voyage2littleM

On the Bicycle Again

2009-09-09T10:12:00.002-05:00

If anyone is still out there reading we really are starting the adoption back up:) We finally had our homestudy update appointment this week. I forgot how much paperwork is involved, but we are ready to get going on it! We have to update our state clearances, FBI Clearances, DCFS docs, etc. so that our homestudy can be sent to INS for our extension. Nothing like cutting it close!!! Hopefully we can move quickly on everything:)

And next - the dossier prep!! I think we are hoping to submit shortly after the first of the year. Our big concern is making sure there is enough of an age gap between Beckett and his sibling, so we are moving at a bit slower pace this time around. But we are hoping to travel fall of next year, but we shall see! As we all know, nothing is ever what you think it will be when it comes to international adoption!! Just roll with the punches, right?

It is all very exciting for our family and we are looking forward the journey!! I think Beckett will love Kaz:)

Blog Name Change

2009-04-16T10:18:00.002-05:00

We have decided to change the name of our blog since we are going to leave it up to fate when we get to Kaz on whether or not we adopt a brother or sister for Beckett:) Plus, I am not sure you can gender specify anymore for Kaz anyway:) It will be a nice surprise for all of us!

If we do wind up adopting a little boy, Vaughn will still be the name because we love it so much!! If we adopt a little girl, well, that still has to be decided...we can't agree on a girls name:)

Have a great one!

Back in the Swing of things

2009-04-13T10:53:00.002-05:00

I have no idea if anyone even still looks at this blog, but in case there is anyone out there still checking, Jamie and I are starting our adoption process back up this month. So, hopefully within the next year Beckett will have either a little brother or sister:) Hopefully starting the process back up will be just like riding a bike - easy (ok, well, it is never easy) and familiar!

We hope everyone had a blessed Easter! Best wishes to all!

Bittersweet

2008-06-16T12:11:00.002-05:00

First off, I need to apologize for taking so long to update. Jamie and I have not been around that much on the weekends and the weekdays have left me little time to blog!

I was going to announce this privately, but seeing how I have taken so long for that, I am just going to announce it publicly.

It is with a bittersweet voice that I write this: Jamie and I are putting our Kaz adoption on hold at the moment. As many of you readers know, Jamie and I started this process almost a year ago. In that time, we have endured some rough patches and were frustrated, but not downtrodden.

Well, here is where it got a bit interesting for us. On March 12th, we found out something we thought was impossible had happened. We found out that I was pregnant!! Imagine our shock and surprise!! We were told a while ago that this was all but impossible for us. So, this was, to say the least, very unexpected but a very welcome surprise. I still have days where I don't believe it (except for my ever expanding belly as proof)!!

But while being excited about the new Baby M, I cried for my son who is still waiting for us in Kaz. I just have to believe that everything happens for a reason, and that for some reason, this year was not the year to meet our son in Kaz.

After much talking, Jamie and I decided that it would be very difficult for us to adopt this year, so we talked with our agency and the adoption is on hold. We were excited to find out that we had a year to start the process back up again:) So, for now, the adoption is on hold, but certainly not forgotten. Jamie and I still plan to adopt from Kaz as we know in our hearts this is something we want to do, and are hoping to join the ranks of Kaz adoptive parents in 2009/2010:)

I just wanted to thank all of you who have read this blog, posted such wonderful and positive comments, and have supported us through everything. It has meant the world to us. This is such a wonderful community of parents & friends, and we look forward to sharing this journey again with you in the future.

This site will remain up and public, but I will be suspending posts until we start the Kaz process again. In the meantime, we will be creating a private blog for following the pregnancy. If you would like an invite to the new blog, please let me know in the comments section, or email me personally.

Thank you again for all the support! I wish everyone well in their upcoming journeys, their bonding periods, and their return home. I will still be reading and following up on everyone:) Best wishes!!

Time to Privatize

2008-04-14T17:55:00.002-05:00

Hi Fellow Bloggers, family and friends! I know we have not blogged in a while, but I wanted to let you know that we have not fallen off the face of the Earth and I have been keeping up on all of my fellow bloggers in the adoption world:)

This past month and half has been very trying and full of surprises for me and Jamie. Due to personal reasons, Jamie and I have decided to take our blog private. If you would like an invitation, please leave your email address in the comments section, or email me personally.

