Our Journey to Aidan Kai

2009-06-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

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Mr. Aidan

2008-02-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This blog is moving

2007-12-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

I think it is high time that Aidan has his own blog instead of the ellarose site. Please visit us at http://www.fortheloveofaidan.blogspot.com/ . It has been stylized by Nikki and I am so excited!

Diva Dog!

2007-12-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am so glad that we went to San Diego over the weekend.I always love watching Clinton work. Aidan is feeling much better now. I don't think he was teething after all but was just feeling really bad from his immunizations. While we were in San Diego we got a special treat. Lori Cheung is one of our lifetime members and she took pictures of Annabelle and Aidan. She is such an awesome photographer! She is mainly a pet photographer. Her work has been published in several magazines and books. Annabelle was being such a Diva that day! It was like she knew she was modeling. She did everything right on command. Lori specializes in action shots and got some great photos of Annabelle running. She emailed me just one of the shots she got of Annabelle in a Santa hat and I just love it. She will be sending me the rest in a couple of weeks after she touches them up and edits them. Her website is www.thepetphotographer.com . She lives in Northern Ca. If anyone lives up that way and wants a treasured picture of their pet, I would highly recommend her.

While we were in San Diego this weekend we got really inspired to move there! We have a friend of ours who is a realtor looking for houses for us. It looks like we may be moving in the middle of January. We are going down tomorrow to see what he has found.

Clinton and I have been enjoying this week. He was supposed to go to Chicago this week but cancelled his trip. It is so nice when he is home! We had Aidan's picture taken for our Christmas cards yesterday and they turned out oh so cute! I will be posting them later.

Favorite Photo Friday

2007-11-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

Aidan had a better night. He ate 8ozs of formula at midnight and another 8 ounces at 5:00 AM. He woke at 3:00 AM and cried until 5:oo. The tylenol finally kicked in and he was able to settle down enough to eat. We both then had a blissful sleep until 9 this morning. He didn't eat much this morning but has not been crying. He fell asleep about half an hour ago. I think we will go to San Diego. If he starts getting cranky and not feeling well at Clinton's event then I will just take him back to the hotel.

This picture was sent to my by Helen. It is of a newborn Clinton. AWWW how cute!

Teething Bites!

2007-11-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

I think Aidan has cried more today then the entire 4 months he has been alive. The poor baby just isn't feeling well. When I took him to the doctor on Tuesday he had a rash on his stomach. The doctor said it was just dry skin and to put Eucerin lotion on it. I used Johnsons and Johnsons until last night and it was looking a little better. Last night I finally put the Eucerin lotion on it and when the poor thing woke up this morning it was 10 times worse! It looked like a burn and was warm to the touch. I called the nurse and she said to put Auqophor lotion on it and to call back if it spread. I put on the Aquophor along with some Bordeauxs Butt Paste ( I figured if it worked on the tush is should work on his tummy) and it looks better.

I also think Aidan is teething in a major way. I can't see any teeth but he keeps biting everything and crying and putting his hands in his mouth. He hasn't slept much today and hasn't eaten much. Everytime I go to feed him he just screams his head off. I have been attempting to feed him every few hours. I figure the poor fellow needs some food. I finally went back to the drug store ( with screaming Aidan in tow - it is times like this that I really hate when Clinton is away!) and bought some baby orajel and a cool teething ring that vibrates when they bite down. I think this worked a little because I was finally able to get 3 ounces of formula in the poor baby. I then gave him some baby tylenol because he had a little food in his belly. He fell asleep 10 minutes later. I pray that he sleeps a long time and wakes up famished! We are supposed to go to San Diego tomorrow to be with Clinton. However, at this point I am just not sure if A will be able to make the trip. Teething Bites!

The Australian Stomper

2007-11-28T08:43:00.001-08:00

Meet the Australian Stomper! While I was at my moms house we had lunch with my Uncle David. Now my Uncle David has had a very interesting life. We all say that we should get together and share just 1 story we know about him and write a top selling book. You might remember when I posted about him at my Grandmothers funeral in April - when his long lost daughter appeared at my grandmothers gravesite ( by the way -nothing else ever came of that situation). Anyway, David has had a couple of "colorful" jobs such as working for a Nascar pit crew, preacher, and professional wrestler.

When we were at lunch we were laughing because my mom was talking about how she had Aidan watching Friday Night Smack Down. My uncle was holding Aidan when the baby sitting directly behind him started crying. He looked at Aidan and said, " See that other baby is scared because he knows the Australian Stomper is in town". We began howling. So now Aidans official "wrestler name" is The Australian Stomper. I told Clinton when we got home and he thought is was hilarious.

We took "The Stomper" to the doctor yesterday for his 4 month checkup and another round of nasty shots. He now weighs 16 lbs 1 oz and is 26 1/2 inches long. Our boy is getting bigger.

Meet the Australian Stomper. You should be scared because he is one tough dude!

Rachel Ray Lies!

2007-11-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

I never ever watch cooking shows, but just happened to stumble across Rachel Rays show with the title - Thanksgiving Dinner in 60 minutes. This intrigued me so I proceeded to watch the show. Everything she made looked so yummy and I couldn't believe you could do it in 60 minutes! I decided this was going to be my Thanksgiving dinner that I would prepare. She lied!! O.K. well maybe SHE can prepare the meal in 60 minutes because she is a professional, but for us amateurs it is just not that easy!

Let me just say that when I first decided to prepare this meal I thought it was just going to be Clinton and me. I sent out several invitations but didn't hear back from anyone, so I just thought everyone made other plans. Well on Wednesday I found out that I was making dinner for 6. This would be o.k. I had bought an extra turkey breast and had it in the freezer just in case I needed to make more. I immediately got out the breast and let it begin to thaw. I started to get a little nervous because I had never prepared anything that was on my menu - Herb stuffed turkey breast, autumn potatoes, apple cider green beans, and apple stuffing muffins. I first started to panic when I began to fix the turkey. I told the butcher at the grocery store what I planned on making and he told me I should get a butterball turkey breast. When I opened up the turkey I realized that it was the wrong kind of breast! I needed one that was intact so I could gently raise the skin to insert the herb mixture. What I had bought was some ghetto turkey breast that had been sliced open and held together with string. I was not a happy camper. I undid the string on one of the breast to see what would happen and the entire thing fell apart! Anyway, I improvised and it turned out fair. The entire meal was a bitch to make. Nothing turned out like I thought but it was at least edible. I was never so glad when the meal was finally finished 3 hours later! 60 minute - I don't think so!

The dinner went o.k. I usually love cooking for a small group and getting out my grandmothers crystal and china. Mr. A on his first Thanksgiving. He slept the entire time we had company and no one even got to see him.

my grandmothers crystal and china

We were happy to have Kalisto there

Big James and little James. I wanted to get a picture of the 2 babies but Aidan was sleeping the entire time.

millionaire in training!

Trip to Gatlinburg

2007-11-19T15:19:00.001-08:00

While I was at my moms house we took a girls trip to Gatlinburg, which is in the Smokey Mountains. We used to go there every year when I was a kid and I have many fond memories of spending time with my mom and dad. We met my Aunt Sue and Cousin Sabrina there and had a great time!The leaves were absolutely breathtaking! We also got a bonus because the town was already decorated for Christmas! It was really cold there ( by So Cal standards) and I had to buy a heavy coat. Our favorite thing to do when we all get together is to SHOP and we did plenty of it! Aidan was a very good boy but reached his limit when we spent a day of shopping and then went to the Black Bear Jamboree dinner theater. It is best NOT to take a 3 month old to a loud dinner Christmas performance after he has been drug throughout many shopping malls throughout the day. My mom took him outside to the lobby and let him stretch out on a bench and he was fine. For Christmas my entire family (about 12 or 13 of us) are renting a cabin in Pigeon Forge which is just outside of Gatlinburg. I absolutely can not wait! This time Clinton gets to join in on the fun! I hope Aidan gets to have a white Christmas for his first Christmas! My handsome boy and his Nana

Sporting my new coat

My cousin Sabrina, Aunt Sue, Aidan, and me

For some reason my mom HATES getting her picture taken. She kept hiding behind my cousin so she could not be seen. However, my cousin and I devised a plan and this was the result.

Tree in the village. My favorite trees are the orange and red ones.

The tram that goes up the mountain where they have some outdoor activities like ice skating and skiing. I actually have not been on that tram since I was 10 years old.

Photo taken from the balcony of our hotel room. There is a stream that runs outside the property. Usually we sleep with the window cracked so we can hear the stream at night but didn't this time because we didn't want to make Aidan sick.

Another view from our hotel room.

Happy National Adoption Day!

2007-11-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

2 posts in one day! Amazing isn't it? But I wanted to make sure that I recognized National Adoption Day. Adoption has so completely changed and enriched our lives. It is such an amazing thing! I truly believe in my heart that no matter if you have bio children, adopt domestically or internationally you always end up the children you are meant to have. God always has a master plan. I feel such a deep bond and connection with Aidan that it makes me tear up just thinking about it. I just can't imagine what our lives would be like without him! He is truly a blessing , gift from God, and an answer to our prayers! I just can't say enough about what an amazing way adoption is to build a family! If any of you out there are reading this blog and are even considering adoption as a way to build a family, I would say GO FOR IT! If you are truly committed to bringing home a child, the circumstances will work themselves out. Sometimes you just have to make the leap and trust that everything will work out. There are so many children out there all over the world that just need a loving home. I myself can not wait to go for baby #2! I just have to be quiet, wait and listen for the right time.

We are Marshall!

2007-11-17T07:37:00.001-08:00

While I was at my mothers house Cara, Sheri, and Sheri's 3 year old daughter Lauren came to visit us. What a treat! We were roommates in college and have stayed close. It is not as easy as it used to be to visit with them. I am so thankful they made the 3 hour journey to see us! We had a great time going to an arts and crafts festival, visiting Jonesborough, and going to eat at Cheddars. They bought Aidan all kinds of cool Marshall paraphernalia. Cara also bought t shirts for us all to wear so we could get some good pictures. We soon realized that getting a good picture with a 3 month old and a 3 year old was easier said then done! Gone are the days of party shots! It appears we have actually grown up!

This picture cracks me up. My mom was taking the pictures and told Lauren to say cheese. Every time she would say cheese she would jump in the air.

In this picture you can see Sheri holding Lauren so she doesn't jump up and say cheeeese.

Aidan is sporting his new Chuck Taylor Converse tennis shoes. You can see in this picture how big Mr.A is getting. I think he might be a quarterback when he grows up!

Lauren and Aidan

We are finally home

2007-11-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

We have arrived home safe and sound. Annabelle was very glad to see me as she went on a few adventures of her own while I was away ( but more about that in a future post!). Aidan was an angel on the plane ride home. We got lucky and had an empty seat beside of us the entire flight home. I could definitely tell a difference in Aidan on the plane ride home compared to the plane ride to Tennessee 3 1/2 weeks ago. He was much more alert and into checking out his surroundings ( especially with his hands) and required a bit of entertaining. As usual he only cried when he was hungry and fussed a bit when he wanted to go to sleep. I got many compliments from strangers and the flight attendants when we landed about "what a good baby". That's just mister A.K. for you! We are both settling into a schedule and adjusting to the time difference. Aidan was ready to start his day at 4:30 yesterday morning! With a little bit of formula and some rocking I was finally able to get him back to sleep.

It was good to get home to some warm weather. Although I love fall and it is my favorite time of year, I realized just how more difficult it is to take a baby out in cool weather compared to warm weather. I feel for mothers who live in places where they get a lot of snow. You would have to allow for an extra half of an hour just to bundle up the baby!

There was no apparent damage from the fires that were around our area. I just had to clean our bedroom really well because there was a lot of dirt from the windows being open for a short amount of time ( thank you Helen for closing them or I am sure it would have been a lot worse!) My car was also covered in ash, so I took it to the car wash yesterday.

I am glad to get back to my computer so I can post some pictures. Rather than posting them all right now I will make several posts over the next couple of days. Mr. Aidan Kai looking cute in his overalls sitting on my moms loveseat.

These next pictures were taken in Jonesborough Tennesse. It is such a cute little town! It reminds me of Maybury on the Andy Griffith show. It is like time has stood still! It is about 15 minutes away from where my mom lives. We went there for lunch one day.

This picture was taken in front of the courthouse in Jonesborough. The entire town was decked out for fall. I would have taken Aidans picture in the middle of the arrangement but he was asleep and it was just to cold to unbundle him.

My little pumpkin. His Nana bought this cute vibrating chair for him to sit in. He loved it!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T05:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I still haven't figured out how to post pictures on my mom's computer. We are still visiting in Tennessee and are having a good time. The leaves are so beautiful! I haven't seen them in 5 1/2 years since moving to California! We are also enjoying the cool weather. My mom has bought Aidan several pairs of blanket sleepers and some really cute hats. We are having so much fun playing with Mr.A. While we have been here Aidan has gotten to meet his Aunt Becky, Uncle Frank, and Uncle David. Of course he charms everyone he meets!

I am so thankful that were not in California for the fires. I think they are just about out now. We only knew 1 person who was evacuated and her house ended up being fine. I am also glad that Aidan is not there to breathe in all the smokey air. The air quality is really poor right now.

My best friends from college are coming to visit this weekend and I am so excited I can't stand it! I can't wait to post all the cute pictures I have taken.

We have arrived

2007-10-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Aidan and I made it safely to Tennessee. He was a very good boy on the plane. He slept 90% Of the time and spent the rest of the time smiling and charming everyone around him. He cried only for a few minutes when he was hungry. We have been relaxing the past couple of days and spending some time with Nana.

The fires in California came very close to our house. When Helen was walking Annabelle the day before last she could see the flames. Very scary, but the fire has now moved in the opposite direction of where we live. I hate to see what our area is going to look like when I get home.

Annabelle enjoyed spending time with her Grandma but she flew back to Australia yesterday.

I haven't fiigured out yet how to post pictures on my moms computer. I have taken a couple of cute ones so hopefully I figure it out soon.

Leaving on a jet plane and favorite photo friday

2007-10-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

I know I just posted this recently, but it is my current favorite photo!

Aidan and I are leaving tomorrow to visit my mom in Tennessee for 3 weeks. The plane ride should be interesting! I will be sure to take lots of photos and post them on the blog. Hopefully, Aidan will be a very good boy. I am excited to see my family and friends. We have a girls trip planned to the Smokey Mountains. We will see what kind of traveler Mr. Aidan is going to be as I have a feeling he will be doing a lot of it in his lifetime. Clinton will be in Australia, Singapore, and England while we are away. I can't wait until we can travel together as a family! It will be a long time before we are able to get a passport for A.K. We plan on going to Australia for Christmas next year and that will be his first International trip. Next post I will be in Tennessee!

Hallelujah!

2007-10-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah! Aidan Kai slept through the night for the first time last night! Woohoo! When I fed him last night around 6:45 ish he cried when I took his bottle away after 3 1/2 ounces. I thought maybe he just needed a burp. When he was still whining around off and on an hour later I decided to give him another 2 1/2 ounces. This did the trick and he drifted right off to sleep until midnight. I then fed him another 4 ounces and didn't hear a peep from him until 6:30! That means mommy got a full 6 and a half hours of straight blissful sleep! Maybe this is a sign that feedings every 2 -3 hours are coming to an end!

