Owen's Finding Ad

Last week we received Owen's finding ad!

For anyone who does not know what a finding ad is, here's the scoop from http://www.research-china.org/...

Since 1999, the orphanages in China are required to run a provincial newspaper advertisement for children that are found and brought to their orphanage. We call them "Finding Ads." These ads contain information about where and when the children were found and which orphanage is caring for them. Originally these were text-only ads, but most provinces now include photographs in their ads. These photographs are usually the earliest available pictures of the children, some from as young as a few weeks old.

I contacted Brian Stuy at http://www.research-china.org/ to see if he could get a copy of Owen's ad. He does not normally have ads from Tianjin, but does have a few and Owen's was one of them.

Here's what the ad says...

On March 4, 2005 a baby boy was found in the passageway of the Test Department o the 3rd Central Hospital, Tianjin City

He was about 4 days old (estimated)

He has a cleft palate and lip

Name now: Wei Jian Hang

We don't know what his name was before he was sent into the institute.

I'm so thankful to have this ad and to see what his cleft looked like before surgery. To us, the cleft doesn't look too bad. Not sure if that means we should be hopeful that his palate is not to bad, or even if the two are related.

Either way, we are very thankful for Brian and his services!

Another Day.... No TA!

This wait for travel approval is starting to get really tough! Even though we likely won't travel until early May, I want to know when we are going!
I spoke with CCAI on Tuesday to do some "pre travel" planning. They are hopeful that TAs will come by the end of this week. That means today or tomorrow. Stay tuned to see if they were right...

No we haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

I've been soo busy, haven't had much time to be on the computer.
I've got pictures from our wonderful snow last week and a great Lil' Angels portrait of Cackie. I even got pics of the awesome bathroom that is almost finished and Owen's finding ad.
I just need to find some time to sit down and get it all posted.
My blogover is in the works, too. So, stay tuned for beautiful changes and great pics!

It was just a matter of time...

It seems that since the first of the year kids in Cackie's class have been sick left & right. The flu, strep, pink eye, viruses, etc have been going around. But Cackie has been really healthy all this time.

Last week she started complaining of a headache or two and she started acting up a lot at school. She also started getting VERY emotional about EVERYTHING, the only other times she has been really sick were preceded by behaviour like this, so I worried that it was coming soon.
Sure enough, Saturday she woke up from her nap complaining of a headache and she seemed really warm. We gave her some ibuprofen and she was back to her normal self. Then, at 4:30 am she woke us up and she was SOOOO HOT! She's pretty much had a fever ever since. It's been anywhere from 99.5 to 104.1 depending on where she is in the meds cycle.
Just last week 2 kiddos in her class were diagnosed with strep, so to rule that out I took her to the pediatrician this morning. Good news is that it's not the flu and it's not strep, just a virus.
She's doing pretty well through it all. She still wants to play, just not as long as she usually does. Watching movies helps to keep her sitting still and resting. I don't usually let her watch so much TV, but if it helps her rest that's what she needs right now.

I'm just glad the fever didn't kick in until Saturday afternoon. Saturday morning we had breakfast with Amy & Michael from When Love Takes You In. I met Amy on the CCAI-April 2007 Yahoo Group that I started and when life got super crazy I turned it over to her. She's AWESOME and I was soo glad to meet her and her husband in person! Cackie's friends Glenys & Cassie met us too and it was a great to see them all over breakfast.

After breakfast we met up with a woman who I was buying a double stroller from. To put it lightly, she was just a little kooky, I'm glad our dealings with her are over. So, now we have a double stroller for our trip to China. I have a feeling it's going to come in VERY handy! I cleaned it up real well and washed the seat covers and put it all out on the porch yesterday to dry (it was a gorgeous 70 degress here!) Baby cat took the opportunity to lounge on it most of the afternoon. Cackie thinks it's cool and has already decided that she gets to sit in front and Owen in back.

After that little detour we went to the unpainted furniture store that is going out of business and were lucky enough to get matching chest of drawers for the kids room. Now I really need to finalize paint colors for their room so I can figure out what to paint the furniture.

The rest of the day we didn't do much. I haven't been feeling so great either, so we took it easy.

Yesterday I tagged a bunch of old clothes to sell at the consignment sale next month. I feel like I made some progress on that.

Today we haven't done much again. I'm worried that Michael & I may be coming down with the stomach thing that's going around. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I'm starting to not feel well at all.
Guess that's about it for now. No news on our TA today. Our visa applications will go to the Chinese Consulate tomorrow, just a small delay there with Cackie's application because she's a former Chinese citizen.
I'm off for medicine duty...

We've Received an Update!

Horray! We've received some updated info on Owen! Unfortunately there were no pictures, but we're thrilled to get what we can.

Here's what we know...

Medical/Development:
He likes to talk, but his speech is not clear.

Personality:
His favorite toys are toy cars and toy guns.
He is closest to foster parents, older brother and another two kids (Wei Kang Qiao, Wei Kang Dan) from the orphanage.
He is affectionate to his familiar persons.
When told no, he will stop, but will be unhappy.
Giving him toys, have him bathe, changing into new clothes will make him happy. Being criticized will make him upset.

General:
He eats rice, soup, meat, vegetables, steamed bread, drinks boiled water, but he eats slowly.

As of yesterday he weighed 28.7 lbs and was 38.6 inches tall and he is seen as healthy.

I won't know what to do picking up less than 30 lbs! Cackie was 23 lbs at 10 mos! I'm so happy to get measurements on him. Now I have a better idea of what size clothes he will need. We just need that TA now so that we can figure out what season clothing we need to pack!

He sounds a lot like Cackie... likes to talk, affectionate, will be upset if criticized. I know they are going to be two peas in a pod! I can't wait to unite them!

Thinking of Owen Today

In less than 2 hours it will be March 1 in China. That means our little boy will be turning 3!
I'm sad today thinking that we're not there with him. I pray that he has received the packages that we've sent him and that he's seen our pictures and knows who we are. I pray that he has a loving foster family who will give him big hugs and kisses for his birthday. I pray that he's healthy, safe and happy.
WE LOVE YOU OWEN!

Quick Update

I just have time for a quick update, but have some news that I wanted to share.

First, last week I had contacted Brian Stuy at www.research-china.org to see if he could get finding ads for Tianjin. His website does not list Tianjin as one of the places that he had ad from, but I went out on a limb to see if he might know of a way to get one. Another Tianjin family contacted him as well and early in the week they found out that he did in fact have their child's ad. So, I was anxiously waiting to see if I would hear back from him.
On Saturday, just before we left the house, I got an email saying that he did in fact have Owen's finding ad! I ordered it immediately and can't wait for it to get here. The picture will be before Owen's lip surgery, so it will be interesting to see the extent of the cleft in his lip.

I also contacted Brian about getting a better copy of Cackie's finding ad. We were given a copy by our guide in China, but it's just a scratchy photo copy and I'm hoping to get a clearer picture for her memory book.

