Marla's Musings & Mutterings

Not sure about this one....

2009-04-23T13:23:00.001+02:00

Tara got a new haircut and she looks as beautiful as ever. When she came home from school I asked her if anyone noticed her new hair style and she said, "yes, 3 boys like me now." Hmmmm, maybe the old hairstyle wasn't so bad after all....she is growing up so fast....

8 men in 8 hours

2009-04-23T12:54:00.004+02:00

It took 8 men exactly 8 hours to pack and load everything we have accumulated over the past 18 or so years. It takes a lot of preparation, planning and organizing to prepare for such a big move. I spent days and days getting everything ready. I wanted to get more done than I did, but it's too late now. It's packed...dust, dirt, and all. It's always a huge relief once the house is finally packed and done. But at the same time it's a very strange feeling knowing that everything you own is in someone else's possession. All we have now is what will fit in a suitcase. Now we pray that it all actually arrives!!

In the mean time, Matt & Alex are living on what the military refers to as 'loaner furniture'. It's nothing special, but serves the purpose. They will have quite the little bachelor pad for the next several weeks. But they have all the essentials....in other words, a computer, TV, X-BOX, bed, couch, chair....What more could a guy want, right?

Hmmm, she fits, so why not????? Would make for a much quieter and easier flight to Oklahoma...

Truck #1

Praying that the dark, cloudy skies go away....

Truck #2...They sealed the last crate literally minutes before it started to rain!!

One week from today....

2009-04-18T08:16:00.003+02:00

It's hard to believe I leave Italy in just one week. It is a day I have looked forward to for many, many months. I'm still very happy that we are finally moving back to the states, but moving is always difficult, no matter the circumstances. Certainly the physical aspects of moving requires A LOT of work....even though we have people come in and pack our house for us, there is still much to do to prepare....but for me, the hardest part of any move is saying goodbye to dear friends. It never gets any easier. We have many close friends here that have been like our family...we share holidays, vacations, cookouts...our kids hang out together, play sports together, have sleepovers....we go to church and PWOC together....we take road trips, we talk about everything, share stories, laughs...tears. Oh, and the wine...nothing brings friends together like a glass of wine in Italy. It's true, I hear that wine just isn't the same once you leave Italy (I'll let you know once I leave). So yes, I'm still very excited about leaving Naples, but I'm already getting that pit in my stomach about saying goodbye to friends.

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-12T19:34:00.009+02:00

How cute is this....Hannah and her baby had matching dresses!!! Thanks Meg & Willow for the adorable dress you gave Hannah at her baby shower last summer.

These two pictures were completely staged. I was trying to convince Hannah to hold the basket for a picture, but she wouldn't cooperate. So Tara was showing her how to do it and I quickly snapped a picture of Tara holding the basket. It ended up being one of the better pictures of Tara. After Tara showed her what to do Hannah was ready to pose and smile! She even posed for a picture when we took her outside!!

Hannah and her mommy!!

This is what happens when your good friend (TINA) gives your 2 year old candy right after church. THANKS TINA!! As you can tell, Hannah wasn't complaining. She loves her miss Tina!! It's also really windy so Hannah's pig tails are flying away.

Happy Spring!!

2009-04-06T22:38:00.004+02:00

Hannah Turns Two!!

2009-04-05T18:42:00.011+02:00

Yesterday (April 4) was Hannah's 2nd birthday. I'm absolutely certain she is one of the cutest two year olds I have ever seen (along with her big brother and sister). Ok, so I know I'm a bit biased and all since I'm her mommy, but if you could see her smile and hear her giggle I'm sure you would agree. She has the sweetest personality and she is so loving, happy, energetic and full of life. It's going to be a fun year and I'm going to treasure every day of it....as I'm also absolutely certain that she will grow up (along with her big brother and sister).

Hannah loves Elmo, so naturally we had to have an Elmo birthday party! She is already in that stage of wanting to do everything for herself...so this is her attempt at putting on her birthday hat.
(You can see signs on our door that say '40' and 'old'...those were for my friend, Allison, who turns 40 on Monday).

Hannah liked us singing the Happy Birthday song.

Make a wish Hannah!

Moving Soon

2009-03-06T08:34:00.005+01:00

Matt is retiring from the army, so for the first time in 20 years WE actually get to choose where we are going to live. We are finding this difficult and actually sort of miss not having that part of our lives planned for us. Matt is applying for civilian jobs in many different states, but our preference is the Midwest...something close to our families in Oklahoma. His military experience and background would be the civilian equivalent of a Human Resource Manager, so he has lots of options. His focus right now is on government jobs, primarily doing exactly what he does in the army only as a civilian (and without the stress of deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan for 16 months at a time).

I'm going back to Oklahoma in April (with Hannah and Tara) and Matt and Alex will return in June. I guess if he doesn't have a job by then we will just have to pick a location and hope and pray for the job to come soon after. The security of the military retirement pay is reassuring, but we certainly can't live on that alone. I can also go back to teaching...I'm a special education teacher and there are usually openings in schools for those positions. I had hoped to stay home with Hannah for one more year, but am realizing it might not be possible. We are all so ready to get back to the states and get settled. The army has been a great career for Matt and we have lived in some great places, but it will be so nice to live in one place for longer than 3 years. After living in Europe for 9 years we are ready to travel in other parts of the world (like maybe a return trip to China!!)

Say Cheese

2009-02-08T18:37:00.006+01:00

Hannah is definitely at the stage of life where she would much rather be holding the camera instead of posing for the camera. I often have to take 10 pictures to try and get one good one (maybe that's why she doesn't like having her picture taken). Anyway, on Chinese New Year I put one of her Chinese outfits on her and we all made a big deal over her and the outfit...."Oh, Hannah you look beautiful!" She basked in the attention, but still wouldn't really cooperate for a picture. Then the next day she saw the same outfit laying out and she brought it to me and wanted me to put in on her. She immediately started walking around saying "Cheese!" I knew that meant she wanted her picture taken, so I nearly broke my leg trying to get to the camera as quickly as possible! She is just too cute!

To get her to smile I usually tell her to 'show me your teeth.' So this is her doing just that...literally!

What happened to January?

2009-02-01T21:30:00.011+01:00

I can't believe it's already February 1st. January went by in a blur for me. I suppose that is what happens when you take the month off from your normal responsibilities and live the life of a carefree 20 year old. My niece, Emily, was here visiting and I took the month off from being a wife, mom, and overall responsible adult so that I could travel with her. Well, not that's not entirely true, but my wonderful hubby did agree to let me travel without him and the kids (lots less money, headache and hassle).

We started out with 3 days in Venice...including New Year's Eve!!

Then it was off to Rome for a weekend. Ok, so my hair really didn't look THAT bad, it was just super windy. Oh, and we got to see the Pope!

Back in Naples, we took a day trip to Pompeii. And even took Tara and Hannah along!

And then another day trip to the Amalfie Coast, with Hannah.

Then it was time for our annual trip to Garmisch, Germany. This time we took the whole family! We had a great time. Matt, Tara and Emily skied, Alex snowboarded, and me and Hannah just relaxed and enjoyed the snow. Well, Hannah didn't really enjoy the snow so much.

While in Germany, Emily and I took another day trip to Innsbruck, Austria....home of the famous Swarovski crystal (among many other fascinating sights).

After a week in Garmisch, we returned back to Naples and then Emily and I took another day trip to downtown Naples.

So that explains why I'm so behind on posting on my blog. It's hard to keep up with everything when your traveling the world. Now I'm back to the realities of my life and trying to catch up on all that I neglected for the past month. But I had a great time and owe Matt a huge thanks for being both mom and dad while I was out and about. And thanks to Emily for being a great travel partner. I had so much fun and the memories (and the pictures!!) will last a lifetime!

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

2009-01-26T21:57:00.005+01:00

Christmas Eve

2008-12-26T14:50:00.003+01:00

No snow and ice here!

2008-12-22T21:50:00.007+01:00

There isn't much I love about Naples. But 60 degree temperatures with bright sunshine in the middle of December is one thing I do love. Especially when nearly everyone I know is shoveling snow and ice right now and enduring below freezing temps. Hannah played outside today on her "bike" and I actually (sort of) got her to cooperate when I took her picture. This is getting harder and harder to do. All she wants is to hold the camera, not pose in front of it.

Scared of Santa...and others....

2008-12-18T13:34:00.004+01:00

Hannah was just a little scared of Santa...by little I mean she screamed, clung to Matt for dear life, and would not even look at him let alone sit on his lap...and that's quite normal. Most babies are scared of a fat man with a white beard and bright red clothes (even some moms are a little frightened by the creepy Santas, right Portia?) But being the good mommy that I am, I took the picture anyway. It's always a great conversation piece for when they are older. I have both Alex & Tara's screaming Santa pictures, so I had to have one of Hannah also.

So Santa fear I get, but explain this one:

Today I was standing in the long line at the bank and Hannah was sitting in the little toy section they have in the bank lobby. She could see me perfectly and she was quite content sitting there playing while I waited. The place was crowded with lots of people coming and going. Then this little old lady walked in and sat down in a chair next to where Hannah was playing, but the lady didn't look at Hannah or talk to her. Hannah took one look at her and screamed the same scream she gave when she got near Santa. She ran to me crying and clung to me for dear life. She was terrified of this little old lady. Ok, so the lady wasn't the most attractive person I've seen, but she wasn't sporting a white beard or anything. And she didn't try to talk to her or hold her, but Hannah was scared nonetheless. I ended up just leaving because to me it was obvious that she was scared of the lady and I didn't want to offend her. So what's this all about? We have to work on this fear of old people. How will I ever be able to take her to Wal-Mart in the states???

Not much pomp and circumstance

2008-12-15T11:04:00.002+01:00

Matt has completed his bachelor's of science degree in Human Resource Management!!!! Matt is living proof of how difficult it is to complete a degree while working full time and having a family, but he persevered forever and finished. Unfortunately, he won't be attending any formal ceremonies where I can snap some pictures of him in the ridiculous square board hat with a tassel hanging down.

For those of you who don't know this, I met Matt at a small junior college we both attended when we were 18 years old. Matt stayed there for a year before he decided to join the army. And now looking back, sure there are things he would have done differently if he could, but we are both happy that things turned out the way they did. The army has been a great career for Matt and our family. With retirement from the army just around the corner, it is an accomplishment to have the degree completed so he can shift his focus to the next stage of life. Congratulations, Matt. It was a long time coming, but you did it!!!!!!!!!!!!

We also celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary on Sunday. We splurged and went to McDonald's for lunch. Crazy, I know. We really know how to live it up. We went to a huge mall that is not far from our house, but so did the other 4 million people that live in Naples. I'm not kidding, I have never seen so many shoppers in one place (and you all know I have done my fair share of shopping in my lifetime). Add Hannah and Tara to the picture and it doesn't make for a very romantic dining experience. So we all agreed on McDonald's to avoid the mass crowds and simplify the day. And I have to admit it was tasty. We rarely eat at the Golden Arches, so it was actually an out of the ordinary meal for us. Besides, we are saving up for our annual ski trip to Garmsich, Germany in January. We love Italian food, but we are all really looking forward to some good 'ole fried schnitzel and potatoes, bratwurst and beer.

Thankful at Thanksgiving...

2008-12-01T09:09:00.013+01:00

We had a good Thanksgiving holiday...we stayed home this year, except for one day in Rome. This is the first Thanksgiving since living in Europe that we didn't travel. We cooked all the traditional food and ate until we couldn't eat anymore. We discovered that Hannah loves turkey!! And all the fixins'...she ate potatoes, stuffing, green beans...she loved it all. Alex is usually my pickiest eater, but this year he seemed to like more of the food than in previous Thanksgiving feasts.

