22 months.

Our dossier has been registered with the CCAA for 22 months today.

We want our Rosie home with us where she belongs. We have been waiting for one month since we were matched with her and it has been a very long month.

Talking of Rosie: allow your eyes to wander to the right of this post........Yes, that is our little peanut, cute isn't she?

I'm Late, I'm Late For A Very Important Date.

I was sitting here minding my own business and catching up with all the happenings of Bloggyville when I perused the 3d's blog and suddenly realised that yesterday was our 21 month LIDversary and I hadn't noticed either, DUH. Is anybody still counting anymore? The months just float by almost unnoticed but we know in the end we will win the prize, the Grand Prize.

My cousin left yesterday. We are sad. Lily is quite miserable and first thing this morning she carefully opened Andie's bedroom door and peeked in. I asked her what she was looking for and she told me that she was just checking to see if she had come back cos she misses her so much. All day yesterday her little voice kept saying, I don't want Andie to leave. It was sad. I don't like my little girl to be sad but she will be fine shortly.

When I Don't Blog Everyday

.......I have so much to share. This should proably be in bullet form cause it will be jumping all over the place.

I know I have said this before but I am going to say it over and over again, I love this time of year. If it would just get cooler I would be delirious. Everything is so much more pleasant when the sky is greyish and the temps are not in the 90's every single day. Sure they still hit that ugly number but not quite as frequently. Lily had a school trip last week and I was a chaperone and after we went to the theatre (to see the most BORING play of all time) we, we would be all 500 of them, stopped at a park and had a picnic. They didn't number even close to that it just sounded like that many. When we got home I felt as if the school bus had run me over, twice. Anyway the weather was so nice and it was just so lovely to be outdoors. The kids were running around and being kids and didn't end up thoroughly drenched in sweat.

Today was Kids Health Day at a local hospital. The children were able to dress up in costumes and off they went trick or treating and learning about healthy eating, exercising, allergies, dental care etc etc. There were prizes for this and that and contests, face painting and a mock E.R. where you could take your dolly's to have them "mended". Lily took Bunny cos he is getting a tad threadbare in his ears. In no time at all a team of specialists had him all better. He had to have an admission bracelet and we had to fill out forms on him. It was so cute. She stood by as he was stitched up. I am amazed that she let them do it. They even gave him a bit more stuffing. Half way through the procedure I was asked if I minded them taking photos of her and if it was fine would I sign all the release forms so that they can use them in the magasines, since I agreed to it I was distracted for a bit but when I turned my attention back to Lily she was still standing in the same spot with her eyes glued on the Bun. Instead of handing out the usual junk to the kids they had huge coolers of fresh fruit and water that you could help yourself too. I thought that that was a really smart move.
Getting Prepped For Surgery



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So Far So Good



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Look at the expression on Lilys face, she feels his pain.



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Final Stitches



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He Made It and so did she!



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The Mermaid Chicken Dance. She won a prize for this and was so thrilled.



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We waited for 40 minutes for the obligatory face painting.



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The tired mermaid needed help making it back to the car. I think this is a great shot.



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I have been exercising 6 days a week for the last month and already I am reaping the rewards of it. The first few days were bloody murder but once I got into the swing of things I started loving it again. There is just one small, and I mean pathetically small, problem, I've lost my boobies. I put on a top this morning and checked the mirror casually and nearly broke my neck as I swung back around because I could see something was amiss. My top didn't look right and that is when I realised what had happened. They didn't even stop to say Au Revoir they just flew the coop. So if you happen to see my ta ta's somewhere please send them home, I miss them. Not that they were ever very impressive but at least they were there. I did get the OK from the hubby to go out and buy some new ones. At the rate the CCAA is moving I can get them done and be feeling fine and looking fabulous long before they call my name. I have wanted to do this for a really long time but now it has become a neccessity because soon people will be calling me Mister. I have been watching Dr 90210 religously and I think I am ready but the part when they cut off the nippies to put the implant in makes me shudder so I think I shall have to go a different route.

I warned you this post would bounce about...it is the only thing in this house that does bounce anymore . Damn, I crack me up.

On a serious note there are only two and a half more hours before Three and A Highchair become, 4 and 2 highchairs. Katie Starr will meet her little brother Ethan for the first time and we are so excited for them.

And finally, thanks to Steffie B I have just realised that yesterday was our 20 month Lidversary. Now I know that the end is in sight. Life is good, very good.

To Our Sweet Baby

Sweet Little Girl.

This blog was started many months ago to document our journey to you. I try to document all the big milestones that happen along the way and count the months that pass as we creep closer and closer to you.

Lily, Daddy and I have been waiting to see you face now for 19 months and 1 day. We really thought that you would have been home with us many, many months ago. The wait is so very difficult. Each and everyday we think of you and talk about you. The wait is the hardest on your big sister because she cannot fully comprehend why you are taking so long.

She wants to hold you, give you your bottle and bathe you. She isn't very keen on the idea of taking a bath with you cos she thinks you will pee in it but that is because I recently told her that she used to do that. She wants to see your little face so much so that she can choose your name. She has lots of names picked out for you and one very special one that she has put so much thought into.

Lily used to save bits of her food for you and I would have to wrap them up and put them in the freezer. There are lots of half eaten cookies just for you. She saves her favourite things and puts them in your nursery and tells me not to give them to the poor kids because they are for her Mei Mei.

We just want you home with us, where you belong. We are ready and have been for a very long time now but we will wait until forever because you are part of us and we love you so much.

And so our darling little one, if you are in an orphanage or foster home be patient and know that we love you and we will be there soon, very soon ,to bring you home with us.

In my perfect little world I think we have approximately 7 more months to go before we see your face for the first time. I just can't imagine that we can be apart for much longer.

