Journey to Parker's Little Sister!!!

OUT OF RETIREMENT TO INTRODUCE A SPECTACULAR GIRL!!

2008-02-04T20:23:00.000-06:00

!!!INTRODUCING!!!!

AVERY KRISTINE

So where have I been since oh, July? Busy with stuff which I will actually post later as I have had many complaints. Today, my friends, who might actually read this still, I want to let you know that my GREAT friend Robyn saw her baby girl for the first time.

I met Robyn through a group of ladies going through the adoption process along with me. She has been waiting since December of 2005 to meet her daughter. To put in "time" terms, she has been officially waiting since four months before I even began the adoption process in April 2006. Needless to say, she has been paitient and unwavering.

Well all of that paid off today. Avery Kristine met the world today! She is adorable and as you can see, well worth the wait. Not only does a daughter a family make, but this little girl gives hope to many, many adoption families. Hope that they will get their daughters one day. It does happen and Robyn and Paul are proof of that.

So Robyn, Paul, Martha, and James H., "SALUD"!! I cannot think of anybody who deserves this beautiful girl anymore than you do. Welcome to the rest of your life!! CONGRATULATIONS!!

I look forward to seeing you all together soon!!

P.S. I promise to post again soon!!

Hello Out There!!

2007-07-24T20:03:00.000-05:00

4th of July Fun! Love Parker's Face

I would apologize for not updating this sooner but I honestly do not think anybody reads this anymore. I wish I could update this more often but time seems to pass me by.

First of all, let me congratulate three of my closest friends and a cousin who just welcomed babies. Three girls and a boy, all healthy. You know who you are and your babies are all BEAUTIFUL! I am so happy for all of you!!

Life is good! We had a great summer vacation in Michigan with Matt's family. Parker got to see his cousins, grandparents, and great grandparents. The weather was nice and it was nice just to relax and get away from it all. We also so some of our great friends for a short time and Parker just had a blast with his new friend Zach...we can't wait to travel with them again!

Parker and his friend Zach

Zach's Mom Brenda...My Good Friend/Roomate in College...the only person I can truly live with (besides Matt :))

Work is good and very busy. I have been averaging 45-50 hours a week and I finally am slowing down a little. I have to admit, I have never had a job this busy but it is nice to go into the office and have the day fly by. Matt has helped out so much over the past few weeks as he has had time off...but he is now back at work so I am going to slow down a little.

Parker loves his preschool and the lady who takes care of him is AMAZING. He swims everyday and has a beautiful tan. He is swimming underwater now and just having a ball. It is hard to believe that school is only a month away and then lessons start again. I am looking forward to fall though.

Zoey, our 'She Beast', is weighing in at about 60+. Yes, she weighed 17 pounds when we got her on April 4th. So not even four months later she is 43 more and still growing. I will try and take some new pics soon.

As for the adoption...since this blog was started to post updates about our adoption...there are none. And there will not be any updates anytime soon. I sent an email to my contact at my agency last week to see if she could give me any additional information that the generic info I already get. Needless to say, she didn't have any additional and she stated, "I refuse to believe that your wait will get to 7 years". Wow, I wasn't thinking beyond 3 but since she mentioned it, I am guessing that is what the current numbers are pointing to. Nevertheless, it is out of my control at this point.

We have decided to move onto "Plan B".

I hope everybody is well...I don't hear from too many people anymore but I know everybody is busy. Love Ya!

MARCO...

2007-05-21T21:16:00.000-05:00

Parker's First run through the sprinkler of 2007!

Zoey the "She Beast" 13 weeks old

POLO!!!

Well, I am guessing that most people won't even notice this post. It has been almost four months since my last post. What can I say? Excuses I guess. Honestly, the truth, we have been busy and I guess what we have been busy with isn't all that interesting to other people.

Catching up on four months would take me a gazillion pages. Let me sum it up in a nutshell...we got a dog, had a great turn out for this years March of Dimes walk, found out it will take most likely 3 years before we get Larkin, my Mom retired, one of my best friends is about to have a baby, work work and more work, and Parker getting older.

Our dog's name is Zoey. She is a Newfoundland and a real pain in the ass right now. I love her to death but she eats everything. Primarily human flesh. Parker has cuts on his legs and I have cuts all over my arms as does Matt. My shoes are all narled on the heels and Matt has lost a few pairs of pants to this dog. She is 13 weeks old now and when we got her six weeks ago, she was just shy of 18 pounds. As of yesterday, she is just shy of 38. Thank God I don't gain weight at that rate. She is sweet but a puppy so she is a handful. We will be training her as soon as we are able to.

Parker and Matt are great. School is ending this week for Matt. He has to work most of the summer but it is always more relaxed when the kids are gone. Work is going well for me, I am at the point where I appreciate all the vacation I get. We are looking forward to taking a trip to see Matt's family, my family and our good friends this summer. Visiting the midwest is always a great way to beat the heat in the summer.

I'm afraid my M3 Posse thinks I have neglected them. I have seen most of them since the March of Dimes Walk. By the way, Parker's Peeps raised almost 1k this year and we had a turnout of 14 people. WE had a great time and I am so thankful to my friends for walking...even if it was muddy and we did get seperated. Hey we got bread an ice cream sandwiches! YUM!!

I have been a little out of the loop with busy weekends and such but honestly, I think I am just removed from the adoption process in general. We have pretty much officially been told it will be between a 24-36 month wait time. With only six months down, we are feeling a little bitter at this point. Actually, I shouldn't say that...we are over it at this point. We were upset for about two days because we felt lied to and and completely disengaged from our agency but now we are just pressing on. Possibly looking at other options. No we are not dropping out of China but with the possibility of not meeting our daughter until late 2009/early 2010 we need to figure out a plan B.

So I'm sorry M3 if you guys feel I have been absent lately. I miss you guys I just needed some much needed time to reflect on this process. You have all been so great an helpful and I am so happy you are all close to getting your babies! I can't wait to meet all of them.

I am off to bed now...but I wanted to touch base with my friends! Love you All!!

P walking across the new floor!

2007-02-12T19:07:00.001-06:00

P walking across the new floor!
Originally uploaded by redgal7474.

I can't believe how fast he is growing!!

Yes, it has been awhile...

2007-02-12T18:57:00.000-06:00

Superbowl Sunday! Go Bears! My new favorite picture!!

Hi Everybody! I am once again a bad blogger...don't I get an excuse of some sort? Working Mom, Three Year Old, Beginning Pilates, starting work on March of Dimes 2007, working on getting a dog? Any of these work?

Actually, in all honesty, I didn't think I had that much good stuff to report...maybe it was the holiday post slump. The good news is that this Friday marks our 3 month LID...I would like to think the next gazillion months fly by just as quickly. I honestly start thinking about her and then I try to push it out of my mind. Then I will see some adorable little Asian girl somewhere and I will think about her again. Then I will push her out again. Then I think about doing her room...than I ignore it again. My M3 posse wisely warned me from doing her room early and I am heeding their advice. I go into stores and honestly suprise myself by not buying her things. To date I probably have about 8 articles of clothing for her. Which is not like me at all...in regards to my shopping habits. When I was pregnant with Parker, after the first 12 weeks, I was balls out buying things. I guess it is the intangible of not knowing when she will come. I think maybe six more months and I will at least have a better idea??? I would like to think. Oh Larkin...Mommy does love you so much and hopes time flies by so quickly!

On another note, work is good and Parker is great in preschool. We were actually home today as he has a terrible double ear infection...um, I thought tubes are suppose to prevent this??? Appearently, I was wrong. Not too bad though. I have been at work almost six months now...hasn't time flown and he has only been really sick twice. I don't care he is my first priority and I get a rediculous amount of sick and vacation time. Plus, I worked from home today so it is a moot point.

My 31st birthday is Saturday...I cannot believe how time has flown. I remember being so drunk on my 19th and 21st birthdays. I guess I took a break on my 20th...I was just living it up in college. I remember going to Vegas on my 21st birthday with my Father. I met him there for a long weekend from college...I had always wanted to go and he took me. It was a blast. I remember going to New Orleans two years ago for my 29th birthday and then last year skiing with my friends. The older you get, the faster time flies. I know I will turn around and I will be 40. No, to all my friends, there is nothing wrong with 40...it is just that time passes so quickly.

So this weekend, Matt is taking me to Cirque du Soliel. I love Cirque and we have been to six of their shows but my absolute favorite is La Nouba in Disney World. We saw it on our honeymoon and I have been hooked ever since. Lucky for me, they are in town right now so I get to go see Corteo with Matt...it will be fun! Other than that, I am having a fairly low key birthday...

So yes, you read correctly...we are getting a dog. We have talked about it for awhile now but we vowed to get a dog from puppyhood. We really had a bad experience with Illinois. We gave him a great six years but he was truly damanged goods. I am glad we rescued him but he was a lost soul. Poor guy. I grew up with cats and Matt grew up with dogs and since many of our family members are allergic to cats we decided on a dog. I did a ton of research and really wanted a family oriented dog...so the winner is...a NEWFOUNDLAND. Yes, you read right...a gigantic dog. But, read the info on them and you will be sold as well. They are perfect with kids and known as the gentle giant. We are going to get a female so she should be smaller than the 150lb male. Hey what can I say, I like big things. Look at Matt!! We will be getting her sometime in March...she is in Arkansas right now.

So I am signing off for tonight. I promise to be a better blogger...I really do. Kelley...I have been thinking of your foot...you are going to look so good in your Jimmy Choo's; Erin...I love your new doggy...miss you; Christie...I am thinking of you and your family and I do try to post on your father's blog; Robyn...you are so close woman I can taste it...I know it will be this summer; Val...I feel like the biggest ass for not emailing you lately about your visitor...I have been thinking about all you though, I promise. Love you all!!

P.S. I am still having problems with posting pictures on this stupid blog. I can't believe I am not that blog saavy. Help!

Gotta Love a Head Cold!

2007-01-04T18:31:00.000-06:00

Hello all my peeps! Well I have had a major head cold the past two days and it has wiped me out. The good news is that referrals have come for almost all of September, the bad news is that none of my pals have their babies yet. We are getting closer with every passing months. I am so very excited for all of them because they are towards the end of their wait and I am just at the beginning. So I will have so much encouragement when I get frustrated towards the end of my waiting time.

