Yesterday was Jace's 3rd Birthday party & he wanted a Pirate Party, so of course, Aunt Linda & Uncle David took that literally, which gave us an opportunity to play dresss up! Here we are as pirates! When we got out of the truck, Jace looked out the window, and said, "Mommy, there are pirates here!" When Jacob told him it was us, he didn't believe him at first. I heard him say, "That's not David; that's a pirate!" I guess he was pretty convincing! Sometimes, it's just fun for even grown ups to play dress up!

Tomorrow is our 35 Month LID Anniversary, and we are getting so very nervous by the fact we're just 8 LID's behind the last referral group! I'm not sure what to think about the upcoming referrals; will it be more days, since last month was only 2 days, and if so, will we be included, or will it be another small batch & we'll be waiting a month or two more!? I guess we'll see closer to the end of this month. There haven't been any rumors, yet, so I'm not sure how far away we are from the next batch of referrals, but I'm getting very antsy! I'm scared, but ready! Bring on the referrals, let's get to China, and let's bring Micalee home! I wanted to share just how special my 6 year old nephew, Jacob, is. We were having a yard sale this past weekend & my sister was ready to get rid of Jacob's toddler car bed. Jacob told her he wanted us to keep the money we made from selling the bed to help bring Micalee home from China! How sweet is he?!?! He's going to be the best cousin ever!

34 Months....

I missed our 34 month LID anniversary by one day! I was too busy raking leaves all day to notice the date! We've made through another month of waiting....and I think the end is near. CCAA is still doing an average of 5 to 6 days of LID dates per month. We are 10 days past the latest referral group, so that would mean a referral in about 2 months. I'm not sure how the Chinese New Year holiday will effect us. CCAA will be closed the end of January, but hopefully will get referrals out before they close. If so, we'll see how that group looks, and may be able to determine if we feel safe in saying we're next! That means possibly a referral late Feb/early March. That would put us traveling to China around April/May. We are both getting nervous now that we really feel this is going to happen! I'm sure that's normal. We're scared & excited at the same time! I can't believe it's going to finally happen. I feel like alot of people have thought we were crazy & have made up this entire story of adopting from China! But, soon everyone will get to see a picture of Micalee!

33 Months...

Dec 10th was our 33 month LID anniversary. 33 months since we were logged in. CCAA just matched through 2/23/06. Our LID is just 15 days behind that, but still, according to predictions, it could take another 6 months to get to us. Maybe I'm just hopelessly optimistic, but I just can't see it taking THAT long. They have averaged 6 days per month, so that would put us 3 months away. There are a few LID days that are supposedly huge, but there have been in the past, too. I guess we'll have to wait & see. I'm thinking more March instead of February, but still, better than six months away! I'm been doing pretty good with the whole Christmas thing. It's hard at times to think how many Christmases I thought would be the last without Micalee, but this one has to be! I think she's already here on this earth, waiting, just like we are, but not sure for what. In a way it's harder to know she's born, because I wonder how she is being cared for and if she is safe, warm and happy. This has been such a long, emotional journey, and I'm ready to get to the destination! It's depressing to see the poll I had going so long ago with predictions of when we will be getting our referral. Maybe it's time to start a new one!

Well, we missed making an entry on our 32 month LID anniversary, because we were busy visiting Mickey Mouse! It was a much needed break for both of us! However, it was very strange the number of run-ins we had with little Asian children. It seemed that no matter where we were sitting for a show, parade, or dinner, that a least one, if not more, small Asian child would end up seated next to us! We even had dinner with a two little girls (Asian) from Canada! We were either being tested or it was a continuous sign that things we going to be okay, and we, too, would eventually get to take our little Asian girl to Disney World! Whatever it was, it was near scary how often it occurred! Anyway, it's been officially 32 months since we were LID & now we're trying desperately to get our current 171-H renewed, but I think we're in the home stretch now (at least I hope so!). This last month didn't look too good for numbers of days referred, so hopefully the next months will be better. I'm still hoping for a February referral, but March or April may be more realistic! Only time will tell!

Yep, we're officially at 31 months of waiting! Again, this month, I realized at the end of the work day, it was our LID anniversary, and again, I had a rotten day. Coincidence? I don't think so! I guess even my subconscious can count! It was even more rotten today, because besides having issues at work, I was trying to get in touch with our region's USCIS office to get clarification on a letter we received yesterday wanting a FULL home study report instead of the update we sent in with our renewal request (like we did the last time without a problem). Well, obviously, the phone number I used over a year ago isn't good anymore, or no one was there today, because the phone just rang and rang, and there was no voice mail or messaging at all. And to top it all off, when I called the National Service Center number to attempt to get a local number, they said they didn't have one! Right! I'm sure they have no way to get in touch with the regional offices! So anyway, we're having our Social Worker write up a full home study report, AND re-run our Child Abuse and Criminal Background clearances. Hopefully, this will suffice! And hopefully, we'll be done with this paperwork! The free fingerprinting went smoothly, so I thought we were home free until we got that darn letter! I'm still predicting a referral in February & travel in April! And the way the referrals have been going, that's still very possible. We're on the downhill stretch, but it still feels like the closer we get, the further we are away!