We love you with all our hearts and then some.

Mummy, Daddy and Lily.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

I Love My LIfe ! UPDATE

There is nothing like being thrown out of your routine to make you realise just how much you love your life! The last 5 days were not fun. The seminar was great, but very difficult as we dealt with geriatric patients with dementia and it is so hard to see otherwise perfectly healthy people who have no clue about anything including their own name. I think that is so sad. On an up note I met a charming older gentleman and his dog. His dog was totally invisible to me but he loved him so I made a fuss of him too. You all know my history with dogs so this was the perfect arrangement for me.

My girl is very busy at present what with swimming, gymnastics and generally being a goof ball. I went straight back to work this morning and she went off to swimming lessons and then this afternoon I finally got to spend some time with her and we went to gymnastics. She loves it and tries to do everything really fast so that she can have another turn at it before her time is up. Great in theory but as you will see, not so in reality! She tried to whizz through a routine only be to dragged back again and again. I was snickering to myself. I need to go and get caught up on all of your news so this post will be short.
(I have just found out that blogger won't allow me to post any photos or videos tonight so I will have to try again tomorrow.)

16 months ago today the CCAA logged in our file and we started our official wait. We were all excited and new that the 8-9 months that lay ahead would pass slowly for us but that was fine as we waited a long time for Lily's referral and 8-9 months would be a piece of cake. See what happens when you view the world through rose coloured glasses, reality comes right up behind you and bites you on the bum......very hard! Oh well we have to just keep chugging along and looking at all the cuties that get referred every month.

Is anyone else having problems with the HTML on blogger, when I click on it it just does nothing. Bloody thing.

I was sitting here writing some snide comment on CJ's blog about the limited contents of her purse when there was an enormous clap of thunder and the power went out. Within seconds Lily was crying and I was trying to make it up the stairs 2 at a time in the total darkness cos the flashlights that I have all around for emergencies did not leap out of their places and into my hands. Life sure is fun. Lily is fine and my toe is recovering from the wallop I just gave it heading across the living room. Yepper, this is the life for me.

13 months

We have now been logged in with the CCAA for 13 months.

We were talking about the wait yesterday and agreed that it is definitely easier this time around thanks to Miss Lily. Some days I just think that this will be a perpetual wait for the rest of my life and that nothing is going to transpire. I know that is really quite daft because we will get our daughter but it just seems so very distant and unreal. The painting of the nursery is going to happen today that might make things seem more realistic.

When you add in the time frame for paper chasing we have been going at this for ever.
In a bright and sunny note this is month 13, we have 13 months behind us and these are thirteen months that we will never have to wait again. And this is it folks. NO more paper pregnancies for us, we are done and to steal a quote from my friend Lori's hubby Marc, "our paper tubes are being stapled shut!"

Number 12...... Check

Who would have thunk? We have been LID for 12 months today and I actually wouldn't even have noticed if it wasn't for Michelle congratulating us. It's been a busy day but more on that later.

This wait just seems eternal and now I am at the point that I don't even notice how long we have been waiting. I suppose because in my head I know that we still have such a long way to go and that I know it will happen I just don't know when.

I think I shall probably pass out from shock when we get to the point that I know we are next. (This is probably better than what happened when we received Lily's referral, I threw up! Nice Huh...I was so excited). I long for the day when we receive that little photo and we finally get to show Lily her baby sister. I just want to see her reaction and of course I want to see her...the little one whom my heart has grown bigger for.

So here's to 12 months and hopefully the next few will fly by.

12 months ago

One year ago today we were jumping for joy. Our agency had notified us that we were officially DTC. We jumped up and down, celebrated to the hilt and started our wait. Who knew? So now here we are 12 months later bobbing around in a sea of uncertainty and I have to say it's not so much fun anymore. Yes, we will get our daughter and yes, it will be worth the wait, we know this. We only have to look at Lily and we know everything will be fine but for heavens sake, WHEN?
Even Lily doesn't ask to much about her sister much anymore. She named her Molly but I now think that she thinks Molly is just an imaginary sister because she never tells anyone about her the way she used to. The contractors showed up this week to do some work in the baby's' room and she wasn't even enthused about that and she used to ask us all the time if we could get it ready for her.
At this point in her adoption we had her referral. We hadn't traveled because of SARS but we were ready to go and get that little face in the photo who had stolen our hearts many months prior.
Where do we stand? Who knows. Our agency didn't even mention the wait times in their weekly letter but they keep saying for anyone logging into the system now they estimate the wait to be 18-24 months. So you would think that that must mean that we are getting closer but the rate and amount of referrals each month tells a different story.
The bottom line is this. Our fingerprints have expired. Yes we let them go as I could see no point in spending the money to redo them only to have to apply for a whole I-600a in March. The wonderful lady at our BCIS office told me she thought that was the best plan. There is no way we will travel before June so we are clear on that front. Our homestudy is updated and ready to be re-submitted with our I-600 application and we are just patiently (insert sarcastic laugh here) waiting for the next batch of referrals and then of course Chinese New Year as that always slows things down, (we will be going backwards soon) to see if there is any speed up or something that can offer all of us a glimmer of light at the end of this long tunnel.
I just noticed that according to our little ticker we are also celebrating our 11 month LID. So to all of you who keep asking what is going on and when are we getting our baby all I can say is, when, and only when, she is good and ready!

A Little More Of The Festivities and 10 months today.

Christmas was just so much fun that I am sharing a little bit more. And thanks to Christi from Cherry Blossom Baby I was finally able to figure out how to do this slide show, thank you so much Christi. Oh, and I cannot forget to mention that we have been logged in for 10 whole months today. Yes folks 10 whole flippin months and the end is nowhere in sight but alas this is a happy post so we won't go there today.


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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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