Favorite Photo Friday

2007-10-12T05:41:00.001-07:00

I have been holding out on these pictures because I wanted to wait to closer to Halloween, but what the heck they are just so darn cute! Here is my little Joey!

Here Aidan is explaining with his hands the motion a Kangaroo makes. Pretty smart for only 2 1/2 months old huh! LOL

I just can't take getting my picture taken anymore so I'll just take a little nap.

I couldn't believe that Aidan fell asleep in this position. We attempted to wake him up and smile, but finally said ,"what the heck he just looks so cute sleeping". I guess he was feeling very cozy in his costume.

Adventures in Babysitting

2007-10-11T07:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Helen and I went to see a taping of the Dr.Phil show, which meant Clinton had his first real "babysitting" experience. We left at 7A.M. and got home at 2P.M. I was a little nervous for a couple of reasons...
1. C. had his first experience dressing Aidan the day before.
2.C. had his first diaper changing experience the day before.( Let me also say that Aidan has a BM every other day and he was 1 day past due so I knew in my heart that Clinton would have his first poopy diaper.) Now I know my husband is a very intelligent man so I decided that the outing would be good for all parties involved. To make things easier for C. I prepped all the bottles and layed out 2 outfits ( 1 outfit for when he first got up and a backup in case he had a blowout).

I called from the Dr. Phil show and asked how everything was going. C. said Aidan was crying a lot and had pooped. ( a mother just knows these things in her heart). When I got home I found Aidan and Clinton laying peacefully together in the bed and my son dressed like this.... Dad didn't mom tell you that my pants go over my onesie.

Dad please fix my pants!

Aidan was a little cranky because he hadn't really been able to nap. I checked Aidans diaper to make sure everything was o.k. Clinton had done a great job changing Aidan! I took off the pants and put Aidan in his "sweet spot" (as I call it) and he drifted right off to sleep for 4 1/2 hours. With the exception of the pants mishap I think C. did a great job. C. and Aidan were both obviously a little stressed out when I got home but everyone survived so it was a score!

I love my dad! Can't you tell by the look on my face.

Favorite Photo Friday

2007-10-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

My smiley baby is back! Annabelle decided to plop down right beside Aidan while I was folding laundry on the bed.

Just to cute not to post. I let Annabelle borrow one of Ella's bows. I didn't think Ella would mind!

I don't know who started "Favorite Photo Friday" but I thought I would join in on the fun. Our appointment went very well yesterday. The good news is that the time frame really depends on how quickly we can get the social worker the necessary documents. Since we have a completed dossier that was never sent we just happened to have everything she needs! I knew all that paperwork would come in handy one day! I am mailing her all the docs she needs today. We just have to wait until Aidan is 5 months old so we can have the 2nd physical form completed. Hopefully, this process will move rather fast. The social worker said that she was glad to have an "easy "case. I guess that is good news. She said that she needs to see Aidan every 90 days during the process, so that means she will be doing a homevisit sometime in January. Clinton and I are still kicking around the idea of moving to San Diego. If we move it will be sometime in January or February. I have to check to see how this will affect our case.

Clinton and I left Aidan for the first time last night. We went out to dinner while Aidan's Grandma babysat him. It was nice to have some "couple" time, but boy was I glad to see him when we got home! I love that boy!

Questions from strangers

2007-10-04T07:34:00.001-07:00

I have come to realize that when you have a baby strangers like to ask you a lot of questions. When you have a baby that is not biologically yours it sometimes can be a bit awkward. The most common question I get is " Was he born by C-section?" I think people like to ask this because Aidan does have a perfectly shaped head ( not that I am biased or anything). Another question I get is " How was the Labor?" . Another comment I used to get when Aidan was first born was " Wow you look great for just having given birth". I used to feel like I had to explain to everyone that he was adopted, but not anymore. The other day Helen and I were in a grocery store and the checker said " He is so beautiful, don't tell his father but he looks just like you". I just smiled to myself and said, "thank you". Also, the past couple of times people have asked me "how was the labor?" I just smile and said. " It was a breeze!".

The truth is my son is my son. period. I wouldn't feel any different about him if I had given birth to him. I don't feel I owe the world an explanation about how he came to be with us. The important thing is that HE knows how he came to be with us. I recently started Aidan's lifebook. This is a little harder than I thought it would be. There is certain information about his birth and birthmom that I keep waivering about whether to include or not. I know that he will eventually know all the details but I don't know how early to expose him to this information. Some books I have read about Lifebooks suggest that you give all the details from the very beginning. They have even given examples of different situations on how to word it so that it is non-judgemental and kid friendly. I think this might be the best. This way there will be no "big day" that he learns all the details. Still, as his mother I just sooo want to protect him.

Today we meet with our social worker who is completing Aidan's adoption. I am once again feeling a case of the butterflys. I know that we have nothing to worry about, but still when someone has something to say about your future it is a little daunting. I am predicting that Aidan's adoption will be complete around March or April. Oh how I can not wait until that day comes! I am really unsure of the whole process but will learn more today. We decided to go with an independent adoption instead of an agency adoption. Our attorney explained all about it to us but I am still a little fuzzy on the details. We decided to do this at the time of Aidans birth because it will save us $2,000 to $3,ooo .The downside is that it will be a little more work for us
and will take a little longer to complete ( if we were doing an agency adoption the process would probably be complete by January or February). Anyway we could really use your prayers today and until Aidans adoption is signed, sealed, and delivered!

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-03T04:22:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Helen and I took Aidan to the park for the first time. He loved it! He got to ride in his stroller for the first time without his carseat. I think he loved that he could see where he was going. We also took Annabelle and she had a blast chasing the ducks!

Yesterday we went to the Pumpkin Patch. I can't wait until next year. They have a lot to do there for kids including a train ride, hay ride, jump house, face painting, hay maze, and horse rides. Obviously there was not much that Aidan could partake in this year, but next year will be a different story. We just walked around the grounds and took the train ride. It actually went all around the park. It is a beautiful park with lots of ponds, ducks, an outdoor stage, and even a zoo!

2 days ago I decided to increase the amount of food Aidan is eating in the hopes he would go longer between feedings. He was only eating 3 ozs but was eating every 2 hours, so I increased it to 4 ozs. I think this was a mistake as he has been pretty out of sorts the past couple of days. He just always seems like he is stuffed and a little uncomfortable. Tonight I decreased it back to 3 ounces and hope that I get my smiley baby back. I love my mummy and being at the park! ( smiley baby with 3 ounces)

They had a zillion pumpkins!

Clinton and I on the train with Aidan. He pretty much just stared at me the entire time.

These huge pumpkins can be yours for only $75.00 a piece.

How tall this fall? I love this idea. I can take a picture of Aidan every year and see how he grows!

Measuring in at 2 feet this year!

O.K. mom get me out of these **!!@@## pumpkins! ( cranky baby with 4 ozs)

Our boy is growing and hangin' with his Aussie peeps

2007-09-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our boy is growing! When we took Aidan to the doctor yesterday for his 2 month check up we found out that he now weighs 12 lbs and 8 ozs and is 24 inches long! He has gained 3 pounds and 2 inches since his last doctors appointment! I bought him an outfit at Target today that is size 6 months!

His doctors appointment went well. The doctor says he is very healthy- Yeah! He had to get 4 injections and was a real trooper. He just whimpered a bit as I gave him his sugar water. This "trick" is the best. The urologist said that sugar water is like morphine for babies. The doctor said that he would probably be cranky in the evening - not our Aidan. He was happy as a clam and smiled and "talked" to us all evening. He has been doing this so much lately. He will talk and smile to anyone who will listen. He was actually up in the middle of the night last night "talking to his pirates and the monkey hanging in the inside of his crib. It was to cute. He is such a happy and content baby. We are so blessed and so lucky.

Below are some pictures of Aidan in his "aussie gear" . When his grandma came to visit she brought 1 whole suitcase full of gifts for him from family and friends.

Just kickin back hangin with my aussie peeps. This is just 1 outfit and the stuffed animals she brought over. This picture cracks me up because it looks like he is dribbling the basketball.

Pictures from last weekend

2007-09-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

When we went to visit Clinton last weekend our photographer was there. He took these cute pictures. I am taking Aidan for his 2 month check up today. I have a feeling they will be sticking him and giving him shots. I am dreading this , but it can't be worse then when we got him circumsized. I am taking a bottle of water with a teaspoon of sugar. This is what the urologist had us do and it worked like a charm. I am looking forward to seeing how much our boy has grown!

Aidan's shirt says "Most likely to change the world". I love it.

Please pray for everyone in process of adopting from Guate.

2007-09-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

The families in process of adopting from Guatemala can use your prayers. Our government is letting them down. After releasing a statement that basically said that if you were in process of an adoption from Guatemala that you would be "grandfathered" in and the adoption would be completed. A recent statement the government released stated that if your adoption isn't complete by December 31st that there is nothing they can do to help you complete the adoption. I think that is a bunch of bull! There are hundreds if not thousands of orphans in Guatemala that are waiting to come home to their families in the U.S. Some mothers are even in Guate. right now fostering their children and have been for up to a year. I can't imagine bonding with a child for so long and now being told by our government "sorry, if your adoption is not complete by December we are just going to hang you out to dry!"

Clinton and I have recently been talking about when we will start the process for baby #2. I still feel pulled towards Guatemala and have been keeping updated as to what is going on there. Last week I contacted WPA to discuss starting the process for baby # 2 from Guate. We now know that we will not start the process any time soon, if ever. I feel it is just to risky.

I thank God that we have our precious Aidan. He is truly a blessing. I know in my heart that he was meant to be our son. I guess only God knows if we were meant to have more children. I will keep my heart open and just listen for awhile.

The 6 thinking hats

2007-09-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

One of the things Clinton teaches about is the "6 thinking hats". This is based on a book by Edward de Bono. People wear different colored "hats" throughout their day and throughout their lives. Most people have a tendency to wear the same 1 or 2 colored hats. It is when you can recognize that you can wear the other colored hats and see a situation in a different light that you grow. The hats are as follows....

Yellow Hat - These people are very optimistic and sunny. They see the good in every situation.

Red Hat - These people are very full of life and passion.

White Hat - These people are very analytical. They tend to be number crunchers or computer people. They love to analyze a situation.

Blue Hat- These people are managers. They often have jobs requiring they manage people. All moms wear the blue hat on occasion if not most of the time.

Green Hat- These people are very creative. They are your artists and musicians. Many entrepreneurs also wear the green hat as they use their creative skills in business situations.

Black Hat- These people are your Devils Advocate. They can see what can go wrong in any situation. ( They have a tendency to drive the yellow hats a little crazy and vice versa)

Clinton teaches that to have a good team in business you need to have people that represent all the hats. You can't have a person that wears the yellow hat all the time and doesn't think of the downside risk. Nor can you have a person that is strictly full of passion that does not to stop to look at the numbers. He has a very fun game where people literally try on the different hats and get to see situations in different lights. They are also on teams and have to problem solve strictly "being" the hat they are wearing.

Anyway, the reason for this post is to show you the incredibly cute "6 thinking hats" that one of our lifetime members, Erin Henderson made for Aidan. They are so cute! She is only 16 and a very creative girl. She made the hats "Aidan size" and did the embroidering. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Erin.

What "hat" do you wear mostly? I wear the yellow hat and the blue hat quite a lot.

For Cara...

2007-09-25T06:46:00.001-07:00

I found this vintage tee at Nordstroms and had to buy it. Of course it reminded me of you! Hi Cara! You like my t-shirt?

Yes, I think it is kind of funny

O.K. I think it is a total crackup! I can't wait to come see you. Oh and Suebelle thank you for my really cool striped quilt. I can't wait to see you either!

Aidan Smiles

2007-09-24T08:19:00.001-07:00

Aidan is beginning to smile more and more. I still haven't taken a picture that quite captures it but here are a few I took last night while he was laying on my knees. He is definitely a charmer. He is beginning to coo and make cute baby noises. If you ask him if he is good he says goo. I live this boy!

a funny story about Annabelle

2007-09-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to San Diego to Clinton's event. We always have the events at the same conference center location and we always take Annabelle. She absolutely loves it there. It is a beautiful location by the bay. There are a lot of great smells there not to mention nice green grass to roll in and lots of people to love on her and give her attention. The conference center is large with many different meeting rooms. There are always other meetings and usually a wedding or two going on while we are there.

Yesterday when we arrived Annabelle promptly jumped out of the car and started to take off on her own. She is very comfortable there as she has been there dozens of times. She knew that she would find her dad in the meeting room. I was getting Aidan out of the car and not paying much attention. The next thing I knew I looked up and saw Annabelle prancing into one of the meeting rooms ( the one where she thought she would find her dad). I went chasing after her and walked into a meeting of about 40 CPA's. It was quite embarassing. They were all laughing as Annabelle had already made her way to the front of the room. I felt very sorry for the speaker. I apologized and one person said "It's ok its the most excitement we have had all day" and another girl said "oh how cute she wants to learn to become a CPA". It was too funny.

When I finally found Clinton I found him in a very small meeting room. The conference center had accidentally double booked and we were not in our usual location. It was very crowded and the students had to sit very close to one another. I had my second laugh at Annabelle when I looked over and saw her sitting in a chair and 3 humans sitting in the floor oohing and aahing over her - like they were her royal subjects and she was the princess. That dog is just too funny and to human like. She is a crack up.

Angel game and new haircut

2007-09-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Helen, Aidan and I met Suzanne and Jacob at an Angels baseball game. The weather was beautiful and sunny but not to hot. It was a Wednesday afternoon so it wasn't to crowded.The angels beat the Devil Rays 2 to1. It was Aidan's, Jacobs, and Helen's first baseball game. There was a very nice security guard who let us stay after the game to take photos and even gave Aidan, Jacob, and Helen a "My first game" sticker. It was a fun day for everyone.

Yesterday I decided that I could not stand my hair any longer and decided to get it cut. I had enough of finding long hairs all over Aidan and having him pull it. I have worn my hair up 90% of the time since we brought Aidan home so I decided to go short. After 2 years of letting my hair grow out it is now a goner! Clinton has not seen it yet because he is running an event in San Diego. We are going to visit him today but I don't think he will be very happy with it. However I love it and strangely feel very liberated! O.K. mom I am ready to go to the Angels game. (Aidan is now holding his head up like this without any support )

Angel Stadium

Aidan stayed like this the entire game. He even slept through the fireworks and cannon fire when the Angels scored. I am beginning to get a little worried about his hearing because this kid can sleep anywhere.

No I am not going to wake up so you can take my picture.

Jacob however was awake the entire game and really enjoyed taking in the sights all around him, especially the cups sitting right in front of him.LOL

Relaxing at home after the game.

Dad, don't you know thats a Yankees jersey and not the Angels?

My new do. Aidan was a very good boy and strolled around the mall with his grandma during the 3 hours it took to do my hair.

Visit with Grandma

2007-09-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Clintons mum is visiting us right now. Aidan is having a good time with his grandma Helen. Clinton and Helen have had a bithday since she has been here. The other day Aidan and Helen went to their first Angels baseball game. I will post pics of that later. Grandma and Aidan

Celebrating Helen's birthday at Downtown Disney

Mom and A.K. getting ready to go to Disney

Aidan's first baseball hat! Isn't he handsome.

This pic is for Aidan's cousin Melissa. Thank you Melissa for my cool skateboarding outfit! I love it!

