My day in bullet points

Well my little bump in the road from last Thursday has grow to a full fledged road block. Basically, all I need is a simple letter stating that my hysterectomy back in '02 ,after giving birth to Jake, was due to childbirth complications. And that after seven years I have fully recovered!

Simple enough huh?

No .

I ordered the operation report and discharge papers from the hospital. They inform me this could take two weeks to retrieve from achieves.Ugh! The Doctor that preformed the surgery is no longer around.Ugh! So I called my newest Ob/Gyn and she has also left.Ugh!

At this point I am beginning to sweat.

I plead my case to someone in the Ob/Gyn office to put me with another doctor and please help me. They assure me they will call me back.

That was last Friday morning. By Friday afternoon they decided to leave early for manicures.

So, I will fast forward to today (Tuesday).

This is dedicated to everyone else that had a poopy day recently!Feel free to laugh I will some day ...but just not today.

My day in bullet points:

- Ava was running a low grade fever last night ,so I called back the Ob/Gyn office rather than pleading my case in person and I spoke to the office manager.

- She said they would have to call and let me know if they would be willing to do it.
(What the heck does that mean? Mind you, I just thought that I did not say it out loud)

Here is a condensed version of the conversation :

me: "But you are my Ob/Gyn."

the mean office manager: "Like I said, I will call you back"

me: "My daughter is living over there in China with no family.For a child with no family days seem like weeks,weeks seem like months and months seem like years."

the mean office manager : "Your DOB."

Oh yes, she did say that! What the heck happens to someone to harden their heart to that degree? Heartless.

- I was so upset which = lots of crying

- Took a moment to wish the same nail fungus on her as I had wished upon the ladies from last week! (Not really but really thought about it :)

- Phone rang and it was the hospital with my records ready for pick up!

- God must had taken pity on me! (At this point I am glad I really did not wish the wrath of the nail fungus!)

- I loaded that sick baby in the car and drove around the city and back

- Read the operation /discharge report and balled some more.

(Note to self :self pity is the worst quality a person can possess but I was on a role and was just going to go with it)

- Called my General Practitioner from the car they said bring it they would read the report and write my note :)

- They said give him 24 hours and it will be done!:)

- Now, I am praying that my agency coordinator is not out of town!

- My eyes are swollen shut and I cannot see out of my contacts because of the mascara that ran into my eyes or just maybe I have gone blind

I am ready for bed so I can put this day behind me !!!!!

By the way the heartless office manager ...never called me back .
(so I am rethinking the nail fungus thing ... again!)

And then I remind myself how the last few days came into play . Beyond all of the frustration and tears it is all worth it. All of this because I am a momma of a sweet little girl in China that I have never met or held but love beyond measure.

A small bump in the road

I would not call it a road block but I am going to just refer to it as a small bump on this journey to our little girl. We received an email last night from our agency. There is truly something about exciting about seeing something come from them! But unfortunately this was not one of those emails. There was a mix of good news and bad news. I always like to hear the good news first so here it is.

Good News: Well, basically our dossier is in the process of being reviewed :)WAHOO!!

Bad News : But the CC** needs a note from my doctor about my emergency hysterectomy that I had after giving birth to Jake :( They just want confirmation about why I had to have it done.

Well that email was not something that you want to read right before going to bed!And let me just say definitely NOT conducive to a goodnight rest . So, here I sit @ 5:00 a.m. up and ready to call my doctor. But can you believe that they do not open til 8:30!

I read something really profound and true yesterday on this blog

http://http//cornbreadandchopsticks.blogspot.com/


"If God brings you to it , He will see you through it"



So, these are the words that I am going to lean on today!

Well, I will end with some photos of my Texas cowboy and cowgirl. Jake had a Texas open house last night at school . I snapped these photos of brother and sister before we left. Look at the love in her eyes for cowboy Jake! He pretty much has this little cowgirl wrapped around his finger but I have to say the feeling is mutual!

Every cowboy has a sidekick . Well, in just a few more months Jake will have two little sidekicks chasing him around!

And I can not wait!

You know it is Monday when...

You turn your back for two seconds and your daughter looks like she has been to a tattoo parlor! Thank the lord she did not select a sharpie for her tattoo applicator! But really a mustache ...this is the hazards of living in a household mainly comprised of testosterone!

Hurry up Peyton we need you to help even out the hormone levels!!!!!!
Just a guess ...but I believe this is going to be a LONG day!

~Day 25 and counting since our LID!

Spring Break!!!

We decided to do our annual spring break pictures in the neighborhood this year. The Texas bluebonnets need just a little bit more time because of the late snow.They are predicted to be great this year because of the wet winter .So, I figure they will be perfect just in time for my little Russian visitors!! Michelle and Ana are coming to visit in April . I expect to be picking up Ondrea and Meg at the airport too!!!!! (So book your tickets O!)We will plan our bluebonnet photo session with three Russian beauties this year!
So, I squeezed Ava in her Russian dress for what maybe the last time and headed to the lake. I have to say getting all to cooperate can be difficult. I can only imagine what next year will be like with Peyton in the mix! I can not wait!