Holidays went well but I still need to pull down my decorations. I love putting them up but I dread taking them down. Onward towards Valentine's Day though...and adding another notch on the life ladder...my birthday is only a few days after V-Day. I can't believe the year has flown by so quickly. Just a year ago I was getting ready for a 30th birthday bash with a bunch of my girlfriends. We went skiing in Colorado and it was a blast. I had no idea I would be adopting and I definitely did not think I would be keeping track of blog. Besides adding to my family, I met five of the best ladies I have ever known. We have great times together...they are so great!!

Oh and a year ago I was an at home mom, planning on going to nursing school and just hanging out with my son. Now I am working again, have a little girl on the way, and great new friends. And the year has flown, I can't even tell you. I am posting a picture from last year's trip.

So my New Year's Resolutions are this: Speedy Referrals for my friends (since I can't control this, I will try and keep them cheery with my humor), work on the profanity (cut it down some), try and drive only 10 over the speed limit, lose about 25 pounds, save a ton of money so we can fly business class to China, and LIVE EVERYDAY TO ITS FULLEST! The merry go round goes so fast...you just have to take it all in when you can! Love you all!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2006-12-27T19:25:00.000-06:00

Well I hope everybody had a great Christmas!! We have been busy in our house. A few weeks ago, Matt's parents came to town for his graduation and I do not think we have slowed down until just today. I am beat. So my husband is now offically a Doctor. He can't peform surgery but damn, for all that schooling he should be able to. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of him and I also how happy I am for my family. Not only will this degree enhance his career opportunities, but he will now have more time to spend with us. Of course, now I am convinced I need to finish my Master's Degree which I am halfway done with...but then that thought goes to the back of my mind. What's a girl to do?? I need to know when to say when.

We had a wonderful early Christmas with Matt's parents in town and graduation was great as well. What made the weekend extra great was that I got to see three of my M3 friends for lunch. Kelley and the girls came, lovely dressed up and sassy Robyn, and Valerie who always makes me laugh (especially with the napkin at lunch)! We missed Christie and Erin...although Erin not so much as she was cruising and vacationing...so jealous. I have hooty hoot story about my in laws to tell at our next meeting ladies...I don't want to spoil it here but after a few drinks, you will all be rolling...this is what I came home to after our lunch that day. And no naughty thoughts...it is nothing like that. Oh by the way Robyn, no lime green drinks. They leave my body the same color as they went in...a little freaky.

Parker had his tubes in his ears and all went well. I think his speech has improved already. I am so glad we did it when we did. He was out of it until about mid afternoon and then he was fine from then on. I am sorry I missed my M3 lunch and ladies I have your gifts. Nothing like delayed gifts to keep the season going.

Christmas was wonderful and I got some great stuff. Parker got way to much so I put a lot of things away and will parcel them out over the next few months. Christmas is overwhelming for me so I can imagine a child's mind just spinning out of control. I really do love the holidays but they always seem so anti-climatic to me. There is such a big build up and then poof, they are over in an instant. Parker didn't sit on Santa's lap this year as he was terrified...so maybe next year.

I am looking forward to a weekend away with my husband this weekend. We are going to a wedding in San Antonio and after we booked the reservations, we found out our beloved Hawkeyes are playing in the Alamo Bowl...against Texas. So to all you UT fans...boo. We will be going to the game and then running back to change for the wedding. It will be fun for both of us. It has been almost two years since we have been away together. I will miss my friends this weekend so Happy New Year to you.

I am having problems posting pictures again so I will try in a different post. My wish for this new years is that referrals speed up, and at the very least all my friends have their babies home by summer. I think it is possible...just keep thinking and belieivng. I am going to put some serious miles on my car going to the airport! Love you guys!!!

LID!!! WE HAVE ONE! AND I AM A BAD BLOGGER!

2006-12-10T21:05:00.000-06:00

We were LID on November 17th. So here we are almost a month later and I haven't posted it yet. I would love to think every month until we get Larkin will pass this quickly but alas, I know it will not. It has been very hectic since my last posting.

In a nustshell...we went to Michigan for Thanksgiving where Parker proceeded to get sick and we ended up in the ER due to his ears. He has had a chronic ear infection for months now but before you freak...this is not a painful ear infection. Our ENT has been following him for several months and we have gone through rounds of antibiotics...nothing cleared it up. We then tested his hearing and our doc said he wasn't concerned with what it looked like in his ears as long as his hearing was compromised. We were suppose to follow up in mid December again. Well, then we went to Michigan and we realized we had to have it done. It was a very long plane flight back. Needless to say, Parker will be having tubes put in on the 22nd. So, for me, the mother who bragged about her kid never having an ear infection...will not be eating her words. I have a feeling these will make such a noticeable improvement in his runny noses, colds, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all after everything Parker has been through but come one, the kid deserves a break. At least the kidney stones are gone...probably shouldn't say that out loud should I?

So my husband is graduating with his PhD this upcoming Saturday. I am so proud of him in so many ways. I have to admit, I am also ecstatic that we can put all of his schooling behind us. He has been in school every since we graduated with our undergrads in 98. Maybe I will finally finish my Master's...who knows?

So let me tell you what I am looking forward to...Christmas Eve, and Christmas! I LOVE the holidays! I am also looking forward to early next year because I know all of my good friends are so close to getting their babies. I cannot WAIT to go to the airport to see them all coming home. Robyn is first up and then Valerie...girls it is so close I can feel it!

I hope all is well with everybody! Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving and all that Jazz!!!

2006-11-20T20:59:00.000-06:00

Yes, I finished my mantel this weekend. I just got those weird red things...Matt things they look like they came out of the Grinch movie...

Yes, yes, I am lax in my blogging. I know, I know. My good friends like to remind me all time that I'm sucky blogger. Maybe I will get better once I have my official LID. Tick tock Damnit. I called GWCA last week and they seemed to think I would get it this week. Why? I don't know, maybe they are just putting me at bay. I will call again tomorrow. I'm like a kid in a candy store. However, I think I am pretty much out of 2007 in regards to getting Larkin. A girl can dream right? Maybe I should focus on the tummy tuck instead for 2007??:)

So we are off to Michigan this week to the inlaws for Thanksgiving. It should be a great time as Parker loves to see his grandparents and I have fun just enjoying the weather in the Midwest. I also get to see my Aunt and Uncle who are coming up from Chicago...to see Parker, not so much me. It is nice though that he has extended family. I do not have any grandparents left and came into the world with only one...grandparents are amazing and I always get pissy at my friends who take theirs for granted.

Let me tell you about Matt's Grandparents. Matt's Grandfather is "Gomp" and his Grandmother is "Gommie". These are two very amazing people and very kind. It is great to see Parker with his grandparents, let alone his great-grandparents. Well, the story goes that when Matt's parents called Gommie and Gomp to tell them Parker had been born, Gomp was so upset that he hung up the phone. We didn't find out about the until about a year ago but it hit him really hard. We didn't show them pictures of him while he was until the hospital until just earlier this year. It was very hard for them because they just didn't know what to think. So after Parker had been in the hospital a few months, Gomp sent this little gift to the house. It had a little boxing glove ornament in it and a note that said "Keep on fighting Champ". Well, you can see Parker holding the little ornament above and I really think that it is the true testament to a good, strong support system. It is amazing to me to see what was three years ago and what now is today. I am in awe of my child everyday for everything he went through. I am in awe of myself and Matt for dealing with that head on and never thinking negatively. I honestly feel like I can tackle anything after going through that.

I remember waddling down to the NICU by myself the Friday after he was born. He was born on a Wednesday by the way. Matt had spent every night in the hospital with me and that Friday was the first night he went home. I made my way down the NICU, albeit very slow, and then I was alone with Parker for the first time. As alone as you can be by a bunch of nurses, doctors and sick babies. I sat down at his bed warmer and I cried. I cried. I cried. Peter, the wonderful night nurse came over to me and said, "First time down alone huh". He gave me some Kleenex and let me be alone with my son. For the next 84 days I watched the miracle of life, science, gifted nurses and doctors, and love and support heal my son. I realize how fortunate I am to have a 26 weeker with no lasting problems in excellent health. Read the statistics sometime and you will be shocked at how lucky we are.

So tomorrow I am off to my annual Obgyn appt. My doctor is my hero and I love him for saving my child's life. I am done birthing children as I can go through it again. I did mourn my pregnancy and it still stings like a bitch to go through the maternity ward. But will I ever complain? No, my son is healthy and I am the mother of a daughter not yet conceived. By some miracle, I found my daughter in the American Way magazine of all places. I found women who turned out to be some of the most wonderful women I would have never met if I didn't read that magazine. These women all have a story, all of have their own fertility issues, and all have an amazing sense of humor. I am very thankful.

So my friends, those who didn't think I could be very emotional or sincere, I am thankful for may things this season. I am thankful that I am going to be a mother again, I am thankful my son is happy and healthy, I am thankful that my husband is graduating with his PhD, I am thankful for my health and for finding my friend in my head and being able to proactive about it, I am thankful one of my best friends who has had so many fertility issues is finished with her first trimester on Thanksgiving, I am thankful that my parents are an active part of my son's life and I am thankful for all of my new friends. I love you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Picking a Pumpkin!

2006-11-03T21:03:00.000-06:00

Picking a Pumpkin!
Originally uploaded by redgal7474.

Okay, bear with me on this. I am trying to upload photos using Flickr...I haven't quite figured out how to load several at once. Here are a few from the pumpkin patch last weekend. I will load more of Parker in his Halloween costume later tomorrow. He was a Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon and he made away with a lot of candy. Good for him, bad for me. He loves to unwrap candy but not so much into eating it.

I promise to write more this weekend and I will try to be a better blogger from now on. I am still learning how to juggle the working mom thing. By the time I get home with Parker at night it is 5:30 and I just want to hang out with him. We put him to bed and I am usually exhausted so the blog is suffering. I will keep up with it though, I promise!

So to all my ladies...how long did it take you to get your LID? It has been two weeks...tick tock.

Oh, and on a weird note, does anybody else get the Pottery Barn Kids catalog? Love their stuff, hey, check out the new girls/baby furniture line. Notice what it is called??? THE "LARKIN" COLLECTION. Damnit. It was mine first. They owe me.

Parker and I in a barrel...