I hope all is well with everyone in the adoption blogging world:) And a special shout out to Matt and Suzanne who are in Ust right now bonding with their children - I am thinking about you everyday and pray that all continues to go well:)

Trials, Tribulations, and a Nursery

2008-03-02T21:08:00.004-06:00

So, I know I have been out of the blogging sphere for a little while now...but I am back:) Let's just say this last month has been a bit hectic on the personal front and a bit disheartening on the adoption front. Just when you think you are making progress with the adoption process...bam! You get derailed.

We were about to start redoing our dossier paperwork again when I heard the news that the DC Embassy (who experienced a staff change) might not accept new dossiers until the new staff was trained. I immediately sent an email to our great caseworker and she suggested we not sign or notarize any of our paperwork until at least March. I was waiting to hear from her to see if we can start prepping paperwork this week or if we should still wait when we got another piece of news.

A fellow PAP (she is awesome!!) who is about a week behind us in the process called CIS here in IL to see about the I 171-H status and she was told that they are only on dossiers submitted the second week of January. We submitted to CIS the first week of February. As of Friday it looks like we are looking at another 3-5 weeks before CIS approval comes in. If that is the case, then we are holding off on paperwork until mid-March. Of course this means that dossier submission likely won't take place until April, and then it will be about 6 months from that point. Looks like we might not be hitting Kaz until Sept/Oct. A bit frustrating to say the least. Now I know this process is full of ups and downs, but between our experience with our first agency and then feeling like we were making progress, and now being at a standstill again, I am just frustrated. I know though in the end everything will work out the way it is supposed to, but I reserve the right to be angry at the moment anyway:)

On a better note, we have made significant progress with Vaughn's room, and we are really excited! It is a bit tough since we will not have our little guy for a while, but it gives us some time to finish the nursery. The pictures above the crib are vintage baseball posters that Jamie has had since he was a kid (his mom got them for him and they were a limited edition). We are pretty excited about how it is all coming together and are looking forward to finishing it. Here are a few in progress pictures:

Even with all the ups and downs of the past month, I have had a great month personally. We went to IA to see our very good friends and their daughter, then we put Vaughn's room together with my parents, I went to Bon Jovi with our really good friend Ted, I got to hang with my two beautiful nieces this week, and this weekend I had a girls' weekend with one of my oldest friends, and I went for coffee today with a friend who I have not seen in about 3 months. So all in all - a great month even with setbacks:) Here is an adorable picture of my day with my nieces while we were at "The Bean" in Chicago:

Here is hoping for some good news in early March from our good friends CIS!!! Like they say, you never know....

Calling All Rock Stars!

2008-02-08T13:27:00.000-06:00

So, anyone who knows Jamie and I really well, knows that we love classic rock. Led Zeppelin is our favorite band and we had been trying to figure out how to incorporate our favorite rock bands into our little guy's life. Recognizing that many of the bands do not have lyrics that are appropriate for little ones, this was a challenge. Until recently. I was at Pottery Barn Kids and saw a CD that changed everything!

It was the songs of Coldplay made into instrumental lullabies for babies:) How cool is that? So, of course I bought it and, let me tell you, it is awesome! Great for the little guy to fall alseep to or just listen to in the car. I went on their website yesterday, and they have some really great bands that they have converted to lullabies. For those of you who love rock, or are looking for something different, this site is for you:

http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com/web/page.asp

We wound up buying Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Tool, and No Doubt (one of my favs) for the little guy! We can't wait for the CDs to get here so we can listen to them! We have an ongoing list of others that we would like to buy, and they are coming out with some new ones, so check back often.