On Saturday we met some friends in Rome for the day. One of our stops was Trevi Fountain. This is supposedly one of the romantic spots in Rome and the place to meet your bachelor or bachelorette. Romantics toss a coin over their shoulder, into the fountain, thinking it will give them a wish and assure their return to Rome. Usually Alex will try anything to make his wishes come true, but when he heard about the returning to Rome portion he refused to take part. He said he hopes he NEVER has to go to Rome again!!! In typical 13 year old boy behavior, he instead took a coin and threw it at the head of the statue in the fountain. Remember, Alex HATES, HATES, HATES to go sightseeing and thinks he has seen the world twice over. I wonder if he will always feel this way? So we have pictures of me and Tara tossing our coins over our shoulder. I hope to always be able to return to Rome!

We also stopped at the Spanish Steps...another hangout for romantics. Instead of romance, our kids (along with our friends 3 boys) decided to race up and back down the steps and nearly took out a few tourist along the way. It was funny to see them running down the steps full speed, huffing and puffing. After the race, I made them go back and pose for a picture with Hannah.

So all in all it was a great holiday for us. And best of all, we had our Hannah with us. And it's our last Thanksgiving in Naples. YIPPEE!!! Now there are two things for which we are very thankful!

Pasta anyone?

2008-11-25T13:26:00.003+01:00

Portia...this one's for you!

2008-11-11T22:05:00.004+01:00

Portia, on her blog has tagged me to write 7 weird or random facts about myself. When I read this I immediately panicked because quite frankly the pressure to think of 7 random facts about myself was difficult. I realize I must be the most ordinary person on the planet (maybe that should be my first random fact). Or maybe I'm so incredibly random and weird that I don't even know it. So after a few days of brainstorming (in between life with 3 kids) this is what I came up with:

1) My bedroom is always a disaster zone. It always has been and probably always will be. I never put away clothes and my bedroom is my catch all for everything that does not have a ‘place.’ My bedroom door will forever remain closed when I have company.

2) Which leads me to my next fact…my next house will be purchased based upon the size of the closets. I hate, hate, hate not having big closets and places to put my junk. It might be my dream house, but no walk-in closets, no deal.

3) I’m not admitting my age, but I can remember when my mom got our first microwave, our first VHS player, and even more shocking…I can remember owning and playing 8-track tapes!! As for the presidential election....I remember when Jimmy Carter was elected. Geez, I’m getting old.

4) As far as I’m concerned, chocolate is a food group. No seriously, I will wilt away and die without chocolate.

5) I do not have an athletic bone in my body. I am not a sports fan. But I do love watching Alex play sports. I love cheering him on from the sidelines. I love it when he wins and feel his disappointment when he loses. I’m his #1 fan (well, Matt might be his #1 fan, but I run a close number 2).

6) I lived in the same house until I was 16 years old and then we moved to another house 5 miles away. I went to the same high school that both my mom & dad attended. I graduated with 47 people in my high school class. Nearly all of them I knew since kindergarten. Needless to say, I grew up in small town America (in Oklahoma).

7) I love cowboys. My wonderful husband (who I love with all my heart) is NOT a cowboy. Go figure.

Ok, so part of the rules state that I am suppose to 'tag' 7 of my friends. Honestly, I don't think I have 7 friends that will participate. I'm also suppose to link their blog to my blog and I have no idea how to do that. But at least tonight I can sleep without trying to think of anymore random or weird facts about myself. I can move on. Task completed.

Trick or Treat...Hannah's first & Alex's last????

2008-11-02T15:20:00.010+01:00

I have always loved Halloween. I remember my Grandad taking me and my cousin trick or treating. I remember my Granny making some of my Halloween costumes. I remember the house across the street had lots of dogs and two really, really old people that lived in it. They gave us a dime instead of candy and we thought that was so strange and creepy, but we went back every year. And I remember the candy. Lots and lots of candy. Usually only a few really good pieces of candy, but that made the whole night worthwhile. For me it was, and still is, all about the candy!! I wonder what my kids will remember about Halloween?

I bought Hannah a really cute little ladybug costume. I thought the ladybug costume was a cute idea given the symbolic meaning of ladybugs and Chinese adoptions. She obviously is not aware of the meaning of ladybugs and she certainly did not find anything cute about the outfit as she would have absolutely no part of it!! She did not like the feel of the costume (she has texture issues, but that's a different post) and she was absolutely NOT going to wear the costume without fits of rage. I even laid it out on the floor so she could just play with it...she would walk clear across the room to avoid it! It was so funny to watch how determined she was to not go near that strange feeling outfit!!! But fortunately, I had a back up...I had bought a little pumpkin sweatsuit this summer when I was in Oklahoma. So instead she wore it and was warm and comfy and didn't suffer any long term damage from my attempts at getting her to wear the ladybug costume. She had not been able to wear the pumpkin sweatsuit before Halloween night because it has been so incredibly warm here in Naples. We didn't take her trick or treating, but instead she stayed outside with me and and Matt while we passed out candy (we have to stand outside our building to pass out the candy and you cannot begin to imagine how many kids there are on this base). I thought she would be scared of everything, but she wasn't at all. Even the big scary costumes didn't scare her. She got to eat her fair share of candy while we were outside and she enjoyed that as much as us dragging her from house to house, holding her bag for her, and saying trick or treat for her. Next year she will have a better understanding of the tradition and I'm sure she will charge full speed ahead for her portion of the candy!

Alex was a hippie this year. In addition to the annual trick or treating, he also went to a haunted house here on base. Afterwards he came home and said, "I think I'm either getting too old or the haunted house was just crap this year, because nothing scared me." I laughed and agreed that he might just be getting too old. After all, he is bigger than most of the dads passing out the candy! He loves getting the candy, but after this year he may just have to go to the store and buy his own. I remember Alex's first year of trick or treating. He was Winnie the Pooh. Then the following year he was Barney. Now here he is getting too old for trick or treating or attempts to make him scream in terror. Geez, the time goes quickly.

Tara and her two best friends dressed up in the Chinese dresses I bought in China. Tara would go around telling people she was going to be a Chinese person for Halloween. Fortunately, everyone knows our family and knows the appropriateness of her wanting to be a Chinese person...she thinks she is too old to be a Chinese princess so instead she was just a Chinese person. I told her maybe someday Hannah could dress up as a Caucasian person. Not sure how that will go over??? Anyway, they did look pretty with all three of them dressed the same. Tara must still have a few Halloween years in her...she was still too scared to even go in the haunted house (even with her dad)!

So the last few days have been candy-filled. Hannah officially loves candy. She loves M&M's, suckers, well, pretty much anything the kids give her. They have quickly learned they can't eat candy in front of her or they have to share!

No alarm clock needed

2008-10-26T17:07:00.004+01:00

Obviously, Hannah didn't get the memo about the time change last night in Europe. She was up bright and early at 6 a.m., which because of the time change was really 5 a.m. That makes for one LONG morning. We have all had very long talks with her today about sleeping a little later. She just looks at us all like we are crazy. And quite frankly, if she continues waking up at 5 a.m. I will officially go crazy!!

Europe has ruined my children...

2008-10-24T11:49:00.007+02:00

My kids HATE to travel. After nearly six years in Europe, they have absolutely no interest in seeing castles, churches, monuments, museums, or towers. They are finished with touring and want nothing more than movie theaters, American shopping malls, swimming pools and maybe an occasional amusement park. But when family comes to visit, a little traveling is necessary. My mom and Dennis were here last week and we decided to take a trip to Tuscany. I had to prepare Alex & Tara WEEKS IN ADVANCE of our travel plans. We were only gone 4 days and 3 nights, but Alex simply could not understand why we would waste a perfectly good three day weekend to go to Tuscany!! (it was Columbus Day weekend so they were out of school) Plus we were going back to Pisa, a place they had already been....imagine the horror!!! Alex secretly begged my mom to tell me that SHE didn't really want to tour on the last day, but that instead SHE was ready to come back to Naples. He just knew that if GeeGee didn't want to stay that I would leave early. He said, "Come on GeeGee, take one for your grandkids." GeeGee has a soft spot for her grandkids, but I won out and we finished our touring. We went to Florence, Pisa, Volterra, Pienza and Montepulciano (small towns in Tuscany). It was a weekend full of sightseeing, Italian shopping, pasta and wine. Our kids worst nightmare, but somehow they survived.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Just like her big brother and sister, Hannah wasn't excited about seeing a tower that leans.

I don't know who is grumpier...Hannah or her dad.

Alex wanted to take the picture rather than be in it.

Long gone the lazy days of summer....

2008-10-22T21:23:00.003+02:00

Yes, the lazy days of summer are long gone, even though the weather still feels like summer here in Naples. We are full force into fall activities and the craziness of busy schedules: Alex has football practice twice a week and he has had 2 football games (1-1). He also attends a Christian youth organization called Club Beyond. He has lots of homework and we are anxious to see if his straight A's continue in 7th grade. Tara does cheerleading twice a week and gymnastics once a week. She has cheered at a high school football game and a community event in the past few weeks. Matt is taking his FINAL TWO CLASSES to complete his Bachelor's degree. He works 60+ hours a week and taking these 2 classes is going to be a heavy load, so he is counting down the days until Dec. 14 when he is finished. I am staying busy with my Bible study group (PWOC). I am on the Board for the organization, so I have lots of added responsibilities besides just keeping up with my Bible study. PWOC has been my lifeline while here in Naples. Hannah just spends her days charming us all and making us laugh. Her personality is so sweet and she is really becoming quite the social butterfly...when it suits her. She certainly has a way of getting her wants and needs across. She is starting to say a few words...baby, bye bye, and our favorite of all...STOP. How appropriate that one of her first words would be 'stop'...you can tell she has 2 older siblings that love to pester and annoy her.

I'm posting some pictures of our cute little pumpkin.

3 months later....

2008-10-01T08:05:00.006+02:00

Hannah is such a sweet baby and has adjusted into our family amazingly well. She is adored by her big brother and sister (and her mom and dad) and has accepted her role as the baby of the family. She spends half of her time either upside down or being twirled, tickled or otherwise engaged in some sort of move to get her to laugh. She is well known by all the kids in the neighborhood and everywhere we go she hears "Hi, Hannah!!!" followed by someone wanting to hold her. She certainly isn't lacking for any attention!

Hannah LOVES:
*the park and going down the slide...she climbs, runs and plays...

*shoes and going bye bye

*Sesame Street....yeah!!

*french fries and apple juice (go figure)

*her thumb!!!

She squeals and runs to her daddy when he walks in the door at the end of his work day, but she is incredibly attached to her mommy. She goes to the church nursery one day a week while I go to a Bible study and she cries when I leave her, but she soon stops. She immediately runs to me when I go to get her and is very happy to see me. The nursery workers all rave that she is such a sweet baby.

She is doing all the things an 18 month old baby should be doing, except maybe talking, which we know will come in time. She definitely understands everything we say to her. We stopped giving her a bottle and she has a mouth full of teeth so she can eat just about anything. She sleeps through the night, but still doesn't take long naps (boo hoo!). Some days she still takes 2 naps, but I'm working on getting her to just one long (hopefully) nap.

She hasn't gained much weight, but we think that is because she started walking immediately after we got her, so she is a baby on the move! She "donated" 5 viles of her blood to be tested for any medical concerns (that was NOT a fun day!) and has since received an absolute clean bill of health from the doctor. We are having to catch up on all her immunizations, so she will be getting lots of shots in the coming months, but she should be caught up by the time she is two years old.