2006-11-03T21:01:00.000-06:00

Parker and I in a barrel...
Originally uploaded by redgal7474.

Testing.

WE ARE DTC!!!

2006-10-26T20:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I haven't been as good about posting but I did have a legitimate reason for holding off. We are officially DTC...Dossier to China. Six months of paperchasing and we are done. Now we are just waiting for official Log In Date (LID). Hopefully we will find that out in the next few weeks. I am just so happy to be done with the paperwork. It seems like the six months it took went by so quickly so I am hoping the time until we meet our daughter will fly as fast. Oh, our daughter by the way...her name is....

Larkin Anne

We will also incorporate part of her Chinese name. What a wonderful journey so far. I have met so many wonderful people who I know I will be friends with forever! I can't wait go to the airport several times over the next several months to wait for my friends returning from China with their daughters! It takes a truly special person to adopt a child and all of these people in my adoption group and wonderful souls! So here we go onto the next chapter!!!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

2006-10-09T20:50:00.000-05:00

Yes my friends. I am still waiting. Here is what I was waiting for as of last week. The authentication of my birth certificate from Chicago, Matt's authentication of his birth certificate from Los Angeles, and the authentication of our 171 and application letter from Houston. Well, the good news is, Chicago came through and I have my authentication letter. The bad news is, as of today, I still do not have the three other things. Now in all honesty, the 171 and application letter were just sent off last Tuesday overnight but Houston was very prompt with the authentications of everything else. I called the Chinese Consulate today to find out where Matt's birth certificate was as I know it arrived there on 09/27. Let me tell you how helpful she was. Anyway, if I don't get it tomorrow, i will be calling again. The good news is that I have another copy of Matt's birth certificate with its certification but I really dont' want to have to send that. So this is what it all hinges on folks. All I need to do is make my copies and I will hopefully be DTC. So I was hoping I would get it there this Wednesday so they could send it to China this Friday. So keep your fingers crossed for next week. GRRRR!!

On another note, we sold the beast this weekend. No, not Matt (HAHAHAHAHAHA!), the beast is my big Sequoia. It was just too much car for us even with Mei Mei coming. Plus now that I am working it sucked too much gas. We got a great price for it and now we are looking for another car. Yes, I am currently renting a stripped down Taurus and I am really missing my car. Hopefully, we will have a new car by this weekend! Any ideas from anybody (sorry to my MWL, but I know you love your Minivans but I just can't).

Okay and to my wonderful MWL group. Yes, I am a total weirdo. The lunch is this weekend but I still don't think I will be able to make it this Friday. I know you guys will have so much fun and I can't wait to see some of you soon! Hope all is well!

JUST WAITING ON ONE THING...

2006-10-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

I am so close to the end of this paperchase it is driving me insane. I am literally all done but I am waiting on three authentications back. Tick Tock. I really wanted to have all of the paperwork into our agency by next Wednesay so we could DTC next Friday. Considering how long this is taking I seem to be losing hope that will happen. I can't complain, the paperwork process hasn't been too hard, time consuming yes, hard not. I have to admit though, I just want to put it behind me and begin my wait. And begin shopping for my daughter. Oh and share her name with everybody. Keep your fingers crossed that I will come home to some FedEx envelopes tomorrow. GRRRR!!!

At least tomorrow is Friday!!!

I will miss my MWL group! I love you guys! Have fun tomorrow! Think of me!

Parker's Birthday Party...and Other Things!!

2006-09-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

The happy family on the fire engine. Boy do we match outfits well?? We are the busy shirt family.

Kind of blurry...but this is everybody on the fire engine!

Parker checking out the fire engine...

Sorry for the delay in posting. It has been quite hectic since Matt's parents left this past weekend. They came in town from Michigan to help celebrate Parker's 3rd birthday and it was non stop from the time they got here until they left. Needless to say, we all had a wonderful time and it was great to see them!

Parker's birthday party was a blast. We barely beat the weather but it worked out great because everybody who wanted to ride the fire

engine got a chance to ride a few times. All the kiddos were great and all had a fun time. Mollianne was not too hip on riding the fire engine but she loved watching it. Parker got some great gifts and fun was had by all. We are so thankful to have such wonderful friends!! We missed our friends who couldn't be there!

On a sad note, the night before the party, my beloved cat Merlin died. I honestly still think I am somewhat in shock from the whole thing. Merling was a big cat, as most of you who have seen him know (he was a 22 pound cat), but otherwise very healthy. He had shown no signs of any problems lately. Matt's mom, Parker, and myself came home Friday night from dropping off Matt's dad at Matt's work to find Merlin lying on the floor. Now this was not usual at all as Merlin was basically a sloth. (He was my cute fluffy sloth.) What was unusal was that his tounge was hanging out of the side of his mouth and he sounded like he was gasping. I ran to the phone and called our vet who had the emergency vet's number on there. Well the emergency vet was all the way off Greenville and 635...hello. So I called my Mom in a panic to drive me there...by this time Merlin had made his way to my bathroom floor. He was laying there, tounge hanging out, foam and stuff coming out of his mouth and gasping. I kept petting him and telling him to hold on...and then he died. All within a few minutes. I started crying. Not just crying. "Lifetime Movie" crying. How about "Steel Magnolias" crying. He was such a great cat and he was so affectionate. He slept with me every night and he had the best purr. My vet finally called me back because I paged her and after she apologized for not being able to meet me at her office (she was out of town) she said it is most likely a heart attack. I can take comfort in knowing that he wasn't in pain. I think he actually waited until I got home because it happend so fast soon after. I think part of it is that he misses his friend too. Our other cat Mikey, had to be put down in March. He was very sick and Mikey and Merlin were buds. At least they are together. Stack that on top of the fact that we put our dog down in February because he bit Parker a second time (he was a troubled dog that we had rescued from a no kill shelter 6 years ago) and the odds are not in favor for an animal entering our house.

I have had a cat as long as I can remember so now that I am without an animal it is strange. I am going to hold off on getting a pet for awhile. Merlin was only 10 but was with us since before we were married. It is so hard to replace an animal and I could try to being to. We got him at the SPCA downtown and he was great. Love you Merlin! I will try to find a picture for you guys.

WE GOT IT! WE GOT IT!

2006-09-22T15:59:00.000-05:00

I know I have already shouted from the rooftops but I will do it again...

WE GOT OUR I171-H YESTERDAY!

This is basically the last huge hurdle before we send our paperwork back to our adoption agency and then the dossier will be sent to China by them. I have a few things to do such as getting this form a few last things Authenticated but I am hoping to do that at the latest by the first week in October. I could probably do it faster but it is so crazy right now.

Gotta run, my in-laws are here and we are running out the door. Parker's birthday party is tomorrow morning and there is no rest for the weary until the earliest being Sunday afternoon. I will be diligently working on my adoption finalizations then. Is FedEx open on Sunday???

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY PARKER!!

2006-09-17T19:50:00.000-05:00

Hard to see but this is the first time I held Parker. He as two weeks old. The bandage on his back is from his PDA ligation surgery. He was only 28 weeks gestation age in this picture.

Parker today eating his birthday cookies (he likes cookies not cake) and being his cute self.

Three years ago today my little guy entered the world 14 weeks early weighing 2lbs and 3oz. It was the most wonderful day of my life and also the beginning of journey that make me stronger than any person I know. He spent 84 days in the NICU and things were looking very grim on his seventh day in there before he had his PDA ligation (heart surgery). From that day on he had his ups and downs but he did so well and we were so very fortunate. He never had any brain bleeds, infections, eye problems, gastro problems, etc. We took him home on December 9th, 2003 and he has continued to grow, thrive and amaze us ever since that day.

I am honored to be his mother and every time I look at him, I remember how fortunate my husband and I are and how precious life is. I am amazed how quickly three years have passed. In three years he will be going to school and from there on time will pass even more quickly. I am so happy that he made me a mother and I cannot wait for him to meet his little sister.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY PARKER! COUNTDOWN TO 4!

I'm Here! Woo Hoo!! Back with a Vengence!

2006-09-17T19:21:00.000-05:00

My sincere apologies to anybody who reads my blog. I have not posted in almost a month and I apologize. It has been a busy month as I have returned to work, went out of town for a week to California for training, and then my computer died. So after I got raked over the coals by my wonderful ladies last night, I vowed to not allow that much time to ellapse again without posting.

Work is going well. I am picking up on it very quickly and getting busier day by day. The days typically go by very quickly. Then I go to pick up Parker and we spend the rest of the night just hanging out. It is fun. I do miss him during the day but he has so much fun at his preschool and it is really helping his speech and his social skills. Plus, the potty training thing is coming along. Go Ms. Charlotte!!!

So life is good, I am making money again, my kiddo turned three today (will post seperately), and I had the best time with my Mommies Who Lunch group last night. Erin, Kelley, Christie, Robyn, Valerie and myself had the best time last night. First of all, Valerie, thank you for hosting our get together at your beautiful house! Valerie has the most magnificent house and she needs to be an interior decorator. She has a knack for it and she claims to have done it all on a budget but it absolutely does not look it. Aubriana's room is gorgeous and oh how I love the fact that she has seasonal bedding!

We had the best time laughing and eating last night. Kelley was such a trooper with her gimpy but newly beautiful foot. She even hopped up and down the stairs to hang out with us and we were glad she was there. We missed her after she left but I think she was much more comfortable at home!

Christie was the smartest one there. Even though I gave her flack for her gigantic fruit and veggie trays, it was great to have them there and it was all so wonderful. Plus, it avoided the massive guilt that goes along with eating everything else. You are a hoot and I just love hanging out with you! Glad to know that we are girls that you like to hang out with especially since you don't have "girls as friends".

Robyn is always a hoot and can always keep us laughing especially with her, "I'm from the country stories". She is always so great to bring her camera so we can capture these priceless moments just as she has of me on her blog. Also, I am waiting for a picture of Paul in his spandex leggings you said he has. That would be a hoot if you could get a picture of that on your blog!

Erin is always wonderful! Plus I never knew she has the funniest laugh I have ever heard. Oh and how I loved the story of the chili pot yesterday. That is great. I love the quirk that you can stand food in water. I would have never thought about that but hey, I hate mayo so we all have our weird things!

