LINK TO OUR JOURNEY TO JILLIANA

LINK TO OUR JOURNEY TO JILLIANA
CLICK ON JILLIANA'S PHOTO TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY TO CHINA

Friday, April 28, 2006

Thank You Everyone!!!

Thank you everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers as we have been awaiting our little Emma's referral. You have all been such a great support! This has been a long journey but so worth the wait. It has been a whilrwind of activity around here since yesterday. I received so many good wishes and prayers for our family. I tried to answer the e-mails, but if I missed you I am so sorry. We had tickets last night for the Ducks Hockey game and I didn't get home until really late. And I had to go to it just two hours after her referral. All I could do was think about her the whole time at the hockey game. I can't wait to find the time to research her orphanage and her province. We are leaving for San Diego today to go on a motorcycle trip with our friends so I won't be able to do that until we get back on Monday. I am awaiting the Fed Ex man at this very moment to bring Emma's pictures and medical information. I will then send it to an International Adoption Doctor to look over. We need to get our acceptance back as soon as possible. Again, thank you all!!

Thursday, April 27, 2006

THE LORD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS!

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3 Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away. Our breath has been taken away!!!! Our lives will never be the same! Mike, Vicki, Kami, and Meghan Poma (California Vicki) are overjoyed to welcome into their arms, Their new daughter and sister Emma No more counting down the days! Welcome Qian Ming Jing Birthdate: August 28, 2005 Agency: EAC Orphanage: Qianjiang, Chongqing Weight: 15 pounds Height: 24.8 inches

Here I am waiting!

Here I am waiting for "The Call". Some people on my May board are getting their referrals right now! I am so excited I couldn't sleep a wink.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Lucky Mommy!!

Look what I just got in the mail! Now I know what I am going to wear for the referral call! I should have ordered two in case I end up wearing it all weekend!!!! A girl has to have an outfit for one of the most special days of her life!!

The Stork Has Landed!

The Stork has made it to San Francisco! He is so close I just want to go up there and grab Emma's referral out of his mouth! He is presently at a DHL facility, getting ready for the last leg of his journey! He may make it to my agency on Thursday, but we probably won't get "The Call" until Friday! Hey that is way better than I expected! I thought we might have to wait until Monday. And again there are no guarantees, it could be Monday.

I AM READY, STORK

I am ready! Here you see I have my video camera ready! Hopefully I won't be shaking so bad that I won't be able to use it. I kinda have to start it without being able to see the back. I have practiced once, but I think I may have to do more! To the right you see the all important box of Kleenex! I have two pens and one pencil. Do you think that is enough? If not to the left in the can are various writing implements. I have my referral questions and scratch paper. Oh, of course one of my famous count down sheets to the left. Do you think I am ready? My fear is that the den is ready, but what if I am downstairs, or stepped outside to the trash or mailbox, or in my car! Since no one knows exactly when we will get the call the chances of being here in this set up are slim. Unless I sit here all day beginning tomorrow all the way until next Monday!!!! Come on stork, fly fast!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Where Is Emma From?

Here is Emma's birthplace, The People's Republic of China! Where do you think she is?

STORK ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The stork is flying!!!!!!! He is on is way with our little Emma! When will he get here?

IT IS OFFICIAL!

What great news to wake up to. Normally I am checking the CCAA website a million times before they actually post something!!!!!!! Can you believe it we are REALLY in this time. I couldn't sleep last night just thinking of the miracle about to take place! One of the best things about seeing this on the CCAA site is that they usually POST THIS AFTER THE REFERRALS ARE IN THE MAIL! So our little Emma's picture could be at this very moment just waitng at a DHL facility to be sent to our agency!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am over the MOON!

Monday, April 24, 2006

WE ARE MATCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got word from my agency that my June 2nd group has been matched and that China will send the referrals out in the next couple of days!!!!!!!!!!! And that they expect travel in mid June!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!!!!! But, until I have it in my hand I still can't believe it!!!!!!!!!! Referrals will arrive on Friday or Monday! Mike thinks that Father's day would be a good "Forever in our Arms Day!

