Goodbye 2008 - Hello 2009

I'm not the party type on New Year's Eve but I do like to look back and reflect on the 12 months that have past.  2008 has been full of wonderful firsts with Zane...first tooth, first words, first steps, first haircut, first birthday and a ton of other firsts in between.  This year has been so much fun!  I love being a mom and love Zane more than any love than I've ever known.  Zane is obviously the 'theme' of 2008.  While nationally and in our own lives there has been financial struggles (we even paid for more than $4/gallon for gas!) we hardly noticed with the joy that Zane has brought us daily.  We know how blessed we are and we thank and praise God every day for His gracious gift of Zane to us.

Some other wonderful news, I have seen several of my local and online friends bring home their children - by birth, by domestic adoption and international adoption from China, Taiwan and Africa - it's been so wonderful to see these families grow.  Unfortunately I also have 2 good friends that had adoptions fail this year - a heart breaking experience.

The obvious sad news is that we are only 71 referral days closer to Mia than last New Year's Eve.  "The wait" will reach 3 years in March.  We can easily imagine it reaching 4 years by time we see our referral.  Will Mia be born this year?  Will she even be conceived this year?  Of course we won't know these answers until a referral which we do not expect to see in 2009. Hopefully 2010?  2011!?  But as I said to Mike the other day, God always had a plan for Zane to enter our lives, He has a plan for Mia and we will continue to trust (and try not to question) His plan.

For now, we celebrate the goodness of 2008 and welcome 2009.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Surprise...one more batch in 2008

Today a second December batch appeared and included those through February 28, 2006!  I'm so excited for these families.  So that gets us to March - unfortunately a HUGE month of dossiers.  It may take 6 months or more to get through all of March '06.  But one step closer and the good news, we are less than 200 referral days away.  Officially 196 days.  One more milestone.  

66 Days

I make a safe assumption that the referrals for 2008 have come to an end.  As I count up the number of LID days given referrals for the year, I see it is a total of 66 days - just over 2 months.  Ugh.  There are all kinds of ways to look at our progress (or lack of) but this is the most relatable to watch our progress toward the front of the line.  We are still just over 200 referral days out.  66 days in a year... do you see where I'm going with this.  It's hard not to get frustrated.  Another Christmas, another birthday, another day, month, year without Mia.  I continue to have faith in God's plan but it can be trying at times.  I can hear myself telling people when we started about how stable China's adoption program is.  Ha.  I have heard so many rumors, so many theories, so many predictions and no answers.  It's very defeating to know we are looking at a new year and basically zero chance of seeing Mia in 2009, even unsure it will be in 2010.  But I do see beautiful new referral pictures each month, tuck my son in bed every night and know it's the right thing for us to continue this wait.

Where is any good news from China?

I'm feeling a bit down about our wait for Mia.  Referrals have not picked up since the Olympics, the total numbers for adoptions over the year is the lowest its been in years and we just passed 2 years waiting with no end in sight.  The last batch only covered 2 days and March '06 (the month they are entering for referrals) is one of the biggest months there has been.  It could take most if not all of 2009 just to get through the month.  We could be waiting another 2-3 years.  I never imagined this is what the wait would be.  Ugh.

Oops!

I just realized the long delay in posting - I've been so busy!  At the same time, I'm almost ignoring "the wait" for Mia.  There has been no good indication from recent referral batches that there will be any speed up in referrals.  In fact, the last batch was only 2 days - a low point also seen in April 2007.  So many have thought the slow down was associated with the Olympics but maybe once again that thought was wrong.  We have made progress 2+ years into our wait for Mia but looking at another 2 or longer years of waiting.  Ugh.  But we have Zane and we are so very blessed with him in our lives - he is the center of our life!

Zane's First Birthday Party!

Zane's birthday is Wednesday the 22nd but his party was this weekend.  He had a great time with the smash cake as you can tell.  It didn't take long to get a hang of it.  He wasn't quite sure about opening gifts but I'm sure he will figure it out by next year.  And now his is WORN OUT. With family and cousins in town for a couple of days, he had much fun and now some good sleeping.