People often say to us that Hannah is a lucky little girl. We believe we are, in fact, the lucky ones. We feel like we have won the parent lottery. She is a loving, happy little girl. She is full of life and laughter. There is no sadness, no grief, no signs of a painful beginning to life. She trusts us and has bonded with us completely and totally. We know that she is a true gift from God. There is not a day goes by that we don't thank God for her. We are so incredibly blessed to have her and to be her parents.

Too tired to care

2008-09-29T11:53:00.002+02:00

Apparently, Hannah wasn't enjoying our lunch conversation.

I'm guilty

2008-09-24T21:39:00.002+02:00

I admit it, I'm one of those bad, bad mommies that uses TV as a babysitter. But before you call in the child psychologists to repair the damage or put me on the Dr. Phil show, let me explain...

I am not a big TV watcher. My TV is rarely, if ever, on during the day. I have nothing against TV, I just don't watch it much. I can't stand the noise, so unless I'm actually sitting watching something, the TV is off. But I admit I have been actively promoting Sesame Street to Hannah. Not because I have strong feelings towards the show and it's "educational content", but because it is on at a convenient time. It comes on at 8 a.m. which is just a few minutes after Alex and Tara leave for school and usually the perfect time for me to either take a shower or get a few things done around the house. So for the past several weeks when Sesame Street comes on I get all excited and make a big deal of it and dance and sing along with the show. Well, for 2 weeks Hannah has had absolutely no part of it. She looks at the TV, looks at me, and off she goes to find her next potential disaster point. She couldn't care less about Big Bird, the Grouch, or Elmo. But I guess the power of marketing and persuasion finally got the best of her. Today, she actually sat through the entire show!!!! Do you realize that is 60 total minutes of uninterrupted ME time! It was amazing. So amazing that I had to keep walking in the living room every 30 seconds wondering what she was doing. I was sure she was not really watching TV. But for 60 whole minutes she sat there, sucking her thumb, holding her blanket and behaved like American children all over the country. She was glued to the TV. But it was Sesame Street, so don't stone me, ok? And I promptly turned it off at 9:00 and played with her. So have I traumatized her for life? Will she have to go on Oprah someday and talk about her horrible childhood of watching Sesame Street while her mom showered and put on make up? Somehow, I think she will survive.

Scars from the battlefield...i.e. the skatepark

2008-09-21T22:10:00.003+02:00

Alex has become quite the skateboarding enthusiast. I'm not overly thrilled with the sport as I know we are likely to spend some time in the E.R. because of some attempt to nail the quarter pike (or something along those lines). Thankfully, Alex's first battlefield scar didn't result in any broken bones, but he did get literally knocked unconscious and had a bump the size of a golf ball on his eye. Now it has turned a rather nice shade of blue, black and purple. Once he regained consciousness and realized he was going to live, he could hardly wait to go back outside (minus the skateboard) to show off his battle scars. Over a week later the bruise remains, all in time for school pictures tomorrow.

Oh, and for the record, Alex wanted me to take these pictures. After all, they serve as great proof for any doubting skaters as to the extent of his injury.

Maybe she is our future Einstein....

2008-09-18T06:50:00.006+02:00

Can't you just see the smartness oozing from her?

She really is a smart little girl. Just today, she picked up her dirty diaper and threw it in the trash. See, she knows exactly where it goes. But then again, she attempts to throw everything in the trash!

Why buy toys?

2008-09-15T14:57:00.002+02:00

When she prefers to empty out my kitchen utensils at least a bazillion times a day!

Give me a T...give me an A...give me a R...give me another A....

2008-09-11T22:29:00.002+02:00

What's that spell?? TARA!!

Tara made the advanced team for cheerleading!

Pump, Pump, Pump it up.

YEAH!! More cheers!!

Maybe she will grow up and be a princess......

2008-09-07T14:54:00.012+02:00

or maybe NOT!!!

Mom, can we just stop with the pictures...I'm really getting annoyed.

Hurricane Hannah makes landfall...

2008-09-05T20:22:00.010+02:00

In Naples, Italy

I guess a girl needs on shoes to brave the hurricane that hit her room!

Hannah LOVES shoes

2008-09-05T14:37:00.003+02:00

I bet I change her shoes at least 10 times a day, per her request...which is something along the lines of her walking up to me holding out a pair of shoes going uuhh, uuhh, uuhh, uuhh, uuhh....then when I sit down to change her shoes she gets sooooo excited!!

You also see that she holds a shoe when she sucks her thumb. Some babies are comforted by blanket or a stuffed animal. Just give Hannah a pair of shoes and her thumb!!!

In one of the pictures Hannah has a scowl on her face and appears to be looking down at something....I had put a band aid on her thumb to see if she would give her poor thumb a break from all the sucking...well, it didn't work. She worked at that band aid until she was able to suck the band aid right off her thumb (and no, she didn't swallow the band aid). Oh well, I thought it might be worth a try. Her poor little thumb is so huge and swollen from her sucking on it with her mouthful of teeth.

What do you hate?

2008-09-03T22:46:00.003+02:00

Four year olds have a way of simplifying life...one day as I walked with Mary (my friend Portia's daughter) she just nonchalantly asked me what I hated. I was caught a little off guard until Mary started rattling off the things she hated (wet grass was on the top of her list). So for Mary's sake I have thought of a few things I hate....simplified in 4 year old fashion.
1. Poopy diapers
2. Mosquitoes
3. Reserved officer parking at the commissary
4. The TV show the Bachelor (why, oh why would any woman subject themselves to that...even for 5 minutes of fame)
5. Alarm clocks

Then Mary went on to ask me what I loved. I didn't answer quickly enough so she asked, well you must love marshmallows. Well, I do love marshmallows, but not as much as chocolate!! or WINE!!! And I love 4 year olds and their innocence.

Hannah is our future little Michael Phelps...or not!

2008-09-03T22:18:00.005+02:00

She LOVES the water and is so brave. I figure if I start her early enough there will certainly be a gold medal in her future. Just maybe not from the Olympics.... She deserves a medal just for being so darn cute!!!!

How did this happen?

2008-09-01T22:33:00.004+02:00

How can it be that my baby, my first born, my son is 13 years old??? How is that possible?

A few weeks ago Alex was giving his best effort at convincing me why I should allow him to go see a rated R movie. He was listing off all the reasons and I looked at him dumbfounded and confused. I thought how in the world is this possible? How can I possibly be having this conversation with my OWN CHILD?? Not because I was shocked that he would want to see a rated R movie, but because I had this flashback of this EXACT same conversation with my own mother when I was trying to convince her to allow ME to go see a rated R movie (Purple Rain staring Prince). Has it really been that long ago that I stood in front of my own mom and begged the same request?

Looking at Alex now I know first hand how quickly time goes by. My "baby" is now 5'8", 120 lbs., size 11 shoe and a TEENAGER!! And so the fun begins.

private vs. public

2008-09-01T21:42:00.004+02:00

I originally started this blog specifically for family & friends to follow along on our adoption journey. Many people have told me how much they have enjoyed reading the blog as we traveled to China and brought Hannah home. But I think now I want to shift the focus of the blog and make it more of a place for my family and close friends to see pictures and read about the life and times of the Linton family (which could prove to be some boring reading as we lead fairly uneventful lives). I am going to make the blog open by invitation only (even though I know that nothing is truly private when posted on the internet) so at least I will know who is reading. I'll see how this goes for a few weeks/months. I may just nix the whole blogging idea all together and work on my scrapbook instead.

My to do list

2008-08-24T23:02:00.002+02:00

My to do list is growing by the minute. Unfortunately, the to do list is not written down on paper because that would mean that I would know where to find a pencil and paper in the mass clutter in my house. Instead the list is in my head, just playing over and over like a broken record. I can not believe how behind I am in every single daily task of my life. I just sort of walk around from room to room in bewilderment on where and how to start. I think I'm making progress and then along comes Hannah. Ahh, life with a toddler. She is such a sweet, precious baby but that does not keep her from getting into EVERYTHING!!!! She just follows me around all day long babbling and making messes. And just like every other baby on the planet she requires lots of attention. She needs to eat, needs to be changed, needs to be held, needs to play....you get the idea.

And speaking of miss Hannah, she is doing great. We have had her first doctor visit and was given the official all clear that she does NOT appear to have any medical concerns. We also went through a developmental screening and she is right on target developmentally in all areas with only a very slight delay in speech (which is certainly to be expected given we don't speak Chinese!!). It is obvious that she now understands what we say to her, but she doesn't say any words yet other than MA MA MA MA MA MA MA MA, and she says that all day long as she follows me from room to room. Well, she also says 'bye' on occasion and something that sounds very similar to TAAAAA, which we think is her version of Tara. But really she is doing amazingly well considering all she has been through in the past 2 months. She is doing much better with Matt now, although we all still have our pecking order...Tara is her numero uno for sure, then I usually come in 2nd, Alex is 3rd, and Matt is 4th. I really suspect that will change as she gets more comfortable with Matt each day. Somehow I think though she will always have a special connection with Tara, and even Alex. They both have a different type of relationship forming with her and it is obvious that she adores both of them (and they equally adore her!!) They both help me so much with her and I am so blessed to have them.

Tomorrow is the first day of school. WOO YOO!! Tara starts 4th grade and Alex starts 7th grade. Tara is a little nervous and Alex is just mad that he has to get up so early. He just can't seem to understand WHY school has to start so EARLY??? Matt is also taking a college class (only 2 more to go until he graduates!!!) and between working 60+ hours a week and this class he is staying busy.

So anyway, if you have emailed me recently (or not so recently) and I have not replied, I promise you are on my to do list that is spinning in my head. I will eventually reply, just not sure when?? But I do appreciate all the emails, comments, prayers, and words of encouragement that everyone has offered over the past several months. Knowing that I have such a strong support group filled with friends and family is such a comforting feeling. I won't lie, life with a new toddler is hard. Our lives are very different than they were a few months ago. But we can't imagine it any other way. A dear friend asked me tonight if I still look at Hannah and can't believe that all of this is real. I just laughed and said yes, it is all very, very real to me now. I dreamed about her, prayed for her, thought about her for so long. Now the chaos in my house helps to show me how incredibly real she is. But I know that she belongs in this house. She belongs in our family. She is ours. She is loved, wanted, and cherished. Even in the chaos.

Yeah, Hannah is an American citizen!!

2008-08-20T07:30:00.003+02:00

3 continents in 30 days

2008-08-10T16:07:00.004+02:00

One thing is for sure, Hannah is a well traveled little girl. She has logged in more air miles in 30 days than many people fly in their lifetime. Just over one month ago her life was probably very routine, structured and organized. Now, she never knows from one day to the next what house she might wake up in, not to mention which state or even continent!

So here is a quick update of our recent travels and events:

We received Hannah's U.S. passport in plenty of time for our return travel to Italy. This was a HUGE relief as we could not travel until we got her passport. We have officially completed every detail of our adoption journey. Now it is just life as usual, whatever usual is????

Our last few days in Oklahoma went by quickly. Probably the most exciting event was when Hannah was playing with the phone and we hear a knock at the door...it was a police officer stating that they had just received a 9-1-1 hang up call from this address. There stands Hannah at the door with the phone in her hand, which is why they were not able to call back to verify the call. Thankfully, the police officer was understanding about the situation, but he did tell me that I should not let my daughter play with the phone. Lesson learned.

We also got to spend the day with our good friends the Mencers. They live in Oklahoma City and drove to Miami to see us and and meet Hannah. The kids all enjoyed seeing each other again and Lisa and I had the chance to visit (which had to be done quickly with 7 kids in the house!!)

