Making Popcorn - Movie Night!

MM and I do movie nights on some special nights or on a weekend night sometimes. We get out the air mattress, get in our PJs,move all the pillows and blankets we can find to the "nest", make popcorn and just hang out watching movies, eating popcorn, and having a great time. HEre's a recent pop-corn making photo series:

Just trying to...

Information Gathering

Well, I hope my boss isn't reading my blog today; I have not done a LICK of work. yup. I've been gathering information. ON CHINA.

Check this out: I have been lurking on my own Blog. Going back through the "China adoption" posts. And while it does make me sad (I spend SO MUCH TIME thinking about Baby M, Dreaming about Baby M.... WANTING Baby M....), it has allowed me to get back in touch with the ol' China adoption world. (See, information!!)

I remember posting EONS ago about what our predicted MATCH DATE was: 2010-06-26.

Well, that clearly didn't happen. Here's our new prediction:

Our prediction for LID 2006-06-01

China has 9 days of dossiers to be processed before they get to your dossier. China currently processes about 5.1 days of dossiers each month.

Our best guess: 2011-01-11

Since China generally sends out referrals in a batch about once per month, your referral date could easily vary +/- one month depending on whether you just get included or just get missed in a particular batch.

Obviously - it would be more like 2012.

Now, that makes it REAL.

Or, REAL-ER, anyway.

Actual NEWS = OMG, WE GOT the CALL....well, the call BEFORE the call *updated.

I am preparing to blog on something I have not blogged on for many many months; maybe years. Baby Magic and the China Adoption.

And I labeled/titled this post something that ALL adoptive parents want to say "We got the call". And before anyone gets too excited, we didn't get THAT call, but the one that comes BEFORE THAT call.

Last night our China Agency called us to tell us our LID batch was next up for referrals.

Knock me the F-over!

I DREAMED of this day for YEARS. Anyone adopting does. You hope, you pray, you cry, you beg... you cry some more. You CAN.NOT.WAIT.TO.GET.THE.CALL.

And when I got it last night I was so damn angry over the whole process, and I wasn't particularly nice to our "contact" at our agency. (She had an attitude too, however, and I might add that I have been logged in longer than she has even WORKED there...she should cut us parents some slack!) I could barely understand what she was telling me.

Her (very perky): Hello! I am calling to tell you that your Log-In-Date batch is next up for referral! We need you to file (a thousand more pieces of paper and pay a zillion more dollars) so that you are ready on Match Day!!!

Me: Um. Wow. Didn't you call me a year ago and tell me the same thing? If we had done the paper work then we'd have paid (a ZILLION and 3 more dollars) and still had to have to do our paperwork all over again this year. Is it for real this time?

Her (much LESS perky): Well, my records indicate I spoke to you in March of '09, and you indicated you were unsure of your status.

Me: No kidding.

Her (with no perky to speak of): Well, the most recent batch of dossiers with LIDs through May 23rd 2006 was just referred to families. Your LID is expected to be next. Now is the time to get all your paperwork up to date.

Me: And when do you expect our referral to go through?

Her (testy now): well. In the next 9-12 months.

Me: And if we re-do our Home Study and our ICE paperwork, will that last through the next year, or will we have to re-do it AGAIN?

Her (obviously annoyed with me for some reason): Probably not. Shall I send you the paperwork or do you want to get back to me on this?

Me: Send me the paperwork. It's electronic, right? It can't hurt to send it. Then I have it and I can look at it and DH and I can make the decision. But obviously we have some time, right?

Her: I guess you do.

Me: Thanks and I have your number.


Ok, well, that's about how it went. Maybe I wasn't terribly pleasant, but for those of you not familiar with our story, or China adoption, we have been waiting for FIVE YEARS. FIVE LONG YEARS. When we started, referrals were taking about 9 months from Log In to Match, and you traveled a few months later... for a total wait time of about 14 months. Then immediately after we got ready, the whole machine ground to a screeching halt.

Now, after 5 years, and another whole (completed) adoption later, we are NEXT UP FOR REFERRAL. Only about 2 years ago I decided I don't have any interest in another kid. (My first one is perfect, how can another one be better??) DH pretty much agreed; until yesterday.
"Maybe we should do it." he says. And of course, MM thinks it would be WONDERFUL to be a big brother (although he is lobbying for a litter sister who is a boy...).

The issue now is that it is no longer a random issue; we actually have to make the decision. Do we go through with it or not?

*As an quick update: I started trying to find some of the old China sites I used to spend HOURS reading - you know the sites: the China blogs, the chat groups, the "what to expect" groups, the LID groups...