We've reached 2 1/2 years of waiting!

Well, it's officially been 2 1/2 years (30 months!) since we were LID (and over 3 years since we first started this process)!!! There was a small glimpse of a possible speed up with the last batch coming earlier than usual & including more days than usual (lately, anyway!). If CCAA were to miraculously refer an entire months worth of LID's, we could potentially have a referral next month. Of course that won't be the case, but to think if things were like they were way back then, we would be next! As it stands now, I still think we'll get our referral in February & travel in April. Maybe I'll be surprised again by a larger batch! How awesome would that be!?! We just sent off our renewal for our 171-H & are waiting to hear back about being refingerprinted (3rd time, and we still have the same fingers!) and if the US still approves us to adopt (wouldn't that just be the icing on this incredibly long wait of a cake!). This should be the last time we have to do that paperwork! I'm just ready to buy plane tickets to China!

29 Months and counting....

Sunday marked our 29th month of our LID. As of today, we are officially 38 LID's away from our referral. So close, yet so far! We've been enjoying watching the Olympics and hope they don't cause a big slow down. The CCAA referred 6 days worth of LID's this past month, so if they stay at that rate we are 7 months away from our referral, which would put us March 2009. That would be an official 3 year wait. Let hope it doesn't go longer and pray it gets even shorter!

LID Anniversay...

Today is our 28 month Anniversary of being logged in for Micalee. 28 long months behind us! We've started making reservations for our November 10th Wedding Anniversary Vacation. It's good to have something to occupy some of the wait. November is only 4 months away, and then maybe, just maybe, we'll have our referral a few months after that! That would be SO cool! And very conceivable! Keep your fingers crossed! I wouldn't mind having to cancel reservations in November to go to China instead!

Well, our 2008 Family Edition Biggest Loser competition has come to and end, and the winner is.........ME! Way to go, me! I've lost 44 pounds since January 1st! Our group total weight loss was 185.6 pounds (seven participants over 6 months!). That's an entire person! I'm so proud of everybody for all their hard work in making themselves healthier! I'd still like to loss another 20-25 pounds! Maybe before I can get the rest off before I climb the Great Wall of China!

27 Months and counting.....

Hey! I know, I'm a couple of days late for our LID-anniversary post! We've hit the 27 month mark! Crazy, huh?!? We've decided to go ahead and plan our 10th wedding anniversary/vacation for mid-November, thinking there is no threat of getting our referral before then, or even then. Maybe it will be like washing you car then having it rain! That'll be okay; we can always change our plans! This last month's batch of referral covered 8 days (through 1/20/06), so at 49 days between the last LID referred and our LID of 3/10/06. If that stays the average, and CCAA doesn't skip a month of referral during the Olympics, we could POTENTIALLY have our referral in January 2009. A speed up, of course, would mean sooner, and a slow down would mean later! I have a gut feeling our referral will be in Feb 2009 (around my birthday!) with travel in Apr 2009 (around David's birthday!). And while I'm predicting, I think Micalee has already been born, probably in May (around Mother's day; maybe because of the poem Jeanie wrote for me "from Micalee") . We'll just have to wait & see! So, I hate to say it, but for some reason I have a renewed excitement about this whole thing. I know I shouldn't, because still, anything can happen. We still have to renew our fingerprints, have our homestudy updated and renew our Immigration approval (171-H expires in November). We'll probably do that late Summer or early Fall before we go on vacation. At least we should qualify for the free extension this time!

A very special Mother's Day gift...

I wanted to share a poem my sister, Jeanie, wrote for me for Mother's Day. Maybe other waiting mothers will find comfort in it, as I did.

A Million Stars

A Mother's Day Poem from Micalee

26 months ago the Angels started singing your name,

God told me I would be going home to you;

25 million stars light the way of the path,

That lets me see my new dream come true.

24 hours a day I watch you as you go,

You think of me so often, and each time, I know.

Too many times I have watched as you cried,

Not knowing when I will com home;

But, Mommy, I am swinging on the moon humming a song,

So the time doesn't seem to me so long.

15 giggles I have laughed out loud,

And I thought you heard me, although I wouldn't know how.

So many stories I have heard about you,

From those who once held you so dear;

They met me first, but can't wait to send me off,

Though the say they'll miss me up here.

10 times I have whispered to you,

And though you may not have heard me, I think that you knew.

You see, God made me special and especially for you,

And this is all a part of his plan;

And when we're together and meet that first day,

You'll think back and then understand.

3 Mother's Days I have sent down my love,

In the sunshine, the starlight and dew;

And though I'm not there, you're still Mommy to me,

And I am waiting for you, too.

Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!

I Love You from a Million Stars,

Micalee

***Thank you SO much, Jeanie!****I have read this poem over and over again, and I still cry! Blogger is not letting me put space in between segments of the poem! Sorry; it makes it harder to read!!!