Monday, December 28, 2009

This Year's Ornament.......


Every year we pick out a Hallmark Ornament to add to our tree. We rotate turns and this was Doug's year to pick out the ornament. He picked this airplane out.....how appropriate, don't ya' think?????

Pooh Outfit Picked Out By Daddy


This was one of my Christmas presents from Doug because he knows how much I love little clothes with Pooh on them. I didn't even point this one out to him......GREAT JOB Daddy-To-Be! He even remembered to get a 12 months size as we hope she will be younger than 12 months. He looked in her closet a few nights ago and pointed out to me that our baby needs more PANTS because I've bought so many little cute dresses.....This one that he bought me has PANTS with it! I love when Daddies pick out outfits for babies! Love you honey!

Hardworking Cats.........NOT! hahahahaha


I just walked into our livingroom and found 2 of our cats curled up together in the new little bed thinggie we got them for Christmas.........AWWWWWWWWWWW! Love those furrbabies even if they are lazy little pampered gremlins! Don't you wish you the life of a cat??????

New Luggage.........READY TO ROLL!


Well, I finally felt like searching for camera so I could take some pictures. I wanted to get a pic of the new luggage Doug got me for Christmas. He couldn't BELIEVE that I wanted THIS pattern! hahahahahahahaha I've never been one that liked "plain" stuff.......plus I told him that we SHOULD be able to find this on the luggage carousel at the airports, right? hahahahahaha I LOVE IT! Can't wait to get that referral and be able to pack these and GO GET THAT BABY!!!!!!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!

Well, it has certainly been an INTERESTING Christmas! First of all it started off on our anniversary (December 23rd) when I had to spend half the day sitting in a doctor's office. The verdict? BRONCHITIS! Geez! 5 hours and 2 prescriptions later, I collapsed in bed EXHAUSTED! I didn't feel like doing the cleaning and cooking that I needed to start for the Christmas Eve festivities that was to be at OUR HOUSE the next day! I just couldn't do it. Then, the next day came and I was ready to just pull the covers over my head and sleep. But I KNEW my family would be coming later in the afternoon, so I dragged myself out of bed and started cleaning, cooking, wrapping the last few gifts, etc. My hubs got home from work early and joined in, then my sister, Stacey came! I LOVE when she visits! One of my presents came in the mail at hub's office so he gave me that: Guitar Hero for the Wii we bought together for our anniversary present! YIPPEE!!!!!
My mom was the next to arrive, and then my brother, his wife and three kids! We enjoyed a meal of chili, Zuppa Tuscana soup, yeast rolls, little smokies, and chocolate pie for dessert! We tore into presents and had a ball just chilling out and talking and laughing! We really had a ball!
Before anyone arrived though, we looked online and discovered that there were rumors that the CCAA had matched dossiers through April 3rd! OH MY GOSH! That would be TWO batches done in December and only TWO days to go with one of those days (April 5th being OUR DAY!!!!!) Talk about a good present!
Anyhow, the day ended and I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy to get in bed! We slept in til 9A.M. and then woke up to open presents! Hubs spoiled me rotten! He even got me the cute little luggage that I wanted for our trip to China. He calls it my "brady bunch luggage," because of the flowery pattern, but hey, it should be easy to locate on the luggage carousel at the airport, right???? hahahahaha I cried when he gave it to me because it just made it seem more real that we really be traveling soon to get baby! He also bought me this cute little Winnie The Pooh outfit that made me get all choked up! I got lots of other cool stuff and lots of goodies from Bath and Body Works! Hubs is so good to me!!!!! ANYHOW, it has been an interesting Christmas and I wish that I wasn't sick, but hey, I didn't like that spoil it and I hung in there as best I could. I'm excited that CCAA is closer to our date and I'm both nervous and excited that we will be parents SOON! Sometimes that nervousness is a little scary because I want to be the best mom ever! I worry that I won't be. I guess that is pretty normal for most moms, right? Especially NEW moms! hahahahahahaha
Well, Merry Christmas everyone! This will DEFINITELY be the last one without our baby (I HOPE! hahahahahaha)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Winter Wonderland! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!



Well, after many years of wanting SNOW here in Danville, we FINALLY got a nice little amount (7-10 inches)yesterday and last night. I just had to go out and take a few pics to mark the occasion since it doesn't happen often! hahahahahaha Of course it IS more exciting when we get the white stuff during a work week and have snowdays out of school, but hey, "beggars can't be choosers," right? It is just so PEACEFUL outside this morning as the whole city is blanketed in snow. Doug and I haven't done ANY Christmas shopping and were hoping to get it done today, but that will have to wait a day or two. The forecast is calling for more on Christmas Eve! WooHoo!!!!

Our Family Newsletter In Online

Every year I make an Appleton Family Newsletter to send out with our Christmas cards. It is so neat to look back and read the ones in the past and I keep them in a scrapbook for our family. This year, Doug has put the newsletter I made online. Here's the info:

Hello ..

Our family newsletter has been published and can be viewed from the following link http://www.vcan.us/Appleton

When prompted for a username enter, friends, and the password all in lowercase ( small letters ) is also friends .

Enjoy!!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Another Christmas Tree Is Up!

Well, it's a little late getting put up, but alas we have put our Christmas tree up FINALLY! hahahahahahahaha We've just been swamped with work, and Doug's final Calculus class, graduation, my graduate course in Word Study from UVA, etc. etc......
The time between Thanksgiving and now has been just a BLUR.....where have the days gone????? Tonight we pulled out everything and got it all set up and as I am typing this entry, I have all of the lights turned out and am enjoying the glow of our beautiful tree. We started a new tradition tonight as we said a prayer before adding the first ornament. We couldn't help but be thankful for the blessings that we have and enjoy as we look forward to adding a dear sweet little blessing to our family SOON! Decorating the tree this year was NOT a sad event like it was last year.....last year I cried buckets of tears with every ornament we added, but this year there's a calmness in my heart that our time is near. I can't WAIT til we hold her next year at this time and every year after that. So.......Merry Christmas.....and I hope Santa brings us a referral! That's all I really want!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Daddy Get's His Degree!



Well, Doug graduated from Averett University this morning with a degree in Computer Information Systems! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!! Years ago when he started this program we knew for sure that we would have baby BEFORE Daddy got his degree, but alas, here we are still waiting for Baby. Oh well, we hope that will come to pass shortly too! At least now Daddy will have more time to play with Baby and change her dirty diapers now that he has no more homework! hahahahahahahahahaha
I am sure am proud of my hubby! Love you sweetie and I'm awfully proud of you too! You worked hard and deserve to celebrate this great success!!!
(Oh and don't worry about the frown on his face in the pic of us together.....the sun was in his eyes and he was trying to tell this little old lady how to take the picture.....hahahahahahahahaha......believe me...he was HAPPY!)

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Sweet Sunday!