Also, we are sitting on edge waiting for a phone call from our agency. One family received their TA (travel approval) last week and three more received TA yesterday. We're pretty much expecting that it could be any time now that we get our TA! Once we get that we can seriously sit down with the calendar and figure out when we can travel. We have some business obligations in the way and then there are some complications of holidays and trade fairs in China, but our agency won't even discuss it with us until they have that TA in hand.
Even though it will likely be May before we travel, I'm anxious to get that TA and start making plans! Keep your fingers crossed that we have some good news soon.

Last thing....
Back on Feb 4th our agency requested updated information on Owen. We'd really like some new pictures, but just measurements would help us a lot. We still haven't heard anything yet, but I'm still holding out hope that we will hear something. Please think good thoughts that we'll receive something soon.
That's all for now....

New Address!

Welcome to my new address.
I have a new name, too!
I'll be getting a makeover soon and things will look a lot nicer around here.
Let me know you stopped by!
~Deanna

The Tigers lost

Well, now we can put that behind us. The Tigers played a tough game, but not tough enough. We thought they might pull it out in the last few minutes, but no such luck. The Vols won by 4 points and will be the new #1 in college basketball tomorrow.
I thought I might be OK with that because I am a Vol fan, but my heart really breaks for the Tigers. I hope they can keep the momentum and still do well, but there seems to be a lot of question as to how others will judge them now.
It's been a pretty gloomy day around here. Michael was really pumped about the game and now he's really let down. Hopefully I won't take a lot of grief at work tomorrow. There are a lot of Tiger fans there who include me as one of them when things are going well. But as soon as something goes bad against Tennessee, I get treated differently.
Oh well!

The Big Deal on Beale

Today's the day... #1 vs. #2. It's true that I bleed orange (it's genetic, I'm not complaining... but I can't help it). But, today I'm all BLUE! It comes down to this... I want to see Memphis win the national championship more than I want Tennessee to. So, that means pulling for them no ifs ands or buts! (They way I look at it, I really win either way!)

To say we're excited around here is a bit of an understatement! Michael has been wearing blue everyday this week. I did laundry last night and had a whole load of just blue stuff. St. Jude encouraged all employees to wear their colors yesterday and their even broadcasting the game in the auditorium for anyone who has to work tonight!

We got a surprise invite today to go watch the game with friends and now I'm even more excited about tonight. It will be a lot of fun and we can't wait. Good thing they called, too. I was contemplating breaking down and rushing out to buy that new LCD TV we want. Our friends have now saved us a couple hundred bucks!

The paper has been FULL of great articles about the game and ESPN GameDay is here!

So, if you haven't chosen sides yet..... what's wrong with you????!!

On Monday I had Cackie's pediatrician appointment to get her official approval to travel with us to China. She's now weighing in at 40.2 lbs and is 41.25 inches tall! No wonder my back hurts, lol. Anyway after her appointment we went to the Memphis campus to see if we could get a Tiger doll like hers to send to Owen. We were successful and I got his birthday care package off yesterday!

While at the bookstore I was also able to find these matching outfits for Cackie & Owen. We will definitely be taking these with us to China.

That's about it for now. I really need to try and get some painting done in the kids bathroom.

GO TIGERS!

CDR for Mayor!

OMG! Way to go Tigers! Still UNDEFEATED!

Way to beat UAB!

A local restaurant has "Joey Dorsey for Mayor" on their outdoor sign. I'm putting in my vote for CDR for Mayor!

Starting to get ready!

Well, it's that time... I need to start getting everything ready for our trip to China. I've got to put together our packing list and start rounding up all the things we need to take. I've gotten some great ideas for packable toys from the different yahoo groups that I'm on and I need to start trying to find some of those now.
I think we're also going to try to get a double stroller for the trip. I had watched one on eBay yesterday and totally got busy doing something else and forgot to bid on it. It didn't sell, so I emailed the seller... hopefully she'll email me back. If that doesn't work out I need to keep checking eBay & Craig's List to come up with one.
I'm also going to try to put together a portable picture dictionary with important things that Owen might need or want. Basic needs like potty, milk, water, sleep, hungry will come in real handy. I want to make it so that I can throw it in the backpack and take it with us wherever we go. Any suggestions for what to include?
I'm also trying to find a good english/chinese picture dictionary, one that has the words in pinyin for us to help understand what he is saying. I've seen a number of them, but don't know which ones are worth buying. If anyone has a picture dictionary that they like, please let me know.
This time I feel more overwhelmed than I did when we travelled to get Cackie. I think it's because she will be there with us, so that's another person's stuff to worry about. But, I also think some of it is due to the fact that Owen is older. Last trip we spent a lot of time in our hotel room because Cackie was taking 2 - 3 naps a day. This time I expect that we'll be looking for parks to take the kids to play at. It will be a lot of fun, but the overwhelmed feeling comes from that unfamiliarity.
OK, so now I'm off to search for pictures!

Happy Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day!

Things worked out great for me today, I didn't have to go to work! I had my two week follow up appointment with my ENT this morning and I had to take a percocet before the appointment, so I took the day off of work. I'm SOOO glad I did!

Michael took me to my appointment and we had planned to go out for lunch afterwards. Unfortunately, on the way home I started to really feel the effects of the percocet, motion sickness, nausea & sleepiness set in. So, I came home crawled in bed and slept off the effects of the pill. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my day, but it was much better than being sick!

The doc says I look good and I can finally blow my nose! YAY! I don't have to go back to see him for another month.

Since Michael was taking me to the doc this morning, I had his valentine present delivered to his office yesterday...

Yes, these are chocolate covered jalapenos! The other night on the news we saw a story about them and he was practically drooling the whole time. So, I scoured the internet and found a place to order them that would ship right away. He had no clue what the package was and was truly surprised!

Here's another pic. They came covered in dark chocolate, milk chocolate & white chocolate. Michael says they're yummy, I'll just have to take his word on that one!

When Cackie & I got home last night there was a surprise package from Aunt Caryn, so we opened it together. She was soo excited to see that Aunt Caryn had sent her kisses and lip gloss, too! Thank you Aunt Caryn.

After opening Aunt Caryn's package I let Cackie open the package that came last week from Uncle Donald.

She was soooo excited to get the stickers, especially since she also recieved a card from her LaoLao & LaoYe with stickers in it. We've been covered in heart stickers ever since!

After dinner we let her have the big chocolate chip cookie that was in the heart tin. She thought that was just the coolest!

Tomorrow night I get to enjoy my Valentine's gift... a massage! Cackie will go over to her MawMaw & Grandad's house and Michael & I will get to have a date night. It's been a while and it should be nice.

We'll need to get a good night's sleep so that we can take advantage of the child free house on Saturday. Michael has gotten all the old flooring up in the bedroom and the new flooring just came in, so he'll be busy with that. Last Sunday I was able to get most of the walls painted in the bathroom, but I need to finish that up and try to get the trim paint completed. Once that's done I can start working on the stencils that I've picked out. I've never stenciled before, so it should be quite an experience, lol!