I had a blast last night just laughing and hanging out with my girlfriends. We really should make this something we do at least every other month. I know doing this and the lunch and with the holidays coming it is a lot but it was so great to just hang out. Sorry if I was getting tired at the end, I had an early morning with Parker on Saturday. I also was give my complete thanks to Erin for bringing us all together. Without her, we wouldn't all be friends now. I cannot wait to see how all of our daughters play together. I am so THANKFUL to have you all as my friends and to be going through this journey with you all (even if you think I am the rumor queen Robyn :))! I hope we remain friends forever...boy does that sound corny or what but I do really mean it!

Sorry I didn't post any pictures. I tried to copy them from Robyn but I am having the picture posting problems again. BooHoo!

P.S. Okay, so I will never forget gum in the dryer or using my dryer as a safe for that matter! Or our jokes about the "PP"...think really hard and you will figure out what that stands for.

Love You All!

Off to Work I Go....

2006-08-20T18:59:00.000-05:00

Miss Mia having fun on my couch!! What a great girl!!

Well, tomorrow is the big day! I can honestly say, I am not very nervous. I have been through many more trying things and this just doesn't stack up to those things. I am excited though. The idea of being able to go to work tomorrow and make good money for my family and also to get great benefits makes me happy. It also makes me happy to know that I am doing this to save money for Mei Mei. Of course, I will miss Parker. I missed him the two days that I took him to preschool last week. However, I saw how much he liked it and how much fun he had an it made it all the easier on me!! He is such a great kid and he has so much to learn and I know he will learn it at his preschool! It will be nice to be around adults for awhile during the day though!!

Friday, I hosted our Mommies Who Lunch group lunch at my house. We missed two of our members but we had a great time nevertheless. I have to tell you, this is a great group of women and you would never have guessed we hadn't been friends for years. We can all just sit around for hours about anything and everything! We do this monthly but I am throwing a suggestion out there that maybe somewhere in the next few months we do a Mommies Night Out or something like that. This is a fun group of ladies and I know we would have fun! I will miss them for our lunches but hopefully, I will be able to lunch with them again in October!

On the adoption front, we are sure to get our certified documents back this week and then I will turn them around and send them to be authenticated. I will get our family pictures together and then hopefully, it won't take much longer to get our 171 approval. We are at about a month now. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Hopefully, it will cool off soon here as well. It is just awful here! I am soooo looking forward to fall! I hope everybody has a great week and wish me luck tomorrow!

ON A ROLL...

2006-08-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

Well, less than a week until I go back to work. I am trying to get a lot done in this time while trying to make the most of my time with Parker. I do get a little nostalgic when I think that I won't be the person who will be putting him down for naps during the day. Then I remember that many kids his age don't even take naps anymore. I have to admit that the time for this is perfect. Parker really does need to be around other kids on a daily basis and he also needs to be in a preschool setting. His mind is like a sponge and everyday he amazes me with something new. Today we ran up to Petsmart and he went up to the area where they have the cats for adoptiong. He waved at each cat and kissed the front of their glass/plastic cages. He is so adorable and never ceases to amaze me.

I have made a huge step forward in our adoption journery. Everything is out being certified right now, Passports are being renewed and we are just waiting for everything to come back to us so I can send it to be authenticated. Now hopefully, we won't have to wait forever for 171 to come back. I am really keeping my fingers crossed for a LID no later than mid-October. Then we will name our daughter and I can start buying some clothes. I don't want to buy anything until the LID and it is tough. There is some super cute stuff out there and the sales are great right now. To all my ladies who are LID, run don't walk to the super cute sales at Nordstroms! They have so many cute girly stuff on sale now. Perfect for the summer here which lasts 8 months!

I am looking forward to my ladies who lunch date on Friday. I am so happy to be hosting this one as it will probably be my last one...at least for a few months until I get settled, then I will be joining you guys again on my lunch hour! This is such a great group of ladies and it is nice to get together with them.

That is all for now...I have a plumber coming to replace my kitchen sink, fawcet, garbage disposal, and piping. Don't you love how a little leak becomes so big?? Oh well, it will be so nice to have a nice sink!

Fingerprinting Done!!!!

2006-08-07T13:36:00.000-05:00

Colorado Rain Shower!! Don't you miss cool weather and rain??

We finally received our fingerprint letter on Thursday. I guess I shouldn't say finally, it was fairly quick from what I have been told. We sent our I600A form off on 07/22/06 and we got our finger print letter on 08/03/06. So not too bad! I am so excited! We are in the process of certifing all of our documents so hopefully we can get everything ready to mail to GWCA when the 171 comes in. Keep your fingers crossed for a end of September beginning October LID!

School is finally back in session this week and I am thrilled. I always like things better when kids are in school. Maybe because it signal fall, cooler weather, football season and the best holidays . I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will at least be able to turn off our air conditioner by the end of October but you never know.

Other than that, my new healthy lifestyle of eating well and exercising is going great! I am tying up a bunch of loose ends before I go back to work and I am spending as much time with my kiddo as possible. I am so excited because I cleaned my closet better than I ever have in my life yesterday and got rid of almost all of my old work clothes. Many of them were not in great shape, out of style and just didn't the way they did before I was pregnant. So tomorrow, I have my wonderful babysitter coming over and I get to go shopping for a bunch of new work stuff. Wish me luck! I am hoping to get enough stuff to tide me over for awhile and then hopefully, I will lose more weight and be able to fit into the next smaller size!

Hope everybody is doing well!

Touching Base...

2006-07-31T21:21:00.000-05:00

First of all, THANK YOU to all of my wonderful blogger friends. I really did appreciate your advice and I did take it to heart. I am fairly positive I am going to be going with job #2. It is the job where I will have to go to the office everyday but I really feel it is the right fit right now. The stability, pay, and insurance are too good for me to pass up. In all honesty, I have no idea what will happen when we get Mei Mei home (hopefully for Christmas 2007)...I might decide not to go back to work. So I think this will be the perfect job for the time being. And who knows, if I love it then I will have worked there long enough to get my 3 months off with her...only time will tell. I actually haven't gotten my official offer letter yet (from either job) but I did get a call from this company tonight telling me it is on its way. I do have to go to training for a week in California right when I start. That should be interesting considering the longest I have ever been away from Parker is 3 days. I choose not to think about that right now. I am honestly just enjoying everyday with him. I can tell though that he is ready to go to preschool. We took him to his yearly developmental doctor appointment today (a follow up from his prematurity) and she seems to think that he will do so well with the structure and routine of preschool. I have to admit, I have kept him very sheltered these past three years. I know the preschool thing will be harder on me than it will be for him.

Moving on...so my husband and I started Nutrisystem yesterday and so far so good. We are both wanting to shed the weight we gained after college. We also joined Lifetime Fitness and I have to say, I love it. Parker and I have been swimming in their fabulous pool the past two days and he is having a blast. Their workout facilities and equipment are great and the child care is great as well. Plus, it is hard for me to come up with an excuse not to go since it four minutes from my house. It was difficult for Matt and I both being college athletes to admit that we really needed to get on the ball. So I will keep you posted!

On the adoption front, I am still awaiting my fingerprint letter. I just got back my birth certificates with their official certification from the Secretary of State. We are making progress. I have to tell you that I love reading about all your secret pals...I can't wait to be one and I can't wait to get one! Yippee!

Hope everybody is having a great week!

P.S. Does anybody but me have problems loading pictures onto blogger from time to time????

Lots to Share!!!

2006-07-26T21:49:00.000-05:00

Hello everbody! So let me catch you up on the adoption stuff...we finally sent in our I600A form last Saturday via FedEx and it was delivered to its destination on Monday! Today I got a confirmation letter from the Department of Homeland Security that they had received it and we should be receiving our fingerprint notice in the near future. Yippee we are on our way to the end! Hopefully! I also sent both my birth certificates and Matt's to their individual secretary's of state to be certified as we were both born out of state. I finally feel like I am making progress again! Keeping my fingers crossed for a late September early October log in date. I know that is cutting it close but a girl can dream!

And on the job front...I am finally done interviewing. I have really been working the job thing for a few months and my hard work has paid off. Now I have two great offers from two great companies. This is where I need my friends advice...so chip in friends (Robyn, I know you will give me the honest opinion).

Just the nitty gritty of the offers...Job #1...Good base salary, would be selling litigation services, lots of money to be made, basically have the flexibility to come and go as I please and would work for an awesome boss in small group. It is the kind of position where I can come and go and be a lot more flexible with Parker (if he is sick or has a doctor's appt. I could work from home kind of thing). A lot of the work would be downtown but again I can set my own hours and such but to make good money I will have to be hitting it hard for awhile. Not a problem...it just has to factor into the consideration.

Job #2...10k more base salary but the overall package potential with bonus and such would be less than job #1. It is an in house kind of job, i.e. 8-5 kind of thing. It is doing Large Biz account management which is my background. It is not far from home (Addison) and they are all very nice there and everybody I have met with has been there for at least 5 years. Let me give you the kicker on this job...phenomenal insurance. Did I say pheonomenal insurance? I meant unheard of. Top of the line PPO...accepted just about everywhere and for my family of three soon to be four it will cost me about 32$ a month. Yes, you read that right $32. Oh and the deductible per year per family is 300$. It is a great company with lots of stability and potential.

So there lies my dilemna. I have been off for a couple of years so the idea of going back into the office is scary. However, it pays well and has great people and the rediculously good benefits. On the other hand, Job #1 has flexibility and freedom, a good guranteed salary with the potential to make a lot of money. So ladies...help me out here!

Lunch with My Lady Friends!

2006-07-21T19:37:00.000-05:00

Today was a wonderful day...I got to have lunch with my Mommies Who Lunch Group! It was so nice to see everybody, meet a few new people, and honestly, enjoy lunch with friends without having to chase Parker around. Now you all know how much I love my kiddo but sometimes just being able to sit and visit really hits the spot. Of course, I got to enjoy watching Kelley chase Miss M around all lunch! Ha!

We are definitely a Motley Crue and I really look forward to bonding with these ladies over the course of the next several years! Hopefully, we can all remain in touch that long if not longer! I was also very excited to find that my two top name choices for Mei Mei were met with such enthusiasm. Now of course nothing is set in stone as I have a list of about 8 names that I like now.