Please Pray

I'm sending out a prayer requests for my friend Carole's son who was in a tragic accident this past weekend. He is an adorable 3 1/2 year old that they brought home from Ethiopia just a few weeks ago. You can visit her blog at http://paul-samuelphillipson.blogspot.com. They are a wonderful family that need much support and prayers right now.

1/2 way there???

With the latest referral batch, Mike and I have 209 referral days between most recent batch (2/15/06) to our LID (9/12/06). When we started, back in fall of 2006 we had 417 days between the batch and our LID. So mathematically we are half way there. Does that mean time wise we are also half way there? The big question. Either way, I know God has a plan as He did with Zane. But another milestone to mark off, we'll take it! Besides, Zane is keeping us VERY busy. I don't know if I could handle another one right now!!

2 Year LID

We just pasted our 2 year 'anniversary' of our LID. Who would have known that 2 years into our wait, we still wouldn't have an end in sight. But as I have said before, if it weren't for the crazy long wait for Mia, we would not have Zane. God really knows what he's doing! This 'anniversary' passed with little to no fanfare...not sure if we should celebrate it or ignore it.

Goodbye Olympics

I feel very torn about the Olympics being over. Most of me is very happy they have finally past - I pray that the theory of the Olympics slowing down referrals is true and we will see a speed up of the pace finally. But a small part of me is kind of sad.   First off, I love sports and I love to see the athletes, especially the ones that are not going home to a pro career, that have spent their lives for the dream of the Olympics, lay it all out there for a once in a lifetime experience.  It is all very moving to me.  I loved watching all the sports and learning about the athletes. But also, I felt closer to China in a weird way watching every night. I so look forward to going to China; of course to meet our daughter but also to see her birth country. I have fallen in love with China over the last couple of years and want to be a part of it.  I have loved the coverage of the Olympics as they also showed the country, the people and places around Beijing.  I am proud of the great Olympics that the Chinese people put on.  But now come on referrals!

Trip to the Zoo - take 2!

Mike, Zane and I headed to the zoo again (the first trip was when Zane was 4 months old) and it was so much fun! Zane is getting old enough to see the animals and enjoy them.  Mike and Zane feed a giraffe, which was very cool, but the winner was brushing the goats.  Of all the wild beautiful animals, the goats made him laugh the most.  Of course it was the one thing he could touch.  What a great family day!

Mike and Zane at the same spot - what a difference 6 months make!

First Haircut

Zane got his first haircut last week. He never lost all his newborn hair and it was beginning to look like a Donald Trump comb over! It looks much better now but he looks so much older - like a little boy instead of a baby! How fast it goes. I can't believe he's already 9 months. Anyway, it was another fun 'first'.

Boating baby too!

Our weekend of firsts continued with Zane's first boating trip.  My parents have a great boat (named Kelly Girl!) and it has created years of wonderful memories for me.  I'm so excited to share that fun and joy for the water and boating with Zane.  He did great - sleeping the entire trip out to our favorite spot, playing non-stop at the beach where we hung out and sleeping the entire way back...just like I did as a baby!  Above is Zane and me just hanging out - it's got to be my favorite picture of the two of us.  Below he is with my mom on the ride back - out cold!

Zane's first 4th!!

I LOVE the 4th of July.  Partly because it's summer, a lot to do with my patiotism for our wonderful country and of course I love fireworks.  A year ago we were in the Keys, our normal 4th vacation spot but this year we stayed home.  Some of that has to do with gas prices (gas for the car is one thing but gas for my dad's boat to go 20 miles offshore to go fishing is another) but also it would be hard to do a lot of our normal "Key's activities", fishing, scuba diving, skiing, with Zane at his age.  I think we'll go next year though.  But I bring it up because one year ago we were in the Keys and drove by Zane Gray Lounge at World Wide Sports, one of our favorite spots, and I said if we would have ever had a son, I really like the name Zane.  Little did we know Zane would enter our lives only 3 1/2 months later!  I still am amazed at how his adoption worked.  God works in amazing ways when it's His timing!  I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Still here...