On August 2, we said goodbye to our family in Oklahoma and loaded up our 6 suitcases, stroller, car seat, portable crib, 3 kids, and headed to Indiana....

Me, Alex, Tara, and my mom made the 12 hour car journey to my sister's house with Hannah strapped safely in her car seat. Hannah is doing much better riding in her car seat, but after a few hours of driving she was more than ready to get out! Usually we put her in the car and she falls right to sleep, but on this particular trip she opted to cry it out rather than sleep. Normally we can't get her thumb out of her mouth, but on this trip we couldn't get her to suck her thumb for anything (this is the only way she can fall asleep, and no, she will NOT take a pacifier). Anyway, we eventually arrived in Upland, Indiana...just a little frazzled and really, really tired! Hannah was greeted by her cousins and showered with more attention and love. Amazing how quickly she has adjusted to being the center of attention!

After 3 days in Indiana we drove to Chicago for our return flight to Italy. Our friends the Ferris' met us at the airport for a short visit. It was nice getting to see them and we wish they were still living upstairs in our building here in Naples!! Our flights all left on time, but the plane ride to Italy was very different than the plane ride from China. Hannah is such a different baby than she was 6 weeks ago and she expressed that in full force on the airplane. She was a little wild child! Mostly, she just wanted down, as do all babies once they learn to walk. She didn't sleep much (she does not like to be held while she sleeps, which is about the only option on a plane) and she was not a very happy baby (something to do with lack of sleep and being forced so sit???). But we made it home....only she doesn't realize (yet) that this is home. For her it's just another place to explore until we load her up and go to the next house. Considering all that she has experienced, she is doing amazingly well!! But she is having a hard time adjusting to yet another time change and is wanting to sleep at all the wrong times. We are all in this zombie like state from lack of sleep. Alex and Tara are thrilled to be home and have been on the go since the minute we arrived. Hannah is already adjusting to the constant coming and going. In Oklahoma Tara was never far from her (in fact, she was usually holding her) and now Tara pops in for a quick second and she is off again. Hannah is getting use to Matt again and enjoying her new toys and house. I quickly realized how much baby proofing I still need to do!!

So, three continents in 30 days....I don't recommend it, especially with a 16 month old baby, but we FINALLY have our baby home.

More pictures!!

2008-07-29T05:55:00.000+02:00

Hannah loves bathtime and french fries (just not at the same time)

2008-07-26T05:35:00.005+02:00

(these were taken in China)

Life with a baby....again!

2008-07-21T06:02:00.004+02:00

Ok, I know the real reason everyone checks this blog is for the pictures, and I will try and post some very soon. I haven't taken any new pictures lately because I lost my camera, but I found it yesterday so now I have no excuses. Now I just have to get Hannah to cooperate, which is not always easy for an active 15 month old baby!

Life with a baby is so very different for me, but I am enjoying every second (all right, maybe not EVERY second, but you get the idea). Hannah is an absolute sweetheart. She is showing more and more of her personality every day. Everyone here is simply amazed at what a different baby she is from even one week ago. She is officially walking now, which means she is constantly on the go. She is into everything and loves exploring her new world. She is smiling all the time, laughing and beginning to display her strong will and determination to have it her way! She is like a sponge absorbing all that is going on around her. She loves to imitate people and even has her own way of teasing each one of us. She is the center of attention and seems to be loving every minute of it. She certainly has us all head over heels in love with her.

I can't even begin to explain the range of emotions we feel in finally having our daughter. I have moments of sheer happiness and moments of extreme grief and sadness for thinking of all that she has lost. Sometimes I look at her in complete and utter amazement that we were chosen to be her parents. I continually thank God that we have been so blessed to have a healthy, smart, beautiful, happy little girl. And not just Hannah...we are also blessed with two equally healthy, smart, beautiful and happy biological children. We have had a child by cesarean section, naturally and by adoption. We wouldn't have it any other way. All three of them arrived in our family by God's plan. All three of our children our equally ours by His grace. All three of them are equally loved by us and by Him. Sometimes it takes something small to make us realize how big our God really is. For us, it came in a little 20 lb. body with black hair, black eyes and a million dollar smile.

We are in Oklahoma!

2008-07-13T02:41:00.002+02:00

After 32 hours of traveling, we finally made it to Oklahoma. It was an extremely long, tiring day, but we made it.

We didn't have internet service our last 2 days in Guangzhou, so I wasn't able to post on my blog. Our last day in Guangzhou was for our appointment at the American Consulate to get Hannah's visa. We drove for 30 minutes to get to the consulate, went through the security and then raised our right hand to swear that all the information we provided in our adoption paperwork was true and accurate. A few minutes later they handed us her (Chinese) passport with the visa, and we were officially done with all the paperwork. It was time to go home.

The next morning we had a mix up with our luggage that caused us to miss our flight to Beijing. The problem was resolved by our guide and we got on the next flight to Beijing. We met my niece Emily in Beijing and we all flew to Chicago. Emily was so happy to be the first family member to see Hannah. She had fun holding and playing with her on the plane (we all got to sit next to each other). Hannah did great on the 14 hour flight...she slept for about 5 straight hours, which was nice. We arrived in Chicago on time and went through immigration with Hannah. This process just required us to give the immigration officials all the paperwork we got from the American Consulate in China. It took about 5 minutes and the guy said, "Congratulations, your daughter is now an American citizen." An exciting moment for us, but Hannah didn't seem to notice the difference...imagine that :)

After an 8 hour delay in Chicago due to storms in the area, we finally arrived in Tulsa at 2:00 a.m. A big thank you to my mom for driving an hour and a half to come get us in the middle of the night. I don't think Tara could have waited another minute. She was thrilled to finally have us home and to meet Hannah. We got to my mom's house at 4:00 a.m. and woke up Alex so he could see Hannah. We all stayed awake until 5:30 a.m. At that point I could have slept standing up.

It's been a hard 2 days trying to work out sleep schedules for us all. Hannah is doing well considering she is sleeping at all the wrong times. We are trying to get her adjusted, but it's hard when she is so sleepy. Alex and Tara are having fun playing with her and she has already shared her smiles, kisses and giggles with them.

Our biggest hurdle right now is getting Hannah use to a car seat. She absolutely screams hysterically when we put her in the seat. She cries so hard she makes herself throw up. She wails, kicks, screams...it's really the only time I have seen her have such a huge screaming fit. I know it will just take time for her to get use to being strapped into a seat rather than having someone hold her. We drive to Henryetta tomorrow to see Matt's parents. Could be a REALLY long 2 hours.

Will try and post some pictures in the next few days. Right now I'm just trying to get caught up on sleep, laundry, unpacking and repacking, and figuring out Hannah's eating/sleeping/playing patterns. But overall things are going very well and we are so very happy to be home from China with our baby!!!

Pictures

2008-07-09T03:46:00.002+02:00

These are some random pictures I have taken. One of them is the famous red couch picture. The red couch picture is a tradition for adoptive families who stay at the White Swan Hotel. This picture was destined to be a disaster from the beginning...first, it was scheduled for 3:00 p.m....nap time for all the babies. Then we had 13 babies to attempt to get to cooperate. You can tell from the picture it didn't go well (but I have to admit it was funny to see it). Hannah is the baby next to the baby that fell over. As soon as this baby fell over and started crying, Hannah started crying. I captured the whole event on video, so it will be good for many laughs in the future.

The picture of Hannah with the headphones is her talking to Tara on the telephone. We put the headphones on her and she listens to Alex and Tara talk to her. As you can see from the picture they can make her smile just by talking to her. I know she is going to love her big brother and big sister.

The picture of the little boy is our friends' son...Ben. They live in Naples and we got to come to China at the exact same time to get our babies. Their son is from a different province, so we didn't see them the first week, but we met them once we got to Guangzhou. Ben is a cute little boy and he is full of energy! He is almost 3 years old. He also has a big sister, Mary, who is adopted from China. We are looking forward to seeing them again in Naples.

The last picture is Hannah chilling in the high chair. Sitting back, kicking up her feet after a big meal.

What a difference a week makes

2008-07-07T14:33:00.004+02:00

We have had Hannah for exactly one week and it is amazing the differences we see in her already. She has made excellent progress in every developmental area and has already bonded with both of us. Proof of what constant love and attention can do for a baby.

One thing that continually amazes me when we are out and about is the mass amount of people...EVERYWHERE! It is evident wherever we go that China is the most populated country on the planet. And even in a city of over 12 million people we still stand out as foreigners, and foreigners with a Chinese baby are guaranteed to draw attention. Intense staring is obviously not a cultural taboo in China...there have been times that people have literally stopped their bicycle on the side of the road to sit and stare at us while we wait to cross the street. It really doesn't bother me...I just stare back. I don't take it as rude, it's just normal here.

The past 2 days have been rather uneventful. Yesterday we visited the Chen family Temple in Guangzhou. It was yet another amazing sight. But the heat and humidity made it almost impossible to enjoy. Hannah wasn't a happy camper. I snapped a few photos of her yesterday but she is quickly losing interest in standing still long enough for a photo opportunity. She loves to be down and walking now. She is a baby on the move. She is taking a few steps on her own but mostly needs a hand to hold onto. She has finally figured out to grasp our fingers and off she goes.

Today I went shopping with a Chinese lady that has created a business taking adoptive families shopping. I went with 3 other ladies and she took us to the local markets (but not anyplace we could have ever managed on our own). She does all the bargaining for us and we got some incredible deals. I couldn't believe how much cheaper things were with her than they are here on the island (where our hotel is located). I now know where everything that says "MADE IN CHINA" is stored - here! I could not believe the massive amounts of STUFF. I forgot my camera so I didn't get to take any pictures. But I don't think pictures could have captured the reality of all that was offered for sale. It was a unique experience.

In the afternoon our group went to a local temple to have their babies blessed by a monk. We opted out of this ritual...something about having our baby blessed by a Buddhist monk didn't settle right with us. After that we went to a supermarket. This in itself is an adventure (it has a lot to do with the mass amount of people I mentioned earlier).

Hannah is not feeling well tonight. She has a bit of a fever and I think a cold. She fell asleep early and then I realized that I did not take one single picture of her today! Tomorrow is the first time in 2 weeks that we don't have to be somewhere early in the morning. We are hoping to sleep in a little, but who knows what time Hannah will wake up.

Our last stop

2008-07-05T16:02:00.002+02:00

We have arrived in Guangzhou...our last stop on our adoption journey in China. All of the paperwork is complete for the Chinese part of our adoption...as far as China is concerned she is officially ours!! Now we have to get her visa so that she can travel to the United States. We get the visa at the American Consulate here in Guangzhou.

Today we had the required, routine medical exam...it was a quick in-and-out process. We didn't ask questions and the doctor didn't offer any opinions on Hannah's health. Let's just say they won't win any customer service awards at the adoption clinic. We didn't really expect to gain any information...we will have a thorough medical exam done when we return to Italy. This exam was just all part of the process.

The hotel here is fabulous and we are so happy to have a change of scenery. Six nights in Nanning was more than enough! Tonight we had dinner with our friends from Naples (Jay, Portia, Mary and Ben) and now we are getting ready to call it a night. It was a long day...we started with an early morning flight and have been on the go all day. Tomorrow it is more sightseeing and SHOPPING!!

I know many of you have sent me emails and I have not replied. The internet connection at our last hotel was terrible and half the time I could read the email, but I would lose the connection before I could reply. So if I haven't replied I will try again in the next few days. I appreciate all the emails, prayers, comments, support, and kind words. Hard to believe this journey is coming to an end...well, the China portion anyway. This is only the beginning of our life as Hannah's parents. Now we are looking forward to getting her home with Alex and Tara so that we can all be together. We miss Alex and Tara so much and can't wait to see them. They are going to love their little sister and I know she will adore and love them.