Tomorrow I am finally sending off our I600A. Of course we ran out of ink for our printer today and since I have to make all new copies of my homestudy (we all know why) I wasn't able to send it today. It will be FedEx'd tomorrow! I am truly hoping that we will be LID by the end of September but I think that is really pushing it. Keep your fingers crossed. I just really want to officially name my little girl and start buying things for her...yes, I have been so good. I have not bought one thing. I don't want to jinx anything.

So Parker is on the cusp of potty training. We are really starting to work on it but we are taking the approach of letting him tell us when he is ready. Well, today he told me that he had pooped and I told him we would go and change his pull up. Appearently, he heard, "Take your pull up off"...so you can imagine the fun mess I had to clean up. Did I mention how much I LOVE TODDLERS???

On a great note, interviews are going really well. I am honestly going to be able to pick and choose what I would like to do. I have several interviews next week and the jobs I am close to getting offers from I keep putting off because interesting positions keep coming my way. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I promise to keep up with my blog...I know I have been slack but honestly I have been focusing so hard on the job hunt, finding a great preschool for Parker, and the adoption stuff that the blog goes by the wayside.

Hope everybody has a great weekend. I heard it suppose to cool down to a balmy 94! Yippee!!

*Robyn, I hope you have fun at the concert and that all of Paul's dreams come true! :)
*Shelli, I DO so LOVE your car!!
*Erin, thanks for hosting today!
*Valerie, the cake was delish!
*Vicky, Kelley, Christie...it was so great to see you guys!

I'm BACCCCCKKKKK!!

2006-07-13T10:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, once again I know I have been a bad blogger but I really do have some excuses. I have been busy interviewing for different jobs ever since we returned from vacation last week. Also, Parker and I have a lingering cold that I think we developed from the allergies in Colorado. It is one of those wonderful colds that gets worse before it gets better. My normally 90 mile an hour child is laying in my bed watching "Wonder Pets". Blah!

We had a wonderful vacation. We went to Keystone, Colorado with some of our best friends, JJ, Rebecca and Celia. I have been going to Keystone since I was a child and now it is so wonderful seeing how things change but stay the same over time. The weather was beautiful, it rained everyday and never really got above 65 degrees. Rebecca and I would find ourselves complaining that we were hot when it couldn't have been over 60 degrees. The kids really enjoyed themselves and were so happy to just be outside everyday! We seem to be going every few years to Keystone so we can't wait to go back with our friends in a few years and see how the kids have grown! Here are some great pictures of our trip...

Parker and Celia in front of the river that runs through Keystone!

Matt, Parker and I among the amazing beauty of Colorado! We can't wait to come here in two years with Mei Mei!

JJ, Rebecca and Celia on the plane ride to Colorado!

So yes, things are going well on the job front too. I have been interviewing like crazy and I have been in front of some really great companies. I am hoping the offers start coming in soon. I have a feeling I will have to make a decision between a few. And yes, we have been looking at some private home preschools for Parker and also one called Carpe Diem which we really liked. We are on the waiting list there and it is very $$$ but we really liked everything about it. I really think Parker is going to love preschool, he loves his summer camp now. I also think that he is going to really flourish with his speaking and eating skills. I am sure it will be me who has the harder time cutting the cord. I am just enjoying my time with him now!

Other than than, Matt is finishing up his dissertation. He is getting so many of his surveys back in that we are so happy. A little background...as part of your dissertation you have send out surveys becaue you research to compile. So right before we left to go out of town, Matt and I stamped, labeled, and stuffed 2400 envelopes/surveys. He is really getting a great return and I am so proud of him!

Lastly, I will do the 7 things that got passed onto me! Here you go!

7 Things I would like to do before I die:

*Watch my children grow up, be happy and live their dreams!

*Watch my grandchildren grow up and meet my great grandchildren!

*Grow old with Matt and continue to laugh everyday!

*Travel around the world with Matt when we retire!

*Live in New York for a few months after we retire!

*Run a marathon!

*Live in my perfect house with all the memories it will contain over the decades and NEVER sell it!

7 Things I cannot do:

*Eat mayo on anything.

*Stop worrying about things.

*Imagine life without my family and friends.

*Drive slow.

*Ride on carnival rides or rides at the State Fair...I will ride any roller coaster at Six Flags or DisneyWorld but anything that is controlled by carnies and gets packed up at the end of a few weeks is NOT for me.

*Travel Cheaply or on a budget...we always splurge on our vacations!

*Stop be amazed at the strength my husband and I have and the wonderful zest for life my son has!

7 Things I CAN Do:

*I can throw a hammer, shot put, and discus!

*I can burp very loudly...good ones!

*Make just about anybody laugh!

*Spend mucho dinero on clothes for Parker, accessories for me, clothes for Matt and soon to be a new wardrobe for Mei Mei!

*Interview really well!

*Adjust to very stressful situations!

*Get in shape very quickly and have amazing willpower if the mood strikes me!

7 Things that attracted me to my Husband:

*His size...6'7"!

*His amazing sense of humor!

*His patience with me...he is the Yin to my Yang!

*His wonderful family!

*His stability when Parker was in the hospital after he was born and he had to return to work.

*His calmness when we made our three ER visits with Parker last year because he was passing his kidney stones as a result of his prematurity!

*His strong work ethic, determination, and ablilty to relax at the drop of a hat!

7 Things I say most often:

*Matt!

*Parker!

*$%&%%#*...working on this!

*Pick it up...always said to Parker!

*Are you serious??!!

*Whatever!

*That's Recockulous!

7 Movies I LOVE:

*A Christmas Story (I can watch this over and over again)!

*Overboard (Love this...a favorite of my college roommate and I)

*Jurassic Park (So fun!)

*Twister (Love it)

*Ocean's 11 (Ocean's 12 was awful and they are making Ocean's 13...help us)

*Sixteen Candles (who doesn't love Jake Ryan)?

*Revenge of the Nerds (great 80's humor)!

7 Books I love:

*Alas Babylon (read it in high school and it really impacted me)

*Harry Potter (1-6...soon to be 7)

*Anything by Mary Higgins Clark...they are fluff and easy reads but I love them!

*Can You Keep A Secret? (very cute!)

*Pledged (Interesting look at sororites)

*A Million Little Pieces (loved his friend Leonard)

*People Magazine, US Weekly...any type of gossip I can get my hands on!

Okay that is is for this long post! I was going to post more pictures but it is not letting me. I promise to post more often! I will update on the adoption soon!

Yes, I know I am SLACKING IN THE BLOG AREA!

2006-06-25T19:08:00.000-05:00

Okay everybody! I haven't posted in almost a month and this one will be somewhat short. The past few weeks have been insane. I have been hitting this job search like crazy. I have gone on a few interviews so far. Nothing too interesting though. I have lots of contacts and many people keeping an eye out for me so I am very thankful. I think I will be taking a small sabbatical from it this week though as we are leaving for vacation this Thursday. I have been working so hard on this job search and it has only been five weeks that I feel like I haven't done much else. As appearent by my lack of blogging. So just in case anybody who reads this has a relative or friend in medical sales or pharmaceutical sales, I would be very appreciative if you could pass my name onto them! Thanks!

Matt has also just finished up some major work on his dissertation so that has taken up tons of time as well. We are so looking forward to his graduation in December!

We had our last adoption home study this past Friday and I am so glad that is behind us. Now we can finally move on to the next step the I600A step. This is where a big waiting phase begins. I am hoping our social worker will have our official homestudy to us before we leave but I am guessin that won't happen. I will definitely be contacting my good friend Erin again now that we seem to be back on track with this!

Parker is growing like a weed and he is loving his little summer camp that he is in two days a week. He really has a great time with other kids. He is such a energetic kid...if I had half of his energy I could eat ice cream and donuts everyday and would still wear a size 4. Must be nice. He looks bigger to me lately which means he has grown. Occasionally I will notice that he looks bigger and typically when I go to measure him, he has grown and inch or two. I can't believe he will be three soon. Where has the time gone.

I am so looking forward to my vacation in Colorado soon with our good friends! I promise to get more on track with the blog once we get back and I will post more pictures!

The end of May!!!

2006-05-31T18:26:00.000-05:00

What a busy week it has been since I last posted. I am now officially on the job hunt. I have been receiving several calls but of course only one has been remotely linked to what I want to do. My ultimate dream job??? Make millions of dollars and have a perfect work/life balance. Ha! No really, most everybody knows I am trying to get into medical/pharmaceutical sales. I would prefer medical sales but I am not ruling anything else at this point. It is a hard industry to get into but I have done well in sales and I know I would excel in a position like this. Ironically, all three of my brothers'-in-law are in the medical sales field so one of them is working on getting me some names of some good recruiters. Keep your fingers crossed for me!! I love being home with Parker but he will be going to preschool in the fall and honestly, I need to mainstream back into society. The great thing about a sales role is that it is flexible and you work from home when you are not out cold calling. Like I said, keep your fingers crossed for me. I am hoping to be working by August/beginning of September at the latest.

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Our friends Rebecca, JJ, and Celia came over Sunday night and we had a wonderful dinner! They are such great friends with them and it is truly a joy to watch our children grow up together! It is also a great bonus that they love each other so much! We are so looking forward to our summer vacation with them at the end of June!

Monday, my parents came over along with another friend of mine and her son. We had the standard cook out food and it was terrific! It was a great way to end the weekend.

School is out and Frisco and even though Matt is still working and busy, I think he is relieved that the year went so well. He loves his job in Frisco and I am so happy for him. I know he is looking forward to having a few weeks off this summer...however, most of it will be spent finishing up his dissertation so he can graduate in December. Hope everybody is having a great week!

P.S. I am having problems posting pictures...I will try to do this soon!

Is that MY child???

2006-05-24T08:34:00.000-05:00

So it is already Wednesday and this week has flown by. School ends tomorrow in Frisco and it ended yesterday in Plano. I cannot believe how quickly the year has flown. Why does it seem the older we get, the quicker time goes by? Summer is an okay season but definately not my favorite. I love it when kids are in school...it always seems like everything is much more harmonious in the world. Besides, summers here are so blistering hot it is hard to enjoy them.

Monday, we had Mollianne and Erin over to play and I think we had just as much fun as they did. We talked nonstop and time flew by. The kids played together wonderfully and I think that Mollianne is a wonderful little girl. She is so polite and I cracked up at the fact that she carried this little purse with her the entire time she was at my house. I don't think she let go of it for one second...I like to see somebody try and take her purse away :)!

