Cribz

We spent part of yesterday checking out baby furniture...mainly cribs. Who knew there were SO MANY designs?!?! It's really overwhelming! We noticed that the convetible cribs are very popular. Basically, they can change into a toddler bed and finally become the headboard and footboard for a full size adult bed.

We also looked at baby carrying devices. They are very popular with the international adoption set and come highly recommended by adoptive parents who've gone to China and Vietnam. There's actually a whole "movement" of people who advocate "baby wearing." I just thought it seemed like a logical choice if you're traveling light and don't want to bring a stroller (most adoptive parents who have been to Vietnam strongly recommend against taking a stroller as sidewalks are packed and traffic is crazy). We're just starting to really look at all this baby stuff. Once we begin actually making some purchases, we'll post photos!

Hope you've had a great weekend!

Good Morning Vietnam!!

We have some big news! After much prayer and discussion, Brad and I have decided to adopt a baby boy from Vietnam!! YAY!! We are SOOOO excited!!

Some FAQs:
Q. Does this mean you won't be adopting Lily from China?
A. No!! That's the really great thing. We can "stay in line" for Lily through the China adoption process while moving forward with an adoption from Vietnam. Lily will be our second baby instead of our first.

Q. Did I read that right? You're getting a boy?
A. Yes! We are requesting a boy. The situation in Vietnam is the exact opposite of the situation in China. China has an abundance of abandoned baby girls and Vietnam has an abundance of abandoned baby boys.

Q. So, when do you get your little guy?
A. We hope and pray that we get to travel to Vietnam in December or January. We are compiling our dossier right now. It's not nearly as extensive as China's so we hope to be done in a few weeks.

Q. When will you get a photo and info on your baby boy?
A. Our agency said that we should get a baby referred to us within 60 days of sending our dossier to Vietnam. I'm hoping the timing will work out so that we get to see our little guy for the first time in October, close to Brad's birthday...of course, sooner than that would be fine too!

Q. How old will the baby be?
A. The baby could be as young as 3-4 months old. We won't know til we get our referral.

Q. How long will you be in Vietnam?
A. Our agency is telling us to prepare to be there for three weeks. That sounds like a long time but you get your baby right away and then spend MOST of the rest of the trip sightseeing (cool!). There are various appointments you have that are spread out over a couple of week to finalize the paperwork. The entire process (from Giving and Receiving--the official ceremony where you get your baby to flying home) should be three weeks.

I hope that helps answer some of your questions. Let me know what other questions you might have. While Lily's name came to us easily, we are having a lot of discussion about names for our baby boy. So stay tuned for a "Name Game" post.

It's the heat...the humidity (said with a "Deep South" accent)

Yes, it's still oppressively hot where we are. I spent yesterday evening staining a bookcase that I got in college. We've had it and used it but I had never gotten around to painting or staining it. I thought I was going to pass out from the fumes!! Gag! But in the end, it turned out very well! I'm letting it air out in the garage before moving it into the house. I did this while Brad was at rehearsal, even though it turned out, he didn't need to be there.

Can I just say that there's NOTHING on TV in the summer? At least a couple of summers ago, you had the premiere of Dancing With the Stars with Peterman from Seinfeld (or am I just imagining that that show was a summer program?). The episode of Last Comic Standing was kind of amusing last night. But maybe it only seemed funny because I was still high on the fumes from the bookcase.

We did go see Bourne Ultimatum this weekend. A most excellent suspense movie! Brad and I like to make fun of Matt Damon (think Team America) but you have to hand it to the guy...He's really, really good in the Bourne series. We are a couple of "Johnny Come Latelys" when it comes to Jason Bourne but we're definite converts. These are fun movies with good twists and turns. Highly recommended if you like international intrigue, espionage, etc.

Hot, hot, hot!