Yes Sweetheart

3:30 am this morning...
Michael gets out of bed and goes downstairs. I didn't hear anything (probably because I was sleeping), but I listen carefully. After a few minutes Michael comes back upstairs and gets in bed.
About 2 minutes later, I hear from downstairs.... "DADDDDDYYYYY (in a very bossy, annoyed, 3 year old voice) DADDDDYYYYYYY" Michael jumps up, runs to the top of the stairs saying "yes sweetheart". "DAAAAADDDDDDYYYYY, YOU LEFT MY DOOR OPEN."
Michael runs down the stairs, takes care of the problem and comes back upstairs.
(At this point, I don't think he knows that I'm awake. But, I couldn't resist the opportunity to point out how "wrapped" he is).

As Michael is walking back in the room I say, "you never call me sweetheart when I'm bossing you around". I think I got some silly comment back in response.

Apparently Cackie had fallen out of bed, so Michael had to go down and help her. She was calling for me, but I didn't hear her (gotta get that baby monitor turned up), so Daddy ran to her rescue (and let me sleep, too!). Good Daddy!

Fast forward to 7:30 am...
Michael & I are upstairs finishing getting ready for the day and Cackie is downstairs eating her breakfast and watching cartoons.
We hear from downstairs... "DADDDDDYYYYY (in a very bossy, annoyed, 3 year old voice) DADDDDYYYYYYY". Michael turns to me and says "am I being summoned?".

"Yes, I believe you are.... and the proper response to her is "yes sweetheart".

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Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy New Year!

The new year is 4705, the year of the Earth Rat.

I'm a rat! So, according to chinese legend, this should be a lucky year for me! My chinese friend at work tells me that I should wear lots of red this year. Wore red today, in fact!

Here are the attributes of a rat according to Wikipedia.

Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.
Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost. These people tend to have immense control of their emotions, which they may use as a tool to manipulate and exploit others, both emotionally and mentally. Rats are masters of mind games and can be very dangerous, calculative and downright cruel if the need arises. Quick-tempered and aggressive, they will not think twice about exacting revenge on those that hurt them in any way. Rats need to learn to relax sometimes, as they can be quite obsessed with detail, intolerant and strict, demanding order, obedience, and perfection.
Rats consider others before themselves, at least sometimes, and avoid forcing their ideas onto others. Rats are fair in their dealings and expect the same from others in return, and can be deeply affronted if they feel they have been deceived or that their trust has been abused. Sometimes they set their targets too high, whether in relation to their friends or in their career. But as the years pass, they will become more idealistic and tolerant. If they can develop their sense of self and realize it leaves room for others in their life as well, Rats can find true happiness.
According to tradition, Rats often carry heavy karma and at some point in life may face an identity crisis or some kind of feeling of guilt. Rats are said to often have to work very long and hard for everything they may earn or have in life. However, a Rat born during the day is said to have things a bit easier than those who are born at night. Traditionally, Rats born during the night may face extreme hardships and suffering throughout life. Rats in general should guard themselves against hedonism, as it may lead to self-destruction. Gambling, alcohol and drugs tend to be great temptations to Rat natives.
Traditionally, Rats should avoid Horses, but they can usually find their best friends and love interests in Monkeys, Dragons, and Oxen.
Professions include espionage, psychiatry, psychology, writing, politics, law, engineering, accounting, detective work, acting, and pathology.

China has bad weather, too.

If you've been keeping up with the news, you already know that China has been hit by numerous bad winter storms. Areas which are not used to seeing snow are getting lots of snow and ice and it has hampered their ability to move supplies and provide power.
The children in the orphanages are cold, hungry and in need of basic supplies.
Please consider donating to Half the Sky. They are distributing funds to needy orphanages to help keep the children safe and healthy.

We are soo lucky!

The tornadoes the other night came pretty close to us. We all feel incredibly lucky and thankful that we are together, healthy and safe.
Our prayers go out to all the families affected by the storms.

Here's a link to some local pictures on one of our news channels.
http://wreg.com/Global/Link.asp?L=296076
All we can say is that we are lucky!

Sobering Moments

This is what we faced within the last hour. This pic doesn't really do it justice, but it was the best I could get.
As I write the tornado sirens are still going off, but I assure you we are safe.

I experienced one of the most sobering moments when I walked into Cackie's school today to pick her up. As I was on my way there, the sirens started going off because of tornado warnings to the south of us. When I got to the school, I found all the kids and their teachers in the closets of the classrooms. It hit me suddenly how different these emergencies are now that we have Cackie in our lives.
Cackie and I quickly left the school and got home just before the big downpour of rain hit the area. Michael got home a few minutes later and got drenched just running from his truck to the porch. In the meantime I was running around the house, gathering candles... searching for the flashlight and cranking the weather radio (of course, there were no batteries in it!). I had Cackie in the hall closet because at that time the news weather forcasters were calling for a big cell to come right over our house. When Michael got here, he manned the upstairs while Cackie, the dogs and I headed to the basement. We were down there nearly 45 minutes listening to the radio and hearing reports of tornadoes and damage just 10 - 15 miles from our house. Cackie of course, didn't really understand it all but she was soo well behaved. I'm so proud of my big girl!
After we came upstairs we got calls from friends and it was a sobering feeling knowing that others are worried about us as much as we were about them.
We left our little setup in the basement just in case... there's a line of storms coming from the west and we'd much rather be safe than sorry.
Stay safe everyone!

LOA!!!

Whoo hoo! Owen, we're getting closer to you sweetie!
Today we got an awesome surprise when I got an email from our agency saying that we were not only through the match room, but that they had our Letter of Acceptance in hand!
Yay!
The letter will be here tomorrow and we need to sign it and send it back ASAP. The CCAA is closed a week for Chinese New Year starting on the 6th, so our completed LOA will be waiting for them when they return from their holiday.
Our agency anticipates that we'll have our TA (travel approval) two to three weeks after the CCAA gets back from their holiday.

So, this evening I've been posting a whole bunch of stuff on eBay trying to clean out stuff and make a little extra money to help send Aunt Caryn to China. Right now I'm downloading our next travel packet from our agency with info about preparing for travel and sending off for our visas.
Tomorrow night I'm going to make Michael sit down and detail his working schedules so that I have an idea of when I can tell our agency that we can travel. We're hoping for mid to late April, keep your fingers crossed!
We're so excited about this news! I've updated my work about the upcoming changes and I spoke with the director of our daycare about getting Owen in classes when we come home. I did go into work a little today and I'm glad I did. Until we leave I need to be training one of the staff accountants to fill in for me while I'm out and the sooner we start the better.
We've also started talking with Cackie about our upcoming travel and the changes that will happen when Owen joins our family. We did a lot of that before my surgery and I think it really helped her to handle it well, so all the prepping we can do should help a lot.

The weather here is TOTALLY crazy! It's 9:30 pm and it's 65 degrees outside and the humidity is aweful. We have the front door open to get some fresh air! We're supposed to get some really strong storms tomorrow, so we'll be going to vote early and hopefully we will avoid any bad weather when we go to Cackie's gymnastic lesson tomorrow night.
I guess that's about it for now. Great news today! We are sooo excited!