Today has just been a restful and peaceful day which is great considering the stress of work and some issues that arose there last week. I won't go into details because I'm trying to get past it all and think positive, uplifting thoughts!
Anyhow this morning hubby and I went to church and just really felt the spirit strong in the meeting. We drove around some after church listening to Christmas music and just thinking about the baby that soon will be placed in our arms and in our lives forever! It was a very touching experience and I feel very close to our baby today. Warm feelings in my heart! Feeling a little of those "mommy" feelings that I've been missing for a long time. Feeling very blessed and thankful for all that I have and for a dear, kind husband who is also my best friend and for this little angel that Heavenly Father is going to entrust us to take care of, teach, and raise!

Saturday, December 05, 2009

44 MONTHS and still counting! hahahahahaha

Hopefully not too much longer. These milestones used to be exciting, then they were heartbreaking, and now they don't mean a thing to us......we just look forward to the times when the referrals come out and pray that we are in the next batch or the batch after that.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Red Bags and Tissue Paper..........CHECK!

Well, we finally bought the 10 red gift bags and red tissue paper that we will use when we go to China. Apparently we have to give gifts to the China officials and nannies and orphanage directors, etc. It is a tradition to give gifts in red bags in China and we've put it all off for the almost 4 years that we have been waiting. With the fact that they are only "four" days away from our LID of April 5th, we decided to do some little preparations like this. We don't want to jinx ourselves, but since red bags and tissue paper are pretty abundant at Christmas time we thought it was a wise choice to get them. Now.......what do we put in them? I've heard all kinds of suggestions and have NO idea what to give these people. I have heard that many of the gifts just get shoved in closets because a lot of people tend to give perfumes, lotions, baseball caps, etc. and they don't really want that stuff anymore. Some agencies have told their clients that they prefer things like deodorants, toothpaste/toothbrushes, shampoos but that seems kind of "offensive" to me. I wouldn't like someone giving me stuff like that.......seems like it suggests, "you stink!" hahahahahahahahaha Some say give chocolates or candies....others say no. Some say give things from the area you are from, but what??? Whatever we give has to be pretty lightweight for traveling and not taking up too much space. I don't want to spend a lot if there's a chance it will just get tossed in a closet somewhere........I really don't know, but at least I have red bags and tissue paper!!!

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

GREAT NEWS TONIGHT!!!!!!!!


Just got an email from our agency and apparently CCAA has posted on their online system that they have finished matching families through March 31, 2009!!!!! WOO HOO and THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!! They can now move on to the April folks and our dossier was logged in on April 5th, 2006. I am sitting her bawling my eyes out and shaking like a leaf! Could we be next??????? I think it might be February for us, but hey, that's ok......I can live with that! WHEW!!!!!!!!!! What wonderful news!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Done With Thanksgiving.....Now On To Another "Babyless" Christmas

Well, we made it through Thanksgiving. There are some stupid rumors circulating that a couple of agencies are saying that CCAA has finished matching and should be sending referrals. WHATEVER! They didn't send them last month at all and we are still stuck on the March 28, 2006 date. No movement in over a month and here we are approaching Christmas. As mad as it makes me, then again I am just numb inside.......no feelings at all one way or the other on this issue. Of course I want our baby, but it's like my heart has shut down and won't even think about it. I did have one little moment in the Hallmark store Friday while out shopping with my sister. She had stopped to get her haircut at the salon and I went to the Hallmark store to look around. I saw the "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments and burst into tears! Yep, standing right there in the crowd of folks at the store......I had to sneak around to the empty aisle and try to gather my composure.......geez! Anyhow......that's where things stand and have stood for over a month. No news at all coming out of China except that the CCAA has a new director (which may slow things down as we wait for HIM to his act together and settled into his position.......GEEZ!). I'm just going on with life, burying myself in work, enjoying reading some books, taking a graduate class on Word Study through UVA which has me dreaming up all kinds of new projects for myself, playing my piano, singing.........

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Ladybug Quilt





Last Saturday Doug and I drove down to Halifax County, VA to go to the annual craft show. I love going to this thing every year and Doug always agrees to go with me (he's such a good sport! hahahahahaha). This year we were walking around looking at all of the handmade items and we got to this one booth and saw a handmade baby quilt with ladybugs! It is so pretty and is purple too! Oh I loved it, but I was going to pass it up, but my sweet hubby convinced me to get it because he knows how I am. If I hadn't gotten it, I would have gotten half way home and said, "I should have bought that quilt for the baby." So..........we are now the proud owners of yet another quilt for our baby Rebekah! hahahahahaha There's just something about quilts that I absolutely LOVE and this one is gorgeous! The lady that made it was just so excited about us adopting from China! She even threw in a Carebears bib and those little things that go on the newborn's hands to keep them from scratching themselves (I didn't have the heart to tell her that our baby would probably be too big for those). She even hugged me and I cried.....yep, right there in the middle of craft show! hahahahahahahahaha She teared up too! Oh well, Rebekah is going to have to get used to an overly emotional Mama! I hope she likes her ladybug quilt as much as we do and that it becomes one of her favorites! Oh, and you can see another bib that Daddy picked out for baby! I think our little girl will be spoiled rotten!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween (Hopefully The Last Without Baby!)




How many Halloweens have I said that before, right? hahahahahahaha Well seeing as CCAA is only 8 days away from our LID, I am ASSUMING that by next Halloween we will have a little bundle of joy all decked out in a costume and enjoying trick-or-treating each and every year. Yes, we are one of those "RARE" families that sees NOTHING wrong with having fun on Halloween. It seems that today's society has more and more people who think Halloween is some sort of evil tradition that inspires kids to be evil.....GEEZ! Whatever happened to normal people who saw Halloween for it what was supposed to be....a day to dress up, go trick-or-treating, carve Jack-o-Lanterns, etc. I'm amazed that some people can turn it into something horrible and think that it brings out "evil." I guess that's what the "political correctness" has done to our society.......well, it's stupid and since this is my blog, I can say that! hahahahaha
Anyhow, my sister and I have this tradition where we send each other a goody box every year because we always had so much fun on Halloween! I got my package from her today with cute cat bumper stickers, a magnet that has a "spell book" on it,and a bag of my favorite Mounds candy!!!!! YUM YUM! I love the bumper sticker that says, "My cat is smarter than your honor student." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA My sister loves her cats just like I love mine!
Doug and I carved our pumpkin today and sat it outside tonight. Oh it is so cute!!! I also got a cute picture of my handsome hubby in front of our house after he had carried the pumpkin out. I love him so much!!! I can't wait to see him as a Daddy!!!!!

Beautiful Baby Afghan From My Friend Mandi



Today, I got a wonderful hand-made baby afghan from a dear friend, Mandi. We both share a love of crafts and this was such a sweet surprise! It is a plum color and VERY soft. I absolutely LOVE it and yes, it made me cry! I am so touched because I know how much work went into it and because I think that gifts you make for someone with your own two hands are just so full of love because they take time to create. Thanks Mandi, you're such a sweet friend! I can't wait to see our baby, Rebekah, enjoying it!!!!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Still Hanging In There!