My very good friend Jill sent me the link to this website after I forwarded her the Rockabye one (we have very similar tastes in music and all things baby!). It is way cool, and we are definitely going to buy this as well for our budding rocker musician (my fervent hope is that Vaughn plays guitar or drums)! I'm just happy that someone has thought to create a cd and dvd like this. Check it out:

http://www.thatbabydvd.com/

Last but not least, another cool website for rock lovers like us, or those who have an appreciation for vintage inspired clothing, is for a store here in Chicago called Stinky Pants. Great rock T-shirts and cool onesies for babies and older. A bit on the expensive side, but I think some of them are worth it for sure (like "My Aunt is a Hottie". Vaughn will have 3 Aunts who are hotties so this is appropriate)!! This is also thanks to Jill who bought a very cool Guns 'N Roses T-shirt for our good friend's little boy:

http://www.stinky-pants.com/

That is all for my web knowledge today:) I just wanted to share a cool few sites with everyone. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Best wishes for those who are in country, about to travel (Amy!!!), waiting, and paperchasing! As they say, good things come to those who wait! I am happy that the wait is over for many of my fellow bloggers:) Happy travels soon to many of you - we can't wait to join you in the ranks!

PS - I bought Vaughn his first offcial outfit from Mom & Dad:) We can only hope that the size (6-12 months) will fit him! Here it is:

Double WOOT!!

2008-02-05T08:03:00.000-06:00

Great news on the adoption front! Yesterday we learned that we made it through approval #1!! DCFS in IL approved our home study so it is now on its way to USCIS!! That means (hopefully) in 4-6 weeks, we will have our 171H!!! And shortly after that our dossier will be on its way to Kaz!!

Joyous news indeed:) I love progress!!!

WOOT!!!!

2008-02-03T21:24:00.000-06:00

HOLY COW!!! MY BOYS JUST WON THE SUPERBOWL!!!!

CONGRATS TO MY G-MEN!!! GREAT GAME AND GREAT WIN!!!!!

I love the sound of it - NY Giants, Superbowl Champs:)

SBP and Odds & Ends

2008-02-03T17:38:00.000-06:00

I just have to say (again) that my SBP rocks!!! My SBP sent me and Jamie some very yummy cookies and brownies from the Dancing Deer Company:) Just what we needed for the end of the week! We are so grateful for everything that our SBP has given us!! We can't wait to being Vaughn his gifts from SBP:)

This weekend was absolutely fantastic. We made some progress on the last bit of dossier docs, which makes me happy. Then, on Saturday night we got to meet two of the coolest couples who have adopted from Kaz and their kids: Muriel, Jerry & Sophie and Debbie, Jay & Sean. Sophie and Sean are two of the most adorable kids ever! They just followed each other around and Sean kept giving Sophie kiss after kiss (which Miss Sophie did not seem to mind). Too cute:) We had a great time, laughed a ton, and got great info on adopting from Kaz! Jamie and I hope we get to see them all again soon!! They are awesome!!!

This morning we met two of our really good friends for brunch at one of our favorite places, M Henry's and had a great time! So, all in all, a great weekend:) Next weekend is going to be a great one as well because we are going to IA to see our friends Jess & Bry and their daughter (who is our Goddaughter). We haven't gotten to see them in a while, so we are definitely looking forward to it!! And the weekend after that, we pick up the baby's furniture and we get to put that together, which we are looking forward to:) Lots of good stuff coming up!!!

We are hoping this week is going to bring some good news from DCFS, but we shall see:) IL is not known for getting anything done quickly!! If we get approval from DCFS this week, then that means it is off to CIS to get the big kahuna, our I-171H, which means the US Gov't. approves us for our adoption:) And then from there it is all forward to Kaz...

I guess that is enough jabbering for tonight;) Plus I have to go watch my NY Giants play some football!!! And hopefully win:) GO G-MEN!!!!! I have to put my jersey on - I hope it doesn't jinx them!!! Uh Oh. Looks like the Pats are about to score...not good...

I've Been Tagged!!!

2008-01-30T20:11:00.001-06:00

Alright, I'm it! I have been tagged by Susan (FL), Kelly, Amanda and Jennifer M. Sorry girls for the late reply to the tag - I have been a bit behind on my blogging!!

So, here are the the rules:

link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours.
Post the rules on your blog
Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself

Here goes:

1. I have a pretty decent sized tattoo on my lower back (yes, a tramp stamp) that I got this past summer. Better late than never:) And I plan to get another one for Vaughn when we get home.

2. Two of my favorite odd things (not at the same time) to eat are Peanut Butter & Fluff, and Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix right out of the envelope (easy low calorie way to get my chocolate fix in a pinch!!)