Happy 4th of July!!

2008-07-04T15:56:00.002+02:00

No fireworks in China...but we do have a cute little firecracker!!

For our friends in Naples

2008-07-03T10:12:00.002+02:00

The other families that we are traveling with have made multiple comments about the traffic here in China. They think it is the craziest driving they have ever experienced and gasps of astonishment can be heard while we are out and about on the bus. Matt and I just sit back and smile....no one would believe us if we tried to tell them that the traffic in Naples, Italy is far worse than the traffic in China....but we know that anyone that has driven in Naples knows exactly what we are talking about. Believe me, it is worse in Naples!!! There is probably more traffic on the roads here in Nanning (they have 6 million people vs. Naples 4 million) and there are definitely more people on bicycles in China, but as far as I can tell they follow the rules of the road. They stay in their appropriate lane, and I have not seen one instance of a 2 lane road being made into a 5 lane road. Granted vehicles absolutely have the right of way here in China and crossing the street on foot must be done with swiftness and great caution, but it is no different in Naples! They don't honk nearly as much here and appear to drive at a normal rate of speed. Here in China we have also seen the entire family on one motor scooter and seat belts and car seats seem to not exist (just like Naples). All in all the traffic is very similar, but we both agree that "nothing beats Naples!"

Another great day with Hannah. We see small improvements every day. She is still very serious and not smiling much, but overall she is doing very well. She has the most beautiful eyes and we cannot wait until we see the sparkle in her eyes. She absolutely loves to be held and we are happy to offer her our services. That's the great thing about having to be here so long, we don't have much else to do but hold her! We did go out this morning to a park, but it is so very hot and humid that it's hard to enjoy being outside. The air is so heavy and thick it's hard to breath.

Sleeping Peacefully

2008-07-02T14:25:00.003+02:00

We have had another great day with Hannah. She is still very serious and quiet and actually rather timid. She perks up right after she eats and will play for a few minutes, otherwise she is content just being held. She is so curious about all that is going on around her and she really loves to just sit back and watch. She is fascinated with the older girls that are in our group and we are certain that she will enjoy playing with Alex and Tara. One of the questions we asked her nanny is what scares her and she said that when people yell it scares her...so you know what that means Alex and Tara...NO FIGHTING!!

She is eating solid food well, but we can't get her to take a bottle at all. This wouldn't concern me too much except that she also won't drink from a sippy cup. Tonight Matt got her to drink water from a straw that he had filled with water. Yesterday we gave her cheerios and she had no idea what to do with them. She could pick them up with her two fingers but then she would just hold them there. I started feeding her some cheerios and she soon figured out that she could feed herself (I'm assuming she had never done this before). Now she shovels the cheerios in as fast as she can. It's really cute to watch her and see the difference that just one day makes.

She is not walking yet and is still very unsteady standing up. She does sort of crawl on all fours, but for the most part when we put her down she just stays put. She plays with the toys that are all around her and especially seems to like turning the pages of books.

Today we went to Wal-Mart....after all isn't everything in Wal-Mart made in China? It was pretty much the same as every Wal-Mart only in Chinese. We got LOTS of stares and curious looks. Matt walked into one store by himself while I stood outside eating my ice cream and he said the sales lady came up to him and took Hannah out of his arms and started showing her off. She was oohing and aahing and going on and on. We were told that it is very normal for Chinese people to just come up and hold her, but we have already become very protective of her and it's hard to let strangers just take her (but when in China....)

We spent the afternoon relaxing in the hotel room (it rained all afternoon) and then ate dinner in the hotel...we needed some western food. We both had hamburgers and they were really good. Last night we ate at a buffet, but it was very Chinese and not all that great. You know something isn't quite right when the beef taste like fish.

We have enjoyed getting to know the families that we are here with and it's fun to watch all the babies and their different personalities. We are anxious to see Hannah's personality in full swing. She is such a sweet baby and we are loving all the cuddle time that she also seems to cherish. God has certainly prepared her heart for a mommy and daddy. We had prepared ourselves for the worst behavior, but so far she has been an absolute angel.

All is well....

2008-07-01T14:21:00.002+02:00

Yesterday afternoon 13 families paraded into a hot conference room with cameras in hand and emotions running high. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't crying. I was incredibly anxious, especially when we saw the nannies walk by in the hallway carrying all the babies. Finally a Chinese official came in and gave a short speech about her appreciation...I really can't remember a word she said...then she announced that they would bring the babies in according to the orphanage name. When they brought Hannah in we immediately recognized her. She was not crying, but she had that now famous frown planted on her face. They called her Chinese name and we walked forward...can't remember the details, but I know they handed her to me and my heart melted. We had her in our arms...finally.

We remained in this hot, crowded room without chairs for nearly 2 hours. Hannah never once cried. Many of the other babies were not just crying, but all out wailing and screaming. Some were absolutely hysterical. The tension was heavy as parents struggled with screaming babies. Hannah just sat wide eyed and took it all in. She went easily from both me and Matt and didn't seem to mind at all that we were holding her. We were allowed to ask the nanny some questions through our guide, and we asked if we could take a picture of her with Hannah. When Hannah saw her she reached out for her, but still didn't cry. After the picture her nanny bent over and whispered something to Hannah for about one minute and then gave her a hug and kiss and walked off. Hannah still did not cry.

We returned to the hotel room and admittedly I got a little worried because of Hannah's lack of "emotion." I really wanted her to cry...to show me that she was aware of what was happening, that she was scared, that she was grieving in some way. After about 15 minutes of her sitting on the bed looking around and holding a few toys she looked up and her lip started to quiver, her eyes began to water...and she CRIED. Big buckets of tears. She clung to us throughout her crying, but it was obvious she was terrified. After a long stretch of crying (I have no idea how long all of this lasted) she fell asleep in my arms.

After a short nap she woke up crying, but she was easily comforted when one of us picked her up. We tried giving her a bottle, but she would have nothing to do with it. We tried giving her a bath, but she did not like it at all. She was content as long as we held her, but cried if we put her down. Finally, she fell asleep for the night, and slept through the night.

She appears very healthy and developmentally on track. The only thing we noticed that was of concern on her body was her thumb. It looked really puffy and appeared to have some sort of bite and a bump on her knuckle. It didn't look serious, but it looked like it might hurt. Shortly after she fell asleep for the night we looked at her and she was sucking her thumb...really, really hard and loud! She sucked on that thumb all night long. We now realize that the puffiness and the bump is from her sucking her thumb. She only does it when she is sleeping or getting sleepy.

She has been a dream today. She has eaten and played. She is very serious all the time and we have to really work to get a little glimmer of a smile, but she is warming up to us already. She cries, but she is immediately comforted when one of us picks her up. She loves to be held. She loves watching people. And she loves watermelon. We absolutely love her.

Thank you all so much for praying for us and for Hannah. God has certainly answered our prayers and blessed us more than we ever dreamed possible.

She is perfect

2008-06-30T16:17:00.001+02:00

Waiting, waiting and more waiting

2008-06-30T05:05:00.002+02:00

Today is THE day and all is on schedule...it's just that the schedule is for us to leave the hotel at 3:00 p.m. to drive to the location where we will get Hannah, and it's only 11:00 a.m. now. Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock....feel like I have been waiting an eternity.

We woke up about 5:00 a.m. (which is becoming quite normal for us, but we go to bed very early!). We both are actually quite calm and not really nervous, just anxious. I am far more worried about Hannah than I am about my own nerves. I know she is going to be so scared and unsure of all that is happening to her. She will probably be tired and hungry...the drive to Nanning from her orphanage is 3-4 hours. The director of the orphanage is coming and one of the nannies. They will be available for a few hours to answer questions. Afterwards we bring Hannah back to our hotel and she stays with us the rest of the time.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.....

Nanning!!

2008-06-29T11:20:00.002+02:00

We are now in Nanning. This is the capital city of Guangxi Province and where we will meet Hannah TOMORROW!! Hannah's orphanage is not located in Nanning, but because this is the capital city it is where the orphanages of this particular province bring the babies (we are not allowed to visit the orphanages in this province at this time). There are 13 families here with our adoption agency and all of us will meet our babies tomorrow. We are all on edge...nerves, exhaustion, hormones, tension...they are all running high. Hopefully we can all get some sleep tonight...doubtful, buy maybe??

I'm posting some pictures of our day yesterday in Beijing. It was a fun day and we got to see some amazing sights. We started in Tienanmen Square...the largest public square in the world. This is the location where the political protests occurred in 1989 by primarily students seeking democratic reform. You might remember the now very famous picture of the lone student standing in front of 4 military tankers? Oh yeah, that place...now you remember??

Next we visited the Forbidden City....Now known as the Palace Museum...it is the world's largest palace complex. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here...for some five centuries. Within the walls surrounding the city are 9,999 buildings. Needless to say, it was an amazing sight and impossible to imagine that much wealth and power.

Our last stop was the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China is over 4,000 miles long and took centuries to complete. Matt and I climbed up 3 different levels...and it was an intense, straight up ascension! Coming down was almost as bad because it was so incredibly steep. But it was yet another amazing sight and again impossible to imagine the magnitude of its construction.

On our drive back to the hotel we saw out the bus window the Bird's Nest as it is called...the location of the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The amount of construction and hotels is astonishing!! It certainly appears that there will be more than enough rooms for all the visitors to Beijing because there are enormous hotels everywhere!!

Ok, so tomorrow is the big day! I think we are ready. We have the diaper bag packed, we bought the formula the orphanage uses, we have bottles, a baby crib (more on that in a later post)...all we need is a baby! I told Matt we should really go out and party it up tonight because our lives will be so very different tomorrow. The sad thing is we are too tired to go out and don't feel like dealing with the language barrier, the crowds, the heat...think we will just stay inside and wait until tomorrow!! We are so very ready to have her with us.

Too tired tonight

2008-06-28T16:25:00.002+02:00

It was a long, busy day full of endless walking and sightseeing. When we got back to the hotel we had to pack everything (again!) because we leave our hotel at 5:30 a.m. to fly to Nanning. Our flight leaves at 7:30 a.m. and it will be a 3 hour flight from Beijing to Nanning. We will then have the rest of the day to get settled and ready for our big day on Monday! So I should have some time tomorrow evening to post about our adventures today...just too tired tonight.

Pandas, Palaces and Peking Duck

2008-06-27T15:19:00.004+02:00

Our day started with a quick stop at the Beijing Zoo to see the panda bears. The panda is the national treasure of China and pictures of pandas can be seen everywhere. In addition to the pandas that normally live at this zoo, they have also brought in 8 more pandas specifically for the Olympics.

Next, we went to the Summer Palace. As its name implies, the Summer Palace was used as a summer residence by China's imperial rulers - as a retreat from the main imperial palace known as the Palace Museum (or 'Forbidden City').

Our last stop was The Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven, literally the Altar of Heaven, is where the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worshiped Heaven and prayed for good harvests.

For lunch we had a typical "group tour" lunch...Chinese style. It was good and really did not differ that much from the Chinese food we eat in the U.S. For dinner tonight we had the traditional Peking Duck that is said to be the signature dish for Beijing. It was delicious! They bring the duck out to the table and carve it and then you eat the duck on these little pancakes with various condiments. We were expecting the dinner to be expensive since it was in a very nice restaurant, but it was only $21 total!!

We have met many of the families that are also with our adoption agency (some will arrive tomorrow or the next day). Everyone is very nice and we are enjoying getting to know each of them.