This week I have been off on Fall Break. I had the chance to go through some of the adoption stuff and also through the baby's room. Today I cleaned out the nursery closet and organized it. I also found a baby quilt that I started making and never finished as well as some fabric that I have for making a couple of taggy blankets (one to send over to the baby in a care package once we get the referral.) Anyhow....nothing to report. We had hoped to have her referral BEFORE Christmas, but I think it might be in January or February which means we will need to renew our fingerprints AGAIN since they expire in February. Oh well.....what can we do???? Nothing except hang in there. They are only 8 days away from our LID......come on China and get to us! Included are some pictures of Doug and I from last weekend when we went to a friend's wedding at Castle McCulloch in Jamestown, NC. It was a beautiful wedding, but a cold and drizzly Fall day.....thus my hair is flat! hahahaha

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

I Love This Quote

I just found this quote on a website I was looking at tonight......I NEEDED this!

Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.”
-Margaret Nadauld

Monday, October 12, 2009

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Well, once AGAIN the stupid rumors were FALSE! The CCAA did NOT get through March 29th nor did they finish up the month of March! WHEN WILL I LEARN NOT TO LISTEN TO ANYTHING ON THE RUMOR QUEEN??????????????????? They only made it through March 28th. Yes, we moved up 3 more days, but my heart sure was hoping it would be more! The 29th is a huge batch according to poll results so I am thinking they will only do that ONE day next time. Oh well..........

Friday, October 09, 2009

HOW FAR DID CCAA GET THIS MONTH??????????

Well, we are on pins and needles waiting to hear how far CCAA got this time with referrals. We have heard the rumors that they may have gotten finished through the March 29th and maybe even finished the whole month of March. THAT would be such a wonderful thing if they did! Then we could possibly get OUR referral next time! So.......we're saying those prayers and keeping fingers crossed.....come on CCAA!!!!!
It is so cool to think that CCAA will be picking up OUR DOSSIER and will be matching us with OUR baby! Oh my gosh, I get goosebumps and have tears in my eyes just thinking about it! We are soooooooooooooooooo close!!!!!!!!!

Monday, October 05, 2009

A Letter To Our Baby (On 3 and 1/2 Year LID-iversary)

Dearest Rebekah,
As I sit here on this day and wonder how much longer it will be before we see your face in a referral and then how much longer until we HOLD you, my heart is so full of love for you. You will never understand how much I love you until you have a child of your own. This whole adoption journey has been one that has not been the easiest, but I KNOW in my heart that you are meant to be our little girl. I can feel your spirit pulling us to China. I know that you are longing for a mommy and Daddy to hold you and love you, just as we are longing for a baby girl to love us and give us toothless grins and sweet giggles. We need each other my darling and one day (hopefully soon) our innermost desires and heartfelt prayers will be answered. The day WILL come when we will walk into a room and have our names called. And as we step forward, we will see your sweet face and feel you placed in our arms FOREVER! Oh my gosh, I'm sure you will cry and be frightened at first, but we will hold you close and speak words of love in your ear. We will rock you and comfort you, and in time you will come to know the love of two parents and come to trust us to take care of you. Of course we will make mistakes and I hope you will be patient with us as we learn to be parents and we promise to be patient with you as you learn what it means to be part of our family........our little baby! I can't wait to bathe you and put lotion and powder on you to comfort you. I hope you like the smell of Johnson's Baby Lotion......sometimes I go in your room now and open the bottle and put a little on my hands, just to savor the smell and to know that one day YOU will smell like that! Yes, you have a very silly Mommy! I also look through the little clothes and outfits that hang in your closet and are in your drawers and I picture your little arms and legs being in those things. I look at the hairbows and ribbons and picture your beautiful hair adorned with those things. Oh my goodness......let's hope you like those frilly things (unlike your Aunt Stacey....hahahahahahahaha). I just had another thought.......what if we're in for a big surprise and our referral is for a boy?????????????? Oh my, we have a LOT of things to change in your room if that is the case, and instead of the letter being for Rebekah, it will have to be for Cameron MacClayne.....hahahahahaha That's always a possibility, but I just feel deep in my heart that YOU will be a little girl....OUR little girl that I have dreamed and prayed for ALL OF MY LIFE! That's right Rebekah, I have wanted to be a mother to a little girl for as long as I can remember. All those years of having baby dolls and dreaming of the one day when I would have a REAL baby in my arms have prepared me to be YOUR mommy. The tender feelings deep in a mother's heart are so special and so hard to put into words. I cannot describe them and every time I do, the words are so inadequate to even compare to what I am feeling when I think of you. How do you describe love?????? I don't think you truly can sweetie, but I promise to SHOW you love and I hope that you will love me back. I hope that I will be the kind of mommy that you will always be able to talk to and to share your thoughts and feelings with. I'm sure there will be times when I will have discipline you and I promise you now that I will always discipline with love in my heart. I want you to always know that I love you and want the best for you in life. I want you to grow up believing in yourself and enjoying the beauties of life. I want to explore and learn and become the best person you can be in life. And during all those year, I promise to always be there for you; cheering you along. I will be your biggest fan and will find joy in YOUR joy. I will share your pain and disappointments in life; for life is full of those too. But even in tough times, you can find reassurance in my love for you. I pray that you will grow up knowing that we all have a loving Heavenly Father who is never far from us. I hope you find comfort in prayer and that you will develop a strong testimony of the Gospel. I pray that you will try to make righteous choices in life and when you make mistakes, you will repent and learn from them. We all have to do that too. No one is perfect baby girl. Oh my goodness, I just love you so much already and you're not even in our arms yet. And while I'm talking about the love I will have for you, let me just mention your Daddy.........you are going to LOVE your Daddy. He is so loving and funny and just a great guy. He wants to be your Daddy so badly! We talk about you and what it will be like once we have you with us. His eyes just light up when he talks about being your Daddy. I hope you will know how much you are wanted by both of us! You are going to be so spoiled! hahahahahahaha Well, I guess I should close out this rather lengthy and emotional letter. Yes, I have cried as I typed this to you today, but that's ok, you'll learn that your mommy is a very very very emotional person.....get used to the tears! Take care my sweet little one......you are FOREVER in my heart; tucked in there so lovingly; protected until the joyous day when you will be tucked in my arms and loved and protected FOREVER. I pray that you are safe, and warm, and that someone is holding you when you cry, until we can do that ourselves. Sending you my love baby girl!
Love,
Mommy (and Daddy)

Friday, October 02, 2009

Our Last Visit To The Halifax County Fair Without Baby




Tonight Doug and I went to the Halifax County, VA Fair. I grew up going to this fair EVERY year of my life and as we walked around we couldn't help but think that next year, we will be pushing a stroller with our little baby! YAY! I hope she likes it as much as her Mommy always has. We rode the Ferris Wheel (one of my all-time favorites) and the Tilt-A-Whirl (another favorite). We ran into my brother, Tony and his wife and kids. What fun! My little niece (1 year old)was able to pick up a duck and win a stuffed duck! We saw the country music performer, Chuck Wicks, in concert. It was a fun night!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Today Is My Birthday

Will this be the last birthday that I celebrate without our baby? Good golly I hope so! I would seriously hope that next year she will be here with us. Of course with China you just NEVER know.....hahahahahahaha
It has been a rainy birthday, but tomorrow the sun is supposed to come out. I guess you have to experience the rainy days to really appreciate the sunny ones, right? Kind of the same thing with the adoption......you have to experience the horrible, torturous, never-ending pain of the wait so that when that day comes where we are handed our precious little one, we will TRULY appreciate it! I just REALLY hope we at least get our referral before Christmas....it would be great if we traveled before then, but I will be happy to at least know who our baby is and to have that little face in my head.........something to hold on to over the holidays....oh well...what will happen will happen and nothing that I say or want will change that. Anyway....happen birthday to me, right?

