Friday, October 21, 2011

Preparing

This afternoon Paul and I will be sitting in on a huge conference call about traveling to China to get our baby. I'm a little nervous about being overwhelmed with information and having a hard time understanding (the main presenter is Chinese).
In the meantime unconfirmed rumors report that CCWAA has matched to Aug. 2. Rumors also state that their computers were down for three days. I swear that place needs better IT because that seems to happen a lot! Anyhow, I don't know if this means they've gotten to the 2nd and are still going, or that they've stopped at the 2nd and will send these referrals out soon.
I'd been hoping they'd make it to the 4th or 5th to insure we'd be in the next batch. However, rumors also indicate that Aug.3rd had a lot of dossiers. Regardless, it's surprisingly early to be getting rumors this specific. I still feel confident we'll get our referral this year

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Online Shopping is da Bomb!

Thanks to getting double cash back from Amazon this month, I've racked up some baby products that seem really nifty to me. From the Kai Lan collection, I've got a toddler cup with a straw (preferred by many Chinese kids to sippy) and an adorable board book with a pop out dragon. A chic splat mat for under the high chair, a towel apron (to keep bather drier than bathee), Chinese lullibies CD, and safety latches. Oh, and a compartment plate with a reservoir for hot water to keep the food warm.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sunday Worship












Today Paul and I took a drive in order to preserve some photographic evidence of the glorious beauty of autumn in the Southern Appalachains. For those of you who've never experienced a truly scenic tour of fall foliage, you really should add it to your bucket list.
When you see the photos keep in mind each shot is not the most beautiful tableau, but the most lovely shot we could procure with relatively little effort and no planning. I think our pictures represent the everyday beauty we take for granted around here. We snapped pictures in an upscale subdivision as well as on the side of Blue Ridge Parkway, and even in a city parking lot.
I can only hope to have the skill to display the peaceful play of light and shadow in the woods, or the graceful twist of nearly black skeletal limbs stretched through luminescent leaves. No matter the sophistication of the hardware or the skill of the photographer, pictures don't convey the smell of the air, the warmth of the sun, or the softness of the moist earth. Perhaps we should have stayed out longer or ventured further, but The experience nearly became overwhelming at times because we were greedy to capture and share the glory of what we saw. Inevitably the most picturesque grouping sprang up in inconvenient places, and I despair of our ability to truly capture what I saw.
Dwelling on this I was inspired with the thought that the very definition of God could be the scope of a being who actually could See and Know all of this. I imagined how sublime it would be to see each leaf with it's tracery of veins and to have watched it from bright tender shoot to crispy dried ghost. To appreciate all the deep ruby reds, glowing orange, and shining yellows as they contrast with the vibrant blue of a cloudless sky and the verdant green of still-fresh grass. To see each frolicking forest creatures and each swooping bird. To watch the trajectory of each spiraling leaf in a shower of foliage. To appreciate each lush berry, each coy little acorn, and each fetching cluster of pine cones. To love the last bright flowers and the lace kiss of the first frost.
Such an entity would be glorious. And I don't see how such a god could want for more besides our love, respect, and gratitude for such gifts. Certainly, a being who beholds the breadth of such wonder doesn't require our petty prayers or shows of worship.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Roller Coaster is speeding up

Many of us in the Chinese adoption community had great expectations for the last batch of referrals. It's a strange joy to NOT be disappointed. Referrals were received around Sept 29 and covered 14 days of LIDs! This was expected because during that time in 2006 the China offices were closed for about a week due to relocation Still, there were more families logged in during that period than the last two. Epic Win!
The next batch of referrals is expected around Halloween. Estimates set the LIDs to get up to August 3 or 4. There is a small chance that they could do more and we'd be included, but we're not getting our hopes up. At this point we're expecting to get our referral after Thanksgiving and travel to get our baby in China in Jan or Feb. We then plan to move to PA in the spring.
That said, there are only TEN MORE DAYS of LIDs before our turn! *squeal* We're so close! We're having a conference call with the case worker and the agency travel coordinator on Friday to begin discussing plans and probabilities.

September was busy

I've been very remiss in updating this blog lately, but that isn't to say there hasn't been anything to write about. First personal: I'm not working at the doll shop anymore but I suspect they might want me back for the Christmas season. We'll see. Paul and I finally got our NC driver's licenses -- just in time to move again in about half a year. Paul has officially committed to the PA relocation, though we knew that was coming. I finally saw an allergist for my chronic sinus symptoms and headaches. Turns out I'm not allergic to anything! He diagnosed non-allergic rhinitis. Basically my sinuses react to physical irritants like clouds of dust and pressure changes like temperature, elevation, and humidity fluctuations. I'm now using a prescription nasal spray which seems to be helping.
On a fun note, Paul and I enjoyed a good family visit in Florida. It was wonderful to catch up with Janice (a.k.a Mimi, Mom) and Jonn (a.k.a. Papa Jonn, Edy's Parrain). These have been tough times for them as Jonn continues to battle health issues. We're in awe of them both for their bravery and good spirits. Halfway through the trip I teamed up with Mama (a.k.a. Roxanne, MaMere) and Colette (a.k.a. Nenaine) for our annual (usually) girls' weekend. This time it was a thrill to have Janice join us for a full day of outlet shopping in Destin. As expected Edy cleaned up - pictures to follow.
When all was said and done, we never did make it to the beautiful beaches, but a good time was had by all. The best part is knowing that the next time we're in Florida we'll our own little beach bunny seeing the sand and sea for the first time.