Referrals Are Here

If you don't like negativity step away from your computer because this ain't no cheerful post people!

As much as I am happy for all of the people who are seeing their little ones for the first time today I am sick of this wait. Referrals coming in dribs and drabs is endless, this wait is endless. I know that we will all get our babies in the end but for all of you who are not in this process let me explain to you what this uncertainty is like.....there are no words for it. I just want things to speed up, I want a concrete date something a long the lines of, in x amount of months you will get your referral, not this ever increasing uncertainty. To all you new mums and dads I know you thought the wait would never end and the day would never arrive but it has and congratulations to all of you. And to the CCAA I do not speak Chinese but I learn fast so if you need some help over there let me know I will be there in a flash and I guarantee I can find a few good helpers to come too! This month I learnt that the referrals were here in an email from my cousin in the UK, I hadn't quite got around to checking yet. And to end on a cheery note.....one step closer. (BARF)

Something To Pass The Time

Since the rumours are flying that tomorrow is going to be referrral day and we are all waiting with baited breathe to see how many days the CCAA is going to release this month I have decided to pass the day with some silliness. I found this on LaDyfrogs blog and have borrowed it, she borrowed from someone else but we have all washed our hands so its OK. I have 23 people in this country with the same name as me but if I enter my maiden name the computer can be heard roaring with laughter and then tells me that I am all alone. No wonder I ditched it in a hurry when I married Jakey!

HowManyOfMe.com

There is: 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

9 Months and a day

Yeesh, look at that we have been logged in for nine months and a day. Pretty bad that I didn't even notice yesterday but I had an enormous migraine and daddy took over the helm. Thank goodness he was off . According to some of the video footage he and Lily managed to get up to their usual antics just going to Target and back! Good job these migraines are few and far between cos if they weren't I think I would suffer from a heart condition as well! Suddenly Ms. Lil is camera shy.



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Christmas Is In The Air

It is officially the holiday season! It still seems peculiar to me even after all these years that it can be so hot and still be Christmas. It just seems wrong. But it is getting to be Christmas and everywhere you look there are Christmas trees and doodads to get you in the holiday spirit. Today we took Lily to see Father Christmas so that she could hand over her wish list because once the wish list has been handed over to the jolly fellow you cannot add to it! Pretty good thinking on our behalf don't you think? We have also explained that Christmas is about more than just toys and we take her with us to buy gifts for needy families and take them to the drop off point and she loves doing this.

Some random shots from today.


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Taking Lily On A Mystery Evening

Last night our really special friends joined us for the lighting of the big Christmas tree in Bayfront park in Downtown Miami. We didn't tell Lily where we were going we just told her that if she was a really good girl we were going to take her somewhere rather special at night. Night time trips are quite rare at her age and a source of great excitement. She was a good girl all day so after an early dinner we dressed in warm clothes and headed off to Ed, Jen and Ebby's house. Lily couldn't say Evan when their son was born and still to this day we call him Ebby. (She cannot understand why he doesn't answer her it is just the cutest thing.) Ed, Jen and I kept feeding her clues and she did a pretty good job of guessing what we were going to do. It was such a lovely evening and we all sat on a blanket and listened to a school choir and watched the kiddies munch on popcorn and cotton candy as we waited for the tree to be illuminated. Finally we counted down and voila a beautiful site which was followed by a firework display out over the bay, much to the childrens great delight. Both kiddies fell asleep in the car on the way home and Ed transferred Lily, carseat and all, straight from their car to mine without waking her up and when we got home I carried her to bed and undressed her and she still didnt wake up. That folks, is a first! My camera went on the fritz half way through the evening so some of the photos are iffy??? When I mentioned it to Jacob this morning he said good, now I can get a new one!

Ed, "Ebby" And Jenny (Super Skinny Now Too!)

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Lily and Mummy In front of the dark tree

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Yum..or Yuck..

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The popcorn bucket is bigger than Ebby

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Waiting For The Tree

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Pirates....Not sure why we had pirates at a Christmas do but this is Miami!

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Ta-da (We were much closer than this but I took this as we left.)

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The camera is on the fritz but look at that little face!
Watching The Fireworks

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Lily Takes a More Layed Back Approach To The Fireworks

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A Day To Be Thankful And Confused

Thanksgiving proved to be a very confusing day for Lily. We started it off with something that we have been doing for the last couple of years and that is a walk around a nearby park to gather pine cones for our holiday display. She loves this and so do we.