We spent Monday afternoon at another friends house and I think Parker picked up a cold there. He has that telltale runny nose. We will see what happens.

Nothing too new on the adoption front...Erin brought over her huge stack of information to help me and guide me and we ended up talking the entire time. Actually, this is a slow week as far as adoption stuff goes as we are just waiting to finish up our home study which will happen in the next few weeks. Everytime I spend time with Erin and she her beautiful, polite, happy little girl, I get so excited! The entire process is exciting but there are definitely lulls in the middle since it is such a long process.

So when I was at my friend's house on Monday, she and another one of my best friends made fun of Parker's hair. I was trying to grow it out to cute longer hairstyle...well, it just looked shaggy. I was told by Kathy, my best friend of about 21 years that he had a mullet. Nice, thanks so much...so I decided a haircut is in order. Haircuts with Parker are an experience to say the least. You would think that a child who spent three months in the NICU, had surgery for a common preemie heart problem, and passed several kidney stones would sail through a haircut. Not so. The last haircut I took him to, I made my Mother come with me. It is one of those cute places that has movies, puts the kids in cute little cars, the whole shebang. Well, when the last haircut occured, Parker cried like he was being stabbed with hot pokers, I was clawed so badly that I was left with bruises, and my mom was exhausted from just trying to hold Parker in the chair. Yesterday, I made Matt sit with him while he got his haircut. It went much better than the past few times and ended up shorter than I would have liked but it does look better. Needless to say, my son now looks like he is six. I went in to get him up this morning and I had to think for a minute who the big boy was in the bed. He looks so grown up now.

Parker before the haircut...yes, he got into my lipstick and that is lipstick all over his leg.

Parker with his big boy haircut and his favorite toy, his vacuum!!

Could It Get Any Hotter????

2006-05-20T19:31:00.000-05:00

Well here we are and it is not even the end of May and we hit a record high of 98 degrees yesterday. Of course, there is no rain in sight to relieve us either. We kept busy this week with our second to last swim lesson on Thursday. Parker is turning out to be quite a water baby. Of course, he loves swimming in his back yard pool much more than the organized lessons.

Moving forward on the adoption front. I had my first meeting with our social worker this week. I did my one on one. It was nice and easy and only took a little over an hour. Matt and I drove out to our second meeting today and that was also easy. Now Matt just has to have his meeting and we will have our final home meeting the second week in June. We are moving right along. This has been a smooth process so far and I hope it remains so. I know this is the easy part, the hard part is waiting. Keep your fingers crossed that the rest of our paperchase goes this smoothly.

I had to miss my lunch with my wonderful adoption friends yesterday but instead I got to spend some time in the Redman waterpark. This consists of my backyard, a kiddie pool, a slide, and an Elmo that squirts water. See the pictures for yourself. Parker had two of his friends over yesterday and they had to much fun! I was watching his friend Celia for awhile and then my other great friend Melanie came over with her son Blake. By the time we went inside after three hours outside, we were all beat. I think Mel and I were more beat than the kids. And yes, we lathered them with sunscreen. Needless to say, we didn't venture outside today.

We are looking forward to seeing our friends Erin and Mollianne on Monday. Erin needs some big hugs and we are going to give them to you. Maybe Mollianne will be up for playing in the Redman waterpark if it isn't too warm. Hope everybody is having a wonderful weekend!!

Trying to catch up...

2006-05-17T17:20:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to post for the last several days. As you can see, I am trying to change the template of my blog. I found this super cute template but it is not coming through well. I am still tweaking it so bear with me.

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. We started our weekend off with a trip to our friend Mollianne's house for her third birthday party. Parker had so much fun there. She had a bounce house, a balloon man, a fun outdoor playhouse and so much more. It was great to see all of our adoption friends there with their beautiful daughters. Mollianne got some great things and had a wonderful party.

Mother's Day was wondeful! I got some books on China from Parker and Matt and then my Mom and I went to a movie and lunch together. It was nice just being to get away for a few hours. Plus we saw Poesidan...who doesn't love a good disaster flick? I also got some great Hibiscus plants from my Mother...those plants last almost all year here and they are beautiful all year.

On the adoption front, I had my first meeting with our social worker yesterday and it went really well. We have our second meeting this coming Saturday so we are cruising right along. We hope to have that all done with (there are four meetings) by the end of the first week in June. Then we will be able to submit our form to the government for adoption...the approval process for that can take up to three months. During that time we wait. We hope to have everything complete and get our Dossier to China by the end of July or early August. Keep your fingers crossed.

Today marks Parker's four month countdown to his birthday. I can't believe he will be three soon. He is such a great kid but he can beat me down at times. He is always on the move and always into everything but he is so affectionate and very loving. We had to take our vacuum in for repair the other day...Parker was in heaven. For those of you who do not know, Parker is obsessed with vacuums. He is on his second toy one now. So I am thinking that maybe I should just have his birthday party at the vacuum store. That would be fun right???

Hopefully, I will get the blog in better shape soon! Thanks to all of my good friends who wrote letters of recommendation for Matt and I! We love you!

Yes, I am finally posting again!!!

2006-05-11T19:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Last Thursday night, both Matt and I came down with this haneous flu bug. We thought it was food poisioning but soon found out it was not. I was luckiest out of everybody as mine pretty much resolved itself by late Friday. However, I think I maybe forced it to resolve as we had Parker's Godfather coming in town that day from Denmark...and of course, Matt was sicker than I was (which is always the case :))! So my Mom, who is a Saint, came over and helped me all weekend with Parker and entertaining Torben while my husband laid in bed and moaned. Of course, no gastro bug would be complete without making its way through the whole family...Parker got it on Sunday and didn't fully recover until yesterday. We then got a call from our out of town visitor, who was also in town for work this week, that he too got the bug on Tuesday and had to spend the whole day in his hotel room. You gotta love the fact that he came all the way over from Denmark to get sick. However, everybody is better now...but something is going around so remember to wash your hands!

On the adoption front, we have our first meeting with our social worker a week from this Saturday. I am so excited! We should be able to schedule our other meetings with her when we meet with her. I would love to get all of this done and just be waiting on the government paperwork. Speaking of which, we went down to the police station to get our reports yesterday as well so that is done. The only thing left is to get our blood tests again...I gave our medical info sheet to our doctor to fill out but we will need blood tests again because the tests that we have will be more than nine months old when our paperwork is registered...and they need to be less than that by the time our paperwork is sent to China.

We are moving right along. School is coming to an end which means Matt is very busy. I have also started contacting some recruiters and looking at potential job listings. We are also looking forward to our summer vacation next month to Keystone, Colorado with our friends. We all need a nice long break.

Other than than Parker is growing like a weed and chatting up a storm. I am so proud of his speaking skills, they have come a long way. We back tracked a little with the eating because of this illness but I am getting right back on the wagon. Hope this posting finds everbody doing well!

Oh and for those of you who are fans of "The Office"...Jim finally told Pam he loved her! Yippee! That made my night! What a great episode!

Seriously, come on now...

2006-05-04T13:27:00.000-05:00

This has just been one of those weeks where I feel like I have a lot to do but I am not getting anything done. Everything I seem to do lately, Parker undoes within five minutes. The house will be clean and five minutes later it looks like a tornado went through. Parker's newest adventure is play in the catfood. He likes to put the catfood in the water dish and then he gets a spoon and mixes it. The only way to stop him from doing this is to move the catfood off the floor. Needless to say our cat, Merlin, is less than thrilled by this idea. So it is a battle I face everyday.

What a fun game! Merlin and Mom love it!

Wow! Merlin loves to eat from a spoon!

Yes, I did just put the spoon in my mouth...I'm two come on!

Thankfully, he is napping today. He didn't yesterday and I am beginning to think we are on the verge of ending nap time, which, coincidentally, happens to be one of my favorite times during the day.

We heard from our social worker today. She wants to arrange our first meeting...one catch though, we have to go to her office which in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is over an hour away from where we live. I have lived her almost my entire life and I think I have been to Fort Worth maybe 8 times. Nothing against it, it is just the opposite side of the earth. I have emailed her to see if we can meet in the middle somewhere. If she doesn't go for that then we have to postpone our first visit with her until the end of May after school is over. Matt is very busy right now with end of the school year stuff: prom, graduation, awards banquets. Once school is out, yes he still works he doesnt' get three months off-only a few weeks, than he is a little more flexible. So keep your fingers crossed. I really don't want to postpone anymore than we have to.

Other than that life is great. I have been thinking about going back to work more lately. I am really looking forward to it. I love being with Parker but he is at an age where he gets bored easily with me and I think he would flourish around other kids. Oh, it will be hard but I think it will be good for us. It won't happen until at least the end of July so we still have plenty of time together. Now I have to go clean my house for our out of town guest coming tomorrow. My mom has been great enough to watch him this afternoon so I can clean without any further cat food isses :)!

Another Great Turnout!!

2006-04-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

Parker next to his sign along the Walk America Route!

Our Awesome 2006 Parker's Peeps Team!!!

First I just want to thank all of my great friends who walked in celebration of Parker this past Saturday! We had a great walk and a great turnout for our team "Parker's Peeps"...the weather held out until the very end when we got rained on for about five minutes. The walk was about three miles longer this year and I appreciate everybody hanging in there as we kept passing the point where we thought we would be turning around to go back! Ha! I just wanted to say thank you so much to Bobby, Lisha, Drew, Mom, Kathy, Jenn, Lori, Kelly, Matt and of course Parker for walking to support not only Parker but the March of Dimes. Next, year will be even better because we will have the wonderful Lisha designing our family team shirts. Maybe we can recruit even more members...soon we might need our own tent. Thanks again everybody...you guys are the best team I could ever ask for! And honestly, monkeys fling poo so who cares??? :)

We got an email back today from Merrill our social worker. She is on the ball she thanked us for sending our autobiographies so quickly and she is going to contact us this week to schedule our meetings. We are moving right along!!

We had a great weekend and we are looking forward to a busy week filled with lots of friends. We hope everybody has a great week! And Erin, your scrapbooks will be as good as new soon. No worries!

We got our Social Worker Assignment!!

