2011 was great...2012 will be even better

2011 has really been great. Zane of course is the center of my life and he was of course the center of 2011. He got glasses this year and his first bicycle (although we still have a lot of work on both). We had Zane's first birthday party (age 4) with friends, bouncy house and all; it was a blast. And Zane started karate, something I think he will be doing for a while. He has drifted slightly from pirates, is full force on to Star Wars and his favorite toy is no doubt Legos. He is in the 3 to 4 year old class three days a week at our church and does well in school and has been mentioned by his teacher as being "all boy" but also compassionate to his classmates. What else could a mom ask for?

Mike and I went on our first weekend trip out of town without Zane this year. We went to Charleston, one of our favorite places to go, and we had a nice time but thought how we look forward to bringing Zane next time. We went on a family vacation with my SIL & BIL and Zane's cousins. It was a good time for them to spend together. We also took Zane to Disney for the first time this year and he loved it.

Zane is so amazing. He is smart and funny, very entertaining and dramatic. He makes everyone laugh with the crazy little things he says. He loves to be the director and the lead actor in our make-believe plays.

So on to Mia. We passed our 5 year LID mark but I am pretty confident in saying 2012 will be the year that we get our referral and bring her home. We have begun the process of renewing all our paperwork that is required by the US government and I am closely watching the referral batches, which once again have gotten smaller. The good news one of my best online buddies finally brought her baby home, so I know it does happen....and it will happen for us.

Hopefully with good referral news, I will post much more often this year. Year of the Dragon, I welcome you!

Happy New Year and Welcome 2011

Of course 2010 did not bring Mia home but we didn't expect it to when the year began. Never the less, it has been a wonderful year. Zane has changed so much this year. The age going from 2 to 3 is amazing! He has gone from a toddler to a little boy - a very independent, spirited boy! He is friendly to everyone and has no problem going up to adults and starting a conversation with them. It cracks me up! He had his tonsils and adenoids out this year which he did so easily and it has made a big difference in his health, his eating and his growth. He has taken off like a weed this year, especially since the surgery. People constantly think he is 5, then I have to explain his 3 year old behavior.

Zane LOVES pirates and we converted his room from a nursery to a big boy's room this year complete with a pirate boat bed. Another big boy change was potty training...and I can thank his teacher for that. We had been working on it but his teacher said he was ready so we tossed the pull-ups for good and there was no looking back! How nice is that! He also started his first organized sports - a 10 week soccer program for 3-5 year olds! He loved it so I see more soccer in our future.

Personally I met a long term goal and was accepted into graduate school at University of Central Florida into the Nurse Educator program. It will take years because I'm doing it one class at a time so not to interfere too much with family and work, but I'm on the road. Like our China adoption, slow and steady!

So speaking of China, this year's progress was better than last year's. They completed nearly two months of LID applications taking them to May 29, 2006....we still have 106 LID days to go (I think that's right). So they have to complete 3 1/2 months this year for us to get a referral in 2011. With the drop in number of applicants for the months of June, July, & August, it is a possibility we will see Mia's face this year. In the very least, she will be born this year if she has not already been born.

I hope to post more this year, sharing progress on our China journey. About 6 months before we expect a referral we have to start renewing our paperwork - more fingerprints, more social worker visits (although I love our social worker!) and more paperwork, but as long as we are getting closer, I'm ready to do the paperchase again!

Happy New Year to you all and t0 my fellow Sept LIDers, I pray for this to be all "our year"!