Referrals

No, this is not the news that I have received my referral. When you see that it will be in BIG LETTERS! There really is not a whole lot of news other than what I have read on my May and June DTC board. They are saying that the referrals may be mailed Wednesday or Thursday. I think I will still count on Friday as the day they will be sent with the referrals getting here on Tuesday and that is IF and still to me it is an IF the referrals cover our date, June 2nd. On my June board one Spanish agency is reporting a cut-off date of June 6th. But, in no way has this been confirmed. And we need to hear this from more than one agency to begin to believe it. So....really nothing that I didn't already know. It looks like it will be the first week of May before we really know! I am trying to hang in there but it is really tough! I think if I just knew I was in this match group that it would be so much easier to wait for next week. But, to wait and think I might be in it and find out I am not. CAN"T EVEN BEGIN TO GO THERE!!!!!

Sunday, April 23, 2006

The Star Fish Story

The Starfish Story adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley 1907 - 1977


Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean." "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die." Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

Saturday, April 22, 2006

OBSESSION

My family thinks I have an obsession. I looked it up in the Dictionary (yes, I still like doing it the old fashioned way!) This is what it says: Obession-1. The domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire etc. Yes, with that definition, I will say that I am completely, throughly, obsessed with Emma, the adoption, my yahoo support groups and reading everything I can get my hands on about it all. Here is one of the ways I obsess. I have a calendar or chart in almost every room of the house where I am counting down to my referral. I have to mark off each day! And, I love it if I find one that I some how missed that day and I get to mark off two days. Do you think this is sick? My daughter's Kami and Meghan and my husband do. I know I am not alone out there. What is really sad is you see that white paper up there. I started writing the days and counting down in November, because we thought we would be getting our referral in December. I had to staple another page to it!!!!!!!! Now, what I would like to say to my family, especially my daughters is that I DID THE SAME THING WHEN I WAS PREGNANT WITH YOU!!!! I counted down every day of that 9 months. And don't forget those days when I was wondering if I was pregnant or not and counting that each month! I read everything about preganancy, giving birth, raising children, nutrition etc. This is not just an obsession with Emma. It is the way I handle waiting for the most important days of my life. And yes Mike, I even had a count down to our wedding!

Friday, April 21, 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!

Uncle Mike, Nick, and Grandpa Buddy Today is my nephew, Nick's, 9th birthday! I just want to wish him a very special day! Nick is the one on the left. In the center is my sister Julie and my nephew Frank on the right. Love Aunt Vicki and Uncle Mike

Dispelling Myths

One of my fellow Mei Dreamers, Val, posted this to her blog and I felt that it was so important and worded so well that I asked her if I could post it on my blog. She gave me permission. So here it is. Dispelling some myths... A word of advise.... Whatever ideas and stereotypes you have about China, it's girls, it's boys and it's cultural beliefs relating to adoption or abandonment of children, forget them all because they are likely misconceived. Most people seem very quick to assume that the reason Chinese children, specifically girls, are given up and adopted is that "Chinese people favour boys". The truth is so very far from that and much more complicated than most of us realize. If you really want some firsthand insight into understanding some of these things, check out Brian Stuy's blog. Brian is a guy who has three beautiful children adopted from China and although his views can seem a little abrasive, has dedicated a very large part of his life to researching China, and it's adoption world, both domestic and international. He is on a continuous quest to understand, and help us all understand, how the Chinese governement influences all of this and how the Chinese people feel about their children. His postings also provide some insight into why we, and many other families waiting to adopt are experiencing increased waiting times. I encourage you to navigate around his site and keep an open mind. The biggest myth I hope to dispell, and the message I hope you glean from Brian's dedicated research is this: While we all face different circumstances on a global scale, it doesn't matter what the country, the skin color or the culture...everybody loves their children If you are interested there is a really good book out there called "Wanting A Daughter, Needing A Son" bye Kay Ann Johnson. So many times people ask me "How do you know you are going to going to get a daughter?" And usually my answer is, "Because of the One Child Policy." But it is so much more and I don't always have the time to explain nor do I feel I have the expertise, even after reading everything I can get my hands on about this issue.