Let the Demolition Begin!

Bwah hahahaha!
Most people would get upset hearing splintering wood and loud banging on just the other side of their living room. But, not me! To me it means progress!
Michael got down and tore out the bedroom carpet today to assess the condition of the floor beneath. He came to what we've been figuring all along... the old floor needs to be ripped out. So he started in on the demolition of the old hardwood. YAY!
He got as much done as he could in a short time. It's a lot more tiring than he remembers, lol!
This evening we had a "picnic" on the living room floor while watching the Super Bowl. It was great and Cackie had a blast. She was so wound up, I didn't think she was ever going to fall asleep.
For me, it was nice to get in one more afternoon nap. Hopefully I'll get one tomorrow after I do a few hours at the office. (fingers crossed) My big news is that I sneezed for the first time since my surgery. Actually I sneezed lots of times. I can't blow my nose, so it was difficult making myself stop. It hurt a little, but not as much as I had worried that it did. I just wish I could blow my nose!
OK, the super bowl is over and I'm off to bed. Hopefully I can load these pictures tonight, but if Blogger keeps giving me fits I'll try tomorrow.

Making Progress

We had a pretty relaxing day today, but we still got quite a bit accomplished.
My parents left just before lunch. It was great having them here, Cackie really enjoyed it and they were very helpful in keeping things "normal" this week. But, they needed to get back home and we needed to start getting back into our routine. Before they left, Michael ran out to take care of some errands and he ordered the hardwood floor for the kids room. It will be in this week and hopefully soon he can get fully started on that.
After naps (mine & Cackie's) we went to Ashley Furniture to buy bunk beds for the kids. They are running a promotion where all our furniture will be free if the Memphis Tigers win the NCAA championship. Since we needed the beds anyway we figured it was worth it to go ahead and buy them now. So, GO TIGERS! It sure would be great to get some free furniture!
After getting home we ordered out sushi for dinner and just finished. I think we'll chill the rest of the evening and enjoy some time together.
We've been thinking of Owen a lot lately. No new info on him, but we just can't wait to have him here! We're all starting to get anxious about bringing him home.
I'm still recovering from my surgery. I seem to get better each day, but it is soo nice to be able to nap and relax. I'm definitely going to miss the naps when I go back to work!

I survived!

Well, I survived my sinus surgery on Tuesday. Don't remember much after the surgery, just came home crashed in the chair and then I was ushered upstairs before Cackie came home from school. I crashed after that, practically didn't move all night!
Wednesday I went back to the doctor and was told that I could remove the "mustache" bandage. Thank goodness! The doc says I look good and he won't need to see me for two weeks.
The worst part now is that I can't blow my nose! I really, really wish I could, but I'm sure it would hurt like heck if I did.
Really, you couldn't look at me and tell that I just had surgery. There are more signs of the surgery on my left hand from the IV than you can tell from my face. I feel like I'm getting better, basically recovering from a really bad sinus infection. My nose does hurt, just putting on chapstick hurts when I rub my lips together. And, this afternoon when I took my shower I discovered that washing my face is not quite as easy as it was before. I've got to be real careful about touching my face for a while.
I've enjoyed my time off relaxing. I've done some work on the computer and I've made some good progress on Owen's blanket. But, the rest has been the best part and just what I needed.
I'm thinking I'll go into the office on Monday for a few hours, then maybe take a nap before I have to pick Cackie up from school.
OK, Cackie is headed to bed and I'm going to do some more knitting. Tomorrow we've got quite a few things planned and I need to be well rested!

Happy Birthday Aunt Caryn

Caryn's birthday was on Friday and Cackie was excited to call her and sing Happy Birthday.
Thank you to everyone who has Chipped In to help Aunt Caryn go to China. She really appreciates it! (and we do, too!)

Chinese New Year

I wrote this over the weekend and forgot to post (will add pics later)...



We had a busy week and last weekend, but we’ve had soo much FUN!
Last Saturday was our FCC Chinese New Year Celebration and Cackie had a blast! It was a little early this year, but we had to accommodate other CNY events and it worked perfect for us. From the minute we got there Cackie was off on her own and hard to tie down. Such a social butterfly she is!
She & I had some professional portraits taken in our silks, I can’t wait to get them (Michael forgot to wear his silk, so he got excluded).

On Sunday we did some rearranging and I went out and got some shopping done. The soon to be kids room is almost cleaned out and now Cackie had a king sized bed all to herself! She looks lost in it, but thinks its soo cool!
Monday she & I both had off for the MLK holiday and we both had dentist appointments. I had to have a crown replaced (long story there) and they were running overtime, so Cackie went off with the hygienist and before I knew it she was done. I missed the whole first dental cleaning L. Oh, well! The hygienist said she was great, but wanted to do everything herself.
Then after the dentist we had lunch with Michael and headed home for nap. I did a whole bunch of things around the house while she napped, it was great. I got the majority of Owen’s next care package together and finally got that sent off on Thursday.
I had a pretty busy week at work. It was the last week that my old boss was there and HR was soo helpful to speed up the process to let my new boss start before the old one left. So, we essentially had two bosses for the week. I know that the new boss knows about the situation that happened with me not getting that position and my director has advised me to be completely honest with him about it. We didn’t actually see too much of new boss all week, but the little interaction that I had with him I worry that he thinks I’m upset with him. On Monday if I get to discuss it with him I want to tell him that it’s the system that sucks and I don’t have any beef with him. It’s not his fault that I didn’t get the job. But, that if he really wants me to like him he will work with me and give me the training that I need to move to the next step.
We did have a big announcement that some restructuring will take place. Basically three new people have been added to my little area under new boss. I like these three people and think we will make an awesome team all together, not just producing good work, but they have great personalities and we will have fun while working. That’s HUGE for me, I can’t be bored while I work!
I didn’t hear any more from the headhunter that I had been in contact with and I pretty much figured that the job market is soo tight right now that I wouldn’t hear from anyone else either. But, late Friday afternoon there was a message on the answering machine from one of the places that I submitted my resume to. I have to decide this weekend what I want to tell them when I call. I really do love my job and the people there. There are soo many positives about it that I would really hate to lose and the thought of having to establish myself for 6 years somewhere else is really exhausting. But, I have totally gotten screwed once that I’m not sure if I should believe them when they tell me that the new restructuring plan includes future growth opportunities for me. I have another day or so to think about it and decide what to do.
Today I had plans to start painting the kids bathroom, but I don’t think I’m going to get to it. The kids in Cackie’s class have had everything from the sniffles to strep throat to the flu and they’ve been so kind to share it with us. We just have a viral bug that’s been going around, but we’re pretty worn down. I don’t need to be pushing myself so close to my surgery, so I really need to keep things low key for the next few days and I need Michael feeling well, too.
My parents are on the way here, they are coming to spend the week and help out with things while I’m recovering from my surgery. It will be a huge help to know that Michael doesn’t need to be stressed about me being home alone and worrying about leaving work to pick up Cackie and all. Cackie of course, is totally excited about her LaoLao & LaoYe coming to be here with her. She can’t wait for them to take her to her gymnastics lesson and pick her up from school. If we can keep her whining down, it should be a good week!