Smiling at dad during his birthday dinner.

Hanging out in my swing.

Many 1sts

2007-09-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

There have been many "firsts" since the last time I posted. Aidan gave us a first "real" smile, he had his frist trip to the beach, attended his first Marshall University game watching event, he met his Grandma Helen from Australia for the first time, and had his first Disney experience. Yesterday was Helen's birthday so we went to downtown Disney to shop around and then ate at the Rainforest Cafe. We had a great time. Aidan relaxing on the beach

We got to the beach just before the sun set and it was just beautiful!

Mom, Annabelle, and AK

Getting ready to leave the beach. Clinton calls this Aidans "tent"

Dad and AK

Ahhh.. feelin' the sand between my toes!

1st Marshall gamewatching event. Suzanne was there with Jacob. We now have a total of 4 new Marshall babies since last gamewatching season!

Aidan smiling at mom

Fill er up!

Jacob was born on my birthday ( Jan 29th). He is beginning to pull up on things and attempting to walk.

Lil Herd Fan with spit up on his shirt.

Relaxing at home after the game.

Aidan giving me a grin.

Downtown Disney.

Rainforrest Cafe

Close up of Aidan. It was really chilly last night.

Mom and Aidan crashed in the early morning hours. Clinton couldn' t resist taking this picture.

1st playdate

2007-09-04T22:49:00.001-07:00

Tonight Aidan had his first playdate! Carolina, James, Kalisto, and baby James came over for a swim and barbecue. James is 3 weeks younger than A.K. It was also baby James first trip outside. Mom and A.K. getting toasty warm by the fireplace.

Don't the boys look thrilled to be having their first play date! They pretty much stayed like this the entire time, with the exception of eating and diaper changes.

Kalisto playing in the pool

I love this shirt and outfit.

The 2 mums and sleeping boys. Eventhough Aidan is 5 weeks old and James is 2 weeks old. I think Aidan looks almost twice the size of James. I gave Carolina a bunch of outfits tonight that Aidan can no longer wear.

AWWW. How sweet. Kalisto and her baby brother.

More sleeping pictures. They are a lively bunch. lol

Finally James is awake, but is asleep 5 minutes later.

Pics take 2

2007-09-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from yesterday. You can see them much better. As you can tell Aidan is beginning to lose his hair on top. He is still my handsome boy!! I am wondering if his hair will come in blonde. His two bio siblings have blonde hair.

Mr. Serious. I do not like being woken up to have my pictures taken.

Oh where Oh where has my pretty hair gone? Oh where Oh where can it be?

Sorry. I accidentally posted this twice.

Happy Labor Day

2007-09-03T16:54:00.001-07:00

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT GETTING MY
PICTURE TAKEN DURING NAP TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone is having a relaxing Labor Day. It is sooo hot here. We just got back from having some family pictures taken. After much crying, fussing, and peeing on mommy here are the shots that we got that are half way decent. In the picture above Aidan is sticking his tongue out and it is priceless. I am not sure why they are so small. Perhaps if I saved them from the disk they would be bigger.Just kickin back - o.k. will you just take the picture already!

Ahhh... happy family

Ahhhh.... happy family again, with the exception of Aidan getting ready to cry.

I love this picture of Clinton and Aidan.

I really dont like this picture of myself, but it was the best one of the lot. In this picture you really can't see but my face is glistening with sweat as it is over 100 degress outside!

We are attempting to go to the beach this evening after is cools down. I will post more pictures tomorrow of A.K.'s first beach adventure.

Back to School

2007-08-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went back to school - or at least for a couple of hours. It was the teachers first day back and there was a PTA luncheon. I was invited to attend and to bring Aidan to show everyone. I dressed him in his "preppy" outfit. Check out the wing tip shoes. He was the hit of the day! I don't think I held him the entire time I was there as everyone wanted a turn holding him. Everyone had to stand up and introduce themselves and tell what they teach. When it came to me I stood up, introduced myself and said " just visiting".

It was a bittersweet day as I met "my replacement". It will be a little sad not seeing my students on a daily basis ( we plan to visit often). The new teacher seems very nice and I trust that "my kids" will be in good hands! Everyone is so great at Oso Grande and I have to say that I belonged to a "kick butt team!" However, I am ecstatic and feel very privileged to be staying home with Aidan. Mommy said I had to dress up for her friends. Don't I look handsome!

In case you can't read my binky it says "my mom rocks". I think she is pretty cool!

Check out my shoes.

This was sent to me from my mother in law - Helen. Very cute I thought.

Pool Day

2007-08-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that I did not have to stay in the house all day with Mr.Aidan Kai. Today I decided to venture out to the pool with him. Of course he stayed in the shade the entire time but he enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. Andre came over to do some work with Clinton and brought his kids and his nanny. Josephine also came to do some work with Clinton and brought her son Asha. We all ventured out to the pool and had a very relaxing day.
Mr. A.K. kickin back in his Moses basket.

Jenya holding Aidan. She just loves him. I think her parents are going to have to have another baby soon!

Close up of A.K.

Self portrait of Joseph and me. Now I know why Clinton sings the song " Baby's got Bug Eyes" everytime he is around me and I am wearing my glasses.

The beautiful Miss Jenya

I caught Asha offguard. He had covered his entire body in bubbles from the hot tub.

Marjorie and Joseph looking in on Aidan. Marjorie is from Brazil and has a very cool accent. I think she likes America.

This is a tshirt that Aidans grandma from Austalia sent him from Philip Island. I think he looks like a super cute "surfer dude" in his shirt and trunks.

Catchin some rays.

I had to throw this one in of Annabelle just because she is so darn cute. Clinton and I were laying on the couch the other night. I looked down and this is how I found Annabelle. She is halfway between the cushions and has a blanket on her head. That is my leg in the background. She was happy as a clam in that position!

Aidan's new digs

2007-08-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

Aidan officially has a new place of residence. Our bedroom! Our bedroom is not on the same floor as his and I could not stand the thought of him being so far away soooo.... we have moved all of his belongings to our bedroom. It is a little cramped but I am much happier now. He has been sleeping in his bassinet until this point. He often is restless when he sleeps so I thought he would sleep better in his crib. So here are some photos of his new digs! Aidan's crib is now at the foot of our bed.

His changing table/ dresser with his wall hanging ( comforter) above.

I made this at Aidan's welcome home party. I had my favorite photo converted to black and white and blown up to 8 x10. The guests then signed the mat around it. It is one of my favorite keepsakes!

A.K.'s pals hanging out! His dad got the cheetah when he was in Africa last week.

A.K. chillin in his crib! His new favorite past time is looking at his pirate mobile.

More pics from the party

2007-08-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

We finally downloaded the pictures from last weeks party. Unfortunately I was not able to get that many shots, but here are a few I did get.

Mama and Aidan Kai

Mama, Nana, and Aidan Kai

This is Aidan's cupcake cake. It says "welcome Aidan Kai"

Opening up gifts.

We also painted onesies ( the kids especially loved this). Here are a few of the masterpieces.

Mateo chowing down.

Danielle and her " there is no try" onesie.

Our friends Jenni and Joe

Joseph having fun!

Joseph's big sis Jenya and Clinton goofing off.

Our friend Gloria got Aidan this HUGE dog. Annabelle did not know quite what to think of it!

Motherhood

2007-08-26T01:37:00.000-07:00

I can not believe how long it has been since I last posted. One thing about being a parent is that it makes the days fly by! I am really enjoying motherhood. I am finding that it is a lot like life in general with many ups and downs. There are sleepless nights but no matter how little sleep I get, it is all worth it in the morning when Aidan stares up at me and smiles. He still sometimes has tummy aches at night and I joke with Clinton that it is like gremlins have possessed his body. However, in the morning he is always such a happy baby.

We had a small welcome home party for Aidan last Sunday. I do not know what I was thinking planning a party with a newborn. I did not even get to invite some of the people I wanted to invite ( sorry if you were one of the ones without an invitation)I found myself very stressed out last Sunday, but thanks to a few helpful people everything worked out great. Everyone had a great time and at the end of the day it was all worth it. The downside is that I didn't get to take many pictures because I was so busy. However, thanks to a friend I was able to get a few. The pics posted are from his party. I still haven't downloaded the few pictures I was able to get with my camera but will post them soon.

Aidan was circumcised on Tuesday. Poor little guy! This is something that I do not care to witness again! He screamed and cried his little head off. He was in pain for a couple of days, so I just kept giving him Tylenol. He is healing well and back to himself now.

My mom left on Tuesday. I really miss her. We have had people in and out of the house
and today was really the first day with just the three of us. It was a great day! We went to Laguna Beach. We had brunch and then Clinton played basketball as Aidan, Annabelle, and myself strolled around the beach. It was a little cumbersome with Aidan and a "headstrong" puppy. I ended up carrying Annabelle part of the time, just because she is used to beach time being "her time" and I usually let her go wherever she wants to go. She now has to learn that we go wherever mama wants to go!

Annabelle is slowly adjusting to Aidan being around. She is learning that she no longer rules the roost and (gasp) she is actually a dog. Her jealousy shows up in the form of " puppy pitty parties". There are days that she does not get to go outside to use the bathroom until the evenings because she refuses to go outside unless mom and dad are there. She will soon learn that when I say it is time to go for a walk that it is time to go regardless of who is walking her. Even though she is a little jealous of Aidan she is still protective of him. She often looks in on him when he is in his Moses basket. She is wherever Aidan and I are at the time - even if it means moving from the bed to the rocking chair many times a night.

Clinton and I are looking at the possibility of moving to San Diego soon. He has close to 40 courses scheduled there between now and next March. We have many lifetime members ( and friends) in San Diego. Logistically it makes sense. Even though I hate the thought of leaving Newport, we could have a large house for what we are paying to live here. I know that it would only be for a couple of years and then we would move back to Newport. I love it here - it is my "happy" place.

I am excited that Clintons mother is coming to visit soon! She will be here for 6 weeks. We have plans to go to the Doctor Phil show. She will be leaving late October. In November Clinton will be in England and Australia for awhile speaking at various events ( I can't wait until Aidan is able to get his passport and we are able to travel as a family!).I am considering going to visit my mom and some friends on the East Coast.

It is 2:30 A.M. ( but the easiest time for me to blog) and I feel like I am rambling. I will go now and hopefully post again soon.

Finally some new pics!

2007-08-18T15:39:00.001-07:00

We are home!

2007-08-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

We arrived home last night around 9:30. It was a very peaceful event. It was 15 minutes past Aidan's feeding time ( and he let us know it!) when we arrived home so the first order of business was to feed him. I let mom feed him while I gave Annabelle a much needed hello cuddle. I let Annabelle smell Aidan and then she licked the back of his head! I guess it was her way of giving her seal of approval. We had a good night with only a little screaming and tummy ache from 12:00 until 3:00AM. It felt sooo good to wake up in our bed with Aidan sleeping peacefully next to us in his bassinet.

Today we took him to see the pediatrician. He now weighs a hefty 9lbs 4ozs! I found out that I have been feeding him to much and this is probably the reason for the tummy ache at night. I asked the doctor about getting him circumsized since they didn't do it in the hospital. The doctor thinks he might be to long for the "surfboard" ( the backboard they strap him to) so we might have to take him to a urologist to have the procedure. He is going to find out the measurement of the board and give me a call. Now here are some long awaited photos.

div> Tummy time.

Cuddling with my nana

Monkey Butt

Sleeping in the bed with daddy

Our hotel looked like a bomb exploded. Here is his changing area.

Sitting in my car seat playing. I might give you a smile or I might give you the finger.

Wow! look at that toy !

Chillin in my carseat

I am such a hamdsome boy

This is my Moses basket and my sleeping quarters at the Hampton Inn.

My first doctors appointment. This is last Thusday when I weighed 8 lbs 12 ozs. I now weigh 9 lbs 4 ozs.!

After my first bath

Sleeping at my doctors appointment.

Still in Vegas

2007-08-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. It has been a little difficult to get to the business center to use the computer. Mom and I are still in Vegas. Clinton had to go back to run an event this weekend. Aidan Kai is doing great! He has to be a dream baby. He is sleeping and eating well. He really only fusses when I have to get him dressed. Sometimes I even have to wake him so he can eat. We took him to the doctor on Thursday and she said that he is very healthy! Yeah! He now weighs 8 lbs 12 ozs and is 22 inches long. ( someone has to be off on the measurements unless he has grown 2 inches in 1 week!) Only after the doctors appointment he began projectile vomiting. I had switched him from liquid to powder formula the night before. I switched him back to liquid formula and that did the trick. He is now back on track. He is already holding his head up and gaining head control. I can't believe how much he has changed in only 1 week!

We were very hopeful that we would be clear to travel back to Ca yesterday. Our paperwork arrived in Carson City yesterday and was sent to Los Angeles. If there are no hiccups we should be clear to travel on Monday or Tuesday at the latest. I have to say that I really admire all of you guatemamas out there! We have only been in a hotel for a week and I am sooo ready to get him home!

I have been taking a lot of very cute pics. I will post them once we are back home. I will not post again until then.

Update and pics of "little man"

2007-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

These pictures are in no particular order. Mommy goofed when uploading the pictures. Aidan is doing great. We had a rough night last night but he has been a dream today.He is so much fun. We feel so blessed. Bonding has been very natural and easy. He is already a "mommy's boy".

Coming home from the hospital. His first car ride.
Pooh Feet!
They made me ride in a wheel chair from the hospital room to the car. All patients have to exit the hospital via "a chariot". Since Aidan is a patient I got to ride for free! It felt a little weird.
This is his "going home" outfit. His newborn clothes barely fit him.
Where did we go after we left the hospital? Chili's of course. This is his first meal out. He slept the entire time. What a good baby!
First time Clinton fed Aidan. He seems to take the best pictures when he is with dad!
Aidan and his Nana.
Aidan and Mama.
Sweet Feet!
First bath in the hospital

It's Official!!!

2007-07-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

At 6:15pm Pacific Daylight Time Aidan Kai officially became a Swaine. The birth mother had signed off the paperwork over an hour earlier and after being briefed and given all the information we signed the paperwork (after reading to see what we are really in for!!!) We are in the process of getting hospital release and will be taking him back to our hotel room this evening. We are not able to get him across the state border legally for another five business days so we will be waiting for some more days for paperwork however he is complete as a Swaine.

More news to come............

Pappa Swaine signing off.

Such a cutie pie!

2007-07-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Daddy met Aidan for the first time last night and I have to say that Aidan Loves his dad. As soon as he got there at midnight Aidan decided to wake up for the day. He was being very animated and smiling. I was able to get a great shot of him.The nurses put us in a room so we could stay with him. He decided that he would be a very good eater last night and was up every 2 hours. This morning he was so hungry that I gave him 2 of the newborn bottles ( 4 ozs)! That is a lot considering he would only take 1/2 ounce at a time after her was born. BM is terminating her rights at 5:00 this evening and we sign our paperwork at 6:00. Please pray that everything goes well. I am already soooo in love with this little guy.

Aidan Kai has arrived!

