Saturday, June 30, 2007

WRECKED!!!


Well, last night we were in a wreck. We were not at fault. A truck ran into us on the way home from dinner. We are ok (treated for shock) but our new Jeep was towed away on the back of a flatbed truck. We are so glad that we didn't have a baby in the backseat! Thank you friends and family for your prayers and phone calls! We love you all. Be careful when you are out traveling this weekend. You can do everything right and still have nuts out there that aren't following the rules.
We want all of you to be safe!

Friday, June 29, 2007

Working On The Nursery



Well, today I was just sitting here and thought, "I should really work on the nursery while I'm out of school on summer break." So.........I got busy! I put the wallpaper border up (Old Fashioned Pooh) and hung Rebekah's wooden name letters up. I had to attach the frilly pink/white ribbon to the letters. It was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun to do! I know it will be many more months before we get our referral, but doing things in the nursery just keeps me focused on that goal. Some people can't work on their nurseries yet because it upsets them. For me, it has the opposite effect. It reminds that all of these hard months of waiting WILL result in our baby Rebekah being part of our lives! ENJOY!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

SUPER SECRET PALS STRIKE AGAIN!!!!!!





Today we got our secret pal goodies for June and July because our secret pals said they will be out of the country most of July. What a huge box of goodies it was! Of course the cats got into opening gifts and Chelsea is in the empty box now playing in the tissue paper! hahahahahahaha I swear those felines look forward to the Secret Pal Goody Box as much as we do! Doug came home for lunch and we opened them together. We were sooooooooooooooooooo surprised at everything! Let me describe the goodies by month. First there were the June gifts and the theme was "Baby BooBoos" which included stuff for first aid and medical situations. Here's what they sent us:
1. A Fisher Price Sounds and Lights Baby Monitor!!!!! WOW! I couldn't BELIEVE that!
2. An Sesame Street Giggle Medical Kit (I'm sure Rebekah will LOVE this! It is sooooo cute!)
3. A DVD: Elmo Visits The Doctor (How cute!)
4. A First Aid For Children Book (this is a WONDERFUL resource!)
5. Some scrapbook paper and stickers (medical theme)

For July the theme is "Fun In The Sun" and not only did our secret pal send some beachy/pool stuff, but they sent some "Patriotic" theme items which Doug and I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
Here's what they sent:
1. A red/white/blue flag baby bathing suit (THIS IS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!)
2. Baby white sunglasses (Rebekah will be a cool little princess in these!)
3. An orange ceramic bucket full of Bath and Body Works goodies (Susan went crazy of this! She loves that store and the fragrance you got-tropical passionfruit-is such a cool summer scent! THANK YOU)
4. Two collectible Cherished Teddies statues. One is holding the flag and the other is playing the fife. They are little soldier bears and so adorable!!!!!!!
5. Inflatable beach ball
6. Inflatable swim rings
7. A small travel bottle of sunblock
8. A children's book: P.B. Bear Sand Castle Surprise
9. A pretty magnet from Japan! How wonderful to have something from Asia!
THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. and MRS SECRET PAL! We love everything you send and all of the thoughts and love you pack into each goody box. Doug and I hope you have a safe and enjoyable summer and as you travel, we certainly hope you will be safe and sound! We love you guys!!!!!

Monday, June 25, 2007

Tokyo Postcard From Our Secret Pals!



I got home from running errands today and lo' and behold I look in the mailbox and there's a cool postcard from Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal from TOKYO, JAPAN! WOW! How cool is THAT? We really have the best secret pals in the world! They always think of us and send us little surprises that mean the world to us!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Official Word That We Are Out Of The Review Room

Even though Sabrina told us a week or so ago that our dossier was out of the Review Room, it is nice to see tonight that CCAA updated their website and it is official...now hopefully things will move along with the Matching Room. Keep praying!!!!!

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before April 30, 2006.
The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 7, 2005.