Friday, September 25, 2009

STILL Waiting To Hear How Far They Got This Month.....

The rumors are still circulating around online in the adoption community that China has matched THROUGH (including) March 29th, 2006. This would be great news if we were now hearing from people WITH referrals.....what is taking them so long to release the referrals?????? Oh well.....nothing we can do but wait.
Tomorrow is my birthday.....I will be 42.....wow, I somehow thought I'd be a mom before now.......well I'm not, but hopefully it won't be much longer before I am. I was in Walmart yesterday just wasting some time and thought I'd make a visit to the baby section of the store. It was kind of comforting and reassuring to walk amongst the baby clothes, bottles, diapers, etc. and know that in a few more months I'll have a real reason to be over there in that section. I must admit though that I have NO idea what kind of bottles to buy when we get our baby.....I stood there looking at them and thinking, "Which one is the best????" I have no clue! And then I confused myself even more when I wondered over to look at the baby food.....geez, how do you know what to feed them at which time? I picked up a box of the rice cereal and thought, "What do I do with THIS??????" hahahahahahahahahahaha It sounds funny, but seriously, how do moms know WHAT to feed their babies and at what ages?????????? It confuses the heck out of me! My poor kid! Do moms just KNOW this stuff naturally or is there some great MOM GURU that they turn to?????? I'd love to hear your thoughts and "insider information" on this one! hahahahaha

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Rumors Flying Around

Well the rumors are flying around that CCAA got through March 29th and maybe even finished all of March. That would be a complete miracle and although it is exciting to think that maybe they got that far, I've learned in this horrible waiting game that you can't get your hopes up too much. So I will sit here and dream about them being true but until I OFFICIALLY see it, then I'm not going to pin too much on it happening.
We have been preparing some more around the house for the baby's arrival (eventually). We got new front-load washer and dryer set which arrived this past week. We've actually been DYING to wash laundry in the things because they are so cool! hahahahahahahahahahaha Our new sofa and ottoman should arrive on Saturday (my birthday) so it's pretty exciting getting the new stuff and doing some "nesting" as we anticipate our baby becoming a reality. I hope it will happen BEFORE Christmas!!!!!

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Daddy-To-Be's Birthday Today 09/09/09



Cool date to have a birthday! Yep, today was Doug's birthday and he got lots of goodies. His cake was decorated with two panda bears since this will HOPEFULLY be the last one before he officially becomes a Daddy to our little Rebekah! I hope he had a great time and enjoyed his gifts. He is going to make a wonderful Daddy for Rebekah and we BOTH look forward to share holidays and birthdays with our baby girl soon. Until then, we keep plugging along and hanging on to our hopes and dreams!

Monday, September 07, 2009

FURNITURE SHOPPING! WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, today was the best day! Doug and I were talking and made the decision to purchase some new furniture for our den downstairs......oh my gosh, we have been putting that off for YEARS! So we went looking at 3 different furniture stores and finally found EXACTLY what we wanted! At first we were just simply going to get a new sofa. But they had some good deals so we got a sofa and HUGE ottoman and then we went to another store and bought a rocker/recliner!!!! Woohoo! I had been wanting one before we got the baby for those nights when we have to rock her to sleep or when she's sick and won't sleep. Oh yeah......planning ahead! Oh it is sooooooooooo cozy! Our sofa is going to be a little longer than the one we have now and it is also really comfy! I LOVE the huge ottoman too! How exciting to be getting things done and getting new furniture. I think I am going to move the glider rocker that is in the den now, to the nursery and put the new cushions in it that I had made for the other rocker. I guess the other wooden rocker will also go in the den. It doesn't rock very well in the nursery because of the carpet (which I didn't think about beforehand! hahahahahaha) I also need to go through the nursery closet and take out all of my craft/scrapbooking supplies and put those away in the garage. I also need to take all of the 100 Wishes Fabric squares to the place that is going to make her quilt. LOTS of PLANS!!!!! Come on CCAA and match us with our baby!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!

Saturday, September 05, 2009

LID-iversary #41.......Still Waiting........



Well, what can I say at this point that I haven't said for the past 41 months????? There's no point griping about it.......that does no good......so let's move on......
Today Doug and I drove down to Greensboro and spent the day just browsing around down there at baby stores and then out to eat at Cracker Barrel. We bought a little denim jumper with pink flowers on it at the Osh Kosh store. Cute little things in there but I try not to buy too many clothes because we don't know what size our baby will be yet. When I do break down and buy little things I get them in 12 month or 18 months so she will hopefully be smaller and be able to grow into them one day. That little jumper was just too adorable to pass up and she can wear it with either a short sleeved or long-sleeved shirt.
Anyhow, then we went to Baby's R Us where I saw the little Pooh bear dressed up as Piglet. It was just too adorable to pass up. We also got 2 thermal receiving blankets because we have figured out that it will probably be Fall or Winter when we get her (THANK GOD it won't be the summertime!). Then we found a good sale on the onesies. They were on clearance and if you bought one pack, you got the other pack for only a dollar!!!!!! WOW! Couldn't pass that up, so I bought one pack in 12 months and the other pack in 18 months!
Overall, it has been a great day. Loved spending time with my hubby and the weather was BEAUTIFUL! We listened to music, talked, sang (well, I SANG) all the way down and back. Oh, we also stopped by this cake shop down in Greensboro and ate REALLY good cake. The place is called "Maxie-B's" and they have all these cakes and you pick the one you want to try and they cut a HUGE slice for you. I tried the Chocolate Sin cake and Doug got the strawberry cake with butter creme frosting....oh yea....FRESH strawberries in the layers.....yep, my fork traveled across the table a couple of times!!!! hahahahahahahaha

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Making Some More Preparations.......

Well today I contacted our Human Resources department at work to find out what all I need to do to prepare things as we get closer to referral time. I have NO idea how maternity leave works and how you go about getting ready for a long-term substitute teacher, so these are some preliminary inquiries about all of that. I want to make sure that I get a sub who will not just keep the kids busy, but will TEACH the material that needs to be covered while I am absent. They don't need a babysitter....they need a teacher those weeks. Anyhow, a few people are supposed to contact me about all of this and I must admit it makes it feel a little more "real" when you start looking at the logistics of it all. We still have NO idea when we will get a referral. We're hoping it will be before Christmas.......we'd sure love to have our little bundle of joy to celebrate the holidays with this year! We're praying that all of that happens. I guess I also need to contact the pediatrician's office and sit down with the doctor for a preliminary visit. I want to make sure that when we are in China, he/she will be available should we need to call or email questions. I also want to make sure that he/she is familiar with the problems/concerns associated with internationally adopted children. We also need to buy those gifts that we have take to give all of the "officials" in China. We talked about looking for some of that stuff this weekend. Everyone keep praying and sending positive wishes our way! Thanks!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

2 More Days Done

Well, I guess the rumors were true. Looks like China only matched 2 more days of LID's this past month......geez! Oh well.....nothing I can do about it right? So we are two days closer......10 more days to get to ours. We visited with our friends, Tonja and Robby yesterday and got to see their baby Marissa. She is a cutie and it really helps us to stay positive about our adoption.....knowing that one day it will be our turn and we WILL hold our baby in our arms just like they are holding their sweet girl in theirs. So.......we continue.....