2007-07-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

07/27/07 is a great day to have a birthday! Aidan Kai was born at 4:15 this afternoon. He weighed 8 lbs 11ozs and is 20 inches long. He has the cutest chubbiest cheeks and lots of brown hair! He is soooooo precious. Lisa is doing well. She was having a hard time during the labor and decided not to have me in the room. I can't say that I blame her. I was really having doubts this afternoon as to whether she would change her mind.However, as soon as I saw her and Aidan I felt much better. She wanted me to be the first one to feed him. I spent about 5 hours with him in the nursery. I got to see them do his hearing screening and his first bath. Unfortunately I won't be able to post any pics until Sunday night when Clinto gets here. I will post again tomorrow night.

nothing yet

2007-07-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that there is no news yet. Aidan is now 3 days overdue. The waiting is driving me a little crazy. Of course I am going through the natural anxiety of "I hope she doesn't change her mind". Clinton left yesterday to get some work done so he can return Sunday night after his event is over. I have an appointment tomorrow to have someone inspect our carseat to ensure it is installed correctly and then I pick my mom up from the airport. Things will be much better once she is here ( moms always make things better!) As always I will continue to trust in God and know that everything will work out the way it is meant to be.

Tonight I think I will get started on Aidan's Lifebook. For those of you not familiar with adoption, a Lifebook is a book created for the child. It is written in simple words so the child can read it at a young age. It basically will be all about Aidan with much of it being about his birthmother and how he will come to be with us. This will let him know a little about his "roots" so he does not have to "fantasize" or make things up about where he came from and his birthparents ( as many adopted children do). We will talk about adoption to Aidan from the time he is born, so there is no "big day" when he discovers he is adopted. It will just be a natural part of his life.

Well Clinton took the computer and I am using the one in the business center and my 20 minutes is up. I will post as soon as we hear anything. Please continue to pray for all of us.

We are in Las Vegas and we met the BM

2007-07-23T05:32:00.001-07:00

We have arrived in Las Vegas and we had lunch with Lisa and her mom yesterday. She seems to be a very outgoing girl. They are both very nice and friendly. I can tell that Lisa loves her child and wants him to have a good life which she is not in the position to provide right now. I am finding adoption to be more amazing every day. God knows what he is doing. Already I can tell that I could not love this child more if I were giving birth to him. I know the day he is born will be filled with all different emotions including sadness for Lisa.

I got some really good information about her yesterday -favorite colors, things she enjoyed as a child, hobbies, favorite foods, etc.. for the Lifebook I will be creating for Aidan.

Lisa now thinks that she will not be going into labor anytime soon, so we might be here awhile. I can tell you that I am filled with anticipation, nervousness, and excitement. We went to see Harry Potter last night and the only thing I could think about was " I want Aidan to be here!"
Today I will find things to keep myself busy. We bought some more baby gear - warmer blankets and more long sleepers ( you are right Suzanne this hotel is very cold!) I am going to see if I can find a Laundrymat somewhere near by so I can make sure it is all clean and snuggly. I will also probably go to the mall ( shopping always keeps my mind occupied). Perhaps Clinton and I will even go out for an exra special dinner tonight! We might as well enjoy Vegas while we are here!

I found a picture of the pirate gear.

2007-07-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

I just a found a picture of all the "stuff" that I ordered.

2 horses

2007-07-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Clinton made it safe and sound from Houston and we are getting all packed for our trip to Vegas in the morning. It is hard to believe that if it is God's will that we will leave here as 2 and return as 3! We are sooo excited! Everything is coming together as far as Aidan's room. Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that his name will be Aidan Kai ! I picked up his dresser yesterday and we have a friend coming over this afternoon to help Clinton carry it up 2 flights of stairs. I have decided that he will stay in our room for at least the first 3 months. His dresser, bassinet, and a rocking chair will be upstairs in our bedroom. I will leave the full size bed ( for the sake of the grandma's that will be visiting!), his crib, and his glider in his room for the moment. In a few months we will move the bed out and move his dresser into his room.

I talked with the birthmom yesterday and everything is going fine. She is very excited to meet with us face to face. We will take her out to dinner tomorrow night. We have made reservations at a hotel that is 5 minutes away from the hospital where she will be giving birth. Who knows when she will give birth as we all know that babies have their own time table. My plan is to stay put until she gives birth. Unfortunately Clinton has an event next weekend that he cannot cancel ( people are coming from all over the US and Canada and already have plane/hotel reservations). He will be leaving Vegas on Thursday and returning on Monday if need be. The good news is that my mom is flying into Vegas on Thursday ( to help me with the baby and/or be there with me as we wait for her to give birth). I am sure that everything will end up working itself out. I believe that God has a master plan and everything will work out the way it is supposed to!

Here are a few pics to enjoy. I will give one of these horses to the BM and one to Aidan Kai!
Aidan is truly "a dream come true". This sign is over his closet.

Here is the crib that Clinton and I just assembled this morning. His pirate themed nursery gear still hasn't arrived.

My next post will be from Vegas!

Going to Vegas on Saturday ( or before)

2007-07-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to report that there is still no action. I looked at Clinton's schedule wrong and he is going to be in Houston tomorrow and Thursday (luckily it is just an overnight trip!) We talked to our attorney today and he said for us to plan on being in Las Vegas for a week. This means we will have a newborn in a hotel room for several days. Our plan is to drive to Vegas Saturday morning ( if she hasn't gone into labor by then).This will give Clinton and I a chance to have a "mini-vacation" in Vegas while it is just the 2 of us and to give us a chance to meet Lisa face to face before the birth. We will be sure to take our computer and camera so we can post pictures.

I think I have just about everything we will need. I purchased a moses basket today. I think I will take that instead of the bassinet for him to sleep in the hotel. Does anyone know of those "must have" items that I will need in the hotel? I plan on taking an electric bottle warmer, bottles, diapering items, bathing items, clothes, baby tylenol, blankets, onesies, boppy pillow etc.. I would love any suggestions, especially from those Guatemamas that I know have spent lots of time in a hotel room with their babes.

Busy Weekend

2007-07-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy weekend. On Friday Clinton and I woke up at 3:30 AM and drove to San Diego for his Sales Course he is teaching this weekend. I decided to help him after all with set up and registration but was back in Newport by noon. I have been working on lots of different "projects" this weekend. I painted the nursery, made a couple of different decorations for the nursery - including a name plaque -( I will announce the name later) , set up the changing table area in our bedroom, and did some more shopping for some necessities. I also began packing for our trip to Las Vegas. Suzanne, a fellow Marshall University alumna gave me a bunch of great clothes today. I am beginning to feel less stressed and more prepared. We got through this weekend without getting "the call". Clinton will be home late tonight and does not have to travel anymore for 2 weeks. Yeah! One other thing I did this weekend was buy a gift for the birth mother. I know that she loves horses so I bought 2 super soft stuffed horses. I will give one to her and let her know that the baby will have a matching one. I am also considering buying her a locket. What do you think?

Tomorrow we have to go pick up the crib, changing table, and glider. The dresser will arrive on Thursday or Friday. I will post pictures of the nursery later once we get the furniture assembled. Only 7 more days until the due date!

We talked to the Birth Mother

2007-07-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Boy has it been hectic around here for the past 24 hours. I have been busy doing some heavy duty shopping and we have another house full of people getting ready for Clilnton's event this weekend. I was supposed to go but now I am staying home to paint the nursery! I was able to purchase a crib, dresser, glider, changing table, stroller, and many odds and ends today. We are going with a pirate theme in the nursery. They aren't mean pirates but very cute looking pirates. I am not sure what color to paint the walls but I would like to do a big mural on one of them with the ocean, sky, palm tree, etc... Clinton also did some shopping while I was out today and purchased a little Lakers basketball outfit ( it is sooo cute, but he probably won't be able to wear it until he is 3 or so.)

Now for the big news.... Clinton and I spoke to Lisa today (BM). She sounded very nice. I let Clinton woo her with his accent. I asked her if she was sure about her decision and she answered with a definite yes. I asked her if we could be present at the birth and she said yes. She said that she thinks the baby will be big and when she had the ultrasound he had very long legs ( the birth father is 6'3 -6'5). Clinton is very excited about this as he will have a basketball buddy! Lisa said that she has not been feeling well for the past couple of days. I think the birth will be very soon. Hopefully she will not go into labor this weekend because I don't know what we would do! I guess I would drive to Vegas and Clinton would fly there Sunday evening. I really hope this does not happen because I want both of us to be there for the birth. So please continue to pray for us.

She picked us!

2007-07-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

I am going to be a mama in about 11 days! I can't believe it! She picked us! I am soooooo excited right now. I have been crying for the past 30 minutes ( although I am sure this is just the beginning). I now have a new frame of reference for the saying "so much to do and so little time". Let's see... I have to find a pediatrician, plan and purchase an entire nursery, clean out the room that is going to be the nursery, clean the house from top to bottom, pack, and so much more I can't even think of right now. With God's will this adoption will proceed without any hitches and we will be the parents to this baby boy. So much to do. gotta run.

2007-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have not been able to put a title for my blog entry. Oh well. We received an e-mail this afternoon from our attorneys office. They let us know that they overnighted our resume to the BM and confirmed that she did receive it. She does not get off of work until later tonight. She will review it this evening and then give our attorney a call tomorrow morning. They also included a picture of the BM! I have to say that this is more info. than we have ever received before. For some reason I have a very good feeling about this baby. I am very excited but very calm. Usually I am a nervous wreck for days waiting to hear something. Today I have been very calm and peaceful. This time it is Clinton who is a wreck! He was running errands all day today and kept calling me to see if there was any news. He is finding it hard to contain himself!

The BM lives in Las Vegas and plans on giving birth there.This will make the adoption a little trickier ( more parties involved). She is due in 12 days! I got my car serviced today just in case we have to make a road trip. Yeah! Vegas Baby!!!!

2007-07-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with our attorney. We have a possible birthmom! Of course we will be one of the three resumes that he sends for her to review, so at this point it is just a possibility. The baby is a boy and is due July 22 ( in 2 weeks!) I have a different feeling about this one so I am staying optimistic. However, I am totally surrendering and putting it in God's hands. Please pray for us.

100 things about me- 100-75

2007-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

100 things about me. Just for fun.

100.My favorite colors are purple and orange
99.I am an only child
98.I grew up in southern West Virginia
97.I love the ocean
96.I have jumped out of an airplane
95.I love to white water raft
94. I love whales and dolphins
93.I have lived in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and now California
92.I once thought about moving to Alaska before I met Clinton but decided I didn't like snow that much.
91.I wanted to become a marine biologist when I was a little girl ( really a dolphin or whale trainer)
90. I stink at science so I didn't become a marine biologist.
89. Although I enjoy camping- I couldn't do any "real camping" for any length of time. I must have a bathroom and shower.
88.I love shopping especially with my mom
87.I really love buying purses and shoes.
86.I "just don't feel right" if my outfit is not coordinated.
85.I am mom to one amazing Lhasa Apso named Annabelle
84. I have owned 5 dogs throughout my life - Boxcar, Charlie, Buttons, R.P., and Annabelle
83.I owned 1 cat and I am embarassed to say that I can't remember her name.
82.I have never been much of a cat lover.
81.I have only been fired once and that was from my first job at the age of 15. I was a receptionist at a beauty salon. I don't think I was mature enough to handle all the responsibility.
80.In high school I had a job piercing ears at Claires.
79.In college I got a summer job working at an amusement park in Charlotte N.C.
78.In college I moved to Myrtle Beach S.C. for the summer to work. I lived with 8 other girls.
77.I am a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.
76.I graduated from Marshall University in 1994
75.People who have dogs that lack social skills drive me crazy.

74-50 more things about me still to come. Stay tuned....

2007-07-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

I still feel my heart being pulled towards Guatemala. I find myself checking the Guatadopt website nearly every day. Maybe it is because there seems to be so much support within the Guatemalan adoption community- something I feel I really need right now. I just love reading the posts on the other Guatemama blogs ( actually with time off of work I am getting a little obsessed with them). As of yet I haven't found any blogs of people adopting domestically. I have found a few but they already have their children home. It's nice to have someone who is experiencing the same frustrations as you. If only we had the resources to pursue the adoptions from Guatemala and from the good 'ole USA. WPA still has a big chunk of our money and will keep our file open for another 1 1/2 years. It is hard to say what will happen with the Guatemalan adoptions- things don't seem to be to promising. It seems they might stop adoptions from Guatemala in December. Who knows how long it will take to find a birth mother-technically it could be another 1 1/2 to 2 years. UGGHH! I am just having a case of the adoption blues today.

Fireworks and Southern Dawgs

2007-07-05T09:31:00.001-07:00

For the 4th of July we were supposed to go hiking but had a change of plans. Instead we invited some friends over for a swim and barbecue. Kalisto and her mom came over. We had such a great time playing in the pool. We then went to our friends parents house -the Milunas' to watch the fireworks. We got the chance to babysit Kalisto for a couple of hours. It was so fun.

Mr. Milunas made these cookies for Kalisto ( he is such a nice man). She was very nice and shared them. She loved them so much that she closed her eyes so she could really enjoy them. She is such a character!

Kalisto kept me company while I was getting ready to watch the fireworks. She decided that she loved my headband so I promptly found another one that matched her shirt. I fixed her hair and gave her a "Kelley Makeover" ( as Clinton called it). So below is me and mini me!

This is the cake I made for the 4th using angel food cake, cool whip, blueberries, and strawberries.yum!

Mr. and Mrs. Milunas are originally from North Carolina. They are fellow "'good Southern Folk". They served Southern Dawgs. This is how you make a Southern Dawg North Carolina Style!

Clinton and Kalisto. She just loooooves him. She stayed snuggled up with him all night.

The view was beautiful from the Milunas' house. Their back deck overlooks the ocean. We were able to see the fireworks from 3 different coastal towns. What a great night.
What a wonderful 4th of July! Spending time with Kalisto has really gotten me in "mommy mode". Hopefully we will find a brithmom soon...

Did I mention schools out!

2007-06-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

Did I mention schools out! I think we have been to the beach every day this week! Our motto is " work hard and play hard". This morning we woke up early and decided to take a bike ride before a 10 o'clock conference call for work. I thought I would post some pics from this morning.

We decided to stop and have some breakfast and move the conference call from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock!( one of the perks of knowing the boss!) This is the view of our bikes from the table where we were sitting.

On our bike ride we passed by this school. Wow life must be hard for those kids.

Here is their playground actually on the beach!

I couldn't resist! I just had to stop and swing!

You really can't see the bikes well in this picture but they are quite common on Balboa. They are 4 person bikes with a little cover over the top. They are really cool.

The bike trail we rode on this morning is about a 3 or 4 mile path. It runs past some really beautiful houses, some boardwalk shops and restaurants, and of course the beautiful Pacific Ocean. It is always full of people walking, jogging, rollerblading, or riding their bikes. We always have a great time!

Pictures from Play to Win

2007-06-28T17:12:00.001-07:00

Clinton and friends!

Clinton, Kelley, and friends after an exhausting 3 days. I love the toothless grin!

The many faces of Clinton!

Dr.Simon Koletsky and Kalisto.

I took a break from dancing long enough to make a peanut butter sandwich for a hungry friend.

Annabelle is always involved in Play to Win. Here she is with her new friend Andre.

Belly dancer extraordinare with the Italian King!

Here I am dressed as an angel not looking to angelic!

Last day of school and what's next?

2007-06-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Friday was my last day of school. It feels so free to not have to go to work for 2 months! Now I am taking a look at "What's next?"