Other news

Here’s the update that I started earlier today… now I should be just about caught up!
I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated (Yes, it seems all my posts start this way…). We’ve really been super busy and a lot has happened. It’s all combined to keep me away from my computer for days at a time.
First we were trying to get back into our routine after the new year. Cackie was back in school and work picked up for both Michael and I. On the first Friday of the new year, cackie spent the night with Michael’s mom so we took advantage and went to the Tigers game that Saturday. We had a great time, just the two of us…OK, we went with some friends but it was like the days before we had Cackie and sometimes it’s nice to have that freedom for a couple of hours.
That Sunday we spent the entire day putting up the Christmas decorations and starting the reorganization of the house. We were able to redo the setup in our living area and move some of Cackie’s toys into the living area to free up some space in her room. None of it is ideal, but it will work for now. We also reconfigured the furniture in our home office to give us some space to move my sewing/crafts supplies into there. This past weekend we were able to get more of the basement cleaned out, again making some storage space, and I was able to get all of my sewing stuff into the home office and even spent a couple of hours going through and cleaning out things that were no longer needed. We’re almost ready to move the spare bed into Cackie’s room to free up the room that will become Cackie & Owens. YAY! Last week I ordered quilts for the new room and they should be here any day now. I’m anxious for them to get here so that I can start working on paint colors. I have some ideas in my head, but I need some time to put them together.
The other big thing lately (besides the job thing that I wrote about earlier) is that two weeks from today I’m having sinus surgery. I had my first appt with an ENT about a month ago, he changed up my meds some and wanted me to follow up with a CT last week. So, Wednesday I went in had the CT and then had an appointment with the doc. He reviewed my CT with me and showed me where I have polyps on both sides of my sinuses and how that where they are situated they are basically keeping the infection in my head. He also stuck a small camera in my nose and said that I have a partially deviated septum. All this together adds up to why I keep getting sick so often. My sinuses just won’t drain and the infection stays, even with some pretty strong meds. So, my only real option is to have surgery to fix the septum so that he can get into the sinuses and clear out the polyps.
I felt a huge sense of relief as the doc explained everything to me. I’m not imagining what I’ve been feeling, especially the being tired all the time. He says that the tiredness the irritableness, even the dark spot under my eyes are all symptoms of what is happening to me. So, now hopefully the surgery will go well and all this will be behind me. I was really relieved to be able to schedule the surgery so quickly. I want to be as healed as I can be when we get on that 16 hour plane ride and hopefully the bad air in China won’t bother me as bad this time as it did before.
So, the next two weeks may be kinda hectic around here, but I’ll be home for a week recovering from surgery and should find some time then to do some blogging.

My big gripe right now

At home last night I started a catch up of the many things that have been going on in our lives. Of course, I left it on the computer there and can’t finish it right now as I sit and eat my lunch. So, instead I’ll write about the big thing that is really plaguing me right now.

Human Resources sucks!

Sorry if you work in HR and are reading this, but I have a huge issue with HR right now, at least where I work. HR at my company has to be the biggest group of idiots that has ever been assembled. Their world is purely back and white with no shades of grey at all (that would cause them to have to think and that must hurt their poor little heads).

Here’s the deal… On Christmas Eve I found out that my boss was resigning, he didn’t officially tell us until later that week, but I had the inside scoop. So, being that I’m the senior of the group and I’m interested in new opportunities, I pulled together my resume and applied for the manager position. I put a lot of thought into this and decided that this would be a good move for me and my family. I was really hoping that this would be an opportunity for me to grow with the company that I have invested 6 years with now.

So last week I spoke with the director about it and was told that I’m the preferred candidate, but that it was going to be hard to work with HR because I don’t have any official management experience. At that point I was the only candidate and if it stayed that way the position could be downgraded so that I could qualify based on my multitude of experience. The director acknowledged that we don’t have a “career path” program established in our department to help people grow and develop new skills, but that they would implement one ASAP so that it would never be questioned again.

Well, on Friday I got to work and found an email telling me that another candidate had applied and that he had already been interviewed and hired because he has years of management experience.

So, basically I’ve gotten screwed by HR. I’ve worked my tail off in my department, always taking on new tasks and I’m the “go to” person for everything because I get things done and I do them right. I know our accounting system inside & out, I know how things are run around here and I know who to contact to get what I need to get the job done. But, to HR I’m not qualified for the position because I’ve never done an employee evaluation and I won’t be qualified until I have at least two years of experience.

Yesterday I sat down with my director and I was really super pissed about the whole thing. She tells me that they fought with HR, but HR just wouldn’t budge and allow me to grow into the position. They basically made her interview and hire new dude because he fit all the job qualifications.

Now, new dude sounds like he’s a good guy. He definitely sounds like a good fit for our dept (I should know… I’ve been there the longest!) and I have nothing against him, but damn it give me a chance!

My director has promised me that the new career path will be started right away and that even the controller will explain it to the whole department that they realize they were not preparing us to grow within the department. I just wonder, at this point is it too little too late?

I’m pretty upset over this. I feel completely under appreciated in all this. My director says that I am definitely appreciated around here, it’s just the way that HR works and they tried everything they could. Well, HR may get what they deserve in this deal. Sunday night I put my resume out on Monster and HotJobs. I also applied to two positions that were posted. Yesterday I talked to a recruiter that I’ve worked with in the past and he’s going to send my resume out to a few places. Our impending trip to get Owen is my biggest concern, but he tells me that many employers will understand if I tell them on the front end. Today he submitted my resume two places, so we’ll see.

I really love my job, the people are great and I believe in the mission of the institution. But, once you’re burned do you keep sticking your hand back in the fire? I’ve got to do some investigating and see if there isn’t something better out there. Am I right?

Christmas Update

Wow! Has is really been only a little over a week since I’ve updated? It seems like tons of time has passed. Reality is that we’ve been having a lot of FUN (for the most part) and that has kept me from getting on the computer much and doing any updating.
The Friday before Christmas was Cackie’s last day at school before the Christmas break. Her class party was that afternoon, so I left work a little early and went to enjoy with her friends and their parents. Mayhem is truly the only way to describe the feeling in the classroom! Nineteen 3 year olds enjoying treats (i.e., sugar) doesn’t make for much quiet. I sat with Cackie while she enjoyed her snack plate (sliced turkey, cheese, cookies, cheetos, cupcake & grapes…yum!) She sat down at a table off to the side and was shortly joined by 3 of her boy buddies, such a flirt already! The kids were all super excited about Christmas and Santa’s impending arrival. Alex was fascinated with Santa coming down the chimney and exclaimed to me that he saw a house earlier that week with 3 chimneys! The chimney thing must be something that the class has talked about a lot, earlier that morning I caught Cackie in front of our chimney saying “Santa, you come down chimney… OK?”
After we got home from her party we stopped by Holiday Ham to order some items for our Christmas brunch. We had thought a lot about how we wanted to spend Christmas day and decided that we definitely didn’t want to spend it in the kitchen. So, we figured that a nice big brunch with munchies for later in the day would be a nice change of pace. It turned out really well and the whole family enjoyed it. We’re seriously thinking that it will be a family tradition from now on.
After stopping to order our brunch, we took Cackie to Michael’s mom’s to spend the night. This was a huge help to us to relax and get some things accomplished on Saturday. The Tigers were playing in their bowl game, so we ordered in sushi and watched them get beat L while wrapping some presents.
The Saturday before Christmas we had a party at our house for our FCC “family”. Michael made a couple of pots of chili and friends brought the extras. It was nice, easy and relaxing to spend the evening together. We even had a surprise birthday celebration for our friend Angela! The kids played together really well, they did get into a few confrontations but that’s to be expected with 3 year olds. It was really great to see them all together and watch their developing personalities. I can’t wait until we have Owen home and he can join this great group of kids. I look forward to watching these kiddos grow up together!