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Two Days AGAIN???????? I hope it's more!

Well yesterday the illustrious Rumor Queen posted on her website that rumors are milling around in the adoption world that China has done March 23rd and 24th....no rumors about any more days......so here we sit disappointed again but HOPING beyond hope that China did more than just another stupid 2 day batch of referrals! I had my big meltdown yesterday and cried my eyes out.........this is just our reality. What breaks my heart is the thought that we might have ANOTHER Christmas with no baby! I just can't take that again! Keep praying that more days are included this time and not just the measily two days that are rumored.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

It's That Time Again.....the 5th of the month......

Yep, another LID-iversary.......#40! Can you honestly believe that? Can you even BEGIN to understand how that feels to wait 40 WHOLE MONTHS for someone to help you realize your heart's desire????? Sometimes I sit here and think that we are NEVER going to get a referral. Yesterday I went to National Night Out and ran into a couple of students that I taught 4 years ago when we started this whole process and they could not believe that we still don't have our baby! One of them even teared up and gave me a hug and said, "Oh Mrs. Appleton, I want you to be a Mama so bad because you are like a mom to all of the kids that come in your classroom!" Talk about something really touching my heart! I couldn't hold the tears back in my own eyes!
Is this EVER going to happen for US????????? China only has to do 12 days (March 23-April 5) in order for us to finally be able to see our baby's face.......here's hoping they do some speeding up and get us that referral before Christmas! I can't wait until I can hold her referral picture in my hands and share it with all of our family and friends who constantly stand by our sides and encourage us month after month to hang in there! I can't help but think about a very special little girl who is probably alive this very minute somewhere in China.......the little girl who will become our pride and joy and the answer to so many years of prayers!

Sunday, August 02, 2009

First Day of School TOMORROW!

Well, the classroom is all decorated and organized and the Open House has occurred. Now, it's time to get rolling tomorrow on a new school year. WOW, what a short summer! Oh well.....I'd rather be working anyway because it keeps me busy and not focused on this continuing wait for the adoption to happen. I always get excited about a new year and meeting new students. I hope they all enjoy being a part of my class and that they learn a LOT because we certainly have a lot to teach them this year! So......let me get off the computer and enjoy my last day of relaxation....I'm sure it will be a crazy madhouse tomorrow like most first days are every year! hahaha I hope that THIS will be year that we get our referral (I've said that for the past 4 years, so maybe the 5th year of students will see it really happen!)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

It's Back To School Time!

Well, my summer break is officially over as of tonight. Tomorrow I start a new school year (the 5th school group that I've had since we started the China Adoption) and we have two workdays this week and a whole week next week. The students start the following Monday: August 3rd. As usual, I'm excited about starting a new year and meeting my new students. But, it is also kind of sad that our summer went by pretty quickly. Oh well, I got a lot done and had quite a few days of rest and relaxation. Too much sitting around gets on my nerves. I know I say this EVERY year, but hopefully THIS will be the year we go to China and become parents to our daughter. Dare I even say that AGAIN????? hahahahahahahaha

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

MEAN PEOPLE ARE ALIVE AND WELL!

Well, I had a pretty nasty email today from someone on one of my adoption yahoo groups. Let me tell you the whole sordid story. Yesterday when I found out that the CCAA only matched two days (March 21st and 22nd) I posted a note on this particular group just venting my disappointment. I had really gotten excited lately since CCAA had matched 6 days one month and 6 days the next month, and I had let myself get a little excited that "maybe" that trend would continue and we'd get our referral in September. I made the comment that "China had kicked us in the teeth." Now, first of all let me say that I did NOT mean the Chinese people......I was referring to the China Adoptive Process....the agonizing process where one minute things look up and then they immediately look down again. I was not meaning that I was holding anything against CCAA or the Chinese people. WELL.........
This morning I wake up and am getting ready to go out to a doctors appointment and I quickly check my email. THIS PERSON has written me a nasty little email reprimanding me like you would a two-year-old child and professes that the Chinese owe me nothing and that I should be ashamed of the way I have talked about the birthplace of my future child. This is not the first time she has attacked me for my own personal opinions either. I was fed up with her and I told her so. I also proceeded to explain what I meant by my statement and that I didn't mean to offend anyone by saying it so that it sounded like I was holding something against the Chinese. Well, she got her butt in an uproar because I stood up to her and also told her that a lot of people quit posting on that group because of her and she sent me another email and said the meanest thing to me: "I feel so sorry for your daughter." What the heck??????? Here is this woman that has never met me, never had a conversation with me, and she is implying that I am not going to be a good mom to my own child just because I was frustrated with the news of a 2 day batch and was venting that frustration. She had NO right to say that to me at all! At first I was going to snap back at her with my southern temper and let her have it......then I stopped, said a quick prayer asking for patience and decided to take the higher road. I just replied that it was a mean to say. Of course she didn't reply. The sad thing is that this person has scriptures and everything all over her blog and portrays herself as this nice person.....but she thinks she can talk to someone like that.......I think they call that hypocritical. At least MY daughter will have a mom who will allow her to express herself openly and even if I don't always agree with her opinions, I will respect her enough not to come back with a cutting remark to hurt her feelings.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Just Call Me Charlie Brown! UGH!


Well, it is confirmed that CCAA only matched TWO FREAKING DAYS this past month: March 21st and 22nd! I feel like that old gullible block-head, Charlie Brown.....Remember when Lucy used to tempt him every time to kick that football and he would at first refuse to believe that maybe she'd hold it still for him to kick it, but then she would convince him that this was the time....he was going to kick that football. And he would get so excited and run with all his might.....believing it was going to happen this time........and then she would be a big jerk and pull it away and he'd kick with all his might and just land on his back with a humiliating UGH! Well, that's me! Every stupid month, I let my hopes get up that we are soooooooooooooo close.......China is going to match 6 more days and then 6 more days and then US....oh boy I've been just letting my imagination run wild picturing us getting a referral, starting back to buying little things......oh boy going to "kick that football."
UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! And then China (just like mean ol' Lucy) pulls that football away and here I am laying on my back, with the wind knocked out of me just wondering why I do this to myself every time. You can't trust the rumors, or China, or your growing hopes........you're going to get the wind knocked out of you every time and be left just laying there like a big fool. UGH!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Kitty Helps Remove Wallpaper!


One of my projects for the summer is to redecorate the bathroom. So, I removed the old wallpaper. Lo, and behold, my kitty cat, Chelsea (the mischievous one) decided to build a cave in the old wallpaper. I guess she thought she was helping Mommy in her own silly way. Gotta love those furrbabies!

Only Two Days???? Oh I Hope Not!