We just finished an amazing "Play 2 Win" this weekend. I had so much fun working with Clinton! He is really taking Play 2 Win up a notch. As I have mentioned before - Play 2 Win is composed of various games to teach different business principles in a fun and interactive environment. Each game has it's own "theme" and characters ( our wardrobe department is getting big!) This weekend I got to be an angel, belly dancer ( Dolphina - the greatest belly dancer in the world! - this really took a lot of courage to play this part), an army girl , and a nerdy scientist. We had 2 photographers at this event and got some really great shots. I will post a few once I receive them.

This weekend was really different in that we had 2 children present. They had a great time and added so much to the training. However, not all of the content is kid friendly. Sometimes the adults have breakthroughs and they share some pretty horrific things. The military game is also very intense with gunfire sounds, a smoke machine, and scenes from Saving Private Ryan where there is a lot of blood shed playing on our large screen. As I was driving home last night I had an awesome idea! I have decided that we need to have a training for kids running simultaneously in the next room- Frontier Kids. I can have games for the kids that teach them about money, teamwork, responsibility, marketing, negotiating, setting goals, and having a vision for their lives! I thought with some of the older kids we could even work on writing a mini business plan.

We could bring the kids in the Play to Win Training room to participate in the more "light hearted" games. There is one game that the adults play called Merchants of Tradeus ( this is the game where I dressed as a belly dancer.) To make it simple there is an East ( where there are staff in Chinese garb and a Chinese Emperor and a West where there are staff in Italian garb and an Italian King. In the middle is the "silk road" where we have staff in middle eastern garb, a belly dancer, and a Sheik. The participants have to buy and trade spices, silks, and furs for gold and gems. To do this they have to deal with all of the characters and travel through the silk road. Now, the silk road is technically the desert - this is where the kids come in. I thought of teaching the kids about running a business - the marketing, how to make a profit, negotiating, etc.. and having them set up a stand of their choice in the desert. Most likely a water or lemonade stand. I would have them dress in Middle Eastern garb also ( just for fun). I am really excited where we can take this idea! The target market of Frontier Trainings is business owners. Where do most business owners want to be on the weekend instead of a training? With their families. By having Frontier Kids we have just expanded our target market! It can become a "family event" where the adults as well as the kids can learn some kick butt lessons.

I will spend this summer working with Clinton - attending networking events, working on our business plan, and working on Frontier Kids. Where does this leave me in the fall? To teach or not to teach is the question. I know what my heart is telling me to do , but my head is disagreeing. We are very optimistic that we will find a birth mom over the summer. If this is the case there will be no questions what I will be doing - being a mommy and working at home. I have already decided that when we do become parents that I will have a nanny or babysitter come to all of the events. This way we can provide childcare to other participants who have young children as well ( another benefit of attending Play to Win).

I would appreciate feedback from any parents out there. Would Frontier Kids be something that you would be interested in your kids attending?

Brotherly Love

2007-06-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well I have been a busy girl this week. I have gotten back into my exercise routine. I also did some volunteer work with Orangewood Children's Home. I picked up an infant there to hold. All of the children wear hospital bracelets. I took a peek at this childs bracelet and saw that his name was Damian and he was born on 03/01/07. He was only three months old and had already been removed from his home! There were about 6 toddlers , an 8 month old girl, and most of the rest of the kids were older. While I was there I saw something that almost brought me to tears. I was helping the other volunteers feed the toddlers their pizza. There was one little boy who was about 3 and obviously had a developmental disability. None of us could get him to eat, he would just push it away and cry. A little boy about 6 years old came over and whispered to him. It's o.k. don't cry. Don't forget that I love you! and gave the little boy a hug and kiss. They were brothers. The 6 year old proceeded to feed him his pizza and the 3 year old began to eat and smile. The 6 year old (who later told me his name was Christopher) said that his brother had never eaten pizza before. It was so sweet and such a display of brotherly love! I spent a little time with Christopher and helped him play bingo. What a sweet child and what a blessing to be able to spend a little time with him!

We are winding down at school. Tomorrow is the last day that I officially see kids ( they get out next Thursday). On the way home from school today I decided to throw each of my classes a Hawaiian style party. I went to Party City and got each of them leis and made little Hawaiian themed goody bags. I also bought a fish table cloth and little plastic Martini Glasses! Of course I couldn't resist the straws with little paper umbrellas built in. We should all have a great time tomorrow. I will see if I can post some pictures. You will be able to see some of the dolls I have been speaking about.

Last week was Open House at school. At the Open House they had a silent auction. Part of the auction included auctioning off of the teachers ( or at least lunch with the teachers). I am proud to say that I was "bought" for $25.00! Today I had my "date" with one of my favorite 1st grade girls. We ate pizza in my room and had a fun time. It is nice to be able to just "hang out" with students once in awhile. The things they talk about! I found out that Riley secretly wishes that our music teacher was her dad because he can sing well! ( I think she thought of this because the Kindergarten was having their "Spring Sing" and you could hear them in my room) She said "but my dad can't sing at all". What a riot! Riley loves to sing and you can often hear her singing at the top of her lungs in the girls bathroom. I often tell her that I think she will be on American Idol when she grows up. She always promptly corrects me and says that she will not be on American Idol because she does not want Simon Cowell saying mean things about her. Such a funny little girl!

Shaking it off

2007-06-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been feeling sad. I have spent a lot of time eating, sleeping, and some time crying. I wouldn't say that I am depressed but I definitely have not been myself. Now don't get me wrong, I think I am a very optimistic person and am very appreciative and thankful of all the wonderful gifts in my life. I just think this adoption process has been harder on me emotionally than I thought it would be. Getting my hopes up and then being disappointed so many times is beginning to take its toll.

Finally this past Friday I chose to shake it off and to shift my thinking. Clinton and I went to dinner Friday night at a very nice restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean to officially celebrate our anniversary and we spent an awesome day together yesterday. I also decided to go back to church today ( it has been a few weeks since I have been) and to focus more on eating healthy and exercising ( it has been months since I have been to the gym). I am pleased to say that I worked out this morning before going to church. On the way to church I was listening to last weeks message on CD ( thanks to a coworker). On it Rick was talking about instant gratification. I was thinking how true this is of our society. I guess this whole adoption process is teaching me about patience, perseverance, and that the truly good things in life are worth waiting for. I am thankful for the gifts of these lessons. I know in my heart that Clinton and I are meant to be parents and we will persevere until our dream becomes a reality. God will give us our children in his own time.

Clinton and I have coached many leadership programs. During these programs the coaches as well as the students create a Letter of Accomplishment ( LOA). It basically is a list of your goals and objectives in the areas of Community, Relationships, Health, Career, Family, Finance and Recreation for the next 90 days. Only they are not just regular goals but goals that seem unreasonable and some what unattainable. The purpose is to see what you can create in your life in a short amount of time. I feel that an LOA is just what I need right now. It keeps me focused and I always blow myself away with what I am able to accomplish. I will create my LOA this evening and see what happens! I will share more with you as it unfolds...

No news

2007-06-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to report that there is no news. I hate the disappointment - again. I copied and mailed out our new and improved resume to our attorney. He should get it in the next day or two. I have also completed an application for Project Cuddle. I can't believe I forgot that I have a friend who is on the board of directors for them! Frank reminded me when I sent my e-mail blast out last week. It is a great organization that works with birthmoms and saves babies ( babies that are "dropped off" at hospitals, fire stations, etc..). They were just feautured on Oprah. The website is www.projectcuddle.org for anyone who is interested in checking it out. I met the director Debbie a few years ago when I attended a fundraiser for them.

In other news- Sunday was our anniversary. I created a pirate themed treasure hunt for Clinton. I left him clues all over our house with little gifts. At the end he found me with candles, chanpagne and a picnic dinner by the outside fireplace by our pool. We then went for a dip in our jacuzzi. It was a very fun evening! I figured I might as well plan the romantic stuff before the kids arrive!

New Resume

2007-06-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

We have been contemplating the idea of raising 2 toddlers. I have to admit the more I think about it the more I like it. I mean we would be "insta-family"! I have been reading 2 books this weekend on toddler adoption and understand it is much different than adopting a newborn. Just the fact alone that they are 2 and 3 makes them a special needs adoption. Bonding and attachment can be very difficult but of course varies child to child. Toddlers go through a grieving process that sometimes can last for years. There are often behavioral concerns. I also understand that toddler adoption can be the most rewarding. I have to admit that the ages between 2 and 4 are my favorite ages! There is just something about that developmental age that seems magical ( of course I have never had one live with me 24 hours a day and have always been able to hand them back to their parents) I feel that with my special education background and experience ( you should see some of the behaviors I have had to deal with) Clinton and I could really do this! We had our attorney overnight our resume on Wednesday for the birthmother to review. When I called our attorney on Friday the only information I got was that the birthmother has received several resumes and is considering them all. Drat. This is the part of domestic adoption I hate the most and one of the reasons we pursued an international adoption first. It feels like we are "auditioning" for a child. Talk about an inferiority complex. I am glad that we both have high self-esteem or this part of the process could really mess with our minds! However, after reviewing our resume I decided to totally redo it. When I did our first resume it had to be done very quickly - in a matter of an hour. I decided that it didn't sound the way I wanted it to. I thought more about what a birthmother would want to know and the "tone" of the resume. I totally rewrote it this weekend and am very pleased with the final product. I know this won't make a difference for the toddler adoption because the birthmother already has the original resume- we are still praying that this one comes through. But I don't know if I would choose us with the original resume. So here is my plan... If we don't hear anything tomorrow about the toddlers then I will make copies of the new resume and mail them to our attorney and have him discard the old ones. I really feel that if God intends us on having the toddlers then we will.

Well I have to run. Today is mine and Clinton's anniversary and I have special plans for him this evening!

Adopting toddlers?

2007-05-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

We got a call today about adopting not only 1 child but 2! The only catch - the little girl is 2 and the little boy is 3. They are a pair of siblings currently living in Kansas and need a home. Adopting toddlers? hmmmm. This is something that Clinton and I haven't really talked about because we just assumed we would be adopting a newborn. At first I was not really excited about the idea, but the more I think about it the more I like the idea. Like I mentioned in an earlier post I know a lot about kids from teaching but very little about babies.

Of course I have sooo many concerns. The primary concern is attachment. Will they be able to attach and bond with us after living with their birth mother their entire life? Their lives will be turned upside down and I know there will be behavior and emotional issues. Will we be able to handle it?

I haven't read any books on toddler adoption so I am sure there are a lot of factors I am not even considering. I would appreciate any information anyone could offer!

update

2007-05-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have posted. Let me recap what is going on in our lives.

I will start with the adoption front. We got a call last week about a birth mom but decided to pass due to there being a history of mental illness. It was a little painful doing this but we decided it was for the best. So we are still waiting for a birthmom. Some friends of ours just adopted a newborn boy. They found their birthmom through a friend of a friend. I am seriously considering e-mailing everyone listed in my contacts and just letting them know that we are adopting and to please keep us in mind if they hear of anyone. I haven't really been contacting our attorney because things have been a little crazy on the business side which I will get to later..However, I will now be contacting our attorney on a weekly basis, just to keep us on his mind.

Our business is doing really great. Clinton just got back from China a couple of weeks ago where he taught and they played his game at a business school for entrepeneurs. He had translators all around the room translating for him. It was a great experience for him. Our company is growing and we have brought on a couple of people to work for us. One of them spent many years with the Anthony Robbins corporation and we are getting some really great and new ideas. For several weeks we had 3 people staying with us ( the reason I wasn't pushing the adoption - considering there was someone living in the babies room) We are now down just to 1 person who spends a lot of time here but has a house in San Diego ( a couple of hours South).

I have been spending a lot of time helping Clinton and our team. At this point I am seriously considering leaving teaching and working for our company full time. It is a really hard decision to make. One the one hand I love working with Clinton and would love to be at home with him and be available to travel with him ( until the baby arrives of course). I am going to South Africa with him in August ( unless we have a baby) and have the opportunity to travel with him to China, Malaysia, and Singapore in September. I know that he could really use me here. On the other hand, I enjoy working with the kids, teach in one of the top schools in our district, and am not sure how our homestudy would be affected. I just wish we could be matched with a birthmom so my future would be more clear. I definitely plan on leaving teaching to become a full time mom and work from home once the baby is here... but what do I do in the meantime? I am basically working 2 full time jobs at this point and it is a little exhausting. We have 1 month left of school. I am praying that we hear something really soon so I can make some big time decisions and changes in my life.

That's all for now.

What message are we sending?

2007-05-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have just gotten home from volunteering at Orangewood Childrens Home. What a good time! Orangewood is a temporary placement for children who are removed from their home for various reasons. From Orangewood children either go back to their parents or fostercare. I was a little nervous and did not know what to expect. I thought that maybe the overall feeling would be one of sadness. The children for the most part were in very good spirits and very friendly! The children were in ages from 6 - 17. Once a month they have a motivational speaker and pizza, games, ice cream, and arts and crafts afterwards. Tonight there were a group from LA's professional indoor football organization and a couple of "Laker Girls". The teenage girls were especially taken with the Laker girls. I worked in the painting area and quickly made friends with a 6 year old girl I will call "J". "J" was dressed in pink princess pajamas and was a little shy at first. Within a few minutes she was happily painting and even attempting to paint me! We had a great time painting together.

As I was driving home I was thinking about the children I met tonight. They have all experienced something traumatic in the past few days / weeks. They seemed so happy and content. I also found myself thinking about my children at school. How sad it is that some of my children at school who live in 4 million dollar houses are so distraught and down right depressed.
I have one student who stars in a reality t.v. show. Her parents are able to give her anything that money could possibly buy except for their time. She is absolutely one of the sadest children I have ever met. She is involved in a nasty custody battle and her parents are basically pulling her in two. I feel so bad for her. They are both fighting over her yet neither one is taking responsibilty for her. It just reinforces what I have always known. We are all the same. No matter the color, ethnicity, social status, economic status, etc... What all children need is your time, attention, and love. period. We are all the same and it doesn't matter what type of house you live in, what neighborhood you live in,what your political affiliation is or what groups you belong to. Neglect is neglect. It doesn't matter what the reason - if a parent is gone because he or she is partying or doing drugs or working all the time to make ends meet ( or pay for 4 million dollar houses). Children need your time and attention. What message are we sending to our kids?

Last Friday a family from the neighborhood I teach in were driving home from the mall ( a mom, grandma, a 3 year old, a 4 year old, and a 5 year old) A tractor trailer rammed in the back of them and all three children were killed. Parents - spend a little extra time with your kids this week and let them know how much you love and appreciate them! Don't ever let your kids feel that you don't have the time for them.

Ella the Elegant Elephant

2007-04-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I have been spending all of my time getting back into the swing of things at work since returning from Spring Break. I had a lot of work to catch up on. I have also been helping Clinton get ready for this weekends event in San Diego. We have had a house full of volunteers all week helping get ready for event as well. There are several VIP's that will be in attendance and we wanted to make sure everything will run smoothly. We have brought a couple of people on board as full time employees and have been discussing official job titles. I have decided that I want my title to be "Company Mom". I really enjoy taking care of everyone. I discovered this week that cooking for 6 is a lot easier than cooking for 2!

