Dreams and Wishes and Waiting and Wondering..

So we have the room ready now we just need the baby!!

2008-05-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

MUST SEE!

2008-04-18T03:40:00.001-07:00

One word...WOW!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntReE2n15bo

Easter 2008

2008-04-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

In the photo with my sis Kris you can see one of 3M's products that I was on a testing panel for (electrodes!!) Ah what we do for science!

Still Waiting But...

2008-04-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

We are #1 on our agency's list for baby boys so it truly could be any day now. Maybe this coming week? On pins and needles here but trying to get Ariks office migrated to the den so that I can get in and get painting that room!

Check out my Guestbook!

2008-03-17T17:27:00.001-07:00

Almost there folks!

2008-03-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

Stay tuned for some good news hopefully in the next month or so!

Drew's Nursery

2008-01-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

I love this bedding!! Check out the nursery decor we are planning on.

Baby Boy is off to a good start!

2007-12-29T15:12:00.000-08:00

I was going through the nursery today organizing and started realizing we have quite a nice start already for our baby boy to be! Check it out. Now, keep in mind that only two things were received AFTER the decision to adopt from Korea. For Christmas, my awesome coworker Monica bought be a Thomas The Train outfit and the big squishy irresistable puppy with the blankie front and center in this photo.... The blue boppy is from my fantabulous cousin Alex who has two awesome little boys. The rest of the stuff has come from secret pal presents the last year and a half or so. Or things that I couldnt resist buying...

New name in the running...

2007-12-26T09:00:00.001-08:00

...we are thinking now that Andrew might be the right name for baby boy... Arik's dad's middle name was Andrew and I understand that Arik was almost an Andrew. I like Drew for short.. =)What does everyone else think?

On the List!!!

2007-12-22T06:24:00.000-08:00

So we are now on the list for Korea!!! We hope to have a referral by June! We shall see!

That's right folks, fasten your seatbelts...

2007-12-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

....we are almost on the list for Korea! We (and our adoption agency) feel like we will have plenty of time before our China referral comes to do a concurrent adoption for our son from Korea. Crazy world we live in is it not? Anyway his name will be either Tristan (which I have loved fo' ever) or Dakota (Kody for short) and we hope to have him home by next Christmas! We expect he will be 8 or 9 months old when we bring him home. AHHHHH! Needless to say, we are very, very excited about this new development in our journey!

Soo....

2007-12-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

....we have a teleconference with our adoption agency on Tuesday to see if we can do a concurrent adoption with Korea for a baby boy while we wait for Ashlie from China. Up until now we would have had to pull out of one country when accepting a referral from another. However, CCAA has recently changed their policy to allow concurrent adoption and so has our agency. All the details have not yet been sorted out and so we dont know for sure if this is an option for us but we are hoping so as we have waited so very long for our kids and hope that they will both be with us within the next few years.. Stay tuned..

Our Cruise to Bermuda!

2007-10-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

We took a much needed vacation to Bermuda with our friends Maria and Scott from September 16-23. We had an awesome time. Here are some of our fave photos! We loved it so much we are joining Maria and Scott on an 11 day cruise to the western Caribbean in January 2009. AND balcony rooms no less! Need that something special to look forward to to get us through 2008! Of course, we will gladly cancel to go pick up baby in China if things speed up!!

1 Year LID as of 7/26/07!!

2007-08-05T15:46:00.001-07:00

Well its officially been a little over a year since our LID of 7/26/06... and our month is in the review room at the CCAA!! Fingers crossed for no questions and that July moves through the review room with flying colors!!

My First Tattoo - Little Tiger

2007-08-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it, got my first tattoo. My Chinese zodiac symbol is the tiger so I thought it only appropriate to get this little guy on my right ankle... I LOVE it, he is such a cute little tiger...

11 Months LID!!!!

2007-06-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

That's right..today marks 11 months logged into China's Center of Adoption Affairs. My wild guess is 18-20 more months.. Time will tell! For now we continue to pay down the adoption loan so that hopefully by the time we get our baby we will be debt free! How great would that be??

The cruise is coming up in just under 3 months so we are gearing up for some big fun there!

I am hoping to plan a vacation to Epcot next July to meet up with some of the July 06 LID fireflies! It would be sort of a preunion before we all receive the referrals of our babies!!

DH and his Fave Toy!!

2007-06-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here is my DH Arik and his favorite toy these days...

Thanks to My Awesome Secret Pal!!!

2007-06-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Check out the cool gifts my SP sent this month!!

Ladybug Boots - Adorable!! My SP has instructed me that I am to put them by my front door so I can be reminded everyday that someday my adorable little light of my life will be wearing them!