3. I have sensory issues - teeth scraping on a fork is like nails on a chalkboard to me (oddly enough nails on a chalkboard doesn't bother me - it's a metal thing)

4. I am OCD when it comes to Lotion. I put in on every morning and every night (all over), and if I do not have any in my purse - it's a crisis!!!

5. I studied for 6 months in France my junior year of college and let me tell you, there was not much studying going on but somehow I managed great grades! Word of advice, never drink French beer, it gives you a killer hangover!!

6. I am deathly afraid of sharks to the point where I will not go on a cruise because I have this insane fear of the boat sinking and being surround by sharks (I saw Jaws way,way too young!!).

7. I have long legs and my pants have to touch the ground whether I am wearing heels, or flats.

8. I eat M&Ms in twos or fours, and greens are always the last ones eaten...

There you go - 8 weird and strange facts about yours truly. And now I am off to tag some people and I promise not to tag you if you have already been tagged!!

PS - We bought a great book for Little Vaughn called "Borya and the Burps" and I love it. It is about Eastern European adoptions, but it translates to all adoptions. It is from a kid's perspective which I thought was fantastic. I highly recommend it:)

Hope everyone is doing well!!

Holla!! Great Friends, Great Times

2008-01-27T20:39:00.000-06:00

I am finally back in the blogging arena:) Work and life have been hectic and I have not had time in the past week to post or catch up yet on others' blogs.

This weekend was absolutely fantastic!! Every year around this time, Jamie and I, along with many of our close friends, go to Galena and rent a house in Eagle Ridge Resort. This was the 8th year we have been doing it and every year it just gets better. It is a way for all of us to take a weekend out (sans kids) and just reconnect. While some of us live close to each another, others do not and this is our one traditional weekend a year to get together, have some fun, and relax. I will say, after the past six months of crazy adoption "stuff" we were looking forward to this weekend more than ever. And it did not disappoint...I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Unfortunately this year, we were missing some key players who could not make it and we missed them incredibly!! We are looking forward to next year already and having everyone there!! Needless to say, it was a much needed weekend away:) Not to mention getting to spend quality time with people we love and hold dear to our hearts.

And then to top it off, Jamie and I went to Dubuque, IA to see Jen, one of my closest and oldest friends (we go back to junior high), and her boyfriend Bryan. Even though it was a short visit, I was glad we were able to go and spend some time with them. Jen got us the cutest baby gifts. She gave us a little photo album that will be put to great use, and a really cool teething toy for the Little Man! I can't wait to give it to him in Kaz:) All in all, a great weekend!!

On the adoption front, things are status quo. We are waiting for DCFS approval and expect to hear from them hopefully next week!!! Although it would be great if we got approval this week, but no expectations at all;) Jamie and I are working hard on making sure all else for the dossier is in good working order so we can send everything in for translation (minus the 171H) next month. March is looking like dossier submittal month, which is very exciting indeed!!!

On another adoption front, I cannot reiterate enough how happy we are that we switched agencies. There have been some additional pieces of information learned about our old agency that have really worked to reinforce why we switched. We are just so incredibly happy with our new agency!!

Also, I wanted to give a special shout out to our friends Ethan and Jill, who are having a baby in June and just found whether they are having a boy or girl:) I am not going to publicly divulge, but we are super excited for them and can't wait for our little ones to meet. And I can't wait for Jill and I to do some damage in the baby shopping department:)

Hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend and has a fantastic week!!! I for one, plan on having a great week, and I am already looking forward to next weekend for two reasons: 1. We have plans on Saturday meet up with two couples who have adopted from Kaz, and 2. My G-Men are in the Superbowl!!! I cannot wait to watch the game complete in my old school Joe Morris jersey (#20 and the running back on the 1986 Superbowl Champion Giants).

Good luck to all of those in country, travelling to Kaz, waiting for LOIs, paper chasing, etc. May good things come quickly to all:)

Progress At Last!!!