It is a good thing that I have been working 2 full time jobs lately rather than one. It has me distracted from this whole adoption process. We have not heard a peep. My principal suggested that I give our attorney a call and get our names " back out there". I will give him a call on Monday to see what is happening. I knew from the beginning that it could be a fairly quick or quite lengthy waiting time, still it is quite frustrating not knowing if we are going to be parents next week or 1 year from now. I still believe it will happen when it is supposed to and I feel it will probably happen out of the blue when we least expect it. All I know is that we are ready when the time comes! I can't wait to be matched with a birth mom...

I will end this post on this note. We had a book fair at school this week. One of my parents bought me the book Ella the Elegant Elephant - I don't think there are any coincidences!

I'm Back

2007-04-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

I am very thankful to be back home. Everything went fine in West Virginia. The funeral was as good as funerals can be. We did have a little scene from a Lifetime movie at the end. We can never escape a family event with at least a little drama. While we were at the cemetary we noticed that there was a car parked watching us ( a little weird). At the end of the burial a young 20 something girl asked my cousins which one was my uncle. They pointed to him. He was standing away from the rest of the family talking to a representative from the cemetary. She goes up to him and introduces herself as "Jessica" his long lost daughter ( my grandmother would have been spinning in her grave). It seems that my uncle could possibly be the father of this young woman ( 1 of 3 possibilities) - only a DNA test will tell. My uncle had just buried his mother and she chooses that time to come and introduce herself? He was a little distraught and livid to say the least. He doubts if he is the father and is seriously considering a DNA test. Who knows maybe will have a new family member.

After my grandmothers funeral I got to spend a lot of time with my mom. We went and spent a few days in Gatlinburg TN. It was a very nice visit as well as some much deserved rest. We did a lot of retail therapy. I go back to work tomorrow - bummer.

There is no news on the adoption front. We are still just waiting very patiently and praying very hard.

going home to West Virginia

2007-03-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am sad to report that my Nana passed away last night. I will be getting on a plane for Tennessee in the morning. I will be with my family for the next 2 weeks ( I had already planned to go there next Friday for Spring break.) Hopefully, if we receive any good news I will be able to post it from my moms house.

I just have to take a second.

2007-03-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

This post is not about our adoption but I just have to take a second to brag. Clinton teaches about business and does it through games and Business Simulations that he has developed. It is very much experiential learning. He runs both our own courses and is also guest speakers at other peoples events. Last night he presented at T. Harv Ekers Business Guerilla School. There were actually 1300 people in attendence last night ( not 800 - 1000 like stated in my previous post). He was absolutely awesome! From the back table where I was sitting it was a little difficult to see but thank goodness for Jumbo Tron. He kept the audience engaged and for the most part in hysterics! It was like Clinton at the Improv! The energy in the room was electric ( think along the lines of Anthony Robbins). He totally took control of the stage with his prescence. The audience absolutely loved him! They gave him a standing ovation. He was swarmed with people at the end wanting to congratulate him and share the lessons they learned through the exercises. We actually ran into several old friends that we hadn't seen in over a year. Some were volunteers for the event and some just happened to be students. They were absolutly speechless! Clinton has actually only been doing this for about a year and a half. He has come sooo far and is really beginning to master his craft. It has been a long hard struggle for us. Many lessons have been learned through mistakes that we have made, all of which he now teaches about and is part of his material. There have been so many highs and lows. I am very proud of him and am excited about what the future holds. I just feel really blessed. Our child is going to have one awesome daddy!

New Birth Mom?

2007-03-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

We still haven't heard from the birthmom that we have been waiting for but our attorney just called us and he has another birth mother in mind for us. She wants to see several resumes, so we will be in the mix. She is very familiar with adoption as she was adopted herself. Our attorney actually handled her adoption 23 years ago!I am definitely not jumping to any conclusions about this one. I do know that she loves the beach and is a lifeguard. Did I ever mention that our favorite place is the beach? If it is meant to be, then it will happen. She is due late June. Hopefully, this one will not drag out for weeks and we will get an answer within a reasonable amount of time. Maybe by the end of next week or the beginning of the next week? I thought that we would get a pretty speedy answer from the last birthmom but didn't , so who knows? I do feel like this case is a little different and this birthmom has had a little more time to process her feelings.

To answer Helen's question about wearing white shoes after Easter... In the South it is considered improper ( at least the way I was raised) to wear white after labor day ( Early September) or before Easter. I have to say to this day I do not wear white shoes until after Easter ( crazy- huh!) Some other " Southern Things" are Red Velvet Cake ( I actually had one of my moms at school the other day bring me a red velvet cupcake because she knew I was from the south) and sweetened ice tea. Red Velvet cake is the most delicious cake that is red with cream cheese icing. Sweetened Ice tea is also something you see in the south. When you go out to restaurants you have to stipulate whether you want sweetened or unsweetened. If you order unsweetened ice tea in Ca they look at you like you are crazy. How else would you want your tea? It took me awhile to get used to this.

Clinton is in town this weekend and is presenting in front of 800 to 1000 people tonight. I am leaving in a few minutes to go watch him. I am very proud of him! He is also in negotiations with Chevron. They want him to go to Houston, Singapore, and South Africa to provide trainings for their young executives. It is a very exciting time in our house!

Heart full of gratitude

2007-03-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have just returned home from the grocery store ( of all places) and my heart is filled with gratitude. For a couple of months I went to the grocery store and they never had my favorite soda ( Dt.Mt.Dew). I asked the clerk about this and he suggested that I put in a request for it. Tonight guess what I found on the shelves. My Diet Mt. Dew! The bagger then asked as usual "Can I help you out to your car?" ( I always say no thank you but might start taking him up on his offer when I have to deal with a baby and a cart full of groceries) It just made me start thinking about what a wonderful place I live. I truly love the community in which we live. It is clean, safe, 95% of the time people are happy, nice and courteous ( including drivers), the weather is always beautiful, and it is very pet friendly ( It is not unusual to be shopping in Macys or Nordstroms and run into people shopping with their dogs - also a couple of weeks ago I even saw a dog in church - 1st time for everything I guess) Now mind you would not find me shopping with my dog or see my dog in church ( I just think it is to bizarre) but there are pet friendly restaurants that we visit and it is always great to take Annabelle to the beach. Clinton is often away on the weekends ( this weekend he is in Hawaii- poor baby) and I never once feel uncomfortable or scared. This is such a great feeling considering the last place we lived- although a very nice neighborhood but just a bad city in general- I always felt a bit insecure when Clinton was away. Also, there are always soccer or baseball games going on just around the corner. I think it will be a great place to raise children!

The only downside to living in such a beautiful place is being so far away from my family and friends. I will always be in my heart a "West Virginia" girl and it will always be considered "home". I intend on having our children very familiar with West Virginia ( and Australia). I don't think you can find any nicer people in the world. I don't know if it is a "southern thing" or maybe just my parents but I feel I was raised to have manners and to be respectful of others ( also not to wear white shoes until after Easter - just kidding - kind of). I feel like kids today ( even in elementary school) are often missing these two traits.

Anyways, today I am grateful for my loving husband, my loving mom and family, my awesome friends, Newport Beach and the Pavilions around the corner for getting my Mt. Dew ( LOL).

surfing in Costa Rica?

2007-03-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

Well its been over a week now and we still have no news. I am really starting to think that this birthmom is not going to work out for us. I called the attorneys office this afternoon just to make sure there was no news. I did find out that the birthmom is reviewing our resume as well as one other. Either she is taking awhile to decide which of us she wants to choose ( which I would think she would want to meet both couples to make her decision) or she is seriously considering raising the child. I know this must be a great time of turmoil for her and my thoughts and prayers are with her. I know in my heart whatever she chooses it will be for the best.

We had our 2nd Pathways class on Tuesday night. It was really good to hear stories about all the birthmoms. Everyone's experience was so different. I shared that my greatest frustration in this whole process is all the uncertainty. Will we be parents by June, September, December, next June? Will I be teaching next year? Can we plan a vacation this summer? It feels like our life is in a holding pattern right now. One of the other couples shared that during the adoption of their first child they would say things like "o.k. if we are not parents by X date then we are going on a surfing trip in Costa Rica." I kind of like that idea. If gives us something to look forward to but it is something that can be easily cancelled if need be. The best part of the class was at the end when I asked to see pictures of the other couples children. They were all so beautiful and it definitely gave me the warm fuzzies.

This journey of adoption is certainly somewhat of a roller coaster ride. It is filled with both highs and lows. I guess all we can do is strap ourselves in tightly and enjoy the ride!

Still Waiting

2007-03-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

We couldn't stand it anymore so Clinton called our attorney's office. Our birth mother has gone to visit her mom for her birthday. I am assuming that this means she is telling her mom about the pregnancy (it is a little hard to cover up at this point). I am actually very happy about this fact. Last week she did not want her family to know under any circumstances. I know if it were my daughter I would definitely want to be there to support her. She might be reconsidering raising the baby herself. However, I feel like she is really thinking this through and will be confident in whatever decision she makes. We were given some tips on how to ensure that the birth mothers heart and head are aligned ( the heart will always win no matter what the head says). I feel confident I will be able to tell if and when we meet her.

At least there are a couple of conversations in my head that have been put to rest ( which makes me feel better) - she has in fact received our resume and it did not get lost in the mail and our attorney is in contact with her and we will get a definite yes or no answer ( I wasn't sure how much "space" and thinking time the mother was given before she was contacted by our attorney). All in all I think this is a good thing. We should hear something either tomorrow or Wednesday. So for the time being we are still waiting.

Just Waiting

2007-03-11T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful day in sunny southern Ca! Clinton and I had breakfast at our favorite restaurant in Laguna Beach with Annabelle. He then played basketball while we hung on the beach. The beach was packed and everywhere you looked this was you guessed it - babies! We then came back and went to go look at baby furniture. We are now being patient and "just waiting". This is a very nerve wracking part. A million thoughts have gone through my head. Everything from "I wonder if she has received our resume yet" and "oh I hope it didn't get lost in the mail" and " I sure hope she likes our resume" and " I know she is going to call Monday or Tuesday" and " Oh I hope she didn't lose the attorneys number" and " I wonder what she is feeling right now" and " What if she has decided that she can raise a baby and doesn't want to choose an adoption plan" AAHHH! I can tell you that this waiting part is not very fun.It is the unknown that is driving me crazy. I am just staying positive and diplomatic with the attitude " It will happen if it is meant to!" With that said, I don't think I will look at anymore "baby gear" until our file is officially open. After all, if she is interested in meeting us than there is the little issue of actually meeting her! Yikes! more butterflies! Anyway, like I said we are "just waiting". I will let you know when we hear something.

We met with the adoption attorney today

2007-03-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

Today we met with the adoption attorney. It was a very good meeting. I got many of my questions answered. He gave us positive things to look for as well as red flags when meeting with a birth mother. We are going to proceed with the case I mentioned in the last post. The next step is that he will give her our resume and she will decide whether or not she is interested in us. If she feels comfortable and picks us ( I forgot to ask if he was going to give her any other resumes besides ours) then we will have a conversation on the phone with her and meet her for lunch or dinner. We will meet and decide if it is a match for both of us. If everyone is comfortable then we will open a file and we will proceed. If everything works out then we will talk with her and decide what our relationship will "look like". We will discuss going to her doctors appointments with her, being present at the birth, how much contact she will have after the birth, etc.... We know that anything can happen and are not getting our hopes up ,however, we are very excited about this particular birth mother! It just "feels right". If it is meant to happen then it will.

We had our first "pathways" meeting last night ( the classes our homestudy agency requires). It was definitely very interesting. I guess that LA is a little different then anywhere else. There were 3 other couples there last night. All of them had already adopted 1 child and were on their 2nd adoption. Also, I was the only woman in the room besides the social worker. We were the only heterosexual couple there! I guess you can say that the pendulum has definitely swung in the other direction. They were a group of very nice men. It was good to hear the experiences of the "old pros" for us "newbies". We found what they had to say very useful. We have 3 more meetings before we are complete with the classes.

My Nana's neck is acutally doing better. They have a cervical collar on her because they cannot do surgery due to her bad heart ( she has been in congestive heart failure for sometime now). They said it would take 3 to 4 months to heal. The only thing is now she has pneumonia. Your prayers and thoughts are still appreciated. Thanks!

Shopping for Baby!

2007-03-05T17:17:00.000-08:00

So besides the bad news that we received about my grandmother on Sunday, Saturday was actually a great day for us. We went shopping and bought some necessities. We wanted to get the bear neccessities "just in case". We are now the proud owners of a carseat, bassinet, lots of cute clothes - for a boy or a girl, soft blankets, newborn diapers ( they are just the cutest), bottles, cloth diapers and a snugli. We also bought everything we need for bath time and diapering time. There is so much that we still need to purchase, but I feel that if we got a call at the last minute we could at least bring the baby home and survive a couple of days.

Speaking of getting calls. We have made progress today. We got our classes scheduled that are necessary for a domestic adoption by our homestudy agency ( a feat in itself) and the best news is that we got a call from our adoption agency. They have another couple they are referring us to. They are 2 college students and the baby is due in May! The agency e-mailed us their picture and they are a beautiful latino / european couple! We have to find out more details tormorrow. The one thing I do know is that the adoption is a little out of our price range, so we have to see if we can make it work. We will not make any rash decisions. We will get all the details and weigh our options. If it is meant for us to have this little one then we will. I believe that God knows what he is doing and will give us the baby we are meant to have!

Here is one of our purchases from the weekend. Annabelle let me use her as a guinea pig. She resisted being put in it at first, but then loved it and did not want to get out. She enjoyed being carried around by her mama! You can see our other "kids" from around the world in the background. We help to support 20 children from around the world every month. We are constantly getting letters and pictures from them. It is a great feeling!

Sad News

2007-03-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

My Nana fell this weekend and broke her neck. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Thanks.

More follies and a little about Annabelle

2007-03-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

Now for some more classroom follies. Today our students dressed up like their favorite character from their favorite book to help celebrate "authors week". We had students in every imaginable costume. One of my first graders ( a very girly girl 7 year old) dressed up like a princess - actually how she put it -she was dressed as the girl that is the rich snob in Junie B. Jones. Her class took a math test today. I asked the students to put their heads down to show me they were finished with their test. Riley said " well actually I can' t put my head down because I don't want to mess up my updo" ( well excuuuuse me miss priss ). I didn't know that 7 year olds even knew what an updo was or even cared for that matter.

Sometimes you are teaching and you think that your kids are listening and paying attention. All of a sudden you will see a hand go up in the air. When you call on them because you think they have a legit question, something random comes out of their mouth like - " Do you know that my dads birthday is next month" huh? ( this especially has a tendency to happen in Kindergarten and 1st grade). This happened to me yesterday. When I called on Judah he said - " Do you know that next month is my dads birthday, then comes my dogs birthday , and then my birthday!" ( why no I didn't) But when he mentioned that his dogs birthday was coming up I suddenly remembered that it was Annabelle's birthday. Out loud ( unintentionally) I said " oh my dogs birthday is today". Judah then bursts out with "Happy birthday to your dog, Happy birthday to your dog" and sings the entire song. ( this was definitely not in the lesson plans for the day)

Speaking of Annabelle - here are some interesting facts about her.