The Sunday before Christmas my sister and I braved a trip to Walmart. It was pretty crazy, but not the worst I have ever seen. We were able to get just about everything we needed for our Christmas brunch and even picked up a couple of last minute gifts. The rest of the day was spent getting things ready, baking cookies and wrapping gifts.
On Christmas Eve I had to go into work for a couple of hours, but Michael & Caryn were home with Cackie getting ready for the big day. I started getting a headache after I got home and spent a lot of the afternoon sitting and watching TV, something that I rarely do and it was quite nice to just relax. Late that afternoon we went out and picked up some movies and had a cozy little lasagna dinner. While the lasagna was cooking we took Cackie outside to put out her “magic reindeer food” to help guarantee that Santa and his reindeer would make a stop at our house.

My parents got here around 9pm and we were all glad to see my dad moving around pretty well after his knee surgery. Cackie finally fell asleep around 11 – 11:30 and we were all ready to crash by that point.
Christmas morning Michael & I got up around 7:30 and started getting things ready for our brunch. I’m sure we weren’t super quiet, but Cackie was still able to sleep until just after 8. She stayed in her room quietly for a while until she begged us to come out. The first thing she exclaimed to her Aunt Caryn when she woke up was that Santa did not come in her room because she didn’t see him! When she did come out of her room she was more excited about seeing the table loaded up with breakfast treats, especially the grapes. She hardly paid attention to the mound of presents under the tree in the other room!
Around 9 am Michael’s Mom & stepdad arrived at the house and we let Cackie dive into unwrapping her presents. She had a blast, but didn’t quite understand that she couldn’t open each toy as she unwrapped them. After she was finished we had our brunch and Michael’s Mom & stepdad left. At that point the rest of us unwrapped the remaining presents under the tree. By the time we finished it was 1pm! Cackie and Dad laid down to take naps and the rest of us napped in the living room or just puttered around with things. We had a wonderful rest of the day, just hanging out and relaxing. In the evening we watched a couple of movies and actually got to bed much later than I had intended.
All in all it was a pretty great Christmas and we’ve pretty much decided that we’ll do a Christmas brunch from now on, a lot less stress and more relaxing…exactly what we need.

On Wednesday Michael & I had to go back to work. Caryn was here to help keep Cackie occupied while her school was on break and they both have had a great time together. On Thursday we went out for sushi and ended with everyone’s favorite cheesecake tempura!
Yesterday we went and applied for Caryn’s passport. Hopefully it will come back as fast as Cackie’s did. Last night Michael, Cackie & I went over to his Mom & Stepdad’s to exchange our presents with them. After Cackie went to bed we sat and watched a movie, something we never seem to do anymore.
This week I’ve also gotten some more news about Owen. The American volunteer in Tianjin (I’ll call him AVT for simplicity) saw him on the 26th and said that Owen rushed him along with a whole group of kids when he arrived at the orphanage. His comment was that he didn’t have much to say about Owen because he seems to be a pretty normal kid in a pretty normal situation. I asked about Owen being in the “kindergarten” class even though he’s not yet quite 3 and found out that some children start “kindergarten” early, depending on when their birthdays fall, etc. AVT says that Owen is the same size physically as most of his class, so we feel that he’s probably like Cackie and on the bigger size.
Hearing all this about Owen has been wonderful. It’s so good to know that he’s doing well and is a happy boy. We are starting to put together things for another care package. I’m hoping to get it out in the next two weeks so that he receives it in time for Chinese New Year on February 7.
That’s about it for now!

Whining

The whining is driving me NUTS!
We have had lots and lots of whining lately, so I’ve really started playing the Santa card when the whining starts up.
Yesterday after picking Cackie up from school we had to stop at the drugstore to pick me up some antibiotics (yes, yet another sinus infection for me!). She started whining from the moment I told her we were going to the store and just wouldn’t stop. Nothing that I said or did could stop it. So, I told her that for a little girl who’s hoping that Santa will bring her lots of nice things she sure was doing a lot of whining. I reminded her that Santa was at the North Pole packing his sleigh, but that he could see and hear everything she was doing and saying and that she’d better shape up or Santa might take some of those nice things and give them to another little boy or girl.
Her response was “well, he’s not talking to me” - meaning that since she couldn’t hear Santa he couldn’t hear her either. Oh, the logic of a 3 year old!
So, then she wanted to know how Santa could see her. How do you explain this to a 3 year old? “Oh, he has a magic ball that he can look in and see you.” Yeah, I can just hear the questions coming from that one! So, I told her that Santa just had to think about her and he could see what she was doing.

Then I reminded her by singing…
“He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good
So, be good for goodness sake.”

All was quiet in the backseat for a second and the she said “yeah Mommy and he’s coming to town too!”

Stifling my laughter was nearly impossible! Gotta love 3 year olds!

Thoughts

So, besides the wonderful news that I received about Owen earlier, I got another great piece of news... I got an A! My grades are in and I got an A in my accounting class. Either I improved a whole lot (100% on the final) or he was just a whole lot tougher at the beginning of the semester than he was at the end. Either way, I'll take it! So, now I feel great with a 3.5 GPA in the MBA program. Yahoo!

Now, for some catching up...


On Thursday we got a huge surprise when Cackie's passport arrived. Less than 3 weeks and we had her passport. We told her that now she's all ready to go get her brother and I thought she was going to go pack! She's really ready for him (or at least she thinks she is, lol!).


On Friday we took Cackie to see Santa. She was real excited before we got there, but suddenly became shy when faced with sitting on Santa's lap. We had a hard time convincing her to smile. In fact, a couple of times she told us flat out that no she was not going to smile. I'm not sure how they got her to smile, but they did and the photographer snapped the picture at the right time. I think this year's picture really sums up Cackie's personality.

The rest of the weekend we did a little shopping, finished putting up decorations and got packages ready to send off to Owen and family out of town. It went by fast, but all in all we had a pretty good weekend.

Tomorrow my Dad is having a partial knee replacement. I teased that 35 years later it's his turn to experience major pain on December 18, lol! I'll be thinking of him all day, hoping that all goes well.