We certainly feel like this part of our trip is a vacation, but we are anxiously waiting for the real reason we are in China....HANNAH!!!!

To tip or not to tip...that is the question?

2008-06-26T11:41:00.005+02:00

This was the joke of the day because it seems like everything we did required giving someone a tip. None of us really knew what we were doing, who to tip, how much to tip, and when to tip. But we managed and had a few good laughs along the way.

We took a tour of the Hutong area in Beijing. I found this link that provides a pretty good overview and probably explains it better than I can. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong

We were invited into a local family's home in the Hutong. He served us tea and we talked to him through our guide. It was very interesting to see how the people of this area lived. The residences are all very, very small and the people in the neighborhood have to share a public bathroom because the homes do not have a toilet. I didn't take many pictures in this area because it all went by so quickly (I didn't even know what to take a picture of, if that makes sense). We took a modern day rickshaw around the Hutong (picture above).

After that we went to a few tourist shopping sights, had lunch at a Thai restaurant (it was very good) and then Matt & I ventured out on our own to find the Hard Rock Cafe (I collect the pins from Hard Rock so I wanted to be sure and get one from Beijing). It turned out that the Hard Rock is not that far from our hotel so we decided to walk back rather than take a taxi. It was interesting to walk along some of the back streets and see how the people live in Beijing.

That's it for day 1. Tomorrow we have a full day of touring, so we are hoping to get some sleep tonight.

We made it!

2008-06-25T13:48:00.002+02:00

We are in Beijing, exhausted but ready to get this adventure started! The next 3 days will be spent sightseeing in Beijing. I will try and post some pictures tomorrow. Just wanted to let everyone know we arrived safely.

Ready, set, GO!!!

2008-06-24T17:35:00.002+02:00

We are officially on our way to China. We left Tulsa at 6:00 am this morning and now we are at the Chicago airport waiting on our flight to Beijing. So far everything appears to be on time. Still hard to believe that this day is finally here.

Saying goodbye to Alex and Tara was hard. Tara was especially sad to see us go even though we have planned for this day for many months. This is the longest we have both been away from the kids at the same time. I know they will have a good time in Oklahoma and will be well cared for by our family. Even so, it is hard to leave them behind when we are going to be on the other side of the world. They are eagerly waiting for our return with their little sister!

Next post will be from China....IF I can access blogspot. If not, I will have to send emails.

This time next week.....

2008-06-18T04:06:00.003+02:00

One week until China!!!

We made it to Oklahoma and now we are working on all the last minute details for our trip to China. Our flight last Friday from Italy was long, but we made it without much trouble. The last flight was delayed 2 hours, so we didn't get to my mom's house until 2 a.m. It was a long day and we are still trying to recover from the jet lag and adjust to the time change.

I guess my only news from Oklahoma is that I got my hair cut yesterday...really short(see what happens Tina when you don't make time for me?? Just kidding!!) I'm sure I will be posting pictures soon enough with Hannah.

Grazie, Xie-xie, Thank you

2008-06-12T09:33:00.006+02:00

We have received many gifts for Hannah and I think for now we have most everything we need to get us started on life with a baby. A friend of mine hosted a baby shower for me and we received clothes, toys, baby essentials, blankets, a car seat...and much more! Others have given us money to use as we needed. Needless to say, we have been blessed with gifts, well wishes, and prayers for our little Hannah.

I ordered some cute "thank you" cards that I wanted to send, but naturally they did not arrive before we have to leave for the states. But please know that we have truly appreciated each and every gift, prayer and kind word. We are so fortunate to have friends and family that support our decision to adopt and are as equally excited to meet Hannah as we are (well, maybe not quite as excited as we are!).

So THANK YOU in every language!!!!

We have travel dates!!!

2008-06-06T19:30:00.003+02:00

It has been a roller coaster week with the ups and downs of waiting on FINAL travel confirmation, but we can finally say that plane tickets are purchased and WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!!

Here is our itinerary:

June 13 Arrive in Oklahoma
June 24 Depart Oklahoma for China
June 25 Arrive in Beijing
June 26, 27, 28 Sightseeing in Beijing
June 29 Fly to Nanning, China
June 30 GET HANNAH!!!!!!!!!! She will stay with us for the rest of the trip!
July 1, 2, 3, 4 stay in Nanning, China
July 5 Depart for Guangzhou, China
July 6, 7, 8, 9 stay in Guangzhou (this is where the U.S. Consulate is located)
July 10 Return to Oklahoma with Hannah (and with my niece, EMILY---more on that later)
July 19 Matt leaves for Italy
August 6 Marla, Alex, Tara AND Hannah leave for Italy

The Beijing portion of the trip was optional. At first we didn't want to go to Beijing and do the whole sightseeing/tourist thing. But in the end we decided "why not"??? We might as well wait for her in China as wait in Oklahoma. There are several other families doing the Beijing trip so we will be with a travel group. It should be fun and the days will probably go by quickly.

Another exciting turn of events is that we will be traveling home with my niece, Emily, who is spending six weeks in China working with her cousins (from her other side of the family) who live in China. We believe it was truly a God thing that we were able to return on the same day and the exact same flight. I told my sister that it assures me that His plans are far greater than any of my plans!

22 days till Hannah!

She is growing...

2008-05-26T22:37:00.002+02:00

We received an update on Hannah's current measurements (as of the first part of May):
height: 74.2 cm or 29 inches
weight: 8.5 kg or 18 pounds
head: 44 cm
chest: 44.5 cm
feet: 11 cm
teeth: 8

We are hoping to receive our travel approval this week, which means we would FINALLY be able to purchase plane tickets and make definite plans for travel. Our ESTIMATED dates of travel to China are June 19 - July 2. We arrive in the U.S. from Italy on June 13, so those dates would work out perfectly....gives us just enough time to do some shopping before leaving for China! Come on travel approval!!

Another picture of Hannah

2008-05-22T07:57:00.005+02:00

This picture was taken in January. Hannah is the little girl in the middle. You can easily recognize that little frown. (click on the picture to see it larger) We can't wait to see her smile! :)

We all think she is very, very cute, but Alex and Tara are a little concerned about the whole hair thing. Actually, in this picture Hannah has some hair, but you can see the little girl on the right has her head almost shaved. It is very likely that Hannah will also have her hair that short by the time we get her. Typically, the babies in an orphanage have very short, almost shaved heads. As you can imagine, it would be very difficult to take care of all those little girls with long hair. Plus it is very hot in this part of China during the summer months. So don't be alarmed about her hair...it will grow!!

I know for sure the little girl on the right is in the process of being adopted and her parents will be going to get her in June (she is not with our agency, but I "met" her through our orphanage group). I'm not sure about the little girl on the left, but I'm thinking she might also belong to someone in our travel group. They are all three very sweet!!

And what is with that Garfield looking stuffed animal? That thing looks like it has been around awhile.

I sent the orphanage 2 disposable cameras and asked them to take pictures of Hannah and then bring me the cameras when we go to get her. This is how one of the families received this picture. They recognized Hannah from our group and then sent me the picture. Thank you!!!!! Anyway, we will not be allowed to visit her orphanage (some allow it, others don't) and I would like to have a few pictures of her in the orphanage to keep.

Hopefully, we will be traveling in exactly 4 weeks!!! Still waiting on official travel dates, but we are thinking it will be around June 19. We are ready mentally and working on getting physically ready. Much packing to be done, paperwork to complete, and fine details to consider, but she is so worth the effort!!!

Earthquakes and Tornados

2008-05-14T08:40:00.003+02:00

Several people have asked if Hannah is anywhere near the earthquake that happened in China a few days ago. Thank God she was not....her province is further south (she is in GuangXi and the earthquake was in Sichuan province). It is certainly heartbreaking to see the devastation and suffering.

Others have heard about the tornado in Picher, OK. Picher is about 5 miles from Miami (where most of my family lives) and maybe 2 miles from where my dad lives in Commerce. Thankfully all are ok and neither of those towns had any damage. Picher didn't have much to begin with, but from what I understand there is nothing standing in the town...no buildings, no trees...it was reported that 20 blocks were leveled to the ground...the entire town of Picher couldn't have been more than 20 blocks, so they can probably now erase the town from the map because it is gone!! Equally heartbreaking for all those families that were involved.

Two powerful acts of Mother Nature a little too close to home. Say your prayers, because the next disaster could be even closer. Certainly makes me appreciate and be thankful for today because who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Hannah's growth report

2008-05-12T11:35:00.003+02:00

We received Hannah's translated growth report and it appears that she is very healthy and developing normally. The last comment on the growth report was the one that I thought was the best and made me laugh. Here is exact wording as it was translated:

"Long MeiJin is energetic, she could react quickly, and enjoys listening to music, playing games, but sometimes she shows some edgy temper."

Hmmm, edgy temper....seems she will fit right in with our family as we all show some "edgy temper" now and then. I just thought that was an original way of saying it!!

Now look at that adorable little face....can you imagine her showing some edgy temper????? :)

Where in the world is Hannah?

2008-05-08T18:24:00.004+02:00

Hannah is in Guangxi Province. We will probably be meeting her in the city of Nanning.

We will also be spending a week in Guangdong Province in the city of Guangzhou. That is where the American consulate is located and where we will finalize her adoption.

Click on the picture to see it larger. Both provinces are in the southern part of China.

Hannah MeiJin Linton

2008-05-07T22:05:00.004+02:00

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 1 Samuel 1:27.

Our daughter’s name will be Hannah MeiJin Linton.

Mei is pronounced “May.” We spent some time looking up her name and its meaning. We needed to translate the actual Chinese characters used in her name because depending on the tone, the word “Mei” could have various meanings, so we needed to see it written in Chinese. According to the translations we found Mei means “beautiful” and Jin means “bright”. We agreed that those names were perfect and that we would use both of her Chinese names for her middle name.

The story of Hannah can be found in the Bible in 1 Samuel. Hannah wanted a son, but God made her wait until His chosen time according to His will. During her wait, God refocused Hannah's faith on Him. Hannah prayed in faith for a son and promised that she would devote her child to God's service. Hannah eventually gave birth to Samuel, who later became a priest, prophet, and judge over Israel.

We have wanted our daughter for 3 years, but God made us wait until His chosen time according to His will. During our wait, God refocused our faith on Him. He knew before time began that this beautiful little girl would join our family. It is by His grace and favor that she was chosen to be ours. Only God knows what the future holds for our little Hannah, but we will continue to pray for her and be thankful for the blessings of all three of our children.

We prayed for her, and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him. To give us the desire of our heart, God may withhold the desire of the moment.

She was worth the wait.

Hannah means "grace" or "favor"
Mei 美 means "beautiful"
Jin 锦 means "bright"

Introducing Baby Linton!!!!!!!!

2008-05-02T23:36:00.007+02:00

Isn't she adorable???? We love her already!! Love that frown!! We can't wait to see her smile :)

Chinese name: Long Mei Jin
We thought we had a name picked out for her, but now that we have seen her cute little face we want to think about it for a few days. We will most likely keep part of her Chinese name as her middle name but we want to research that a little as well (who named her and what it means). So more on her name later.

Date of birth: April 4, 2007. She will be 13 months old in 2 days.
She is from the Guangxi Province and is currently in the Cangwu County Social Welfare Institute.

As of December 12 she weighed 17 pounds and was 27 inches long.

She has 4 teeth.

She is described as a moderate sleeper, can hold her head up while on her stomach, she can roll over, grasp toys near her hand, sit alone steadily, crawl on hands & knees, locate direction of voices, transfer block from one hand to another, look for a dropped toy, distinguish between a stranger and someone familiar, fond of playing with toys, quick in reaction, ready smile, laughs out loud and is sometimes impatient and restless.