I just realized how long it's been since I have posted!  Life has been pleasantly quiet recently. Zane is doing new things every day, getting very close to crawling, and we continue to pray for Mia and her journey to our family.  I do the math almost every day to try to figure out how long our wait will be and it just gives me a headache!

Today I had my required CPR class for my job but this year I brought my mom along.  She had not done a CPR class for 15 years and now taking care of Zane, we both thought a refresher class was a good idea.  If you have not taken a CPR class in a long time (like since you were in the girl scouts or for high school home economics) it's a good idea to look into it.  Effective CPR can double or even triple a victim's chance of survival.  They make the class much easier than in the old days so don't be intimidated.  If you want to learn more, like where to find a class, go to http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3011764.

Prevent Infant Drowning

Zane recently completed an infant survival class through Infant Swimming Resource; you may have seen them featured on the "Today Show" a few weeks ago.  I was so impressed by Zane's ability to learn to turn over and float no matter how he "fell" into the water.  My parents have a pool just a few steps out their back door and I feel very strongly about protecting Zane not only by standard pool protections but by making sure he can float until help arrived.  Many friends asked 'how could you do that to him' - actually Zane didn't seem too upset about it but also I feel it's the same as giving him vaccinations - protecting him against danger.  Drowning is the NUMBER ONE cause of accidental death of 1-4 year olds.  If you interested, their website is http://www.infantswim.com. On their website you can enter your zip code to search for an instructor near you.  I encourage you to consider it, especially if you have water nearby.

My beach baby

One of my favorite places in the world is the beach.  We are so lucky to be able to live just a few blocks away, in walking distance.  At half tide, our beach has tidal pools, perfect for a 7 month old to splash about in.  I just love this photo that my mom took.  It's mid-splash and Zane has learned quickly to close his eyes and mouth.  I am still so amazed that this beautiful child is in our lives - heck, IS our life - and playing in the same tidal pools that I played in at his age.  He brings so much joy to the smallest discoveries.

On another note, Happy Memorial Day.  I am so thankful to the men and women that have ever worn a uniform in the service to our country.  I am so thankful for the freedoms that my family and I enjoy.  And of course thank you to all the families that also sacrifice for their loved ones' service.

Zane's Baptism & MOTHER'S DAY!!!

What a wonderful day!!  Zane was baptized today - a moment I have dreamed about.  So long I have prayed about this day and this beautiful event.  I pray I will be a good example in his faith life. 

And of course it was Mother's Day.  What a wonderful first one!  I am so excited to be a mom to Zane and a mom in general. For so many years this has been a difficult day when my heart longed to have a child.  So with my joy and excitement of my first Mother's Day, I can't help but to think of all the moms-in-waiting out there. I know the pain. Hang in there - God put it in your heart to be a mom and He gave you perseverance as a personal trait, you too will celebrate Mother's Day one day.  It's worth the wait, worth every dark day to get to this moment.

Zane's first wheels

My mom scored a great buy at a recent garage sale - a child bike trailer for only $10.  Zane loves getting out on the road and I love an alternative to walking the stroller.  We have been touring the neighborhood the last few days and they have been beautiful days here in northeast Florida!   Here he is earlier in the week as he was preparing for his first ride.  I though a trial run around the block would be enough but it turned out to be a hour-plus bike ride.  Since then everyday we have been out on the bike.  A born biker!  

Did you say cupcake?

I can't believe Zane turns 6 months!!  Mike surprised him (and me) with cupcakes.  Zane seemed to enjoy it and wanted more!  It was so cute to see the discover of something so yummy!  The last 6 months have been the greatest days of our lives.  Every day I thank God for our son.  I have enjoyed every moment - even the sleep deprived ones!  Part of me still can't believe that he is here and he is ours.  He is such an amazing joy!  Thank you Zane for 6 amazing months!!

It's Official!!!