Here she is looking for some pine cones:

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Found One:

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This year someone had beaten us to it and pine cones were few and far between so Jacob had to beat through the undergrowth and find them for her while we waited for him to re-appear with the goods!


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Thanks Daddy

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Then it was back home to eat our big Thanksgiving lunch. Since the airlines never sleep Jacob had to work yesterday so we decided to eat before he went to work so that he wouldnt miss out. We set the table with Lily's help, she didn't question anything, she put her placemat down that she made at school, helped with the tablecloth and all the place settings. It wasn't until we sat down to eat this huge meal that she questioned it. Why are we eating dinner now was her first question and then after we expained why she looked so worried and said, do I have to have my bath and go to bed afterwards? We cracked up. Our child is a creature of habit and doesnt like things out of whack! This really messed with her head and for the rest of the day she was out of sorts it was so funny. She refused dessert at lunchtime because you just don't get dessert for lunch. By the time we had "dinner" I think her brain literally itched. I ended up feeding her, her usual lunch fare just to see if that would help. Well, see for yourselves.

It's just WRONG

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Gobble Gobble

Happy Thansgiving to all.
We have so much to be thankful for and hope that all of you do as well.

Our First Parent Teacher Conference

This morning we had to report to Lily's classroom bright and early for our first ever parent teacher conference. We had no idea what to expect and I was really excited about it. I have no idea who Lily is inside the classroom and couldn't wait to hear both the good and the not so good. She made us proud!!! She is a good girl in school and smart to boot. Apparently she even expects the teacher to have a British accent and corrects her every time she says the word tomato, which just cracks the teacher up. She has a good sense of humour but is very loud. Academically she is doing exceptionally well but when it comes to catching balls and that kind of stuff she needs to practice. Hey, I guess she won't be an athlete but I can deal with that. So we need to work on the volume level and more ball games.....somehow quiet times and ball games just dont go hand in hand!Take me out to the ball park....sshhhhh.

I've Forgotten The Plot

The last twice that I have gone out to do some holiday shopping I have completely forgotten the plot and somehow ended shopping for Lily and I. Yesterday she got new clothes and this afternoon after school her and I went out to get some things for Jacob which thankfully we did but I ended up with new clothes. We were walking through a department store and she pointed to this really nice top and said Mummy this is nice and I loved it and that was it the next thing I am in a fitting room trying on the whole outfit. I think they are using a special atomiser in the store that leaves you powerless to resist the outfits. I am honestly not a big clothes person so this most unusual for me but twice in 2 days is really bad cos it is the holidays people and the theme is the spirit of giving not keeping for yourself! Does anyone else do this?

Young Man Winter

This is hardly news worthy for most of the world but for us here in South Florida this is big news. Young man winter is here at last! I can't call him old man winter cos it just isn't that cold! Tonight the temperatures are going down into the 40's and I can't wait. Out comes the goose down duvet and on goes the heating. Lily will be buried under the biggest pile of blankies imaginable and we will all be drinking hot chocolate.
Well, there just isn't any news on the adoption front so I had to tell you all something. Oh wait, there is a little bit of news, our social worker was at the picnic yesterday and our report is ready to be sent to immigration so we can now start that process all over again. I really dont think it is worth spending the money to get re-fingerprinted and since we dont have a chance of travelling before our 171-h expires in June so I am just going to gather all the documents and send them off to start that ball rolling all over again.

Local Adoption Gathering

This is Good!

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I Think It's Contagious.

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Fun.....

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Junk Food Junkie

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Today was our local groups picnic in honour of National Adoption Month and it really was an outstanding gathering truly geared towards giving the kiddos a good time. We big people had a lot of fun too mind you. The weather was perfect and actually quite cool for these parts.

So Big

Today one of our friends daughters turned 10 and we went to her birthday party. Lily had a great time and all the girls at the party were so sweet and kind and gentle with her. They were all 10 and older and didn't mind for one minute that they had a little one in their midst. Lily doesnt seem to have a clue that she is so much younger than they are and tries so hard to do everything that they do. She was the first one out in every single game they played but the girls just wouldn't have that and kept giving her a second chance.
On the Bounce-a -line (her word for it)

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Her new friend.