So, now we get ourselves ready for the final stretch till Christmas. I got out the majority of our Christmas cards today and the rest will go out tomorrow. We're having friends over on Saturday before we go to ZooLights and we can't wait for that. I've got just a few small things to pick up tomorrow and then I'm done shopping! Now, I just have to find time to wrap everything!

Best Birthday Present Ever!

OK, so my birthday isn't actually until tomorrow. But, I still got the best present ever this morning. I dragged my butt out of bed, grumbling the whole way. Katie won't "get out of bed" until I do and she was ready to go, so we quickly head downstairs so that I can let her out. I head into the kitchen and get my first of many cups of coffee, let Katie back in the house (it's COLD!) and I sit down at the computer to check my emails.

This is the way things work just about every morning. But, this morning I had a fabulous surprise in my inbox... through the TianjinFamilies yahoo group, I have heard of an American who is living in Tianjin working as an english teacher and he volunteers at the Tianjin orphanage. This morning I had an email from him letting me know that he has checked in on Wei Jian Hang! Here's what he wrote....

Wei Jian Hang is in the Jinghai foster care program and attends the CWI-run kindergarten there. I will pay more attention to finding him next time I am there and hopefully I can give you some more information. Merry Christmas!

Our boy is in foster care! This makes us very happy because Cackie was in foster care as well. I have been worried about Owen's attachment to us, but now feel some comfort knowing that he is (hopefully) in a family setting that will at least (hopefully) have some similarities to what life will be like in our family.

It's my understanding that the CWI (Children's Welfare Institute) Kindergarten is more like daycare, not like what Americans think of as Kindergarten. That's great, since he will be going to daycare here and should find that the routine of that is similar.

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to receive this news today. I wrote "my friend" back and thanked him many times for this wonderful news. The hardest part right now is knowing that we're happily about to celebrate my birtday, Christmas, New Years, Chinese New Year, Michael's birthday, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc and we won't be there for his 3rd birthday or to even meet him for months! Just getting any bit of news about him helps to make that time pass and gives me motivation to get things ready to bring him home.

Michael took the first care package for Owen to the post office today. We included many things for him... a fleece hoodie, some dinosaur PJs, a warm hat and gloves, a picture book with 36 pictures of us, Cackie, grandparents, friends, etc, a book, 5 mini toy cars, a Smokie doll just like Cackie's with this picture in it's arms...

and candies for the nannies. I sure hope he gets it.

Some of the things that I've bought for Owen and sent in his care package

So, this wonderful news is the best birthday present I could have ever dreamed of!

Consider a boy

Consider a boy….

We go to ChinaFor a child
A daughter

We are deeply disturbed at the vastness of girls
Abandoned
Lost
Alone

We love each of these girls
Even as we are grateful to adopt just one
And we are proud to teach them about
Girl power

We want to right the balance
We want our girls to know they are not a second choice
We want to raise them to be powerful

And many of us believe
That boys in China are Little Emperors
Adored
Indulged
Loved beyond belief

Many are.

And yet
Should you have the great privilege of visiting an orphanage
You will see boys
And not just a few

Many, many boys
Who perhaps were a second child
But, in all sad reality,
Were probably abandoned because of some special need

Cleft lip, cleft palate
Heart disease
Club feet or vision problems

Issues that, in the states,
Are treatable or at least manageable
Issues that, in the states,
Would not define them or their lives

And they wait.

They wait for a home
A family
A chance

Maybe you weren't thinking of
A boy

Maybe you weren't thinking
Special needs

Maybe you were envisioning
Your fairy tale

And you should never apologize
For that

We all have our fairy tale
We all have our vision
We all have our dreams

But so do these children
Be they girls, abdicated to a less than status
By the power of culture and tradition
Or
Be they boys, left to live in an orphanage
Left without the same opportunities
As their parented peers

When I first dreamed of parenthood
It wasn't to an adopted child

I dreamed of pregnancy
Of womanhood
Of giving life

I grieved the loss of that first dream
And yet
The second dream was not
Second best.

Instead of giving birth to a child
I gave birth
To me

I became a mother
When I began to love

I became a mother
When I began to whisper sweet goodbyes
To the dreams that seemed important
So I could listen to dreams
That would not wait

So today,
I ask you to consider a boy
Consider a special need
Consider that you might be
More than what you ever thought

We adopted our daughter
As a non-special-needs child
And her needs are vast
And global
And tiring
And rewarding

We adopted through the traditional program
Because we couldn't handle special needs

Luckily, God knew better

And now,
The couple who couldn't handle special needs
Has become a family who can handle
Whatever comes its way.

Including a boy.
A boy with special needs
Who has captured our hearts,
Intrigued our minds,
And blessed our days already.

And so I ask you again,

Consider a boy.
Consider that you might be
More than what you ever thought.
Consider.

Just consider.

Melissa
Lucky Mama to Kate
Paperchasing for our first son

I feel like I could have written this. I had found this on one of the Yahoo groups that I belong to and had sent it to Michael back in late October. Today I was cleaning out my mailbox and came across it. It touched me again and I wanted to share. Many thanks to Melissa who wrote this.

I got a name!

Like the pine trees linin the windin road

I've got a name, I've got a name

Like the singin bird and the croakin toad

I've got a name, I've got a name....

(sorry, great song and I couldn't resist)

Well, I see that Daniel Thomas JianHang lead the poll here on the good ole blog. Actually that was a late entry on our part and while we love the name Daniel, we really wanted to keep Thomas as the middle name. But, to us, this kiddo just doesn't have a big enough nose to be called Danny Thomas!

So, we're excited to announce that our new son (with the cute little nose) will be named....

Owen Thomas JianHang Walls

We've already started talking about Owen this and Owen that. Cackie is still having trouble remembering his name, but once she's reminded she starts talking about Owen DiDi (DiDi means little brother in mandarin).

CackieDoodle & OwenDiDi - goes well together, don'tcha think?

I'm finished!

No, not with my Christmas shopping (actually, there's not a lot of that this year, but I do still have a few things to pick up). I'm finished with my class! Yahoo! YAY!
I turned in my exam on Tuesday afternoon and I felt a wave of relief. I'll feel a bigger wave when I have my final grade, though. This semester has been tough on me. TTU is using a new system for their online classes and I don't think my prof really ever got a handle on how to use it. Plus, I could never quite tell what he was looking for in the assignments, etc. I had some discussions with classmates and they felt the same way, so it's good to know I wasn't the only one.
At the same time that I'm glad my class is over, it's also bittersweet... I worked so hard to get into the MBA progam this year and get two classes under my belt. Now, I wonder if I'll get to go back and finish. I definitely can't take classes this spring with travelling to China and all the things we have to do to get ready. And, I really don't want to take any more summer classes, we just lose out on so many opportunities to have fun. So, maybe I'll start back with classes next fall, or maybe I'll forget about school and start the crafty side business that I've always wanted to do. One thing I know for sure, I'm going to make sure that I spend lots of time with my kids... that will make life perfect.
Besides finishing up with school, we've had a busy week. Michael has been out of town all week, so I've been doing the single mom gig. It's so stressfull being the only one around to take care of everything. Plus, Cackie has missed her Baba terribly (and has let me know it on many an occasion!). She'll be estatic to see him this afternoon.
We're almost done putting up the Christmas decorations. Gotta get some help from Michael tonight to get the last few things put up. Cackie has had a great time helping this year, every night she wants to decorate the tree again!
Hopefully this weekend we'll finish up the rest of our shopping and have some free time together. We've got to visit Santa as well, hopefully that will go well.
I've been printing off all kinds of pictures to send off in a care package to the orphanage. Plus, I went nuts the other day in Walmart and bought all kinds of trucks and cars to either send or have at the house. Tonight we'll take some pictures that I wanted to "stage" and hopefully I'll get it off to the postoffice on Saturday.
Well, that's about all for now. I'm hoping to have a little free time tonight to post some pictures, but it might be later this weekend before I can get to it.