The rumor mill is stirring and one source says that China matched March 21 and 22, 2006. Oh PLEASE tell me they did more than TWO DAYS! I know they are supposed to be days with large numbers of people logged in, BUT I was so hoping they would continue to do 6 day batches so they would get to us in September......geez....just when you think that things might be looking up, they knock you down to the ground and laugh in your face! ARGH! (Yea, the angry cat picture expresses how I feel right now...I hope I find out later that more days are included......)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Where Are The Referrals???


Ok, this is driving me crazy wondering how many days worth of referrals CCAA is going to do this month. Last month referrals didn't come out until June 19th so we are getting close to referrals coming out again soon. Last month they did 6 days and 6 days the previous month, so I am hoping they will do another 6 days or more. Some people are saying there are some HUGE days and that CCAA might only do one or two days.....oh gosh I hope not! If they keep doing 6 days each month, then we will get a referral in September! Oh my gosh, wouldn't that be WONDERFUL!!!!????
I pulled out the paperwork to doublecheck expiration dates on paperwork after a lady posted a message that she had let her I171H expire by accident!
Our fingerprints expire in February 2010 and our I171H expires in October 2010 so hopefully we won't have to update any of that stuff. I hope we're good to go! Bring on the referrals!!!!!

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Johnsons Diaper Creme


Well, I was looking at "THE LIST" of things we have to pack for China and decided that every time I go over town, I am going to buy one more little thing to check off the list so when we get that referral, we won't have quite so many little things to get. I'm sure we'll be busy picking out CLOTHES at that point because we'll know the exact size of our baby. So, today's big purchase was diaper rash creme! hahahahahaha I also bought a little travel pack of Q-tips and a travel plastic container pouch of wipes that would fit in the diaper bag easily. Of course I know we'll have TONS of those things, but the skinny plastic container looked easy to refill and pop in my purse or diaper bag. It's pretty fun to start planning again and getting little things. I also put a couple more wishes in her Scrapbook where a couple of people sent me cloth and wishes for Rebekah's 100 Wishes Quilt. YAY! I think I have 100 now so I can take that next week to the place that is going to make the quilt for me. If anyone else is out there that would like to send one.....speak now or forever hold your peace. hahahahahahahaha I don't mind having over 100 but you need to let me know that another one is coming from you. It's only been almost 4 years that I've been collecting these things! hahahahahahahahahaha

Sunday, July 05, 2009

LID-iversary #39 Today

Normally, these milestones upset me but I truly feel like we don't have too many more to go before they match us with a baby. They are already up to March 20, 2006 dossiers and ours was logged in on April 5, 2006 so they are inching closer to us. I hope they get to us by about Sept. so we can travel before Christmas. Wouldn't it just be WONDERFUL to have a baby in our home to celebrate Christmas with???? Oh, I am praying that it really will happen for us this year!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, June 29, 2009

March 20th 2006: Getting Closer To Us!


Well, I realized that I never posted how far CCAA got with the last batch of referrals. They went from March 14th to March 20th. YIPPEE!!!!!! We are so hoping that they continue to do big batches of 6 days or more! Keep "speeding" along CCAA!(Thus the picture of little Speedy Gonzales!) We are April 5, 2006 so we are anxiously waiting (and allowing ourselves to get excited a little!)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Putting Together Baby's Care Package

Well, I was looking through some papers that I had filed away years ago when we first found out that this wait for our baby was going to drag on. We just couldn't bring ourselves to read that stuff when it was so far away from happening. One of the things I read was a note that our China coordinator in California had written about once we get our referral, we can send a care package to our baby through her. She would actually get some goodies from Mommy and Daddy before we travel to pick her up. Here are some things that we are thinking about putting in the care package (nothing is definite and I'm hoping to get some more ideas from veteran adoptive parents). These were some of the suggestions of things we could include:
1. A small blanket that we launder with our washing detergent or sleep with before sending (so the baby is familiar with our "scent". This may help her transition to us a little smoother.
2. A small photo album with pictures of us, our pets, our home, her bed, her room, etc. This may help her to know our faces when she sees us.
3. A small toy/doll
4. A disposable camera with a note asking the nannies to please take pictures of her at the orphanage (to be included in her Lifebook that explains her early years before she joined our family).
5. Soft pajamas for her to wear (also laundered in our detergent/fabric softener).
We thought that maybe we could start putting together this care package now, to give us something to focus on and to keep our spirits up as we continue to wait. Oh I hope we get her soon!!!!!!!!! (As I get more suggestions online, I will add them here even though we might not include them all in the actual care package).

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Summer Break!!!!!


Well, yesterday was my last day of school (I had two workdays Monday and yesterday) and now I am out on Summer Break. I have a few projects lined up in the baby's room and I want to get her 100 Wishes Quilt squares sent to the place that is going to make her quilt for me. They only charge $100 and it will be professionally done so it will last longer than something I might come up with (although I have made her a small baby quilt from other fabric squares so she will have one mommy made for her). Today my niece is coming to spend the night which is ALWAYS fun and she's going to pick out fabric and do a wish for Rebekah's wish book. YAY! I love my niece, Caitlin. It is hard to believe that she is going to be in the 6th grade at the middle school this year. I have a hard time seeing her as that old! I still see her as a little baby (sorry Caitlin...hahahahahahaha......Aunt Sue is TRYING to let you grow up but it is HARD!). Anyhow I am hoping we continue to hear about more and more referrals and that they really do get to us in September! I told my principal that would be great because my students start back on August 3rd and I would have time to get them settled and in a routine before going to China and then out on maternity leave. I am definitely going to be working my students HARD while I have them and HOPE that I get a long-term substitute who will be good with them and not just "play." When you teach an SOL grade, you really have to make sure you thoroughly cover the SOL content that is going to be on the state standardized tests in the Spring. Anyhow, I'm sure all will work out.......right now I just want that referral so I can go get our baby!!!!!! I've started "allowing" myself to get a little excited and to do a little planning now that they have gotten through March 20, 2006 people. They are only 16 days away from our log in date and that includes weekends! You can see the calendars of March and April 2006. We're getting closer!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Waiting To See How Far CCAA Made It This Time

Well, we've heard rumors that CCAA made it either through March 20th or 21st. Some agencies are saying one day and some agencies are saying the other and of course OUR agency says nothing. hahahahahahahaha I'll be happy with either 6 or 7 days this time. Here's what the dates would look like if they stick to 6 day batches:
June.......March 20th
July.......March 26th
August....April 1st
Sept......April 7th (We are April 5th)
That would put us traveling in October???? BEFORE CHRISTMAS!

Of course this is all speculation and high hopes! But it's fun to look and hope and plan and feel like this may happen for us soon!
I personally don't feel like we'll hear anything until after the new year. I just don't think they will get to us til then. This week has been kind of hard for me to deal with for some reason. It's like I can really feel my baby pulling me to China! Is she even born yet??? I don't know...the other night (2 or 3 nights ago) I had this dream about a baby and she was so cute!!!! She had little chubby cheeks and the cutest little rosebud mouth. And she was saying, "Mama!" I woke up feeling really strange....not sad or anything....kind of excited and just with a happy feeling in my heart. Oh I hope wherever she is, she knows we love her and we're hanging in there waiting to see her and hold her and love her forever!!! Hang in there baby.....Mommy and Daddy love you!!!!!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Roanoke FCC Picnic Today!