TIME

Well as I expected the referrals were not sent today. A few agency's thought that they might go out today and then they would have been here by Tuesday. Since May 1-5 will be another Holiday for the CCAA I do think they will be sent before then. Everyone seems confident that they will at least do until June 3! (For those of you who forgot, our LID is June 2) and quite a few think they will do until June 6th, and then there are a few hopefuls that they will go even further! My feeling is that they were waiting for the Director to get back to China to sign the referrerals (even though some agency's say it is not necessary for him to be there), however based on what I have heard in the past he either needs to be there or wants to be there when the referral's are sent. Now for the question, "Will we get our referral this time?" We still don't really know. While I am feeling more confident with the "rumors" of the 3rd, there is no way that anyone really knows this since they have not even been sent yet. So, I will try to guard my heart, but it is getting really hard to do that. I want to believe that it is true, but after last month I am scared to say, WE ARE NEXT!!!

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Cloud

WAITING

Here it is April 20th. Last month this is when the rumor's really started coming in. I have seen rumors for the CCAA going up to June 3 and June 6th. We still don't know when they will come. A few people have said that their agency's think they will send them tomorrow. I don't think that will happen since we have not received any "stork alerts" from the bigger agency's. A stork alert is when an agency has been notified that referrals have been sent and are on their way. Usually the agency, Great Wall of China issues this alert. We haven't heard anything from them at all. My guess is they won't be sent until next week. I will be happy to eat my words, though. It is getting tough not to begin to get excited about the possibility! I hope that today the "rumor's" really begin and people start to hear expectations from their agency's. It is so great to have a forum where everyone shares any news that they get from their agency and then we can gather it all together to determine if it looks to be real. I love my Panda's, Mei Dreamer's, and June Jitterbugs! Hoping to hear good news soon!

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

WAITING

This is what I feel like. I am waiting for the CCAA to post what dates they will give referrals to this month! I am just waiting for them to open the door on joy or sadness. The early rumors are looking good for us, but not so good for my other June Jitterbugs. One agency thinks they will refer the LID of May 31 and the first week of June. I think what they mean by the first week is to June 3rd. That would mean that we are in, but after going through the disappointment of missing it by two LID this last time I can empathize with my fellow June Jitterbugs! I am still not even guaranteed that we will get our referral. There is still the possibility that they may decide to do only May 31st! So because of this uncertainty, what would have normally been a time of joy and great anticipation is filled with worry and a state of being in limbo. I hope we will know something by next week.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Easter

Easter began with going to Church and then out to Grandma Jeanie's and Grandpa Buddies. We ate a lot, rode motorcycles, played Mexican Train, and of course had an Easter Egg hunt. Grandma and Grandpa gave me a Bible for Emma with her name engraved on it! It was a wonderful Easter with my family and I was especially happy to be with my daughter's Kami and Meghan.



I wonder if there are any eggs in here?

Meghan and her friend hiding the eggs!



Grandpa, Mike and Aunt Debbie's boyfriend, Tom (in the red).
Kami gives Belle a much needed bath!


The night ends with a game of Mexican Train! (I won!)
Kami, with her Aunt Debbie

My Motorcycle

On Saturday it was finally nice enough weather to go on a motorcycle ride. Can you tell my favorite candy from the paint job on my motorcycle? Mike took Kami on the back of his and I went on mine. We just went for a short ride to I-Hop for breakfast. Love those Harvest Grain Pancakes! It looked like we might still get rain, so we kept it short. In two weeks we are going down to San Diego with friends to stay at the beach house. I needed to get a little practice in since I hadn't ridden in a while.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Feelings

Click here to hear Jane Brown JaneBrown.mp4 You will need to wait until the song on my website is over or scroll down to the song and stop it so you can hear her speak. We heard Jane Brown in San Diego. I highly recommend if you have the opportunity to hear her that you do.