2008-01-16T21:52:00.000-06:00

After 6 very LONG months, and a switch of agencies, our Home Study is finally out the door to DCFS here in Illinois!! Whoo hoo!! Now we just have to wait 3 more weeks for approval from DCFS and then it is on to CIS:) At long last we finally feel like we are moving forward with our adoption and we are so excited about it!!! One step closer to Kaz and our Kazman!

On another note, I think my SBP has ESP. I was having another rough day (we are on deadline at work) and when I came home, another package with loads of goodies for Vaughn. The cutest pacifier and fire truck I have ever seen! Plus, a baseball and football to hang on the car seat or stroller, and two adorable tops for him! I love my SBP!!! Thanks for making me smile again today!

Also, I wanted to share one of my favorite websites just in case adoptive moms/parents out there have not come across it while web surfing: http://notshowing.com/store/Scripts/default.asp
I think my top two are "Pregnant On Paper" and "Adopting: Bump Not Required" (I will have to get one of these for my baby shower). Plus there is cute stuff for your little ones:)

Hope everyone is doing well and hearing all sorts of great news!!

Thank you...

2008-01-11T08:59:00.000-06:00

To my Secret Blog Pal (SBP) for making my week, not once, but twice! It has been a rough week with regards to work, and my SBP made this week much brighter.

Early in the week, I came home to a package from Godiva and inside was the cutest bear with reindeer antlers holding a box of divine chocolate:) The bear of course, is for Vaughn, and the chocolate was gone in short order (with my hubby's help). The bear however, is extremely special. Not just because it was from my SBP and is for our son, but as I was looking through the invoice sent with the bear, I learned his name is Rudy. My SBP could not have known this, but Rudy is the name of my late Grandfather, who was very, very special to me. So this bear will have a very special place for Vaughn.

Now, if that wasn't enough to make me cry already, I came home later this week to another package from my SBP. In it was a pair of very comfy slippers for the baby house that pack down really small so great for travel; the cutest soft baseball rattle for Vaughn that says All-Star on the front, has a mirror on the back & a teething handle; some more chocolate (which in my opinion one can never have enough of); and last but not least (which incidentally is what put me over the edge in the crying department) the most adorable photo album that says Little Champ on the front of it (this will be the album we bring to the baby house when we meet Vaughn). Seeing all of these together made this adoption feel that much more real for me, and just warmed my heart. It was just what I needed this week:)

So, SBP, you hit the nail on the head and everything is so incredibly perfect!! We cannot thank you enough!!! I can't wait to put everything to good use!! I will post pics of the gifts when our computer issues are resolved (yes, they still exist!!!). I am ready to just buy a new one.

In other good news, we finally bought our furniture yesterday!!! I am so, so excited:) Jamie and I both really love it and it suits our personality, the baby's room, and our home!! I can't wait to get it and put it together. I am so excited for the room to be done furniture, pictures and all!! I could post pictures of the furniture now, but I think I will wait until the room is complete:)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!! I also hope those who are waiting to hear about travel dates, or their dossiers, get good news this week with the Kaz government returning to operation!!!

Strangeness

2008-01-05T15:28:00.000-06:00

Jamie and I took another trek out to look at some more baby furniture, etc. And I have to tell you, it felt weird. Not because we were actually starting to look at stuff for Vaughn, because that is fun. But I felt like people were looking at us funny because I did not have a protruding belly (no offense meant to my pregnant friends out there).

Not only that, but not one single sales person came up and asked us if we needed help as we were idiotically trying to figure out how the strollers folded up (thanks to my husband for figuring out how all 4 worked!). I have to wonder though...was I imaging people staring at us due to my own self awareness because we do not look like "typical" parents, or did it really happen? Hard to say at present moment in time. The only person who did not seemed phased by us was the gentleman who nicely told us how much the crib we liked will cost.

So, adoptive parents out there - am I crazy or did you feel like this sometimes too? I, of course, will get over this, but was curious about how others felt.

On the plus side, the crib we like is finally going to be in store sometime this week, so next Sat. will be another trek out to the store to take a look at it:) We have finally narrowed it down to 2 sets. I also picked out a diaper bag (Jamie already chose his). I know it is a bit soon, but I am actually going to use it for work:) Multi-tasking - I love it.

