OUT OF RETIREMENT TO INTRODUCE A SPECTACULAR GIRL!!

!!!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!!

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...

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!

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

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

Yes, it has been awhile...

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!

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!!

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!

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!