She is so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our stork is in flight!!!!!

2008-05-02T11:03:00.003+02:00

It has been a long time since I posted to this blog. I have attempted many times, and even went as far as to type the posts, but then never finished. I think there are only so many ways I could say "we are STILL waiting". I just couldn't bring myself to continue guessing as to when we would finally get our referral and travel to China. But the guessing is over and we have some very exciting news to share!!!

Our referral is on it's way from China!!!!!!! That means that within a matter of DAYS (most likely Monday, May 5) we will finally get to see our baby's picture and learn all about her....her age and birthdate, where she is located, her eating/sleeping habits, and her known medical information. So the stork that is flying right now is not actually bringing us our baby, but he is bringing us the next best thing!!!

After we receive the referral we will travel to China in about 6 weeks. This puts us at going to China sometime around the 3rd week of June!!!!!!! We are leaving for China from Oklahoma so we will all be traveling to Oklahoma June 13th. Alex and Tara are staying in Oklahoma with their grandparents while Matt & I go to China. Then we will return to Oklahoma, stay for a few weeks, and come back to Italy either late July or first part of August...with our baby!!!!!!!

To simplify things, I am going to post baby details including her picture to this blog. So keep checking back over the next several days.

This is FINALLY happening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost there!

2008-03-06T07:45:00.003+01:00

The last set of referrals from China covered through January 4! This is very exciting for us because it means we are almost there. In fact, we are the very next group of referrals for our agency...meaning the next time our agency receives referrals, one of them will be ours!!!!

Realistically, we are still looking at a referral in May with travel in June. I know I have been speculating for over 2 years about when we will travel, but I can FINALLY say with almost absolute certainty that we will travel no later than June. Our paperwork expires (for the 3rd time!) in July and I have talked with our agency several times about this. Our coordinator has told us to wait on renewing it as she is almost certain we will be home from China by July.

I am finally allowing myself to believe that the end is near. I have always known that we will someday have our daughter, but I have tried to guard my heart with the realities of the long wait. Now I'm so excited I'm about to bust. Matt is equally anxious to bring her home. For the last year or so we would only occasionally talk about the baby with Alex & Tara (even though we thought about her constantly), but it seems like now we talk about her all the time...when we will get her, what she will look like, smell like, sound like. Where will she sleep, play, eat? Will she walk, crawl, take a bottle? And the BIG question...what will we name her??????

We are currently trying to work through the details of when to travel to Oklahoma. We know we have to bring the baby directly back to the U.S. from China, so we have decided to fly to Oklahoma first and then do a round trip from there to China. After a few weeks in Oklahoma with the baby we will fly back to Italy. That's LOTS of flying and LOTS of money, but something we have to do. As it stands right now, Alex & Tara will NOT go to China with us. This has been one of the most difficult decisions to make throughout this process, and I'm not sure it is a done deal. There are definitely pros and cons about taking them and we waver back and forth on which is best decision for all of us. We may not make the final decision until the very last minute.

Stay tuned.....

Still here

2008-02-13T13:31:00.002+01:00

It's been awhile since I have posted anything. It seems with every passing month we are getting closer, but still nothing official on when we will receive our referral and travel to China to get our daughter. The lastest referrals from China have covered through 12-27-05, so we only have 16 days of LIDS in front of us. All of the latest rumors and speculation puts us at either receiving our referral in April with travel in May OR referral in May with travel in June.

So once again, nothing official on WHEN....but keep checking this blog because as the day gets closer I will be posting more details.

Two years of waiting

2008-01-13T22:26:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary of the day our paperwork was officially logged in with the China Center for Adoption Affairs. Two years ago we were told our wait would be 6-8 months. Now, two years later, we are still looking at a 6-8 month wait. It's as though time has stood still in regards to our adoption. But in those two years of waiting I have thought about our daughter every single day. I have periods of time that she is ALL I think about. I have tried to stay active with our adoption plans: in the two years of waiting I have tried to read every book I can about adoption, I have started an adoption support group here in Naples, I have made friends with other adoptive families, I have joined internet groups with other adoptive parents, and I scan the internet daily looking for all the latest information on Chinese adoptions. I have learned a lot, and know that I still have much to learn.

This wait has been difficult in so many ways. I struggle with it everyday and often find myself questioning and worrying about the details of when it will all happen. But I do know with absolute certainty that with every passing day our desire to finally meet and hold our baby does not diminish, instead it grows stronger and stronger. We feel more certain about our decision to adopt today than we did two years ago. We want her, we love her, and we know that she is part of God's plan for our lives. We know that our family will not be complete until we bring her home. So we wait for as long as it takes.

December referrals

2007-12-07T07:58:00.000+01:00

This time every month we get notice of the latest referrals that have been sent from China. A referral is what we will receive when we have finally been matched with a child. It will list all the known information about our daughter. This months referrals went through December 14, 2005 (yes, the backlog is officially 2 years, and growing!). That means we now have 28 days of LIDS ahead of us (we are Jan. 12, 2006). That sounds like we are getting really close, and we are making progress, but unfortunately it will still take several months to get through those 28 days. The CCAA matches about 5-8 days of LIDS per month.

Here is my "guess" on referrals for the coming months:
Dec.'07 - matched through Dec. 14, 2005 (confirmed)
Jan.'08- matched through Dec. 20, 2005
Feb. '08- matched through Dec. 26, 2005
March '08- matched through Dec. 31, 2005
April '08- matched through Jan. 6, 2006
May '08 - matched through Jan. 12, 2006 (that's us)

As you can see, we still have several months to wait. In some earlier posts I said I thought we would get a referral in February or March. Well, I no longer think that will happen. It has been pushed back every single month since we started this long process. But we are finally getting close enough that we can at least narrow it down to a 2 month window (assuming the CCAA continues at the same pace). I'm guessing April/May now. And who knows, it could be longer.

Thanksgiving in a Tuscan Castle

2007-11-21T17:03:00.000+01:00

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I truly do NOT enjoy cooking. So when I saw an opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in a castle in Tuscany I thought WHY NOT? We decided to take a USO tour that will drive us very early in the morning to a castle in Tuscany where they will serve us an Italian version of thanksgiving dinner. WOW! Now that's something to be thankful for!! The tour includes one overnight in the castle, the Italian dinner, and guided tours of two cities in Tuscany--Siena and San Gimignano. Also, we will stop at a winery in Tuscany for a wine tasting (with the option to buy the wine, of course!!!!) I am so excited about this trip. Nothing to plan, no getting lost, no worries about the language. All we have to do is show up at the appointed time and let them do all the work.

It's been a long week for us...everyone in our family has been really sick with the flu. It started with Tara (hers turned into pneumonia) and then we all passed it around. Alex has missed school all this week, and he is still not feeling great, but I told him we have to take this trip because it's already paid for and non-refundable!! I think he will be ok though...he is feeling better. Now we all have really bad coughs, but I think the worst is over. (I HOPE!!)

Last year at our Thanksgiving meal we prayed for all that we were thankful for, and I remember praying that I was thankful that this would be our last Thanksgiving without our daughter. NEVER did I dream that a year later we would still be waiting to bring her home. This year we will pray again and be thankful that THIS is the last Thanksgiving we will have without our daughter. We have so very many things we are thankful for, and we will forever be thankful that God led us down this path and opened our hearts to adoption.

November referrals

2007-11-15T12:36:00.000+01:00

The latest set of referrals arrived from China a few weeks ago. The cutoff date for this month was December 8. We are getting so close now, and remain hopeful that we will receive our referral in February or March with travel to China in April or May.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T15:06:00.000+01:00

Tara wanted to be a Chinese princess this year for Halloween....I wonder where she came up with this idea??? She wanted to wear a kimono. I told her that a kimono was really a Japanese dress, but she still insisted on being a Chinese princess. So a Chinese princess she is. She is certainly beautiful. A big thank you to GeeGee for sending the costume. She absolutely loved it.

It rained here all afternoon and then stopped for exactly two hours--just in time for trick-or-treating. I had purchased 12 bags of candy and started passing it out at 5:30. I was out by 6:15!! We have LOTS of kids that live on the base. Tara had a great time and came home with quite a load of candy!

Alex wore a mask of Freddy Kruger, so I didn't even take his picture. Imagine Freddy Kruger, and you have Alex. He also scored big in the candy, but I think he also enjoyed scaring all of the little kids. He is such a 12 year old boy!!

An active vacation

2007-10-13T18:56:00.000+02:00

Our baby is always in our thoughts and prayers. On this particular weekend we frequently thought about how this was not a vacation we could have taken if we had her with us. Yes, we are anxiously awaiting her arrival, but in the mean time we are taking advantage of our last few months without diapers, strollers, and nap time.

Day One: We rented bikes in a town called Lucca in the region of Tuscany. Tara takes time out for a cheerleading pose in front of a church.

Day Two: We hiked an area of Italy called the Cinque Terra along the Mediterranean Sea. It was absolutely beautiful. And the hike was not for the weak of heart!!

Day Three: We climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I had somewhat of a panic attack once I reached the top and quickly decided that I am not climbing any more towers! At least I ended with a famous one.

Why the long wait?

2007-10-10T11:10:00.000+02:00

There are many theories and much speculation about what is happening with Chinese adoptions and why adoptive families are having to wait so long to receive their child.

We all know about the China one child policy and the preference for boys. We have heard the stories about Chinese orphanages that are filled with little girls. So if this is the case, why the wait?

The only official statement that has been provided by the CCAA is that the wait is dependent on the number of children that are available. Period. So that leads one to believe that since the wait is well over 2 years, that there are not that many children available for adoption. Many Chinese adoption "experts" say this is simply not true. Who should we believe???

Here are a few THEORIES. Remember, this is pure speculation. Nothing has been confirmed or denied by the CCAA.

These are the positive THEORIES:
1) As the Chinese economy continues to prosper, more and more families are able to pay the penalties for having more than one child. Also, in certain regions and circumstances, the government is allowing families to have more than one child and abandonment is on the decline.
2) Domestic adoption is on the rise in China. Again, more families are beginning to have more money and domestic adoptions are occurring more and more frequently.

I truly hope those two theories are true.

These are the not so positive THEORIES:
1) The Olympics are being held in China in the summer of 2008. The world's spotlight will be on China in many different areas. Many believe that the Chinese don't want to appear as the world's leading exporter of babies. They think the slowdown has been directly related to the Olympics and the need to save face.
2) The CCAA has been given a direct quota by the government as to the amount of children that are allowed to be adopted internationally. They cannot go over this quota, regardless of the number of children that wait in orphanages.
3) Adoption seems to be sort of the "in" thing to do, and over the past 2-3 years China was flooded with applications for international adoption. The amount of applications far out number the number of available children.
4) China is wanting to increase the number of adoption of special needs children. They are making the wait much longer for children that do not have special needs in hopes that more families will adopt children with special needs.
5) China is wanting to keep healthy girls in their country to help balance out the gender imbalance (this one I personally think is ridiculous because the number of girls adopted internationally is a drop in the bucket compared to China's overall population...I personally think international adoption plays a VERY minuscule part in the gender imbalance. VERY minuscule.)

Again, NONE of these theories are confirmed. The bottom line is, no one knows for sure why the long wait.

We have grown to the point of acceptance of knowing we have zero control of our adoption process. The wait is what it is. So we wait. We hope and pray that things will speed up, but we have decided to plant ourselves firmly in the line until our day comes. We believe that eventually we will hold our little girl.

The rumors turned to facts....