Beautiful

This was on my calendar today and it made me smile. It is Massif de chrysanthemes by Claude Monet. Beautiful!

Need a new look & name

I figure it's time for a change around here. After all, we're going to be adding another male to our family, so maybe I need to update the name of my blog to better reflect that. Then, there's the look of the blog, definitely too girly! I'll need to work on that as well, maybe something with ladybugs & sailboats?
One more week and I'm done with my class this semester, yahoo! After that I'll work on a new name and definitely a new look.
I've got to start thinking about decorating as well... furniture... projects around the house... packing lists. Oh, and it's Christmas! My brain has been going 90 to nothing with all that's going on. The lists around here are starting to build up. There's the ever present grocery list and the must do list. But, now we've added the Christmas list (very short this year, folks), the care package list, the packing list, the things to do before we go to China list (bunk beds, decorate the kids room, sell all those girls clothes that are too small, etc) and the things I want to do before we go to China list. AAAAhhhh!
Maybe I need to make a list of my lists?

LOI & Tianjin (&blogs!)

We're LOI! (letter of intent, that is)
We had to submit a LOI to our agency, basically saying that we know all about Wei Jian Hang's condition and that we want to adopt him. We sent this and some other pictures and information to CCAI yesterday, they should have received it this morning.
Now, CCAI will take our LOI and send it on to China. Once China receives it and "processes" it, they will issue us a PA (pre approval). Basically, this means that they know that we want to adopt Wei Jian Hang and that they are moving our dossier from the non special needs area to the special needs area.
So, now we wait some more...

At the same time, I'm soo excited! I know of two other families who have received referrals from Tianjin this week. Their referrals are here... http://ladmans.blogspot.com/ & http://www.barry-family.net/ They both have sons waiting for them with repaired cleft lip, unrepaired cleft palate. Does this mean that we'll get the chance to travel together? Don't know right now. The special needs program with China is sooo different than the non special needs program and it's really all up in the air. I'll be talking with these families more for sure and will stay updated on their statuses.

And, tomorrow the Lewis family leaves for China to adopt their son David from Tianjin! I'll be following their blog to learn all I can. If you'd like to learn more about Tianjin, you can follow along too. Their blog is http://lewises.blogspot.com/.
They are planning on visiting the orphanage and are hoping to have the opportunity to ask about the boys who now have forever families. I'm hoping for good news, but just knowing that they are there and thinking of the other boys is a huge plus for me!

Another family that I've been following is in China right now. They were LID just before we were with Cackie and adopted their Mary just before we travelled to China. They just adopted a beautiful little girl with a repaired cleft lip & palate. Heather is a great writer, very down to earth and I love reading her journey. Isn't her Ella just beautiful? http://2china4ella.blogspot.com/

I'll leave you tonight with a Cackie'ism...
Back when we went to MS for the football game and Caryn came camping with us, just after we got to the campground we got out Cackie's tricycle for her to ride & play. She was goofing around on it and started trying to stand on the seat with her hands on the handle bars. Caryn told her to be careful, that she was about to fall. Of course, Cackie responded like a toddler and didn't listen. So, Cackie stood on the seat again, the bike fell over and she fell to the ground with the bike on top of her. Before Caryn could say anything she heard Cackie say "see, that's why you don't do that" - A sign that she'd learned something, NAH!

Help Aunt Caryn?

In case you haven't yet figured it out.... We're going to China!
Travelling to China to adopt is a wonderful experience, but at the same time it can be very stressful. We are definitely taking Cackie with us on our trip, but we could really use an extra helper to be there ready to assist. When we started on our 2nd adoption journey last year, we asked Caryn if she would be interested in going with us. She definitely wants to go, it's just coming up with the funds that is holding her back.
So in the spirit of "Save Ferris Bueller" (Caryn's favorite movie, by the way), I've started a "Send Aunt Caryn to China" fund. Michael & I, of course will be making our donation as part of Caryn's Christmas present and again for her birthday at the end of January. Having Caryn in China with us will be a HUGE help and we want to do all we can to make that possible. Unfortunately, it's just not possible for us to fund the whole trip.
So, if you want to help here's your chance! Send Aunt Caryn to China (we promise to bring her back!)

We need a name!

Ok, well... we have a name in mind, but we want to know what you think!
We've added a poll to the right hand side... what should we name our son?
We will consider any and all input! This has caught us off guard, and we're needing advice!
Please vote!

Nashville!

Hello from Nashville!

We're in Nashville, at the Opryland actually, getting some much needed family time.
We've had this planned for the last month or so. It's a huge splurge for us, especially now that we know that we'll be travelling to China in a few months, but much needed family time. We're excited to share our last Christmas as a family of 3 with Cackie and Michael's blood pressure and my stress level have greatly benefited from this trip.
We got here yesterday, late of course (mostly due to taking care of issues with Zack). We also needed to stop by the hospital and check on our buddy Tom. He's back in the hospital (2nd time since his surgery). This time because his incision (throat to belly) is badly infected. Say a prayer for our buddy! We love him!
Anyway, we got to Nashville a little later than planned, traffic played into it also and got checked into our room. I had to attend to some school stuff and then we took off exploring the hotel. Cackie was having a wonderful time! We had dinner last night and got to bed really late!
I slept in the bed with her (after she fell off the bed in New Orleans last year, I wasn't taking chances!) She was into sleeping perpendicular to me, we looked like a T (GREAT LETTER! GO VOLS!)
Today we went out for a good breakfast and then had tickets to the Rockettes. It was a great show and Cackie loved it! Gosh, what I would have done to be a Rockette! Of course, that would have meant that I wouldn't have my awesome husband and daughter and son, so it's OK that that is a dream not realized!
After the Rockette show we changed into something much warner and headed over to the ICE! display. They have taken the Grinch and frozen him! It was totally awesome and we had a great time! We were all frozen by the end of the exhibit, but it was great!
We headed back to the hotel room for a nap and to catch the SEC championship game. GO VOLS!
Cackie took a great nap (Michael, too) and then they goofed off, as you can see in the pics.
I guess that's it for now. I'll write more later. Hugs and Kisses from Nashville!