We are at day 19 since our LID and counting!!!!

I Love Springtime in Texas!!!!!!!

Need I say more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

More Fluff!

~This is for all you dog lovers out there. Warning get a Kleenex!

This is one of the kindest things you may ever see..

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.




Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her.. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it.. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by..
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God


~Now I am going to go kiss my dog even though he has eaten at least a box of crayons this week ... among many other things!:)

Fantasy vs.Reality

We all have our favorite blogs we love to follow. Maybe you choose them based on a common special need that your children share. Or maybe you choose them because they are feel good and fluffy. What ever reason that is the beauty of being able to make a choice!

I personally like both fluff and truth!

As I read this particular blog post today all I could think of was where was this post before I left for Russia! There are so many feelings and emotions that you feel at some point in this process. We spend months or even years preparing to make this child part of our lives. Often creating this fantasy or romantic notion of what it will be like when you first meet. And how blissful it will be like when you arrive home.
But reality is as magical as that first glance may or may not be for us it just might not be that way for your beautiful bundle of joy for quite some time. Some of us have a wonderful experience in country. That was us ! Ava gladly took to us and never looked back! We experienced the "honeymoon phase" while there. But nothing could have prepared me for the reality that the next few weeks would bring.

I am preparing myself for a different experience with Peyton. She is older than Ava was at the time and is attached to her foster family. Based on these factors alone , I am not expecting anything that resembles a honeymoon.

Well, I am posting a link to her blog here. Be sure to read all three posts: The Beginning, The Middle and The End /Beginning .There is no sugar here just her laying it all out !

http://keirajoy07.blogspot.com/

So, when you get through reading , leave Christie an encouraging word . I love the fact that the adoption community has the power to encourage and help one another through this journey to our children!

Retail Therapy : Session #1!

As promised a little retail therapy! This was the best prescription that I have ever had!
There is something said for leaving "old negative Nelly" behind and heading to the stores!I have really had fun shopping for the girls.I even have bought a couple of matching outfits!I have to say I have been pretty thrifty! I purchase all of the items for $55.00! Now, my next wave of clothes are coming from beautiful Meg's closet (http://ephesiansonefive.blogspot.com/).

Poor Daddy ...two girls is going to be tough :)

I also went today and got Peyton some goodies to send for a Easter /Spring care package.I am going to send this through Ann @ Red Thread.

I love that Peyton has a thing for bunnies ! It sure was easy shopping for her with all of the Easter stuff out!

We are on day 10 since our LID ...But who is counting!!!!!

Half Way There?

The LID excitement has faded and the realization has set in! We are only halfway through this journey to our Peyton!!!!! Now, do not get me wrong ,I am so grateful that we have received our LID but I have to be honest this wait is starting to get to me! Okay brace yourself here is my "Negative Nellie' moment. And yeah we all have them!

Do I have at least one million things that I should or could be doing...Yes!

But I feel like I have been running a marathon for almost four months (with a computer hooked to my back) and I have just passed a sign that reads just four to six months left to go! UGHHH!

Does anyone else feel like this? (Nikki you do not have to answer this I know your answer!)

Oh how I just wish that we received periodic updates on our children. That would be the best "fuel" to get you through these long waits! Okay, so enough of my complaining I am going to gladly get back in line and zip my lip!(Well, maybe not for Bret or Nikki...sorry guy's!)




Well, I will share a little Ava report. One of our goals was to have Ava in a toddler bed before Peyton arrived home. So, she was so excited to make this move towards her big girl status.Although she has been spotted making a midnight run to the toy box!We have also entered the negotiating phase of potty training. I have not pressed this issue much. In between our trips to pick up Ava we left a disposable camera for the orphanage to take photos. What a treasure that was to develop those pictures and get a small glimpse of her life before us. One of the photos was her having potty time. Mind you this child could not walk but was placed on a potty .I can not help but wonder who was their to catch her if she fell . When I look at this photo it serves as a "window" for me of what every day of an orphans life must be like. As much as it breaks my heart to look at this photo it is reality for so many children.Looking at this just makes me so thankful that God appointed me the honor of being the one to always catch her.What a true honor that is.
So, needless to say she will let me know when she is ready.

Well, I will leave you with a photo of the waiting big sister showing off her new big girl bed ! As you can see she has a blanket addiction! Check out the shiner. What can I say she is on the go. I hope Peyton can keep up with sister ...she has a lot of lost time to make up for!

So keep on praying for speedy news on the adoption front for all...Let's get all these babies home!