Last week Mike and I had our final hearing in front of a judge to finalize Zane's adoption.  It was a quick meeting but such a relief.  He is forever and always ours!  I still can't believe it some days that we have a son!  God works in amazing ways to take us down a path that we never expected back when we started our journey for Mia.  I just told someone the other day that from the day we got the call that we were chosen to adopt to today has been shorter than a pregnancy - just over 6 months (and Zane is 5 months old)!  Crazy and wonderful!

It's Easter time!

Today my mom and I went to the local candy shop where the Easter Bunny was making a stop.  Zane seemed to really like him!  I LOVE being a mom!!  It's so much fun!!  

Finally 2006

I know we are still a loooong way away from our referral date but it's comforting to know that they are finally in 2006, our referral year. For the first time in a long time I feel like we are making progress. Ironically this week also marks 3 anniversaries for us - 2 years since we received our orientation paperwork from CCAI, 1 1/2 years since our LID and 6 months since we found out we were chosen for Zane! I must admit, I thank God for "the wait", thank God for Zane! He really does have a plan and it all happens in His timing!

FCC Chinese New Year Celebration

Our local FCC group had our CNY celebration this weekend and it was a great event.  It would be so easy to feel down about the wait and not attend but it's such a great shot in the arm of why we are doing this.  The beautiful girls and boys with their families is truly a celebration. Many of the children where celebrating CNY with their "forever families" for the first time this year.  It was great to see them all!   Oh yeah, I sure liked showing off Zane as well!  He was SO cute in his chinese outfit.  

First Trip to the Zoo

We took advantage of this beautiful Florida day and went to the zoo. I must say Zane didn't seem too impressed but still it was a wonderful family outing. We went to the zoo a year ago for Valinetine's Day so that's part of the reason we decided to go today - an early Valinetine's Day since we'll be working on Thursday. But it was also a day of reflecting that a year ago we knew nothing about Zane entering our lives! It was such a wonderful day to share the zoo with our son!

Happy Chinese New Year - Year Of the Rat

Rats mark the commencement of the cycle of 12 Chinese zodiacs and thus are associated with enterprising and aggressive qualities. To start with listing the traits of a Rat, it is important to first know what this animal image stands for in Chinese philosophy. Rat has strong associations with material success such as wealth and other luxuries of life. It is their aggression, charm, hard work, discipline and passionate nature that gives an edge to their persona in comparison to others. There are good chances of Rats being wealthy and professionally successful in their lives. They are quick, energetic and mold themselves easily according to the situation, which makes them excellent problem solvers too. Unlike most of other zodiac signs, Rats believe in having a handful of friends, but they share a special bonding with all of them.

When it comes to competition, nobody can be as manipulative as they are. They are tactful and can go to great extents to win a battle. Yet honesty and unprejudiced attitude is something others need to learn from Rats. A heavy karma chakra may lead to inner conflicts. It is likely for them to indulge in speculation and other adventurous tasks in order to give an outlet to their emotions. If this kind of an outlet is not available, they might turn to self-destruction. The best spiritual message Chinese sages give to Rats is to observe self-control and be considerate while dealing with people around them. Their dynamism can be accessed with the diversity of professions they can choose. On one hand they can lend a perfection to works of art in literature, on the other hand they can also be excellent detectives, accountants, engineers and pathologists. Law and politics are some other areas they can try their hands on. Hope this year of Rats 2008 becomes the harbinger of health, wealth and good fortune for all of us.

(I copied the above from www.123chinesenewyear.com)

It gets better every day!

I love being a mom! Zane is so amazing!! He's discovering new things almost everyday. He's holding up him head, sitting in a bouncer, smiling - so cute! Email, blogging and everything else has definitely taken a back seat! I'm still working on adjusting to being a working mom but after a long, tough day at work, there's nothing like seeing our beautiful son to make it all better!

Zane's nursery

I been waiting to post pictures of Zane's nursery because I still have a few things to do but who knows when that's going to happen so here's the almost finished version! I know it's a little unusual to have a coral colored room but that's what the room was painted before and I just loved the color so we kept it. The theme is called "bubbles" and it's all kinds of fish, seahorses and octopus. I love scuba diving and under the water stuff so it was easy and fun!