It's hot!! How are you beating the heat where you live? I'm basically doing very little outside. I went for a brisk walk in a park near work yesterday with one of my co-workers. We were drenched by the time we got back to the locker room. I know my sister is beating the Thailand heat by waking up at 4AM to run. Good for her! I couldn't do that. Just not got the motivation to get up early...especially when an air conditioned gym is at my beck and call every day of the week.

Hope your week is going well!

By the way, I got to hold little Garrett for the first time last night. He's an absolute CUTIE!! Misty's sister-in-law had a time capsule shower...we all brought letters to Garrett that will go in a time capsule that he will open when he's 16 or 18. What a wonderful idea...Misty, I think I'm going to have to steal that one! Thanks to our hostesses Robin and Sarah for a fabulous evening!

Run, freedom, run

My sister just ran her first 10K (read the fine print and you'll see she actually ran more than that)!! Check our her blog for some rockin' photos and all the details.

(Bonus points if anyone knows the name of the musical referenced in the title of this post.)

And now, on a more serious note...

A passage from a book written by an adult adoptee, "Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew"...She imagines God writing a letter to her adoptive parents:

Dear Retha and Mike,
One of My children needs a home--a mother and father who will love her and provide for her. I know how much you wanted to have children. I know the tears and anguish you have experienced. But the only way I could make a place for this child in your home was through the open door of your infertility. I am loaning her to you for a while to take care of. Do the best you know how to do, for she is precious to Me. Someday, when you are gone, I will be her mother and father. She will learn to trust Me and depend on Me as she did on you. Thank you for being willing to love My daughter and give her a home on earth.
Love,
God

Spider Pig...

If you've seen the Simpson's Movie, you know the Spider Pig reference. We got in to a free showing of the movie last Thursday. It was a solid film but I would opt for a rental rather than paying to see it in the theatre. On the other hand, some folks will get a kick out of seeing Marge and Homer on the big screen (finally!), so go for it. We did pay to see Spiderman 3 at the cheap theatre this weekend. Very much worth seeing on the big screen. Excellent CGI effects. But the plot and characters were a mish-mash...they took the "kitchen sink" approach and tried to cram in a lot of stuff. Still, a good popcorn movie and worth seeing.

The best part of the weekend was seeing Garrett in the arms of Misty and Joel. First, this is the cutest baby with shiny, silky black hair. He's a little guy and he spent the entire church service snuggled up to Misty. I couldn't look at them without tearing up.

I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend!

Everybody's Working for the Weekend

Well, keep working because it's almost here! I hope to do some tidying up around the house, workout and just generally chill this weekend. Brad's going to make some bread puddin' that he's been craving for weeks now.

I finally got around to uploading some photos I've been meaning to share with you for some time. First, the darling shirt I bought for Lily in Paris. Then, the other pics show our photo pages we sent to China with our dossier. We were given free reign to be as creative as we wanted. I'm not very creative when it comes to this kind of artistic expression...but I did my best. Also, they don't translate any words on your photos so you have to keep the captions very simple.

They (finally!) got their baby!!

Garrett was placed in Misty and Joel's arms yesterday afternoon. They are heading toward home though there's still some paperwork to be processed along the way. We are so relieved and happy for them!! We can't wait to meet the little guy but we think they'll need some time to rest and recoup. *smile*

One heckuva ride...

Our dear friends Misty and Joel have been on one terrible roller coaster ride. From absolute euphoria when their little guy was born Friday to extreme uncertainty as the birthparents were unsure they could go forward with the adoption. We think our friends are incredibly courageous and patient to endure all this. The latest news is that they are hoping to pick up their baby this afternoon!! We pray that everything will go off without a hitch.

As easy as 1, 2, 3

That's the Chinese symbol for the number 3. Today is our 3 month LID anniversary. We've now been officially logged in for 3 months. Only 33 more months to go! Well, we don't really know that for sure. It could be fewer than 33 months (though that seems unlikely) or more (please, not more!).

Please say a pray for Joel and Misty. They've been on one heck of a roller coaster ride this weekend. First, the birthmother had second thoughts about the adoption. Now, she is back on board and the biological father is unsure of whether or not he wants to proceed. Check out their blog for the latest. We've just been sick over the whole situation as we had hoped this would be nothing but a joyful experience for them.