I SPENT HOURS on those sites back when we were paper-chasing, and after we were LID. They were a life-saver to help keep me sane. Now, I can't find a single one! I am SOOOO far out of the loop! I do not know a THING about China adoptions anymore.

(Those of you who know me are laughing. Yes, I am a type-A person; information is like GOLD! The more information I can gather, the calmer I become....

Now, I need INFO!

oh, and coffee......

Working with Uncle Jude

Just a few shots to keep you happy. No, they aren't great. But they are cute!

More "oldies"

Some gems from the old days...

I was procrastinating at work today (which admittedly happens a lot, but I almost always do MORE work when I am procrastinating, rather than spending time on other ways like Fbook or whatever, but alas, I digress...) and ran across some very old photos of The Dude. All the way back to the days when we fist picked up our Minute Man. These are some of my FAVS. Enjoy:

If you don't feed me I will eat this onesie... then what? Huh?!

Do not even THINK of removing this from my hand. I do not yet know what it is for, but I assume it holds power.... and now I HAVE IT!

Ok, these are old but hey, they are new (to you!)

These are from May a year and some months ago, but hey, they are new to you!!

Our Minh Man!!

The Dude spent time at the Farm last week. He had a BLAST as usual. Here are a few quick pix that I was able to grab last weekend.

And no. I know. They are not very good.

The little minor celebrity has taken a sincere dislike to the paparazzi (read: Mom and her camera) these days. He goes as far as to put the rake up in front of his face WHILE RAKING!!! so that I can't snap a photo. These are a few of the ones that you can at least TELL what a beautiful face he has... or that he even HAS a face!! I especially enjoyed when he attempted to hide behind the fox-tail grass. At least THAT was easy to see around.

Leaf jumping, a requirement in the Fall.

Let's do that AGAIN!

MMMMMwwwwaaahhhh-hhhaaa-hhhaaa...

What's this fuzzy grass, Mommy?

Hi, Mom. Yes, I'm CUTE!

These never get old

This post could also be called: Reading is FUN (or maybe Reading is RELAXING)...

ah-HA, MORE NEW PHOTOS!

Can you STAND it?! More MM wonderful-ness. And this little dude truly is wonderful. I had a killer day the other day; no lunch-break, interview from hell (I'm hiring a post-doc, so I was doing the interviewing at least! But both candidates I interviewed were nearly 10 years my senior. I'll be their "boss"...WEIRD), spilled my coffee on my new pants, and had to drag some dead weight around to get a MAJOR report done... and that was just my morning! Anyway, I finally get home that evening, and I'm so tired and grumpy I can barely stand up, and the Dude runs into the bedroom, grabs his "B" (his quilt), and walks me by the hand into the TV room, sat me in his favorite chair, and then covered me in his "B".

"Here, Mommy. this will make you feel better.".

Then, just for good measure, he gave me a BIIIGGGGGGGGG hug.

And you know what? I felt better immediately. What a great guy!

Finally feels like Fall

Well, I have been working tons (duh!), but this weekend we spent a lot of time doing those "around the house" things that you have to do a few times a year (or, realistically, once every few years) - Clean out the attic, get rid of old - "fat" - clothes, Clean the windows, and cabinets... that sort of thing.

The Dude is a great help with these things; he LOVES to put things away, and in their rightful place (if only I could teach my husband that!). We've been having a great time these days. MM is truly a fantastic little person. As you can see!

New pix!

Ok, well, I am a bad blogger these days. I have so little time to simply do the basics (eat, sleep, shower, brush hair) that things like "blogging" take a WAY back seat. But, maybe I can get something up more than once a month, but don't hold your breath.

The Dude goes golfing... sort of.

MM and I like to hang at the ol' Golf Course. We actually spend a lot of time out there. He has clubs, I have clubs; we both like to whack the little white balls around. I even enjoy it... but what he REALLY likes to do is drive the cart and rake bunkers. Oh, and order me around.

Looks like I may have a little superintendent in the making! (after he wins his first 6 or 8 PGA events of course.)

Making Popcorn

Cup runnith over

Sure sure. The only way I could get you to look at my "artsy fartsy" photos (which plenty of other blogs seem to require) is to add the Dude in here as a teaser.

I have a garden full of tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, peppers, flowers..... but not a drop of rain. Hot hot hot and dry these days, but things are growing pretty well, even so. (Especially the Minute man!)

Goofin off around the house

Beating the heat by driving the "motor cycle" around the living room

All Aboard........................

Over the 4th of July weekend I got the family together to take the Minute Man to ride on an honest - to -goodness Steam Engine-driven train. Here are a few photos from the trip.
e



Here's the fam... an odd crew, but a good one!