Friday, April 14, 2006

First (Early) Rumors

Well, It is that time again! Yes, it may be a little early and Yes, why am I getting sucked back into the rumor mill? I can't help it! I look for any shred of hope I guess! Last month I didn't like the rumors and they turned out to be true! Who knows what we will hear next week? Mike, who always does the sensible thing, called EAC to see if they had heard anything. One of the things I love about EAC is they will not say for sure anything until they hear it directly from the CCAA. So they have not heard this "rumor" yet. Here is the rumor for today. I like that it includes us, but I really wish it would go further in the month for all of my June Jitterbugs! .................. Rumors. Finally. One of the large agencies notified their clients that they believe the CCAA is working on their next batch of referrals which they believe includes May 31 and the first week of June LID's. They say they have no further information as to whether more June dates will be included. Another of the big agencies sent an email to their clients saying they expect the CCAA to send referral at the end of next week. This agency did not know which dates would be covered. And yet another of the big agencies sends out a hard copy newsletter via snail mail. In this newsletter, they make the statement that the "number of referrals released each month has decreased" This is from the "Rumor Queen" site which I read every day! Who knows what the first week of June LID's will cover? Does that mean only until June 3? There were no LID's that I have found on June 1st, so if it only cover's until the 3rd that is only 3 LID dates again! I know that May 31st has over 400 just on that day and they usually do about 900 at referral time. We will have to wait until next week on this one to see if we hear more. As far as them coming next week, I am 50/50 on this one. I think there is a possibility they may not come until the next week, or May 1st. I hope we get good rumors next week, or even better word from the CCAA!

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Welcome To My World!

You would think that I have a bunch of little kids running around here! I don't! I tried to be productive today and get the laundry done. I got it all started and made the mistake of leaving the fabric softener on top of the washing machine. I have a new washer that has an unbelievable motor! The clothes practically come out dry from the washer. But what I didn't know, was it was so powerful it could toss a whole bottle of Fabric Softener right off the top! I won't be making that mistake again!

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

The New Family Car

Here is the new family car! I actually got it in January but I am just now babyproofing it. Today, in the mail, I received the new mats I ordered that will handle anything a baby might drop on the carpet. I still need to add the car seat. Car seat technology has changed a lot since we used car seats over 20 years ago. I have had Emma's car seat since the summer. The new cars have some new locking in system where you don't have to put the seat belt through the back. I haven't tried it yet. For some reason I don't feel good about doing this until I actually get a referral! There are so many things that I have put off for that day. I will be running around like a mad woman trying to get everything done! I can't wait!!!!!

Monday, April 10, 2006

Ladybug Ticker At The Top Of My Page

Just a reminder that the ladybug ticker is is no way an exact date that we will get a referral. It is really just an estimate as to when the next referrals might come out based on past history. But, as we all know, there hasn't been anything predictable about our adoption. The ticker is there basically because it makes me feel better to actually see the days being marked off and closer to Emma. I really hope to get good news at the end of this month!

It is so quiet out there!

It is so quiet! I need to hear something! All I know is that some people are now saying that they might only match May 31! This would be my worst scenario coming true. I still have hopes that they will do a little more, but I am being careful not to get to excited. (yeah, right!) Then there is the information that the head of the CCAA is here in the US visiting. He is in L.A. yesterday and today, then from what I can gather he is going to Colorado, and then to Canada on April 22nd. You may be wondering why this is important information? Well, the story is that the director signs off on all the referrals before they can be sent. So this means he probably won't even be back in China until the end of the month. And then there is the one week holiday the first week of May. Hopefully they will get the next referrals out before that. Some people are happy that they will come at the end of the month because they think that means they will match more babies. Well, I have seen this theory for the last few months and it certainly did not happen then! I know I am sounding pessimistic today! Well I am! On the bright side I have finally taken some action and have ordered my baby gates.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

10 Month Anniversary

Today is our 10 month Anniversary from our LID of June 2, or 10 months 17 days from DTC, or 17 months since we decided to adopt! When we began the wait was 6 months from LID. The wait has been the hardest thing I have done in my life! If I had known when I started this process that it would take a year, I could have handled that better. But to think, month after month, that this will be the month we see Emma's face is a pain I cannot describe. Only the parents going through this process at this exact time can understand. Today in Church I asked for prayer for me to be more patient during this wait. I also am going to try to make this wait time more productive. So today I have planted spring flowers! We had a beautiful day with wonderful sunshine and just the right temperature for planting. Tomorrow we are expecting rain, so that should be just perfect. And when we come home with Emma, I will see those flowers and remember this time and how I was feeling and then I will look in her beautiful dark eyes and know it was worth the pain and wait.