Our weekend got off to a good start...We had "date night." Hairspray was a blast. You should definitely check it out!! It's so good, even my mom would like it!!

Misty and Joel are PARENTS!!

We are so thrilled to report that Misty and Joel's son, Garrett Anthony was born yesterday evening!! We are ecstatic for them!! Garrett is absolutely gorgeous! Misty is going to post photos and details on their blog. Head over there and give them a shout. We're so happy to get to share in their amazing journey and we can't wait to welcome Garrett when they bring him home!!

Reflections on a 10K and other miscellany

Here are some thoughts I had while running the 10K last week (I did complete the race by the way...when Brad said in the previous post that I ran 99% of the race, he meant that's how much I ran...I did walk just a tiny bit when I got to the top of the last monster hill toward the very end...then I picked back up with my running):

*In some races, finishing is winning.

*Pace is a very important thing, perhaps the most important thing. You can't sprint out of the gate when you've got 6.2 miles ahead of you. Steady progress is what's important, not speed.

*You are racing yourself, not anyone else.

*Shake and Bake.

On a different subject...Are you wild about Harry? Brad just re-read all the Harry Potter books in anticipation of the final book being released. As much as I love those kinds of books, I've been slow to read Harry. I hope to pick up the first one later this year...maybe around the holidays.

Hairspray! We are going to see the new movie tonight for "date night." I can't wait since I'm a huge fan of the music from the Broadway show.

I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend!!

Til the Cows Come Home!!

Introducing...MOO!!!

Moo partied for Court's birthday til the cows came home!!

My sister's having a COW!

Maybe not a cow, but a MOO!! Wendy and her roommate, Courtney adopted a little chihuahua and named it Moo. It's so named because it's said to resemble a miniature Holstein. Welcome home, Moo! I'm so happy to be an aunt! Littly Buddy and Pierre Clovis are excited to have a cousin. By the way, this dog is apparently very small. The guy who sold Moo to Wendy and Courtney said not to let it outside by itself as a bird could carry it away or a cat might mistake it for a rat. They also can't bathe it in the tub as Moo might slip down the drain.

Oh, rats!

If you're hungry, check this out!

Lost in Translation?

Nah. We're not LOST in translation but our agency informs us that our dossier is now in translation. After that is complete, our dossier will wait to enter the Review Room. That's where the Chinese officials make sure all of our information meets their regulations. The Review Room has finished processing dossiers that were logged in before May 31, 2006. They are really behind...but that doesn't seem to matter since the matching room is working on November, 2005. I expect we'll be waiting for quite some time to get into the Review Room. We will keep you posted!

Down the Stretch She Comes!

Brad & Missy Complete their first 10K!

This is Missy.. just seconds after she crossed the finish line at the Price Cutter Y Not Run 10K Saturday morning. She finished in 1 hour, 8 minutes and jogged 99% of the way. Brad finished in 1 hour, 2 minutes, and had just enough time to run to the car, grab the camera, get something to eat and snap these photos. Missy is well on her way toward that half-marathon in September.

Alternate

After several weeks of nail-biting and wondering what the heck was going on, I finally called to find out if I had received the Hong Kong fellowship. I figured in this case, no news was probably bad news and I was right. The lady with whom I spoke was very kind and apologized that I did not receive the email notification indicating that I had not been selected. But she said I had a strong application and was actually an alternate for the program. So far, she said no one has dropped out but who knows what could happen! Even being an alternate is a big honor since they only select 6-7 journalists from across the country for this fellowship. Will definitely let you know if there are any developments! I told her I wasn't discouraged at all and that I would re-apply for another fellowship. We'll see what happens!

We're back home after a wonderful visit with our families. I had a great time at Myrtle Beach, even though my stomach got SCALDED by the sun and wind. I hope your week is off to a great start!