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The birthday girl, centre

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That Went By Fast

With so many fellow bloggers in China right now, or preparing to leave, I was moved, once again, to watch our DVD of Lily's Gotcha Day. It is amazing to see her so small and I have no idea how she has grown so fast. Actually it makes my brain itch to see the difference in her. Cherish every minute with your little ones when you get them because the time passes so very quickly. I remember when we first bought Lily home and she received some clothes for 4 year olds and I thought it was an odd gift for a one yr old especially since she was so little and only wearing 9 month clothes. Well, HAH...she is already wearing them! Here is the photo of the very first time we laid eyes on her and got to touch her. It makes me cry to look at it. Oh, and that isn't stuffing coming out the side of my bra, I swear! It is a tissue cos I kept crying. And what is with my hubbies shirt sleeves, I have never noticed them before?(Horrors!)

Gotcha!

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Less Than One Month Later. (wasn't her little head square)

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Say Cheese

When we picked Lily up from pre school yesterday we whisked her home and cleaned her up and dashed off to have our Christmas photos taken. Apparently Miss Lil' had had a very tiring day at school because she fell asleep in the car on the way there. We couldn't stop laughing just thinking about how cheerful she was going to be when we had to wake her up and tell her to perk up and say cheese! All was not lost and she did wake up in a fine mood. I'm not posting all the pictures but here is one because I think it is gorgeous.


Forty winks

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Wide awake and being a ham

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Caught in the Act

The other day I took Lily's bunny and put him in the washing machine without telling her. Normally I don't do this. I usually say to her that bunny needs a bath and as gross as this sounds she usually sniffs him and then just hands him over quite willingly. The sniff test comes into play because I use Snuggle fabric softener and once she can no longer smell that she agrees he needs a bath. He needs it before then but I go along with her. Anyhoo I put him in the machine and she happened to go looking for him so I told her where he was and she was'nt very pleased. She waited for the cycle to end so that she could rescue him. Look at the face on this kid, not a happy little camper! Oh and that other bunny who is still quite pink and chubby, that was back up bunny but his eye got broken a few years ago and he is now called "broken eye" and he was given to Daddy by Lily and he lives on Daddys night stand and he got thrown in the machine for good measure! When Jacob tried to snap this photo things got very ugly but she was fine again after a quick snuggle with "the Bun" even though he was soggy. That thing has magical powers.


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Dashing Through The Hay

Guess what we did last night? Yes, that's right we went on a hayride. We got the night right and had a great time. Sadly our friend Ebby had a stomach virus so he couldnt come but Isabella and her mummy came and the kiddies had a blast. The chap that drove the tractor that pulled the hayride was an absolute nutcase which made things alot more interesting as he whizzed across the golf course in the dark with no lights on. The kiddos nearly flew out every time he drove across the bunkers!!!!! I bet the golfers are a little bit peeved this morning at the state of their beloved course. The campfire was a bit big and unruly so the s'mores cooking was a bit risky but we did it and even managed to come away with out a singe, although at one point I did think I had lost an eyebrow. On the way back to the car the girls found an un-manned golf cart thingy and took control which was cute. They only sat in it but they looked like the cats pajama's, you would have thought they were driving it! Feel better Ebby, we missed you!

On the Hayride

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Lily, to impatient to wait to melt the marshmallow (we call it Snowman poop)

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Lawn Enforcement Officers

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Making S'mores

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A Question For All You Teachers.....and parents

I need a little advice from all of you teachers out there and any parents who have BTDT. Lily is 4 and is in pre-k. I love her school and her teachers. I stand by what they say and think it is important for parents to back the teaching staff. Her school stresses the importance of attendance and I agree with it, to a point. When they found out that she would be missing 2 or possibley 3 weeks of school to travel with us to China the principal nearly had a stroke and told us in no uncertain terms that she didn't agree with it but that we had to make our own decisions. Remember how old she is here, it isn't high school.