1. I found Annabelle on the internet in 1999. She turned 8 yesterday

2. I knew I wanted a Lhasa Apso and wanted her name to be Annabelle. I then found the dog to match the name.

3.Annabelle has traveled all throughout North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Atlanta Ga, Charleston SC, Phoenix Az, Denver Colorado, Las Vegas, Utah, all through Southern Ca including San Diego, LA, and Santa Barbara.

4. She has been on 4 plane rides across the country and back. ( she is so good on the plane that the person sitting beside me usually doesn't even know I have a dog until we land and I let her poke her head out of her carrier)

5. Annabelle's signature color is purple.

6. If it weren't so weird to have my dog and my daughter with the same name, I would name my daughter Annabelle.

7. Her nicknames include Anna banana, baby belle, nanners, TBO ( the best one), and pickle.

8. When we sleep, Clinton gets 1/4 of the bed, I get 1/4 of the bed and Annabelle gets 1/2 of the bed.( don't ask me how this happens she only weighs 13 lbs)

9. Annabelle pretty much rules our house ( at least until bambino comes along!)

update

2007-03-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

The latest update with our adoption is that we have a meeting with our attorney on Wednesday. From now on I will refer to him as Mr.D. He will explain the entire process and we we will get more details on what to expect and how everything works. To answer Betsy's question- yes he does work with single moms. There are some that are featured on his website. As far as the birth mom being able to take the child back. How my principal explained it to me ( and I could be totally wrong - but will be clear on Wednesday) is that the birth mom gives up the baby to the attorney and not directly to the adoptive parents. Mr. D then gives the baby over to the adoptive parents. After this happens I don't think the birth mom can come back to reclaim the baby. There is something technical in how it is handled that prevents this from happening. I know this because my principal adopted a baby ( not using our attorney, but someone else). She had the baby for a couple of weeks and then the birthmom came back and reclaimed the baby. To say the least she was heart broken. She then learned of Mr. D - and used his services. This is one reason why she is such a big advocate for him. Like I mentioned, I am not really sure of the details but will be educated on Wednesday. Mrs.D ( the attorney's wife) said the wait time could be anywhere between immediately to a couple of years. She did mention that if we are willing to take an "all hispanic baby" that things would probably move pretty fast. We are just sitting tight. Receiving a baby anytime in the next year would be fine with us.

We also talked to the adoption agency that we were using for the Guatemala adoption. They will keep our case open for 2 years. We can come back anytime during that time period and not have to repay the $5000.oo agency fee. That is great news! Especially since we are still interested in Guatemala once things get settled down!

Final Decision!

2007-02-28T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well after much soul searching we have decided to pursue a domestic adoption! We will revisit Guatemala in a year or two when things have settled down. It feels great to have committed to " a plan". I feel very comfortable with the attorney we will be using. I had a very good conversation with the attorneys wife. I know that my principal really trusts him. She got her 2 children from him and I have learned that she has also referred several other teachers to him who have gotten children.

We actually got a phone call from his office yesterday ( mind you we haven't even submitted our paperwork yet. )Like I said, I had a very good conversation with his wife and she got some basic info from me. They couldn't reach me yesterday so they tracked down Clinton's number from our Home study agency. It seems they were getting ready to go into a meeting with a birth mom ( who is due next week) and thought we might make good candidates as the adoptive parents! Clinton quickly faxed a bio sheet and picture of us. Talk about fast! I was in shock when Clinton gave me the news over the phone after school ( the meeting was in process as we were talking). The thought of bringing home a newborn as early as next week! It turns out it was a false alarm. The 16 year old girl was there at the insistence of her parents. She actually is not interested in adoption but her parents want her to keep her options open. Still, it was a very intense and exciting hour or so! It just shows me the difference in international and domestic adoption ( which I am not sure is a pro or a con). When adopting from Guatemala it is kind of like being pregnant because you have an estimated "due date" and you have time to mentally and physically prepare. With domestic adoption you can have a due date or it can happen at any time! This very same case happened to 2 other teachers my principal referred. One decided to take the baby and the other decided that she was not ready to bring home twins with 2 days notice ( she also had just completed her home study). They are both very happy parents today!

With all of this said, Clinton and I came up with a plan during dinner last night. We discussed how we would handle the situation if we got "the call" and he was out of town and what we could do to start preparing.This weekend we will go and purchase some basics - bottles, diapers, sleepers, bassinet, etc.. just in case we do get a call. We will not set up an official nursery because now we don't know what the sex of the baby will be. I will feel more comfortable setting up the nursery once the baby is actually home ( birthmoms can still change their minds until they relinquish the baby over to the agency). Anyway, we have lots of planning to do as the "big day" could very well be sooner than later! I will keep you posted.

What to Do?

2007-02-26T17:43:00.000-08:00

What to do? This is the question that has been waying heavily on my mind and heart all weekend. Just when I think I have made a decision , I change my mind again! I have been checking out the Guatadopt message boards and it seems to me that things are not looking so good for someone who hasn't even completed their dossier yet ( although we are 90% complete). Some people are not seeing their babies home until after their 1st birthday. There are risks with both international and domestic adoptions I know. What I think about is 5 years from now. Will it really matter how our child got here? I don't think so. I guess what I am thinking about is "What is the least painless way I can become a mother?" I think the answer to this question is There is no painless way to becoming a mother! including the old fashioned way!

If we change our minds and do a domestic adoption it almost feels like I am "giving up" or "quiting". Giving up what I am not sure. However, at the moment I feel the best choice for us is to pursue a domestic adoption and adopt from Guatemala in a year or two when things settle down ( at least I will be a pro at the dossier by then!) I just can't seem to give up the idea all together of adopting from Guatemala. We still have some issues to discuss like how we want to proceed - closed or open adoption. How much contact if any do we want with the birth mother? We are still waiting to get the paperwork from the attorneys office so we can really familiarize ourselves with the process. If we are comfortable with it all then we will proceed with the domestic adoption. I am committing that we will have a solid answer by Friday evening on what we want to do. We will be 100% certain by Friday - then we will proceed full force! Watch out! We will then be on a definite road to parenthood no matter what!

Having second thoughts!

2007-02-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

We received some bad news from our adoption agency today. It seems that the US State Department has put out a warning about adoptions from Guatemala. They have found that Guatemalan babies are being smuggled into the US illegally, babies are being taken away from their parents illegally, they have found fradulant DNA tests,etc.. The US State Department recommends that anyone considering Guatemala should look at different options. I have heard all of the above mentioned before. However, the part that worries me the most is the statement they made about adoptions taking longer or maybe even not happening at all.They are calling adoptions from Guatemala uncertain and volatile.I know that other people adopting from Guatemala right now are having a hard time getting through PGN ( Guatemalan Courts). They are making it exceedingly difficult right now for parents to take home their children. Is it only going to get worse? I am not sure if I could take the heartbreak right now of getting a referral and having it drag out for months or even years. My heart and prayers go out to all the people right now who are just waiting to get through PGN. The director of our adoption agency is in meetings right now in Guatemala. They will give us more info as they receive it. I truly trust our agency and know that they are ethical and not involved in any of the illegal activities. However, we are still left with the question - What should we do? As soon as I received the e-mail I immediately started conteplating our options. The one thing I know for 100% sure is that we WILL become parents. Our options are 1. take the "wait and see approach" and see what happens with Guatemala. 2. Talk to our adoption agency about other countries ( China is the only other country I know that we are eligible for because Clinton is not a U.S. citizen) 3. consider a domestic adoption instead of intercountry adoption.

I began doing research on option number #3. As I mentioned before my principal has 2 adopted children. Today I called her adoption attorney who she highly recommends ( he has been doing adoptions since the 1950's and even helped create some of the adoption laws). I explained our situation to his wife ( who works for him). She said," I wished you would have called last week. We had a baby that was full latin american that we had to place outside our agency" It seems that most people who want to adopt do not want " 100% latin american" babies. This statement made me very sad! I talked with her more and it turns out they use the same homestudy agency that we are using. She seemed to think that as soon as we got our homestudy complete and "a few other pieces of other paperwork" that we could be eligible for a referral. She said that if we were open to receiving a latin american baby ( obviously we are since we were going for Guatemala for goodness sakes) that it probably would not take very long at all. I called our social worker - (which by the way we had our final meeting yesterday but found out that we are still missing one of our references so we still don't have the report. The report is complete she is just waiting for the last reference.) to see what the difference would be between an intercountry and domestic adoption homestudy. She said she just had to change the format and we would need to fill out a couple of different documents and it would not be a big deal.

Today's events has me really thinking about what to do. The pros of doing a domestic adoption would be 1. we would be able to adopt a newborn (less worries about attachment). 2. we would not have to go through all the turmoil of not knowing if the adoption would make it through PGN 3. we could probably get a baby sooner than later.4. in the long run it is actually cheaper. The cons of doing a domestic adoption would be 1. We would probably be out our agency fee that we paid ( approximately $5,000) 2. although the way the attorney handles the adoptions it is rare , but the birth mom could always change her mind. 3. we are uncertain when we would actually receive a referral. The wait can still be between a couple of months to a couple of years because the birth mom has to pick us ( which is why I was adverse to domestic adoptions in the first place) I knew with intercountry adoptions you are pretty much guaranteed a referral once you are considered "paper ready".

I am actually thankful that we received this news sooner than later. It has been frustrating up to this point because of all the little road blocks that we have encountered compiling our Dossier. Maybe this is God's way of telling us to be wary. We will wait to see what the director of our agency finds out before we make any decisions. Please pray for us that we make the right decision! I will keep you posted.

Follies from the classroom

2007-02-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

As I teacher I encounter many funny moments. Students say and do the funniest things. I have said for years that I would love to write a book. A student said something today that cracked me up, so I thought I would share a couple of my favorite "follies" from the past month or two.

-Today in my afterschool class one of my second graders was whining that he didn't want to do his math. I explained to him that by doing his work he was making his brain grow by building dendrites. He looked at me with a serious face and said "But I don't want to be Ivan Einstein" ( I don't think he has to worry - at least for the moment.)

- Last month a teacher friend of mine was discussing Martin Luther King. She told the students that they didn't have to come to school on Monday because we were celebrating someone. She asked the students if anyone knew who they were celebrating. One very enthusiastic student raised her hand eager to share. "I know she says - Don King". ( well uh.... no)

- A couple of weeks ago I was meeting with a student one on one. Out of the blue she tells me with excitement - Mrs. Swaine, you smell like my friend . ( I didn't even want to touch this one but simply said, oh really?) Yeah, she said and she thought for a moment. I think you smell like peppermint and puppies. ( I guess this is a compliment coming from an 8 year old)

- We recently got a new first grade teacher who is Japanese - her name is Mrs. Hokonohara. We made some changes with students because of the new teacher. I asked the students to tell me the name of their "homeroom" teacher ( just so I could confirm - we have 200 first graders and it is hard to keep up with everyone). One student very proudly told me that his teachers name is Mrs. Kokonomoro.( well, good try)

and finally... one of my favorites from last year.

- We have a very culturally diverse school .We have students from just about everywhere in the world. The 5th graders have to take a physical fitness test in the spring. The teacher was having them fill in their own bubble sheets. One of the questions was about ethnicity. Many of the students were not quite sure what to mark. One student has a mother from Ethiopia and a father from Poland. She asked "what do I mark?" the teacher told her to mark whatever she wanted but suggested she mark "African American". The students best friend chimes up ( who is totally Caucasian) and says - my mom is from South Africa and my father is from Ireland,does that mean that I am African American too? ( good point)

Homestudy Update

2007-02-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well it looks like we may not receive our homestudy on Valentines Day as we thought. A few days ago we found out that Clinton has to go to England on Monday. I have a message in to our social worker to see if he has to be present or if I can sign off on it. I have a feeling we might have to postpone it a week. I keep telling myself that we keep running into these little road blocks because if everything did not happen exactly the way it is then we would not get the baby we were meant to have. I just have to trust in God's master plan!

On the brighter side, I did receive Clinton's documents from Australia. They are now on their way to the Guatamalan Embassy in Japan to get authenticated. They said that it only takes a couple of days to process them, so hopefully I will receive them late next week or early the following week.

Clinton and I went to get several documents notarized last week. We are just missing a few last pieces before we can send everything off to get autheticated and Great Sealed. Wow will I be glad when this dossier is complete! I just wonder - did Madonna and Angelina Jolie go through this?

From the Mouth of Babes

2007-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

This past week I " let the cat out of the bag" that we are adopting to some of my students. I teach a math class of 4th and 5th graders who are mostly girls. They are very curious at this age. I have a picture board up in my room that has pictures of family , friends, and Annabelle. They have noticed that there are no children in the pictures and have asked me in the past " Why don't you have any children?" I have always managed to dodge the subject. Some how the subject came up again last week. This time I let them know that soon I would have a baby ( they automatically thought I was pregnant). I explained to them that we were adopting a baby from Guatemala. You should have heard the screams and the excitement ( being 4th grade girls they can also be very dramatic at this age). They were very interested in the process. Some of the comments and questions I got was " Where is Guatemala?" ( I turned this one in to a geography lesson), "Why are you adopting?" ( because this is what we have chosen to do), "Will you adopt me?" ( No, I don't think your parents would like that very much), " Are you still going to teach after you get the baby?" ( I don't know yet we will see), and every story about adoption that they could remember. They were fascinated with the whole idea. An hour later I was having lunch with my principal and she said " Have you told your kids that you are adopting?" Wow! that didn't take long. One of them had gone straight to her and told her how excited she was for me. I have to admit this warmed my heart. The next day, this student came into my room and said "Close your eyes I have a surprise for you". She made me a congratulations card. I was very touched and close to tears. I told her that it was the first congratulations card that I received and I would put the card in Ella's memory book. Kids have such a way of touching my heart every single day! Like the old saying goes- from the mouth of babes. Children are born with a natural curiosity and a pure heart. If we as adults could keep that curiosity and pure heart I have no doubt that there would be no crime, hatred, racism or war. The world would be a much better place to live.

An Ode to a Princess

2007-02-01T19:39:00.001-08:00

As promised here is the poem that Clinton gave me for my birthday. He is so sweet!

CUTE: An Ode to a Princess

Oh Sweetest love, with a heart of gold,
I’m yours forever, I’m totally sold
Your smile so bright, it lights the room
Like the sun shining at noon

You’re elegant, beautiful and full of grace,
Everything you touch leaves your trace
Of magic, joy, love and peace
My love for you will never cease

On a chairlift or watching whales
You are so cute it never fails
Down the beach or at a dinner for two
Your cuteness always shines right through

You are a princess, an angel and the light
Touching everyone within your sight
Everyone falls in love with you
Because you are pure, kind and true

I’m so grateful that to be with you
To spend time together, each day anew
To wake each day with you around
Watching you wear your magical crown

Your crown of beauty. So cute you are
Everything you do you are a star
How proud I am to watch you grow
Preparing to be a mother you do go

You will be an awesome mum
Giving, sharing and having fun
Ella Rose will be just like you
Too cute for words with cute little bows

Together you will be an unstoppable team
Your smiles will shine wide and beam
Peace for you on the life you dream
Bliss and joy and living extreme

Just know in the depths of your heart
I love you more each day that I start
Your are my princess. A jewel that’s rare.
Your so large Ella and I can share!!!!