Firefly Rattle - Awesome because I love Fireflies (of course!!!). It makes this precious little giggling noise when you twist the bottom along with other cute little sounds

Bathtime Alphabet Foam Letters - I can just see our little Ashlie already floating these letters in the tub and spelling her fave words!!

Taggie Blanket - Perfect for our nursery cause the colors are beautiful. This blanket is perfect for baby and I can totally see it becoming "the" blankie of choice!

Butterfly Hook - Also perfectly coordinated to our nursery... Man, my SP has good taste!! =)

Flower crib sheet - SO my style!

Great job pal, you have outdone yourself yet again this month! I can't wait to find out who you are next month! You have done such a good job keeping your identify secret!

Our Fur Babies Enjoying Our Baby-To-Be's Stuff

2007-06-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

The pictures say it all I think...

Cutoff is November 7, 2005

2007-06-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well its official, referrals cutoff this month is November 7, 2005. So that leaves just about 9 months ahead of us in line now. Woohoo! Well, dont get too excited cause we are not sure how many more months that means. My educated guess is still anywhere between October/November 2008 to March 2009... November 2005 is supposedly a very large month so all of us parents-to-be adopting from China hope to see a speedup once they get through this Mammoth month (although March 2006 is said to be big too).

10th LID Monthiversary

2007-05-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

Our 10th LID Monthiversary!!!
May 26, 2007

Well, we have been logged into the China Center of Adoption Affairs system for 10 months as of May 26, 2007. No one knows really how many months we will be waiting but my guesstimate ranges anywhere from October 2008 to March 2009. We are hoping it is not longer than that!! That would put our total wait time for a referral at between 27 and 32 month wait from LID. Currently the wait is at about 19 months from LID but everyone "expects the wait to continue to lengthen throughout 2007". Ugh!

Since the summer olympics are in Beijing in 2008, it will be interesting to see whether or not we can get to China and back before then or not. There is still the possibility that there will be a speedup in referrals (as all of us waiting families are hoping!!). Its pretty much just a waiting game at this point.

We had our homestudy update last week which was pretty much just a short meeting to let our social worker know if anything major had changed in our family in the past year. Then some minor forms to fill out but nothing like the original paperwork we did.

We were briefly dual listed with the Korea adoption program at our agency but changed our mind and decided to wait for our little girl from China. We have come so far already in this journey and even if it takes another year or two (God help us if it is two!) we really feel this is where our first adoption is meant to be from. We would definitely consider Korea for a future adoption though as a possibility. They have a great foster care system for waiting babies and medical care there is supposed to be excellent! Babies go for well baby checkups every month on their birthday, etc.

Well, thats pretty much all to say for now. As news arises, we will be sure to let you know. Until then! Steph and Arik

The Start of A New Journey...

2007-04-29T15:57:00.002-07:00

Well its been 9 months since we have been logged into the China Center of Adoption Affairs system and we just made a very big decision recently!! Due to China's extending wait for a referral (wait is currently 19 months and expected to extend to 24+ months), we have decided to dual list with our agency's Korea program. The current wait for a referral is about 5-7 months with travel being 3-4 months after that.

Here is some information from our agency regarding dual listing:

Dual listing - whereby you could initiate an adoption through another of our international programs while remaining "in line" for China provided you meet eligibility criteria and your social worker updates your home study to approve you for that program. Only one adoption process is completed when a family chooses to dual list; it is not possible to dual list and proceed to completion through both programs.

How does dual listing work?
You would concurrently pursue two adoption processes through CHSFS until referral stage, and accept only one referral of a child to complete just one adoption.
By accepting a referral through one program (theoretically it's the referral that comes first), you simultaneously withdraw from the other program thereby removing your dossier from that process.

Families are responsible for all costs associated with initiating the paperwork or dossier to both programs. Paperwork from your dossier to China could not be applied toward a second program.
There may be a fee to CIS for re-routing your approval to another country should you accept a referral outside China.

Your home study agency may or may not charge for an updated home study to reflect approval for the other country's program, so inquire with your social worker to be sure. Once you accept a referral, you are withdrawn from the other program, and there is usually a loss of fees toward the process that is not continued.

The option to dual list does not necessarily increase your chances of a quicker adoption process nor does it decrease risks associated with international adoption. Lastly, the option to dual list is not the best choice for everyone.

Is dual listing a new option?
Our China program did not previously allow applicants to dual list (beyond the stage of having a dossier sent to China) for a few reasons. A main reason had to do with a negative perception on China's end, where having a number of applicants withdraw in pursuit of another program could be perceived negatively (reflective of an agency's undecided and uncommitted families). Recently, we re-evaluated our policy on dual listing and consulted with CCAA. We determined dual listing to now be a viable option for families given the current circumstances. Keep in mind that if your log-in date through CCAA is in late 2005 or very early 2006, you may not reach referral stage through another program any earlier by dual listing.