Now here is my question. I want to zip back to the old country for a long weekend before the Holidays. The town that my folks live in puts on something called, "A Dickens Of A Christmas" where all the merchants dress in period costume for a day and sell stuff related to the Dickens era as well as thier usual wares. I think it would be so much fun and I know this is the last year I can possibley go since next year Lily will be in in Kindergarten and I cannot just take her out of school, However I feel that this is pre-k, it is optional, something that we pay for, for the betterment of our child. Should I do it? She will miss 3 days of school. We will fly out on a Wednesday evening and fly back on a Tuesday and she will be back in her classroom on Wednesday morning (jetlagged but there!). Speak your mind please. I am not going to be offended that is why I asked. I am not used to the education system over here so I really NEED the feed back.

Dancing queen, or is that Fool

This was from the other day when we were frantically redoing all the paperwork for our homestudy update and feeling rather stressed out. After I picked Lily up from school we cranked up the tunes and started dancing. Just be thankful that you cant see behind the camera as I was still in my scrubs but she insisted that I wear clonky shoes too so that I could stamp my feet to the music just like her. So there I was in scrubs and high heels, I must say I looked fetching...or is that wretching! We had a blast and I felt great afterwards cos all my stress was gone.


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You Talk Funny

As most of you are aware I am a foreigner! I know the horror of it all, I snuck in over the border when no one was watching. Actually I have lived here longer than I lived in England but I still have an English accent and my dearest child is becoming very aware of it!This morning as she was getting ready for school I told her to get her shoes on and she asked me where they were so I told her they were in the basket by the front door. She turned to me and said, "basket, whats a basket?" she said it in her best British accent which reduced her and her daddy into fits of giggles.This has been happening a lot lately with all the words that I say differently than her. So I think it is time to take her home for a quikie trip so that she will be the odd one out! That should put her little bum straight. When she is at "home" we all laugh as she runs around screeching Nanny and Grandpa and sounding like one of the Waltons!I will have to try and get her on video impersonating me because it is really funny and she is really good at it. The cheeky little devil. Okay I have it on video now so you can see it for yourselves.



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Lily Voted For....

Today is election day so right after breakfast Jacob went off to cast his ballot and when he returned we let Lily vote on what she wanted to do today since she didn't have school. (Some strange American custom that I am not familiar with, when the country votes the kids stay home....peculiar but it works for me cos I have my kid for the day!.) She decided that she wanted to go to Build a Bear Workshop and build a bear. If you have not been to this place it is so much fun for the kiddos and they love it check out their website here www.buildabear.com It is something that she has wanted to do for a while but we have managed to put it off but today we folded and took her there. Her little face was priceless and when they asked her to make a special wish on her bears heart before they put it inside him I nearly laughed cos her face crinkled up so much. From there we went to lunch and then off to the park. By the time she got in the bath tonight she was exhausted and when she opened her mouth to brush her teeth she just kept yawning. She was tuckered out. If you click on any of the photos you will go straight to our dropshots site and be able to see the whole sequence of events cos it was so funny! Well, we thought it was.

Meet Baby Bear

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Wishing on A Heart

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Printing His Birth Certificate

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All Done, Bye Bye

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Lunch

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Ready for a Flood

On Saturday evening as I dressed Lily for the hayride that wasn't I knew she would need long pants. One because of the prickly hay and two because it was actually quite cool here on Saturday. When I went into her enormous closet to choose something I was quite giddy because it isn't often that she gets to wear Fall clothes and I love them. Outfit number one came out and to my horror......flood pants! Well, this scenario continued for quite a while until I found something that still fit her. I am not sure when this growth spurt took place but it did and from the look of her another one is about to happen. My little girl is getting so big. Anyway I took her yesterday to buy some winter clothes and that was a real eye opener. As I would pick up something she would roll her eyes and and pick up something totally different and alot more jazzy. In the end we found some clothes but not before I had to admit defeat. She is going to be a girly girl and she knows what she likes and doesnt like and I am in for a bumpy, yet trendy ride! Fashion really matters to a 4 yr old.....who knew! My mum used to buy us really beautiful clothes when we were little but I am sure at 4 I couldn't care less.

Dressed Up Again

What can I say! As if a Halloween party every weekend for a month wasn't enough Lily decided she needed to dress up again today just to hang out at home. She was very busy dressing up for ages and finally called for assistance when her nails kept falling off when she was putting on her shoes. This costume just cracks me up and drives me batty all at once because whenever she moves she loses feathers and fur and of course the occasional fingernail!

A Proper Little Madam

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