2007-10-03T21:21:00.000+02:00

It's that time of month when I can say YES, we have heard something from our agency!! This months referrals have arrived. This is good news since it at least proves that Chinese adoptions are in fact occurring, they are just moving at a snail's pace.

I know I keep repeating this, but to understand all of this you have to keep in mind that our log in date (LID) is January 12, 2006. We are waiting for the CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs) to work their way to that date in their matching process. This month they matched families that were logged in through November 30, 2005. This is dismal at best since many people (myself included) believed the CCAA would begin matching families that were logged in during December '05. If the CCAA would have matched a few dates into December I would have felt a glimmer of hope this month, but instead I feel even more discouraged and disappointed (because they only matched 5 days worth of LIDS this month). It's as though my brain knows the reality, but my heart hopes for a miracle. Our wait continues for several more months....

One thing I believe with absolute certainty - we have a daughter somewhere in China. She is unaware of the family that is waiting for her, but we love her already and we know that our family will not be complete until we bring her home. It is a day we wait for with great anticipation.

Adoption cyber world

2007-10-01T22:16:00.000+02:00

Now that I am no longer employed, I find that I have lots more free time to do things that I use to never have time for...case in point, this blog! I could easily spend hours on the computer reading all the adoption rumors, reading other people's adoption blogs, adoption chat groups, etc. I sometimes find myself a little addicted to the adoption cyber world, and have to bring myself back to reality. But as I said before, my reality is I'm still waiting. So here I sit on the computer.

There are currently lots of rumors floating around about the next set of referrals that should be arriving any day now. Most of the rumors are NOT good news, but after almost 2 years of reading rumors I have accepted them for what they are...rumors. I try not to let my heart get too involved until it becomes fact. Unfortunately, the fact of Chinese adoptions right now is that the wait continues to lengthen and no one knows for certain exactly why. Everyone seems to have their own theories, but no one really knows for sure. Think of how little we know about the inner workings of our own government...how can a foreigner ever really understand the inner workings of the Chinese government and how it operates it's international adoptions?

Back to reality, and off to bed. Tomorrow is a new day and most likely a new set of rumors. I'll keep you posted should anything factual actually take place.

A sign from God?

2007-09-23T20:47:00.000+02:00

Several weeks ago, I begrudgingly submitted my application to substitute teach at the school on the military base. Anyone that has ever filled out an application to work for the federal government knows that this is no small task...it's really more of a booklet than an application. I spent days filling out the application trying to remember dates, names, addresses and details of all the places I have lived and worked in my adult life. It was very time consuming and I complained the entire time that I had no idea WHY I was even applying to substitute teach. But, I eventually completed the application booklet and submitted it to the school. The secretary told me that it would take several weeks for me to get an effective date to begin work, but assured me that I would be hired since I am a certified teacher. Several weeks have passed, so I finally called the school to find out the status of my application. After being on hold for over 5 minutes, the secretary comes back on the phone and tells me that they cannot find any record of my application. They have, in fact, lost it.

I suppose I should have been angry about this considering the amount of time I invested in my decision to even apply for the job, not to mention the time spent actually filling out the tedious forms. But I'm not angry, I'm overjoyed!!! I took this as a sure sign from God that I am not suppose to work outside my home. OK, so this wasn't one of those lightening bolt moments when you know for a fact that God is speaking to your heart, but it was all the sign I needed to not continue on my quest for a job (at least while we live in Italy)!!

Bring on our baby...she has a stay-at-home mommy waiting for her!!!

Pictures from Italy

2007-09-19T17:21:00.000+02:00

On September 1, we rented a boat for the day and went out on the Mediterranean Sea. It was absolutely beautiful and one of the best days we have had in Italy. We went swimming, snorkeling, and enjoyed the crystal clear blue water and the warm sunshine. We stopped on the island of Procida and had some pizza and pasta. It was surreal and one of those times I needed the pictures to prove I didn't just dream the entire event. It was definitely one of those days we will always remember.

Tara joins the ladybug craze

2007-09-19T17:10:00.000+02:00

Alex is 12 years old! (August 31)

2007-09-19T17:03:00.000+02:00

I'm a little late posting the picture, but I suppose it's better late than never. Alex opted for an Oreo Ice Cream dessert rather than the traditional birthday cake. It was yummy!

Ho Hum

2007-09-18T16:36:00.000+02:00

Ever feel like you're just waiting for the next big thing to happen...like you are just going through the motions but your heart is set on something else? That's kind of how I feel. Just waiting. I'm in this colossal waiting room, waiting, on something, anything. And I have that feeling in my stomach. You know the feeling, that butterfly feeling, that nervousness, that excitement, that anticipation of what's to come. Except, I wake up every day with the reality that I must wait some more. It's coming, I can feel it, but it's just not time...yet.

Did you know?

2007-09-17T22:26:00.000+02:00

The term "oriental" should not be used when describing a person. It is not the politically correct term when referring to a person and is considered offensive in some instances and outdated (like referring to an African American as colored). Oriental should only be used when referring to objects: oriental furniture, oriental rug, oriental art, etc. When describing or referring to a person one should use the term Asian. Remember, things are oriental, people are not.

I feel a little "uneducated" for not being aware of this, but it's not something that comes up in every day conversation (especially in rural Oklahoma). Thankfully, I didn't make the mistake, instead I came across this discussion on one of my online adoption websites and thought it was interesting and certainly something we all need to know.

I can't take any credit for this one....

2007-09-11T22:38:00.000+02:00

Not only did I NOT write the poem, but I have to admit that I "stole" it from my friend Lynsey's blog. It speaks volumes about what is really important in life.

Some would gather money
Along the path of life,
Some would gather roses,
And rest from worldly strife;
But, I would gather children
From among the thorns of sin,
I would seek a golden curl,
And a freckled, toothless grin.
For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day,
And roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way.
But, Oh, the laughing children,
As I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven
I can take them in with me.
-unknown

LADYBUGS and the crib

2007-09-07T17:19:00.000+02:00

Ladybugs are considered a lucky charm and a sign of good fortune. They have become a symbol of good luck for families adopting from China. It is common to see pictures of ladybugs on literature, blogs, and books related to Chinese adoption. At first I thought the whole ladybug idea was a little corny and I didn't really buy into it. Now, 2 years later, I have decided to embrace the whole ladybug belief. Hey, anything to bring a little "luck" to speed up our referral.

Tara is going to share a room with the baby, at least while we live in Italy. Several months ago I found a really cute bedspread that was yellow with ladybugs and butterflies, so I bought it for Tara's bed. An added bonus was that it matched the red furniture that use to be in Alex's room that we moved into Tara's room. So now I have decided to stick with the ladybug theme for the baby's crib....which by the way we put up last week! We have had the crib for several months and I just decided I wanted to put it up, so we did. Anyway, I have been searching online for ladybug bedding, and there are several to choose from. Once I get it all done I will post a picture.

People say that when it's time for the CCAA to match you with your child, an indication will be that you will start to see ladybugs on certain days, usually many of them. So start looking for those ladybugs and let me know when you see them!!!

Making SLOW progress

2007-09-05T17:00:00.000+02:00

The monthly referrals just arrived from China and the CCAA matched families with LID's through 11-25-05. That means this past month they only matched 4 days worth of LID's since last month's cut off was 11-21-05. I'm trying to stay positive about it though...at least we are 4 days closer than last month (our LID is 1-12-06).

I have joined just about every internet group I can find related to China adoptions. My personal favorite is one called Rumor Queen, where I really find lots of valuable information to help me determine when we might get our referral. Based on all of the info. from that site and various others it still seems very likely that our referral will come in February or March with travel 6 weeks after referral!

We made the headlines!

2007-08-28T16:47:00.000+02:00

My friend, Lynsey, and I have started an adoption support group here in Naples. The group serves as a way to connect with other families that have adopted children; however, our real desire is to reach those families that are just considering adoption and don't know how, where, when or IF they should start the process. We hope that all of our adoptive families serve as an inspiration for other people to embark on this life changing journey.

Read the story here:
http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=48362

August referrals

2007-08-07T08:27:00.000+02:00

We are making progress....August referrals matched through 11-21-05 (remember we are 01-12-06). That is keeping right on track with my prediction of receiving our referral in February or March of 2008....the CCAA is very unpredictable and could speed up or slow down even more, but for now I am holding firm in my belief that we will travel to China in the Spring!

My best guess

2007-07-23T02:32:00.000+02:00

It's only a guess...but I think we are about 8 months away from receiving our referral. The cut off date for the July referrals was 11-14-05. Our LID is 01-12-06, so that means we are 8 weeks away from the most current cut off date. The CCAA has been completing about 1 week of LIDS per month, which gives me the 8 month prediction. So, that means my guess for a referral is March and travel in late April. We certainly hope that it will be sooner, but we remain hopeful that the long wait is nearing the end.

Remember, we have not been "matched" with a child, so it's not as though our baby is growing older throughout this long wait. She could have just recently been born for all we know. Once we are matched with a child, we will travel within 6 weeks to get her. We have no idea who she is, but hopefully that is exactly what we will find out in 8 months or less!

A Child's Right

2007-06-19T12:39:00.000+02:00

Clean drinking water is one of the many things Americans take for granted. We often forget that much of the rest of the world considers clean water a luxury.

A Child’s Right is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing children all over the world with clean water. Their latest project took them to 8 different orphanages in China. And they have pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

www.a-childs-right.org/projects.html
(copy and paste the website into your browser to view the pictures)

There are 184 pictures in all, just keep clicking the little plus sign at the bottom right.

There are pictures of cities and countryside and (of course) the water systems, but best of all are the pictures taken in the orphanages. If you’ve never seen pictures of the inside of an orphanage in China, here is your chance.

The pictures show very different conditions in the various orphanages. I thought it was very interesting and offers a rare opportunity to view the inside of an orphanage and the children.

Comments

2007-06-11T06:58:00.001+02:00

I have changed the settings so that anyone should be able to post a comment without being a registered user. Someone please try it so I know it works. Thanks!

June referrals have arrived!

2007-06-06T21:59:00.000+02:00

First, let me try and explain what I mean by a referral. The Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) handles all international adoptions from China. The CCAA will choose our child for us...we were only able to request the age and sex of our child, nothing else. When we FINALLY find out which child the CCAA has matched us with, they will send what is called our REFERRAL to our adoption agency in the United States and then our adoption agency will contact us with the details of our baby (pictures, age, medical info).

Referrals arrive once a month from China at various adoption agencies all over the U.S. We are always notified every month when our agency has received their referrals and we know exactly where we stand in the process, or line, so to speak.

We are no longer in the very back of the line, but we still have a lot of families in front of us. I'll keep you posted, but it's still many months before we receive our referral. It's still very exciting when referrals arrive every month at our agency because we know we are one month closer to seeing our baby's face!

2007-06-03T19:56:00.000+02:00

So, what is the latest news?

2007-06-03T19:14:00.000+02:00

Well, not much really. We continue to wait and wait. We hope, dream, wish, pray to hear something around December and then travel to China maybe February of 2008. Never did we dream when we started this process 2 years ago that it would take this long! We know that our little girl will be worth the wait, but we are so anxious to bring her home!

Trying something new

2007-06-02T18:07:00.000+02:00

I though it might be fun to create a blog so that anyone that is interested can follow us on our adoption journey. My computer skills are some what limited, so I thought this would give me a chance to learn something new about the world of "blogging"and at the same time keep everyone informed with all of the latest news on our adoption.

There will probably be days and weeks pass that I won't post anything, because we often go at least that long without any updates from our agency. As the months pass and the big day gets closer, I will try and post more regularly.