2006-04-28T19:55:00.000-05:00

Yippee! Late Thursday we finally got our social worker assigned to us. Her name is Merrill Littleberry and I have heard some good things about her. I emailed her our autobiographies today so now I am just waiting to hear back from her. Hopefully, we can get at least one of our home studies scheduled within the next week. I don't expect her to come out next week but at least pencil in her date book so we can continue moving forward with this. We are so excited!

I also got my second new daughter gift today. Parker's wonderful OT brought me the I Love You Like Crazy Cakes book today. It was so very thoughtful and sweet of her. It turns out that her brother adopted a little girl from China just a few years back. It is amazing how many people have gotten their wonderful little daughters from China.

Tomorrow morning we are waking up at the crack of dawn to walk around White Rock Lake for the March of Dimes walk. This is our second year as a family team. It is so wonderful to see all the people who are walking to prevent prematurity. I have always supported this cause long before I had Parker but ever since Parker was born so early, it has been near and dear to my heart. I know that not all families are as fortunate as we are and I thank my stars everyday for my healthy, happy boy.

I hope everybody has a good and dry weekend! The picture that I am posting is our team picture from last year's March of Dimes walk.

Yum Yum Raisins!!

2006-04-25T18:52:00.000-05:00

Parker ate raisins today at lunch. It doesn't sound like much to most people but when you have a 2 1/2 year old who has been a difficult eater his whole life, it makes a huge difference. He didn't just eat one or two either, he ate the whole small box of them!! I am so proud of him!

We found out today that GWCA is hiring some new social workers so we should have one assigned to us by the end of the week! I am getting too excited!

Other than that, we played at Aunty Kathy's house today and with her dog Charlie. Kathy gave Parker some other new foods to try and needless to say, he loved Little Debbie fudge rounds. I mean who doesn't.

I also got Parker signed up for preschool starting in the fall. He will be going twice a week and he will be in the same class as his good friend Miss C! I am so excited for the two of them! Signing off now to go enjoy sitting outside in this cool weather!

Christmas is coming....

2006-04-24T20:49:00.000-05:00

So nothing too new today. I am still waiting to hear who our social worker is so we can move forward with our adoption process. Matt and I spent hours filling out our autobiographies this weekend for the social worker. We had no idea they would take that long. I also have both of our birth certificates in hand. Now I need to go grab a copy of our marriage license this week and order our passports and we will be good to go....for now. Not sure when our home study will begin but I am sure it is not that far off.

On a different note, can you believe it is almost May? I measure my years in how close it is until Christmas. Most of my friends make fun of me because I start my Christmas shopping in July and tend to be completely done by the beginning of October. I usually end up going a little crazy at the end because I have been done for so long. I admit that I am an huge Christmas fan and our holidays are usually obnoxiously big but I don't think it will be so this year. Even though I will most likely be working again, we will be saving our money for China. Then next year we can have a huge Christmas will our new daughter...that is something to really look forward to. Besides, this year will probably be the first that Parker will really understand Christmas and Santa so we will just put all our effort into that! So kids, just about eight months to go! Start shopping!

Met Some Great People Tonight!!!

2006-04-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

We had our dinner tonight for all the local GWCA families. There were some wonderful people there tonight. It was so great to put the faces to blogs I have been reading for the past few weeks! I wish I got to talk to more people but there were just so many new people there! (Robyn...we could get into a lot of trouble together!) Erin did a phenomenal job of putting this together and I hope we do it again! It is great to see so many people at different stages in their journeys. I really hope to be friends with these people for a very long time. That is all for now, after my nice big margarita, I am beat!

By the way, I have to give my guy Parker snaps all around. He did awesome at dinner! Asking a 2 1/2 year old to sit still for over an hour and a half during dinner is a large order...he did awesome! Of course my wonderful husband helped out but I am really proud of Parker. As a reward, we gave him a bunch of Oreo's when we got home! Yum! I am posting one of my all time favorite pictures of Parker which was taken last summer!

I Met My New Friends Today!!!

2006-04-21T19:14:00.000-05:00

I finally got to meet some of my new friends today. What a great group of ladies! It is so amazing to me that we all share an amazing thing in common...adopting a baby girl from China. I look forward to being involved with these families for a very very long time! Unfortunately for us, Betsy will be moving away soon! She will be getting her daughter (Ella Elizabeth) any day and I am so happy for her! Erin and Mollianne were wonderful as always, can't wait to see you tomorrow! Thanks again for organizing this lunch! Valerie...hang in there Aubriana will be here soon! I wish you were coming to dinner tomorrow night! Robyn, you are so sweet to have bought me my first baby gift for my daughter and so thoughtful to bring a cute puzzle for Parker. Lastly, Kelley, I wish I got a chance to talk with your more! Your daughters are adorable!

Of course, Parker was trying to do his best at lunch but it was a tough situation since we are still working on this feeding stuff. He fell asleep with about two minutes left in our ride home so of course when I went to put him down for a nap, he woke right up. Needless to say, it has been one of those days. He has been cranky and really pushing all of my buttons. I am totally frazzled and looking forward to giving him is bath tonight...after bath is his bedtime! Yippee! Maybe then I can finally watch movie I was suppose to watch yesterday!!

P.S. Brenda, if you are reading this, I hope you are feeling better!!!

I am Beat!!!

2006-04-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

So the carpet looks wonderful! I cannot believe how hard that the two guys who installed it worked. They were at my house for 11 hours working and my house isn't huge. I gave them a nice tip and they were so grateful. It made me sad to think that most people don't tip them...breaking down furniture, moving it, pulling out old carpet, putting down new carpet, and putting furniture back together is one tough job. My house is nice and cozy now and I just love it. Isn't it great how when you do something big to your house you just feel so much more at home?

Anyway, I have been cleaning and moving things like a madwoman the past two days and I am beat. I even disassembled our treadmill and moved it into our closet today...and it is a huge treadmill. I am proud of myself that I get things done. I pride myself on being independant but unfortunately, it can also backfire because I don't always ask for help when I need to.

So I got some cute pictures of Parker today after we got back from the store. He climed up in the drivers seat of my car while I was unpacking. He looked like such a big boy and he was having so much fun. I am getting so excited about talking to him about his Mei Mei. That is what we decided to call her until we officially name her, which we plan to do after our LID. I think the older he gets though, the more he will comprehend it. Right now, anything that isn't a fire truck, Dora, Thomas the Tank, or cheese crackers he isn't too interested in.

So off to watch "The Forty Year Old Virgin" tonight as "The Office" isn't on. I am also looking forward to lunching with some new friends tomorrow.

I've been tagged...HMMM!

2006-04-18T21:28:00.000-05:00

Well Erin http://moomiesandmelonwater.blogspot.com/ has tagged me and now I am suppose to reveal six weird things about myself. This shouldn't be too hard...

1. Most people know, well not everybody, that I have a phobia of mayonnaise. That includes Miracle Whip, Hellman's, everything you name it. I have lived my entire life without eating ranch, coleslaw, deviled eggs, potato salad etc. It is an inherited trait, my father has the phobia too. I won't touch it and leave when it is being smeared on stuff. I plan to pass it onto Parker and my daughter.

2. I have a small benign tumor in my head. Not on my brain but on the inside of my skull. Many people have them but never find out about them. I found out because I am paranoid of things such as this just like Erin is. It does cause any problems but now that I found out about it, I have to monitor it with MRI's. I might have to have it out eventually or might not.

3. I have a giant 4 inch vertical scar on my abdomen which I got from my emergency C-Section. I plan to have plastic surgery...aka tummy tuck...to correct this in the future.

4. I was known as 'Nikewoman' in high school because I owned an obsessive amount of Nike's. I had to have every new pair that came out. I grew out of the habit in college but not before amassing almost 100 pairs of them.

5. I can focus on something and become obsessive about it. Working out, cleaning, rearranging, you name it. I go in and out of phases.

6. My freshman year in college I partied so hard and had so much fun I was on academic probation. I did pick up my grades after that though. I had a great time though!

So I am suppose to send this to six people but I don't know six other bloggers well enough yet...BOO HOO! Erin, plug me into more of them! Maybe this weekend!

So Much To Do!!!

2006-04-18T20:08:00.000-05:00

It has been over a week since my last post...sorry. Trying to keep up here but time seems to fly. We just got back from Michigan where Matt's parents live and we got to spend some quality time with them as well as one of Matt's sisters, our newest nephew and Parker's Great Grandparents. I think it is absolutely amazing that he has Great Grandparents! They both think it is so amazing that he is so healthy and happy considering his early enterance into the world!

Parker had a great visit with the Easter Bunny. He got a great Easter basket from both sets of Grandparents. However, he wasn't too keen on taking a picture with the Easter Bunny. He did say hi to him from a distance so I guess that was something!

Tomorrow we are having new carpet put in so it has been chaotic trying to clean out the closets in the upstairs bedrooms. Two of the closets have been catchall closets so I ended up getting rid of a ton of stuff...of course I also found some pictures, papers and notebooks from college which I ended up going through and that set me back. Don't you love it when you go into clean something and you take a trip down memory lane??

The adoption process seems to be moving forward...I have already received my birth certificates and Matt's are on the way. I will order the marriage license tomorrow and start filling out the autobiography and Matt will work on his. I think once we get these done we will get moving on the home visits. The more we get involved in this the more excited I get. We discussed everything this past weekend with Matt's family and they are so happy for us!

Once again, GWCA and Erin have been so helpful in the entire process. Parker and I are meeting Erin, Mollianne, and several other soon to be new friends on Friday for lunch and then Saturday again at dinner. This will be such a great network of lifelong friends for us! I am so excited!

Looking forward to my carpet tomorrow...it has been six years of white carpet that has slowly taken on the color of everything in the world. The picture is of Parker and Gommie (his Great Grandmother) taken yesterday!

Got the Adoption Agreement TODAY!!

2006-04-10T12:31:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a few days because it has been a little crazy around here. I have been in a cleaning mode and have been cleaning out rooms. It has taken so much time but I love looking at the newly organized clean room when I am done. The upside of this is that I have found some great stuff to list on Ebay. For those of you who do not know me, I love Ebay!

