to do something in cross-stitch and not really having a plan, so I pulled out my books and found a VERY easy pattern for a little ladybug! I did it on a bookmark and so far all I did was the ladybug.....I can't decide if I want to put our LID or Bekah's name or a heart for every month we have been waiting or what.......I just LOVED the little ladybug! hahahahahahaha

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Wooden Name




I found the wooden letters that I painted (Rebekah's name). I haven't hung them yet. In fact, as you can see, I only have the lace part attached to the R. This is another project that I did not want to do until we have the official word that we have made it through the Review Room at CCAA. I think the pink letters will look pretty against the lilac walls of the nursery. Can you tell that Rebekah's mommie LOVES pink, and lace, and as Doug says, "The froo-froo" hahahahahahah! I hope Rebekah is just as prissy as her mommy! hahahahahahahaha
Notice also that our cats, Tabitha and Chelsea, just HAD to pick that moment to run in and start a wrestling match in the middle of the letters! Those girls just HAVE to be the center of EVERYTHING! It's going to be interesting to see how they react once we get Baby Bekah home!

Wallpaper Border


Here's the border that we have to put up in Rebekah's room. It is the old-fashioned Pooh and should look really pretty once we get it up. I have been saving it until at least after we make it through the Review Room. Isn't it cute? We love the old Pooh stuff (at Target).

Taggy Blanket Started







Ok, I'm on Spring Break and so today I was sitting here and thought, "Didn't I buy some stuff to make a taggy blanket months ago?" Sure enough, there it was in the closet, hidden under some other stuff. So last night I pulled it out and started planning how I want to do this. Keep in mind that I'm not very good at sewing but I think I can handle this. I'm NOT going to make Rebekah's 100 Wishes Quilt ( I'm getting the Hatcher Center to sew it) but I am putting the wishes together in the Scrapbook. I wanted to at least be the one who sews her taggy blanket. Now some of you may be sitting there reading this and saying, "What the heck is a taggy blanket?" (My husband said the same thing....hahahahahaha) We all have seen babies who are more fascinated with the tags on clothes and blankets than the actually blanket so some brilliant person came up with the idea of making a blanket that has little tags sticking out all the way around. I've heard people say that their babies love these blankets and it really helps to keep them quiet (like in church or on the airplane). Plus, as a teacher, I can see the advantages of the tags as a tactile development tool. So.....with that said, I am working on Baby Rebekah's taggy blanket. The actually blanket will be a quilted pink/white gingham and you can see the ribbons that I have cut and sewn so far. It felt good to be doing something for my baby (there's that "nesting" again) plus I'm happy when I'm crafting and being creative so this is exciting. I'm just wondering how long it will take me to finish it? Who knows?

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

CCAA Updates



Well, this isn't very much to be excited about. The CCAA updated their website and apparently only did TWO DAYS worth of referrals in a whole month. Geez, how much more can they slow down???????? They haven't updated the part about the review room so we're hoping that when they do, we'll at least have made it through the review room (we are LID 04/05/06) and have a little something to celebrate. Amazingly, I'm not too upset or freaking out like I did last month. It is what it is and getting all depressed and upset won't speed it up. We all hate the slowness but we're committed to being parents and we love these babies that we haven't even met yet. Here's what it said on the CCAA Website this morning:
The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before March 31, 2006. The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before October 26, 2005.
Ok, well let's hope it speeds up and just keep plugging along. Everyone keep praying! Love to you all!
P.S. The "tired kitty" photo is not one of our cats, just a cute picture that symbolizes how tired we are of the waiting for baby! hahahahahahahaha ENJOY

Monday, April 09, 2007

Oh The Joy of FINALLY having time to READ!




Well, I FINALLY have had time to sit and read and TOTALLY enjoy the experience! I stay so busy with my students during the week that I never take the time to just read. Boy am I making up for it this week! Right before Spring Break (while I was out with some sick leave days dealing with kidney stones) I read for the second time the book that I bought at our school's Book Fair. It is called The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and is by the author the book Because of Winn Dixie, Kate Dicamillo. She is a fabulous author and the voice she gives to her characters just make you feel like you are RIGHT there with them. This book, "Edward Tulane" is about a journey that a ceramic rabbit makes and with all of its twists and turns and emotion it is just AMAZING! I cried! hahahahahahahahaha Of course for anyone that KNOWS me, that is nothing new as I am the "most sentimental and tenderhearted person" according to my husband! Anyway, I would strongly recommend it!
Last night I finished another book called, Forever Lily by Beth Nonte Russell. It is about a lady who went with a friend to China. The friend was adopting a baby girl but then decides she doesn't want the baby and the author starts to bond with the baby. It is amazing! The author had dreams about China before and during the trip and it was REALLY interesting! Now I am working on another book called From China With Love: A Long Road To Motherhood. I hope it is good. It sure is nice to be able to enjoy these books and not have lesson plans to do, papers to grade, or anything else to occupy my thoughts. I totally get lost in a book when I'm reading it and I hope one day to share this passion for reading with my daughter. You should SEE the number of books I've bought for the nursery! hahahahahahaha

Catching Up During Spring Break





Well today I am enjoying my SPRING BREAK! Thank goodness it finally got here! I've got some pictures to add to the blog. One of them is a blue and white dress that I bought for baby Rebekah and also bought a matching one for Felicity's baby, Shauna! We thought it would be fun to have matching outfits for our girls and this little dress was so summery and pretty......perfect for two little southern belles! hahahahahahahahaha
I also realized that I had never posted pictures of the baby's pack-n-play that we bought a few months ago. It is cute with little Poohs on it! I also have a picture of the little baby socks I bought last week with the little Pooh on it. They are just plum adorable!

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Easter Surprises!



Well, today my cyber friends REALLY surprised me. I was sitting here reading a book about what else?..........adoption in China and the mailman arrived. I just had this "feeling" that we were going to get something that he would have to deliver to the door, so I went to the door and there he was with TWO packages for us.......one from our March DTC Secret Pals and one from my dear friend, Felicity! Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal sent us a huge lavender Easter bunny (so soft) and a gourmet treats basket with chocolates and a pecan/popcorn mix. YUM YUM!
Felicity sent me a card and a ladybug charm that is just ADORABLE! It really helps to have friends who think about you and help you get this through this arduous process. Thank you Felicity and Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal! You just don't know how much this meant to me!
Love to you all!
Susan

Thursday, April 05, 2007

ONE YEAR LID-IVERSARY!


Well folks, it's hard to believe that we have been logged in to the CCAA in China for a year TODAY! How much longer will it take before we get a referral? God only knows! I mean that with the utmost respect to God, because honestly HE is the only one that knows. Maybe our baby hasn'tbeen born yet and He's saving a sweet, precious, little spirit just for us. That at least helps to keep me sane as my heart longs to be a Mommy. Wherever she is, I hope she KNOWS to the very depths of her soul how much her Mommy and Daddy want her to join them soon and how much we will love and adore her. Hopefully the wait for the referral will speed up soon. Keep us in your prayers! Enjoy this picture of the Great Wall of China in Winter. Sometimes I feel like we're trying to climb this "great wall" that is keeping us from our baby. The only thing we can do is take ONE STEP at a time and at the end we'll have the best "view" of all when they place that sweet little girl in our arms. THAT is the end result I cling to.
Susan