And here is where all of you will find out what big dorks Jamie and I are. Here are the diaper bags (yes they match - unintentionally. Mine is the tote):

I have to say though, they are both roomy enough for clothes, diapers, toys, my purse and personal effects, and Jamie's (on the top) can be used as an overnight bag for the Little Guy. I know, you all can laugh at us:) And incidentally, our car is a Jeep, too.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

PS - there are some fellow bloggers who post to our site, and I would love to post back, but you have private blogs (which I completely understand and we are thinking of doing). If you are willing, could you please send us an invite? All of your comments have been so great and supportive, but I have no way to thank you personally.

Finally...

2008-01-01T12:02:00.000-06:00

OK. So, I have been promising pictures of the baby's room for, oh, over a month I think!! Here is the start of Vaughn's room. The rocker is courtesy of my in-laws, and we are going to re-finish it and re-upholster the cushion to match the room. The cover over the rocker is the baby's bedding - baseball, what else? :) Of course, once it is all completed, we will post a new picture.

Anyway, we hope everyone had a fabulous New Year!! Jamie and I (and his sister) spent quality time with some of our close friends. We had an awesome time, and it was the perfect way to ring in 2008. Jamie and I are looking forward to the new year and everything it has in store for us. It is no doubt going to be an amazing year!!! How can it not be? Our son will finally be home!!!

Thank you to all who have given their sage advice on what to bring to Kaz, buy for the baby, and other recommendations! It is going to be a huge help to us. Anything else anyone thinks of, please feel free to let us know:)

Also, we have updated our blog to receive anonymous comments. It occurred to us that some of our friends and family might not have Google accounts. If you click on the comments link under the post, the option should be there. If not, please let us know!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!! May 2008 bring much love, happiness and laughter to you:)

On A Whim...

2007-12-30T16:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Jamie and I decided to take a quick trip to the baby store (and felt a bit unprepared) to look at a crib we found online, and thus the questions began. Lifestyle crib, or crib that converts to a toddler bed only? Drop sides or fixed sides? Modern or Traditional? And the list could go on and on and on. These questions only gave way to other questions....such as what to buy before we go (nursery furniture excluded)? What type of stroller - travel system or not? If not, what kind of car seat? Do we buy a travel tent (found at Land of Nod) for the little guy to use in Kaz? Do we get a highchair now or wait? Play gym? Clothes? Bath stuff? Etc., etc., etc.

So many questions have entered my mind in the last 24 hours that I think I need to make a list:) If anyone has any advice on the above, on what we really need before we travel, while we travel, etc., or would like to share a short list with us, that would be fantastic!!

Here are the three things we did buy which I believe are sound investments: a diaper bag (very cool one btw that Jamie can use), an inflatable tub, and stacking toys to play with in the bath. Beyond that...well, we need help from the more experienced:)

We hope everyone has a fabulous New Year!! Here is to bringing home Baby Michel in 2008!! Whoo hoo!!!!

Happy Holidays!!

2007-12-23T10:23:00.000-06:00

I know it has been a long time since we have posted. It has been very hectic between switching agencies, getting paperwork done for the new one, and of course the holidays!!! To top all that off, we have had major computer issues, which we have almost figured out:)

So, to recap, we have switched agencies and are now with Adoption Ark (thank you Muriel, Debbie, & Suzanne!!). We are very happy, and the switch over has been seamless thus far. The home study will be ready to go after the first of the year, and then we just wait for CIS approval. With that being said, it is more likely that our dossier will go over to Kaz in February. What can you do? With any luck (and lots of prayers) we can get CIS approval quickly! We are well on our way with the dossier docs. We have our first round ready for the apostilling process and are hoping to send the next round to Maeven (our caseworker) to review and approve. Kinkos, here we come for copying!!! Exciting stuff, I know:)

So, Jamie and I were wrapping presents on Friday night, and we looked at each other and realized that this would be the last one by ourselves. It was kind of a WOW moment. Of course, we both smiled about it and cannot wait to spoil our little Vaughn next year! Also, last night my sister, brother in law, and nieces came downtown to visit and we had so much fun. We went to Macy's to see the windows, went to FAO Schwartz inside Macy's, went to the German Christmas Village at the Daley Plaza, and last but not least, we went to see the zoo lights at Lincoln Park Zoo. I just kept smiling all night because next year we get to do all of those things with Vaughn included. My nieces are going to be so adorable with him. We cannot wait for them to meet their cousin!!!