Well, today, Mikey is at the vet. I am actually going to have to put him down today. My Mom is going to come and watch Parker so I can be with Mikey. Mikey is our tabby cat who I rescued from the street shortly before we got married almost seven years ago. He is a wonderful snuggle cat and has proved to be a great companion for Merlin our fat, lazy cat. Unfotunatley, Mikey has hypertension which caused him to go blind within about two months. I took him to the vet last September for a check up...everything looked great. By November he was blind and his kidney's shutting down. We have actually noticed that the past few days Mikey has been sitting in the corner in Parker's playroom and just not being himself. I took him to the vet and found out he has lost a pound and not doing to well. I just had that feeling that I know it is time. He has never adapted to being blind and there is nothing worse than watching a beloved animal walk into walls and live in a state of constant disorentation. Merlin chases him around and tries to play with him but ends up scaring him even further. So it is time. This is the second animal I have had to put down in less than a month. What is going on??????

More later...

APPROVED! Let the Paper Chase begin!!!

2006-04-06T19:10:00.000-05:00

YIPPEEEE!!! I spoke with GWCA and they had just finished looking over our application and we have been approved. I honestly couldn't think of a reason we wouldn't be approved but I really didn't feel official until we got the approval. So now we will begin our paperchase journey. I am hoping to have all of it completed by September. Wow! This is just so exciting to think that I am going to a mommy again of a beautiful little girl. What is more amazing is to think that Parker is going to be a big brother. It means so much to us for Parker to have somebody to grow up with. I mean he really is going to need somebody to make fun of us with when he gets older.

Everybody has been so great and supportive of us in this journey so far and I thank you all. Erin, you especially because you have been my advocate and cheering group! Of course my mind is already ripping a border off Parker's playroom, which will be our daughter's room, and picking a paint color etc...I know I have a year and a half...but Parker's early arrival into the world just shows you that you can never be too prepared. Honestly though, I think we will wait a few months until we are a little further into the process to pick a name and such. I do have so ideas already.

As for an update on Parker's eating...he is making progress. We went to our good friends house yesterday and he took bites of a PB&J sandwich that Rebecca made him. Of course he was watching Celia and I think that had a lot to do with it. Not just because he is crazy about her but that peer pressure has a lot to do with it. It was such a wonderful thing for me to see him is normal food! Of course, I made it again yesterday and he didn't want it and he hasn't eaten anything new today but progress is progress. Now if I can just get Celia to come over for every meal!

Our Application Has Been Received!!!

2006-04-03T20:51:00.000-05:00

We faxed our application this morning to GWCA since the USPS decided to hang onto it for awhile. Glad I didn't include my credit card information in there. Anyway, GWCA emailed us to let us know it was being processed and we should hear about approval either way sometime this week. I am excited but I have to tell you some of the momentum has died down only because of my anticipation last week. Once I hear from them, I will be giddy like a school girl!

We had our workshop this past Saturday with our regional representative from GWCA, Erin. She has truly become a friend through this process so far and I was so glad to finally meet her! Her workshop was awesome and answered some questions that we had about everything that is involved in the process. I am so glad to have her in my corner and so glad to have become her friend! Her daughter Mollianne is adorable and she and Parker could get into some serious trouble...hopefully, he will leave his pants on though :)!

So Matt and I have started looking at model houses on the weekends now in Frisco. Of course, everything we look at is more than what we are looking for and out of our price range. We seem to end up driving around and looking in areas that are $700k and up. It is so much fun though. Parker has had a blast running through model homes.

For those of you who don't, Parker still has his eating issues. The issues consist of only wanting to eat crackers, nutrigrain bars, and Gerber vegetables and fruits. Yes, baby food still. We went along with this for far too long because we thought it was part of his prematurity. Well, after consulting the developmental doctors and visits from his OT, we have confirmed he does not have any sensory issues (sometimes a preemie problem) he is just stuborn and wants to maintain control. So I have finally had enough of my 2 1/2 year old boy only eating baby food and I am taking the tough Mom approach. Of course this also on advice from our doctors and such. We all eat at the table for almost every meal and he gets what we make him or he doesn't eat. Don't worry we make sure he gets food during the day, just not his pound of Goldfish or Gerber Bananas or Nutrigrains. Tonight we gave him part of a grilled cheese, some apples and some yogurt. Of course he didn't eat it but he did put the apple in his mouth and he didn't throw the bowl. Everybody who knows Parker knows this has gone on too long...he has never eaten a hamburger, french fry, mashed potatoes, chicken nugget...I can go on. All of this because he just doesn't want to. So wish me luck I have been being tough since last Thursday and I think I am starting to wear him down. It might take weeks or months but I will perservere! Poor kid is hungrier than normal though and I leave food out for him but it is nothing he wants.

Okay, enough for today. Parker has Mother's Day Out tomorrow and I get to have breakfast with my friend Lori...I haven't been to breakfast in forever! Looking forward to it!

Oh...I am posting a picture of my cat Merlin. I love Merlin because he is the epitomy of a lazy sloth. But he is good for keeping you warm and snuggling!

Gotta love the USPS...

2006-03-31T20:23:00.000-06:00

I didn't post for a day or so because my Blog was really messed up. I searched and searched on how to fix it and finally I realized that the answer was so simple! Don't you love it when that happens?

So I called GWCA today and again they were so helpful but unfortunately, they have not received our application. I was so sure they would get it today! How on earth it could take an 9x12 envelope to get from Dallas to Austin, using Priority Mail nonetheless, longer than two days to arrive, I have no idea. We are so wanting to get on with this step in the process so we can move forward. We honestly would really like to be approved by April 13th because we will be seeing Matt's parents for Easter and we would love to tell them the great news. So keep your fingers crossed that that happens! We are going to fill out another application and fax it in Monday just to get it in. My guess is the other one will arrive either tomorrow or Monday but I do not want to delay any further.

The good news is that we finally meet Erin tomorrow. She is our reigional coordinator for GWCA and has been so helpful already! She always lifts my spirits! Plus I know she will answer the million questions that we will have.

I noticed day that Parker looks so big to me. I think it was the sandals he was wearing. I know that sounds weird but he has been wearing socks and shoes for the winter and now that he is sans socks, his legs look so long. I was looking at pictures of him at about this time last year he looks about the same but a bigger version of himself. He is growing up so fast! I am hoping that we can get him to the Easter Bunny this weekend. There is a great one at a local mall close to us...just hoping it won't be like the Santa debacle or even Sir Topam Hatt who we saw last weekend at our "Day Out with Thomas" venture!

Getting a Little Anxious Here!

2006-03-29T17:36:00.000-06:00

What a day today has been! We had our friends Celia and Rebecca over for a playdate this morning. Well, Parker is in this phase as of the past two weeks where he likes to strip off his pants and his diaper and walk around with nothing but a shirt and socks on. Once I got over the inital humor of the situation when this first occured, I found it annyoing. Yes, I love my little boy to pieces but putting his diaper and pants back on five times in an hour is tiring. So I have tried putting him in the tightest pants I could find. I put him some tighter elastic waist jeans this morning knowing that his friend Celia would be over (remember they are both about 2 1/2)...needless to say, while Rebecca and I were visiting, Parker and Celia were playing in his play room. A short time later, Parker graced us with his presence (his naked presence that is) and Celia (who was laughing this goofy cute little laugh) followed behind him with her shirt off. After Rebecca and I got done laughing, we promptly clothed our children again. However, Parker and Celia both proceeded to declothe again until they both finally got in trouble. You gotta love toddlers. Oh and now my son has taught one of my best friend's kiddos to take her clothes off for laughs. Great!

This afternoon, I noticed that my housekeeper who we have had forever, got some kind of cleaning solution on our new comforter and now it has little bleach spots on it. I mean come on! We get new bedding every blue moon and I really splurged on this bedding! We have literally had it about two weeks. I know she didn't mean to do it but ARGHHH!!!

Later on we had a tech guy come over to install a DVR...well when he came back down from the attic, he asked me if I had a litterbox upstairs. I said, "No, Why?" I then asked him if it smelled like cat pee up there and he said yes. He was such a nice guy but this confirmed my thoughts. One of our beloved cats suddley went blind at the end of last year. He has now taken to leaving little gifts upstairs in Parker's play room. I have cleaned, scrubbed, etc but to no avail. I was so close to ripping out the carpet with my bare hands today. We don't want to get new carpet until our cat passes on because he will just continue to do the same thing. Needless to say, we will be getting new carpet before our daughter comes.

Lastly, GWCA has still not received our application. Of course this is not their fault but that is what happens when you get so excited about something. You want things to happen immediately. They should get it tomorrow so I will call again. Of course they will then have to approve us so I am waiting on pins and needles until I hear from them. My friend Erin at GWCA has been a great sounding board.

Enough for today...I am going to see if my kiddo still has his clothes on!

Trying to figure this out...

2006-03-28T16:29:00.000-06:00

Okay so this is my first official posting on my blog. I am still trying to work all of the kinks out so bear with me. I have started this blog as a kind of online journey to document our life and experiences during our adoption process. We have decided to adopt a daughter from China via the Great Wall China Adoption Agency. After researching adoption several months ago, and trying to decide between trying to have another baby or adopt, we decided to put all plans on hold until my husband finished his PhD at the end of the summer/fall. However, we came across it again on our way back from Palm Springs during Spring Break week. As we were sitting in a plane on the runway waiting for a gate to pull into, I pulled out the old American Way magazine. There in the back of it was an ad for the GWCA agency and felt like something clobbered me over the head (no it wasn't my luggage). I just felt this strong connection to the ad. I came home and looked at the website and then scoured the internet about Chinese adoptions. I emailed my in laws minister (who adopted a daughter from China years ago) and he said he knew people who used GWCA and were very happy. After researching more and more, I couldn't find one bad thing about GWCA and one person who had a bad experience. The deal was sealed after I spoke with my regional representative Erin. She was so helpful and I just knew it was the right decision for us. So after we watched our video and read over all the materials, we were ready to begin our journey to adopting a daughter.

I will actually try and put a timeline up on another page if I can figure that out but so far here is what we have done...

Sunday, March 19...requested information packet from GWCA
Saturday, March 25...received packet from GWCA (yes, took forever to get mail from Austin to Dallas!)
Monday, March 27...sent application into GWCA (keep fingers crossed)

Right now we are just kind of in a holding pattern until we hear back from GWCA. Keep your fingers crossed for us. More later!

2006-03-27T20:39:00.000-06:00

The Three Muskateers!