Today was such a beautiful for a picnic with our friends in the Roanoke, VA FCC group! We all brought food (a LOT of chicken) to the Garst Mill Park and had a ball sharing in food and fellowship! We were able to see all of the sweet children of our friends which always uplifts our spirits and gives us hope that we will one day have our own little sweet baby to share with them! It was nice to talk with Deb, Kim, and the others! It was a beautiful drive up there and back too!

Friday, June 05, 2009

LID-iversary # 38 and Counting

Well, here we are again......another month.........not much to say about it. It is what it is, and there's not a darn thing I can do about it. I'm just not fretting about it anymore.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Visiting With The Shelton Family Today!

Today we drove down to Burlington, NC and visited with our good friends, Tonja and Robby, who have been home a week with their sweet baby, Marissa! It was such a joy to walk in their home and see Tonja holding tiny little Marissa who was dressed in her P.J.s and looking plum adorable! She is just a beauty and we loved watching her play and eat and sleep and just be a cute little peanut! We love you guys so much!!!! (Next time we'll knock on the door instead of turning on your garage door opener!hahahahahahahaha)

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Our First Trip To Babys-R-Us In AGES!!!!!!



Yesterday Doug and I went down to Greensboro, NC to the Babys R Us for the first time in YEARS! It was so nice to go back in that store and to really feel like we will be parents SOON! We bought the car seat that we really wanted to get. It can be used from 5 to 100 pounds, has side impact protection, has PINK in it, looks really comfy for baby, and even has a CUP HOLDER! hahahahahahahahaha Oh my gosh it felt GREAT picking it out together and planning for our Rebekah! YIPPEE!!!!!! We haven't done that in quite a while! I also broke down and bought ANOTHER dress for Rebekah. It is pink with white smocking on the bodice and is just so precious! I couldn't resist! Gosh, I hope I have a prissy baby! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, she is going to be the daughter of Mama Fru Fru (as my friend Flissy calls me) so I will have her dressed in those prissy clothes as long as I can. My sister, Stacey, tells me that my baby is going to be the biggest tomboy just like her! hahahahahahaha I don't care though, as long as she is happy (and I can sneak a pink bow and some lace in there sometimes!)

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Storks Are Flying!


Well, CCAA did NOT stop matching or doing referrals because yesterday my yahoo group was filled with excitement as people posted their referrals and news of their babies! Apparently CCAA matched March 9th through March 14th: A SIX DAY BATCH!!!!!!! I will definitely celebrate it because the last time, they only did two days.....Oh, I hope they keep doing batches this big or bigger. It is so nice to see people getting their referrals and knowing that this puts up 6 days closer to our date of April 5th! I just hope and pray that we have our baby before Christmas this year!!!! I don't want to spend another Christmas without our baby girl! I really don't.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

We Are Hanging In There A Little Longer.......Oh, and Here's The Latest Rumors


We've heard online that some agencies are receiving referrals with LID's from March 9 through March 14, 2006......so that would be a 6 day batch which is better than last month. Of course it looks like our agency was wrong again when they told us that the CCAA would not do referrals or matches until September......I'm biting my tongue and not saying what I "really want to say" about our agency.......trying to be little better about not blurting out my TRUE thoughts and feelings if I can at all refrain myself, but those who KNOW me, KNOW what I'm thinking.......
Anyhow, I'm choosing to "take the high road," and just be thankful for the good news. And yes, we are hanging in there........the last post was on a day when I was just so shocked by news from our agency (as inaccurate as usual) and reacting like a lady who KNOWS she is supposed to be a Mommy and WANTS her baby! Thank you to all my friends out there in "bloggy-land" who left me messages of encouragement. I needed those words to read over and over and to REALLY think about this whole situation......so we are still hanging in there.
As for the picture with this post........I just LOVE Fozzy and always have......I saw the picture the day when I was down and it just brought me a little happiness in the midst of my despair, so that's why Fozzy is on my blog now. ENJOY!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

It Looks Like We Will Be Dropping Out of The Journey

Got an email from our sorry agency today.......they never contact us for ANYTHING but seemed more than happy to share the news that CCAA will NOT be doing any matching, referrals, travel approvals, NOTHING until probably September 2009. So......we have had enough. There will be no Rebekah for us I guess. NO BABIES at all for us.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Introducing: Marissa (Rebekah's future play-date buddy)


Well, my friend Tonja said that it was ok for me to post a picture of her and her sweet baby, Marissa, so here she is! What a cutie-pie! When we get Rebekah, I am looking forward to seeing the two girls playing together when Doug and I visit Tonja and Robby (and Caitlin). Can you tell that Tonja is happy? Look at that beautiful smile and the joy in her eyes!!!! Love you guys!!!!!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mothers Day (And Mothers-To-Be Day)!

Well today hasn't been too bad of a Mothers Day. Usually I'm all upset and cranky because I'm not a mom yet, but this year it feels like we are really really close and I was also able to celebrate in my friend Tonja's joy as she became a Mommy today! She got her little baby, Marissa, and I was able to wake up this morning and see her sweet baby's face and the joy in my friend's eyes! I just KNOW in the very deepest crevices of my heart that I'm going to be a mommy soon. My day is coming!!!!!! Plus my sweet hubby came up with the suggestion that we ride down to Burlington, NC for a late lunch/early dinner at Olive Garden. We did a little shopping too beforehand and I got a really pretty top at Dress Barn, so overall it has been a fun day. One of my friends on Facebook had sent me a message talking about how she admires my whole "PATIENCE" in this whole adoption journey. Oh I had to laugh out loud! See, I have NO patience in ANY situation and I can recall MANY MANY MANY days and nights of tears, screaming, fussing, cussing (yes mom, cussing.....sorry about that), hating China, hating my life, hating having had a hysterectomy for cancer, hating everyone else that could pop out kids, just being a total MONSTER about this whole waiting......so for someone to try to paint me as this angelic, patient, saint, is just so darn funny! hahahahahahahahaha I wrote her back and said that basically my patience is not real......it is a FORCED PATIENCE that I FORCED AGAINST MY WILL TO ENDURE and that I totally and absolutely 100% hate not having ANY CONTROL over this whole journey...............not one single thing do I have control over and for someone who is a type A, control freak, that is NOT GOOD! hahahahahahahahahahahahaha So, don't put a halo over my head and think that I am enduring this wait in any way that would nominate me for sainthood..........it's just a necessary evil that I must endure to get to the end result that my heart and soul desires so much..........MOMMYHOOD!!!!!!!!!!! Love to you all on this Mothers Day and to my own mother, I just want to say, "Thank you for being my Mama and for enduring all of the drama that I have put you through all these years.......my mother truly knows what it is like to parent a "drama-queen!" Bless her wonderful and loving heart!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahaha

Saturday, May 09, 2009

I love my hubby!