36

2007-01-29T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well today is my 36th birthday. I had a wonderful weekend. We went skiing in Big Bear on Saturday, whale watching in San Diego on Sunday morning, and a bonfire on the beach Sunday night.The highlight for me of course was spending time with my hubby and a beautiful poem that he wrote me. I will post it later. The other highlight was watching 2 Gray whales 40 feet long mating .Wow! What a rare sight! There were dolphins swimming all around playing and being "voyeurs". We also got to see the whales "spy hop" and lots of tail flukes. We saw a total of 15 whales. They were everywhere! I really have a "thing" for whales and dolphins and could watch them all day long ( especially in the wild). I can't wait to teach Ella all about them.

Like New Years I take this time to reflect on my life. I have lived a very full life but there is sooo much that I have yet to do. Here are some of the things that I have accomplished and experienced in my life.....
- being part of a loving family
- loving friendships
-have experienced "true love"
-developed a relationship with God
- visited every state in the United States except for a few of the New England states.
- traveled to Mexico, Australia, and the Caribbean
-Sky dived
-gone White Water rafting
-touched the lives of many children and parents
-witnessed Humpback Whales "bubble net feeding" in the wild in Alaska
-flown into the Arctic Circle into an Athabascan Village
-taken a bike ride 36 miles down a volcano
-visited a majority of the Theme Parks in the U.S.
-purchased 2 homes
-the love of Annabelle Leigh
( and many many more that I just can't think of right now)

Here are some things that I will accomplish in the future...
-become a mom!!
-swim with Dolphins
-learn to scuba dive and scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef
-visit all around Europe , Asia, and of course Guatemala ( educating our daughter in all of these places)
-learn to speak Spanish
-go on an African Safari
-cuddle a Koala
-learn to Kayak
-learn to surf
-create my own Childrens Charity
( and many many more that I just can't think of right now)

Pictures from my Birthday Weekend.

2007-01-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

Skiing in Big Bear. I was really rusty going down the first run. We didn't ski at all last season. I soon got my confidence and the rest of the day was a blast ( with the exception of falling when I got off of the chair lift - but that would be a different blog!) I can't wait to teach Ella to ski. They begin teaching them at the age of 3 at Big Bear! We saw some 5 year olds in training for the downhill competition. They were going soooo fast and weaving in and out of the flags like pros. So cute!

Whale watching in San Diego. Clinton wanted to take me skiing for my birthday and I wanted to go whale watching so we compromised and went skiing on Saturday and whale watching Sunday morning.

This is the boat that Clinton and I went on to go whale watching. We went with a company called Hornblower tours. They were very good. The captain was very knowledgable and they had 2 girls there from the Museum of Natural Science to educate us.

Ending the weekend with a camp fire at the beach in Corona Del Mar. Annabelle got to join in the fun. She "lap hopped" all night for 2 reasons 1. she wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to love her and 2. she doesn't like walking in the sand because it is...well..sandy and she doesn't like walking in grass because after all that is where dogs use the bathroom. She cracks me up. Such a princess dog! She really enjoyed snuggling up with Joe and Jen.

2 down and 1 to go!

2007-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

We just had our second appointment with our social worker. Again, the meeting went very well. This time she went over our autobiographies that we had written. She will e-mail the preliminary report to me in a week to 10 days and then we will receive the final copy on Valentine's Day. Does anyone out there in blog land know what the average turn around time is to receive approval from INS once they receive the homestudy? She said 6 to 8 weeks but this seems like a long time to me. We have already submitted our application and have gotten our fingerprints. I don't think that we will even be considered for a referral until our Dossier is complete ( and INS approval is part of the completed Dossier). So this means we may not even be considered for a referral until late April. I have an e-mail in to our Adoption Coordinator to double check. I would be interested in hearing from others who have adopted with other agencies in regards to this. Did your agency give you a referral before you got INS approval? I'm a little fuzzy on this whole procedure. Thanks!

What do America, Australia, Japan, and Guatemala have in common?

2007-01-22T20:08:00.000-08:00

What do America, Australia, Japan, and Guatemala have in common? These are all the places Clinton's precious birth certificate has to travel in order to bring home Baby Ella. We have to get all of our certificates (i.e. birth, marriage, divorce,etc...) both great sealed and authenticated. Here in America we order the certificates from the issuing state. We then mail the certificates to the state department where they were issued to get a "Great Seal". After I receive them back I send them to the Guatemalan Consulates office in CA where they are authenticated. At this point they are ready to be submitted as part of the dossier. In Australia it is a different story. I still have yet to find out exactly what to do - but I am on the right track. I have been leaving messages and e-mailing the Guatemalan Consulate in Australia for a couple of weeks with no response. I have been unsure what to do with the documents. I ordered the documents from Australia and had them sent to my mother - in- laws house in Melbourne. She is keeping them safe. I finally reached the consulate this evening. He let me know ( through very bad reception I might add) that he is just an honorary consulate i.e. he is unable to authenticate any documents.Australia has no Guatemalan embassy. Japan has jurisdiction over Australia. He gave me the contact info for the embassy in Japan. (I wasn't sure if I was going to be speaking to someone who spoke english, japanese, or Spanish - LOL). I called Japan. I spoke to a nice Japanese lady who spoke o.k. english. However, she said all questions had to be submitted via e-mail. I just sent an e-mail and am awaiting a reply. I have a feeling what has to happen is this - Helen will send the documents to the state department to receive an apostille ( I don't think Aus issues great seals). I think the documents then have to go to the embassy in Japan to get authenticated. They will then be sent to me (I just pray the documents arrive to me safely! ) where I will send them as part of our dossier to our adoption agency and they in turn will send the documents to Guatemala. WOW! Just writing about it makes me tired!!!

The more positive news today is that we received our Contract from our adoption agency . We just have to send it back to them with a check and we will be closer to getting a referral. ( of course we will not receive our referral until our dossier is complete and we get our I-171 ). We have our second appointment for our homestudy on Wednesday. This time she will be interviewing Clinton and I seperately. This is not nearly as nerve wracking as the first visit. I am sure all will go smoothly. The details have yet to be ironed out for the classes we have to take in order for them to complete the homestudy. The first date they had available in Feb. wouldn't work because Clinto will be in England. We are seeing if we can get special permission to do a home study course instead. Honestly, even if we get permission to do the home study course I would still like to take the "real" course sometime. The more I learn about international adoption the more fascinated I become. I am learning so much every day! That's all for now. I have to check my e-mail to see if I have a reply.

How do you sterilize nipples using a coffee pot?

2007-01-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

I decided last night to look in other parts of our adoption manual besides the section that I am always turned to titled "creating your dossier". We were instructed not to look at the whole manual immediately as it may seem to overwhelming. I decided last night to look at the section titled "preparing to travel". In it I found a list of items to bring for baby and parents and a list of helpful hints. One of the helpful hints was that you could use the coffee pot in your hotel room to sterilize nipples. Hmmm. ... I began thinking... How in the world would you do that? On second thought I began thinking Hmmmm.... how do you even prepare a bottle? Now don't get me wrong, I know a lot about children in general. After all, I have had many child development classes and many years experience working with kids. I have been reading up on adoption, attachment, etc... However, I know very little about actually taking care of a baby! ( Shhh don't tell our social worker) As an only child I didn't spend much time around babies. I probably have only changed one or two diapers in my lifetime! This thought cracks me up! My only thought is HELP!!! I need some Baby 101 classes or to borrow someones baby pronto! I am sure that I am not the first one in history to experience this. The good news is that we are almost a year away until we receive our bundle of joy, so I have lots of time to practice and prepare. The other good news is that I am a pretty quick learner. I was pretty anal about Annabelle when she was a puppy. When I had a friend babysit her at the age of 12 weeks, I actually had a typed out schedule as to when she got up, playtime, when she was to be walked ,go to bed, etc... So I think I will do o.k. with a baby. I just need to get some of the "mechanics" down. Seriously, I would appreciate it if anyone had any good suggestions of books or reading material. I intend on subscribing to Parents Magazine very soon. Any other suggestions? Please post any good ideas. Thanks!

Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy!

2007-01-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

Our social worker just left our house and in the words of my first graders " Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy!" It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I did all of that organizing and cleaning for nothing! She didn't even leave our living room! She was very nice and made us feel very comfortable. She just got some basic info. and asked us questions about parenting, disciplining, etc... I think the visit went very well! She scheduled 2 more visits. The last visit is scheduled for Valentines Day. This is when she should have the homestudy report for us. Wow! What a great Valentines present! The only thing we have to worry about now is scheduling a class they call the "Journey Abroad Program". It is a course that we take over the course of 4 evenings. Scheduling anything (especially weekends) is a bit of a nightmare around here. Clinton's schedule is packed on the weekends until 2008. They will not complete the homestudy until we have completed the course. Soooo we will just have to make it work! It's just another little hurdle but I am sure everything will work out great! I am actually excited about taking the classes as I am sure we will receive more info about international adoption.

Gift from Daddy

2007-01-15T17:17:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I have mentioned that Clinton travels a lot. He usually brings me home a little something. When he got home from Orlando on Saturday, he had this little precious outfit. I don't know if you can read it, but it says "Disney Princess". It was one of the best presents he could have gotten me!

YIKES!

2007-01-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

Yikes! I have a lot of work to do! It all started yesterday when I decided to drop off some of the paper work that we have been collecting for our homestudy agency. To my surprise I found a Mail Boxes Etc... where I thought my homestudy agency would be ( address on all of the paperwork - Please return to....) At this point I began getting a little nervous.Now granted I trust this agency as this is the same agency my principal used when she adopted. I left a message for our social worker letting her know that I was confused about the address. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts our appointment is on the 17th. I just assumed ( silly me) that we would be going to the agency for the meeting ( address listed on all the paperwork). Our social worker just left me a message saying no in fact that she comes to our house for all the visits! My first reaction was YIKES! I have so much work to do! ( as I look around at the laundry and kitchen.)
My impression of this whole homestudy process was that we first met at the agency, I then went to the agency for an interview, Clinton then went to the agency for an interview, and last she came to visit us at our house. WRONG! I am so glad that I decided to drop the paperwork off early and found this little surprise or I would have been in for a big surprise on Wednesday. I just arranged to have our carpet cleaned on Sunday and our cleaners come on Tuesday. Now granted we are not total pigs but it is a little intimidating when one of the people deciding whether or not we will be parents is coming to inspect our home to see if it is suitable! I just feel like first impressions are so important! Now I am even more nervous! I am sure it will all be fine but boy will I be glad when Wednesday evening comes around ( after the visit is over!) I know only a couple have posted on this blog but I have gotten a couple of e-mails saying that people are reading it. I will keep y'all posted on how everything goes!

Why adopt and other ramblings at 2:00 A.M..

2007-01-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Why Adopt? this is the question that I have sometimes been asked. I have known since I was a little girl that I wanted to become a mommy one day. Honestly, adoption was not something that I have ever considered until a few years ago. I just thought I would live the American dream- get married and have children. Teaching special education over the years there have been many children of different races and nationalities ( a couple in foster care, a couple with not so great home lives) that have touched my heart and I would have "taken home with me" in a heart beat had I been able. I love teaching children but always yearned to have my own that I could come home to at the end of the day. Once I fell in love and married Clinton at the age of 30 I thought that I would finally have my dream. The longer we have been together the more children we have decided that we wanted. We finally decided that we would like to have 4 children - 2 boys and 2 girls. As a couple of years passed it became evident that we would not have 4 biological children. We then decided that we would have 2 biological children and adopt 2 children. We pursued infertiltiy treatments for 4 years ( I won't go into the details). In my head I thought that our biological children would come first. I really wanted to become pregnant and have our first child. Over the past year I entered a sort of "funk" when it came to considering having children. I was feeling a little hopeless in this area and started considering our lives without children. After all, we could live comfortably , love our Lhasa Apso, and travel. This sounded o.k. to me but I would often get sad as I thought about holidays and life in general 20 -30 years from now. Some people have said to me " There are worse things in life than not having children" and " you don't know what you are getting yourself into" and " you don't know how good you have it". Can I just say that these statements DRIVE ME CRAZY!!! I truly believe that every child is a gift from God. Don't get me wrong, I think it is fine to be childless if that is what you choose to do. I don't feel that being a parent is meant for everyone. Becoming a parent is something that I choose to do! I know that being a mommy is far from glamorous and is definitely challenging. I also feel that becoming a parent is a true gift. I am sure that there will be times when I think to myself "why did I want to do this?" However, I can't wait to grow as a peson and most of all share my love. As one brilliant person once wrote in a song ( I won't mention names but lets just say I am married to him) Give, Give, Give it away, love unshared never stays. A life of dirty diapers, toddlers that say "no" and have temper tantrums, sleepless nights , caring for sick children, hours of schoolwork, hours of being a taxi service, dealing with preteens who don't want to be seen in public with me, dealing with teenagers who want to rebel, and working my tail off to pay for college is a life that I choose. I also choose cuddles in the morning, kisses at night, days at the beach, trips to the park, memories at Disney (and every other theme park in Southern Ca), playing dress up, the thrills of learning new things, family dinners, holidays, watching babies turn into children, children into young adults, etc.... I choose it all! The good , the bad, and the ugly! So, going back to my original question before I started rambling. Why Adopt? It is no longer important to me to have biological children. What is important is that I get to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly. I have a lot of love to share. October 29, 2006 is a day that changed my life forever. It is on this day that God had a little talk with me and put International Adoption into my heart. Point Blank. I know that God will give us the child we were meant to have. As far as having 4 children? We are no longer "attached". It will be what it will be. I am just staying out of it and leaving it up to God!

Roller Coaster Ride

2007-01-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

We have ran into a little glitch that has to do with getting Clinton's documents authenticated from Australia. I have to call the Guatemalan Embassy in Australia one day next week to figure out how to do this. I spoke to the Latin American coordinator at our agency and even he wasn't sure. He said that each country is different and gave me the details of the embassy. Thankfully, Helen is helping me with the "paper chase" in Australia. Helen, thank you so much! You have been so helpful! It still feels like I am drowning in paperwork. Last week I had a couple of "mini breakdowns" to Clinton. He is always so great to listen to me and makes me feel better. I realized that more of the breakdown had to do with the infertility issues. I was just having a pity party that some people get pregnant soo easy. We have been through a lot and will have spent lots ( lets just say many tens of thousands of dollars) by the time this process is over. So far this adoption process has just felt like jumping through an eternal row of hoops. ( even worse than getting accredited to teach in the state of Ca.). I just have to focus on the end result. I can't wait to become a mom! To make myself feel better I did a little retail therapy this weekend. I bought my first things for Ella Rose! I bought several onesies and a really cute purple one that said "daddies little princess". I have to admit it felt a little weird shopping in the childrens department for my baby. It almost felt like I was doing something wrong. But like a t-shirt I saw the other day , I am officially " pregnant on paper" and thats what expectant mothers do is buy lots of cute stuff for their kid! Right? Anyway, I am over it and am on the upward swing of this roller coaster ride. Today I am feeling positive and excited. We are moving forward little by little. We have both had our physicals. I am very pleased to report that I do not have T.B. and about the only complaint the doctor had was that I keep my ears to clean! They forgot to do Clintons T.B. test so he has to go back next week to get it done. Other than that we just have a couple of more forms to complete and get notorized before our appointment with our homestudy agency on the 17th. Once we get into full swing of the homestudy we can get all the other necessary paperwork notarized and authenticated for our dossier. Yeah! I can't wait until this *&#(%!(@ dossier is completed. Then, the real wait begins!