Jamie and I are looking forward to the holidays with our families and celebrating the last one as DINKS:) We are looking forward to an exciting new year as we bring home our long awaited son and become a family! I already know 2008 is going to be a fantastic year!

Best wishes to those who have brought home their children this year, to those who are currently in country waiting to come home, to those who are in country meeting their children, to those who are waiting to travel, and to those who are just starting this amazing journey.

Many thanks again to our family, friends, and the adoptive community for their unending support and encouragement as Jamie and I continue on our journey. We are forever grateful and hope to continue the friendships we have made in the adoptive community.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to our family, friends, and fellow bloggers!!

PS - really we will post pictures of the baby's room and our other "babies" when the computer issues are resolved!!!

What to do is done....

2007-12-04T20:22:00.000-06:00

So, with no further ado, after much soul searching, we have decided to switch agencies. We spoke with our social worker today (who by the way is amazing and I wish we could take her with us!!) and she was very gracious & understanding as to why we were switching. Jamie and I know in our hearts that this is the right decision for us and our future family. It is a bit daunting, but if others can do it (if you are reading this you know who you are!) so can we. We are hoping to be signed with a new agency by the end of the week, and then keep moving forward to the land of Kaz and our little guy!!

Thank you to everyone who offered us great support and words of encouragement during this frustrating time! We are forever grateful to you. And thank you to those who were gracious enough to talk to us about their agency experiences with total honesty. We are forever grateful to you as well. And a big thanks as usual, to our family, friends, and the adoptive community - you are all amazing!

If anyone would like to hear more about why we are changing, feel free to email me directly.

What to do, what to do?

2007-11-27T21:37:00.000-06:00

So, we are at a point of crisis in this process (probably the first of many). We are in a major holding pattern with regards to our home study and our agency. There is an internal issue with our agency and DCFS here in IL, which is putting our home study in its holding pattern. It is very frustrating right now. We have a home study that is ready to be reviewed and sent for approval, dossier docs ready to be reviewed and apostilled, and we cannot do any of it or move foraward!!

So, the crisis? Do we switch agencies or stay with our current one? That is the big question that we are facing right now, and the big decision we have to make. I feel like we are at the make it or break it point in the process for switching (or at least the ideal time to do it). We have been doing a lot of research, talking to a lot of people, and are working on sorting it all out. We knew and expected there would be bumps in the road, but switching agencies was definitely not one of them!!! All in all, we think that switching might set us back a month or so, but considering the uncertainty of when the issue with our agency will be cleared, a month doesn't seem so bad.

Once we decide what we are doing, we will update the blog. I am so completely frustrated right now, and for the first time since we started this whole process, I broke down in tears (probably not the last time, right?!) Anyway, enough negative vibes for the night!

Best wishes to all our blogging friends who are travelling right now and meeting their children and awaiting court dates! We are so happy for you and can't wait to read more about your little ones!! And congratulations to those families who had successful court dates and are now proud parents!!! Safe journeys to Kaz and home:)

Also, one of these days (when our normal computer is working), we will post the pics of our other "kids" and baby Vaughn's room like we have been promising!!!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T20:18:00.000-06:00

This is a short post just to wish all of our family and friends (old and new) a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! We love you all!!! We are so thankful to have all of you in our lives and supporting us during one of the most exciting times in our lives!!!

We are also thankful to all of the adoptive families we have met during this process, and through blogging. You are all wonderful, amazing individuals and we are lucky to have you as support and sounding boards!! Best wishes to those who are completing paperwork, those who are waiting, those who are travelling, and those who are home with their children - we are thinking about you all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hanging in there!

2007-11-20T21:00:00.000-06:00

Well, we didn't receive that great of news from the adoption agency. Looks like we're going to have to wait until Illinois DCFS gets their act together and allows the agency to keep preparing home studies. Typical government, especially Illinois. I guess that's why they call it the big political machine. We're thinking about raising a ruckus and contacting our local congressman, not that they would do anything either...you know...big political machine.