Today is the day before Mothers Day and usually it's not a very festive day for me. This year I am trying to be more positive and think that it will be my last without our baby. Doug surprised me today......while he was out, he picked up something for the baby....a cute little sundress! It is the FIRST piece of clothing that he has picked out for her, and I just was stunned! Anyhow, it gave me those little "maybe-I-Am-Going-to-Be-A-Mommy-soon" feelings and I was so touched by this Daddy thing that he did!
Anyhow, later we went to a cookout at my brother, Tony's house in honor of all of the mothers present. It was fun and this is a shot that my niece Caitlin took of Doug and I. I love this man that I married and I can't wait til' I have our baby with us! Oh, and here's the link for another blog that I have some pictures posted of my family including my little 14-month old niece trying to "kiss" her kitten! She is soooooooooooooooo cute! http://susanssharedpictures.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

LID-iversary #37

Enough said.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Bookshelf In The Nursery


Here's the bookshelf I put together the week of Spring Break! I had books for baby all over the place so it was nice to get them all organized in ONE SPOT! I don't think baby Rebekah will be needing any books anytime soon.....she has almost 200 now! hahahahahahaha.......oh the joys of being a baby of a teacher mom!

Fru Fru's Girl Will Have A Pair of Jeans!


I meant to post this the other day when I first got the package from Felicity (my LID "sister") but I didn't have my camera to take a photo. Here's the story:
The other week I was talking with my friend, Felicity about the whole adoption stuff and what we have for our babies and trying to organize nurseries etc. and I made the comment that my baby Rebekah has mostly pink, frilly, dressy, "FRU FRU" outfits in her closet! Oh yes, I am going to dress that little angel in as much lace and pink and fru fru frills as I can get my hands on. Even Doug has said, "Is our daughter ever going to wear just a pair of jeans?" ahahahahahahahaha Well, after telling Fliss about this, she surprised me with the cutest little pair of flare leg jeans and blue top! hahahahaha Yep, BLUE......not pink! So now our baby girl has some hip looking blue jeans and blue top when all that pink makes her sick and she needs a change! What would I do without friends like Flissy??????? And now her name for me is "FRU FRU." Love ya' girl!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

PLEASE GOD, don't let them stop doing referrals because of this swine flu crap!

with rumors of the blasted swine flu going around, there are rumors that China will stop making referrals until it clears up.....that could delay us even more......i just can't take this anymore......is there some "cosmic" force of nature out there that is bound and determined that Susan Appleton will never ever become a mother???????? I had better just stop right now before I say something really ugly about this whole situation.....something that I wouldn't want people to read.........use your imagination.....

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Our Niece, Caitlin, Spends The Night!


Well Thursday night was fun because our niece, Caitlin, was able to spend the night. We had fun hanging out with her and Friday while Doug went to work, I took her out to eat and then to the Science Museum here in Danville. She loved it! She also wanted to go visit my classroom so I took here there and she played school for a bit. She loved our cats (especially Chelsea, who was fascinated with her) and she loved being spoiled rotten. We let her pick out a new outfit and shoes and allowed her to choose where she wanted to eat dinner. We love you Caity-bug and you're welcome to visit anytime!!!!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Our Friends, Jamie and Matt, Have Their Baby Ella!

I went to our friends' website today and saw the pictures of Matt and Jamie's new little girl, Ella! What a sweetie! They got her today and she just looks perfect in their family! I sat here and cried tears of joy for this family who has waited along with us and now they are all together in China! One day it will be our turn too! Congrats Jamie and Matt AND little Ella! May the rest of your journey be a happy time for all of you to bond to one another and may you be blessed with good health, strength, rest, and a joyful experience! Praying for you daily and for your safe return to the good ol' USA! Love you guys!

Introducing: Bekah Bear!


Last week when we went to Roanoke, VA for Doug's citizenship ceremony, we decided to look around the mall afterwards and Doug suggested that we go to Build-A-Bear and make a bear for Rebekah. Of course you don't have to twist my arm to make me go there! I love it! So we went in, looked at the many choices of animals, and of course decided to go with the panda bear! I decided to name her Bekah since it will be Rebekah's bear. I dressed it in a pink baby onesie and diaper with "Hello Kitty" slippers (in honor of her cat sisters) and then put a pacifier around it's neck. I also found an American flag since both she and Daddy will be new citizens and Doug got her a Pawport (passport) that you can have stamped when you go to different Build-A-Bear stores. Apparently they even have some in China! It was a lot of fun and the guy who waited on us let both Doug and I put in hearts as her parents so Bekah Bear has 2 hearts! (Twice as much love for our Rebekah!). It was fun and I hope one day she will love her little bear as much as we loved making it for her while we are waiting to hold her in our arms!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!!!!!!


Well my husband was sworn in at 11:13 as a citizen of the United STates of America! Of course I cried all the way through the oath and then again when we ALL stood to say the Pledge of Allegiance! What a moving moment! It really makes you appreciate the rights and privileges of being a citizen of this great nation. The judge made the comment that yes, we have our problems right now in this country, but that the strength of our nation is in the hearts of the people and the way we stick together in tough times!
Doug just makes me so proud to be his wife! I love this man who is a wonderful husband to me, and will be the best Daddy to our baby, Rebekah one day! He is so talented, smart, hard-working, humorous, outgoing, and loving! It was a wonderful moment that he will never forget and neither will I. We were so blessed to have a beautiful sunny day for the drive up to Roanoke and then to have family and friends join us (thanks Stacey (my sister), my aunt Micky, my Mom, our friends: Cheryl, Doug, and Jack) made it all the more special. There were LOTS of friends, family and co-workers who sent me emails yesterday to put in a scrapbook for Doug and I just wanted to thank them for that. We got there EARLY and as we sat in the parking lot, I pulled it out and gave it to Doug and said, "These are all the people who think a lot of you honey and wanted to wish you well on this special day!" He was truly touched and read the comments over and over! It will be something that he can keep forever and remember this momentous event in his life (our life!). I have truly been touched by everything today that happened. As we were driving home, I thought about all the heartache we went through after we first got married and he had to stay in Canada for over a year before Immigration would allow him to move down here to live and work. It was HARD.....so terribly hard and not a night went by that I didn't cry because I missed him so much! We had HUGE phone bills and MANY MANY nights chatting online. We contacted our Congressman (Virgil Goode) who tried to move the process along and then once he was down here, we had the mounds of paperwork and forms and fees, and visits to Immigration for interviews and green card renewals and fingerprints...........and all of that was HARD......but without the difficulty of those many trials, we would have NEVER experienced the moments we had today of absolute joy! And that made me think of the adoption......if THIS was such a joyous occasion, how much greater will be the joy of having that baby placed in our arms??????? Oh my gosh, I cannot fathom it! And I think about all of the people who have (bless their hearts) tried to tell us that "the wait will be worth it," and we have HATED hearing them say those words! But they truly KNOW that joy, they have experienced it first hand, and they KNOW! So, with that said, I am ALLOWING myself to get excited again about the adoption. I allowing my heart to open and be vunerable and I just pray that Heavenly Father will bless me and Doug that we WILL experience this joyful event in our life SOON!!!!!!!!! WHEW.....what an emotional day! And to my sweet, wonderful hubby: I love you darling and am so proud of you and the man that you are! Congratulations babe!