Taggy Blanket



I finally had time to sit down and sew Rebekah's taggy blanket. For those of you who don't know what a taggy blanket is........well, little babies LOVE to play with the tags on their clothes and blankets so someone had the bright of idea of making a blanket with little ribbons on the outside (taggies) and then the baby would have plenty of things to play with. This really helps in the tactile development of babies. Most of the blankets like this are small but I wanted to make a larger one. Mine is about a yard wide and a yard in length. I also added a ruffle around the edges with the ribbons to add some frill to it. What a fun blanket to make! I had a ball using my sewing machine and working on it for baby Bekah. I hope she loves it one day and knows how much I love her!

Saturday, June 16, 2007

NEW CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


























Today we bought a NEW CAR!!!!!!!! We had been needing one since my old Jeep is a 1995 and had to endure all the years coming in and out of the dirt road we used to live on in Halifax County. With all the times we came out of there slinging mud after a rain storm and in 4-wheel drive, it's really amazing that it has lasted this long and continues to run. Soooooooooooooooooooo...........we visited the Jeep dealership this past week and test drove some models. At first I thought I wanted a Liberty, but that was too small inside and low gas mileage. Then we tried the Patriot but that just looked too "boxy" and then I saw the Compass! Oh my gosh, I fell in love with a red one that had a SUNROOF and I just LOVED it! Well, of course we had to do the "dickering" that my Daddy taught me how to do........"thanks Daddy!" and then we had to walk out of the dealership with no car and our final offer made clear. They waited a couple of days until they knew we were serious about the price and then they called Doug and offered it to us at the price WE quoted!!!!!!!! So, today we went and bought it and both of us LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Here's some pics I took. hahahahahahahahahah Of course I have to take pics! It's got lots of room inside for all of Rebekah's baby stuff when we get her AND it has front and side airbags!!!!! We're so happy!!!!!
(The pics are 1. Doug standing outside of it 2. Doug driving 3. The skyroof 4. The backseat room 5. The dash and driver's side view

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Now We Are In The Matching Room.........



Our dossier (mountain of paperwork about every aspect of our lives) is now in the Matching Room of the CCAA. It will be there until we are matched with our baby girl. No one knows exactly how they match a baby with the parents. We've heard rumors that they look at what the parents are like and try to match similar characteristics of the baby. For example, if the parents are musically inclined and a baby loves music they might match them. Or, sometimes they look at the astrological signs of the baby and the parents to do the matching. Of course all of this is only what we've "heard". We have no idea what is true. We tend to think that they are guided by a loving Heavenly Father who knows whose baby is whose. Anyhow, here are some pictures of the Matching Room where our dossier is sitting and waiting. Let's pray that things will speed up!!!!!

WE ARE THROUGH THE REVIEW ROOM!!!!!!




Oh my gosh.......I cannot believe that we are out of the Review Room at the CCAA! We have been waiting for this moment for a LONG time. So what does this mean? The Review Room is where they look over all of your paperwork that you submitted. The paperwork is called "our dossier" and ours was submitted on 04/05/06 (over 14 months ago). The CCAA checks out everything and once your dossier is approved, it is moved to the "Matching Room" where it sits until you are matched with a baby. That step is called, "Getting A Referral". So.........that is where we are now...........waiting for them to get to the April 5th, 2006 dossiers and match us with our baby Rebekah. Where are they now? They are matching the November 2005 ones. So they have to get through Nov 05, Dec 05, Jan. 06, Feb. 06, March 06, and then US! Everyone keep praying that things will speed up and we'll keep hanging in there! Thanks to all of our family and friends who support us through all of this. It's a hard, hard, hard journey but we're looking forward to the end result: a dear little baby for Doug and I to love!
For tonight we are CELEBRATING making it past this milestone!!!!!!!!!!!
(The pictures are from the Internet and are of the CCAA Review Room) Thank goodness we are through there.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