In the meantime, Kim and I are going to keep on trucking and get all our papers in order, so that the dossier is ready to hit the Kazakhstan ground at a moments notice. Thanks to all who provided us pictures in order for us to complete the dossier. Never thought gathering pictures would be such a project. Actually, it gave us the opportunity to reminisce as well.

Stay tuned for pictures of our animal kingdom, which includes our dog, Ryno (and yes, he is named after the best second baseman of all time, Ryne Sandberg), and our cats Maji and Piper (a little Ali Baba/Mummy/Charmed theme going on there - don't know why, my wife named them). And, we will also attempt to post pictures of the recently completed (minus the furniture) baby's room.

Anyway, thanks again to all who have been there for us and have a great Thanksgiving. Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, this is Jamie blogging and this is my first ever blog. Got one under the belt.

J-

Great Book

2007-11-02T19:41:00.000-05:00

I now have baby shopping on the brain since the last post:) We are really excited to stop dreaming about our baby's room, and start making it a reality! But patience is key, right? We are going try and wait until after the holidays to start shopping, but I am sure I will break down before then. LOL:)

With all the baby "stuff" on the brain, I just wanted to give a shout to a great book given to me by one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jess. Jess & Bry have have a beautiful little girl, who we are proud to call our Goddaughter:)

When we began our journey, Jess gave me the book "Baby Bargains" by Denise and Alan Fields in order to help us sift through things we might buy for the baby. This book has been a godsend, and a wealth of information about everything related to babydom. It has information on what are good buys, bad buys, things not to even think about buying, etc. So, I just wanted to share the wealth about this book. I highly recommended it, and both Jamie and I enjoyed reading it, and it helped make some of our decisions very easy!

Getting There!

2007-10-31T20:49:00.000-05:00

I have figured out that the problem with blogging is that sometimes, you just do not have time to update your blog! Work has been crazy the past couple of weeks for both me and Jamie! In fact last night I didn't get home from work until 12:30am! I love working 16+ hour days;)

This one was especially tough because we had the bulk of our homestudy today! Trying to come up with intelligent (and rational) responses was a bit tough. All that being said, Jamie and I feel really good about how it went, and are really happy with the experience. Our social worker, Pam, is really great and very easy to work with. Jamie has to finish his individual interview next week, and hopefully it won't take too long to have the home study completed!

We are now hoping that we can send our dossier to St. Louis for translation after Thanksgiving and then hopefully onto the consulate in NY by the end of the year! Wish us luck! Of course with this whole process, nothing happens as planned and you just have to roll with the punches:)

We finally put the finishing paint touches on the baby's room, and it looks fantastic! We are so happy with how it is turning out:) We are looking forward to shopping for furniture, and putting the rest of the room together! Today we were in Target, and we walked through the baby section (I wanted to check out something in the bathing aisle). Jamie got a bit overwhelmed by everything, and how much "stuff" we are going to have to get for the baby:) It was actually really sweet. He did however find a diaper bag that he thought was really cool and manly. It was so cute to see him excited about a diaper bag!

It is now time for me to go - we need to catch up on some sleep! Thanks to all the well wishers and to all the people we have met so far through blogging! Everyone has been fantastic and so supportive!

First post ever!

2007-10-21T10:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, well here is our first blog post ever! Jamie and I are more than half-way to having our dossier completed! We just have to finish our home study, and get fingerprinted for CIS, which is happening at the end of the month. Hopefully everything we have collected is in good order, and we can send our dossier for translation before Thanksgiving!

We are so excited to be finally starting our family, and thank all of our friends and family for their support! It has meant the world to us, and of course has made the process all the much easier.

Since we are still in the process of paperwork, there is not much to report yet. But, we have started getting the little guy's room together, and it looks great! We have chosen a vintage babseball theme (very appropriate for us!) and the room is blue and chocolate brown. Once I figure out how to post pictures, I will post one. We are excited to start furniture shopping and completing his room!

This whole process has moved rather quickly (we just started gathering everything after Labor Day) and at the moment is surreal! The next few months of waiting will be hard, but we will have lots to keep us busy, we hope! With any luck, we will be travelling to Kaz anywhere from April on to meet the little guy.