New Goodies For Rebekah




Friday I went on a field trip with my 5th grade students to Amazement Square in Lynchburg, VA. It was such an interesting and fun Science museum and when we visited the gift shop, I found some stuff for Rebekah! I bought a little wooden ladybug that has wheels on it. You pull it back and let it go and it goes flying across the floor (the cats loved it). I also got her a plush ladybug that you push a button on it and it makes noises like an insect flying. THEN, I found this cool puppet that is a cheerleader and is a HOOT to play with! I love puppets and have started collecting them for Rebekah. I remember growing up and making my stuffed animals talk and just having a fun time with them and I know that puppets are so interactive for children to play with. They really help in the cognitive development of young children plus they are so darn fun to play with! So far I have a Lambchop puppet, a calico cat puppet and now this cheerleader. Anyhow, it was a fun trip and a fun shopping trip too!

Roanoke FCC Picnic


Yesterday we had the BEST time as we attended an FCC Picnic in Roanoke, VA. This group of people welcomed us to be a part of them and then befriended us so dearly! We saw so many beautiful children adopted from China and literally spent most of the time staring at the children. There were so many people who came up to us and shared their adoption stories with us and just encouraged us to hang in there during this horrible waiting period. They were quick to share hugs and just made us feel like part of their Roanoke FCC Group even though we live in Danville. It was so worth the drive! We talked about it all the way home and most of today and I went back to view everyone's blog that I had seen before but now it was wonderful to have a personal experience with these people and then reread their travel journals. One lady whose travel blog I had followed, saw me and quickly came over to talk. She hugged me and said, "Oh my gosh, it is so exciting to know that you are going to be a first time Mommy in a matter of months!" It made my heart just flutter to know that those words are so true. It may be October, it may be March.....who knows the exact month, but the truth is IT WILL BE TRUE! I needed that so much!
Yes, this wait is long and it's HARD, but I thank God for other people who are so quick to share their support with us! Thank GOD for people who reach out to others and share each others' burdens in a spirit of friendship that means so much to us! We had taken our camera and videocamera and TOTALLY forgot to take pictures. We were so enthralled with the children and so involved in warm conversation, that that was more than enough for us!

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

14 Month LID-iversary Today


Well, here we sit on our 14th month of being logged in to China. We don't feel like we're getting any closer. The whole program seems to be at a stand-still. It's been sooooooooooo long since we saw any post any messages about getting their referrals. I think they are working on November of 2005 now. Who knows how many they got done this time. We're not celebrating or anything....just ordering a pizza and watching tv. You may wonder what this picture is....well I was going to put just the number 14, but then I felt so sad and saw this picture of our kitty, Chelsea, when she was standing on the scanner and I scanned her funky little feet. It brought a smile to my face so I figured I'd put it on......we all need something to smile at at this point.

Monday, June 04, 2007

Secret Pals Send "Musical" Goodies







Today we got a wonderful package from our Secret Pals that was full of "music and lullaby" items. It was a joyful experience to unwrap every gift and to feel how much effort Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal put into picking out gifts for us to share with our baby Rebekah one day. Even our kitty, Chelsea, couldn't WAIT! As soon as I popped the top open on the box, she jumped in and REALLY didn't want to come out.
So, what did we get? Well, they were VERY creative and bought us matching tshirts from The Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio (we wondered why they needed our shirt sizes). They also got Rebekah a bib from there and a fork and spoon set! How cool! They bought us 5 CD's and one of them is called Gotcha Day by Ann Pence (I had NEVER heard or seen this before). Two of the CDs were Baby Einstein. The other two were lullabies and Fun Songs. WOW, they really do spoil us rotten!
Then they got a stuffed Elmo and two musical books for Rebekah to play with! I just LOVE those! THEN on top of all of that, Mrs. Secret Pal surprised Doug with a second box of TECH goodies just for him! From one techie to another. He loved the tshirt, hat, pen that was in the box just for him!
Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Secret Pal. We love you guys and not just because you send us so many cool things but because you really put a lot of LOVE into our goodies! Your notes and letters are so appreciated and your goody boxes always seem to come on a day when we need a little pick-me-up.....tomorrow is our LID-iversary (the 14 month mark) and we really needed this today! THANK YOU!
Love,
Susan and Doug