Referrals Today

Not ours but others are receiving photos of their precious daughters today. HFS received referrals for those with LID's up to 6/30. I've heard they go up to 7/13 but HFS didn't have any after 6/30 up to that date. So, we're looking at a 13 month wait right now. If this was to stay true, which I doubt, we will receive our referral around beginning of October. That's only two months away.

Of the referrals I've seen so far, most have birthdates of September and October of last year. The babies will close to their first birthday by the time the families travel. I'd love to have Madelyn home for her first birthday. Even better is to have her home before Christmas this year.

More Photos of Madelyn's Room

Yesterday a friend helped me put up the border I found for Madelyn's room. Sears had it on their clearance rack for 0.99 cents (originally 16.99). I bought the last four rolls. I only needed two and didn't use all of the 2nd one. Here's a photo of it up in her room.

I found the shelf this past weekend at a yard sale and spray painted it. I love to find good deals on yard sales and clearances if you can't tell.

I hung these three pictures up over the changing table I bought from a friend from my Moms Club who was trying to sell it in her yard sale. Of course I found these photos on clearance too....originally $10, on sale $3. I also found another picture too that ties in with the flowers on the wallpaper border (clearance of course).

Leia (our cat) has decided she likes Madelyn's 100 Good Wishes Quilt. I caught her today sprawled out over it taking a cat nap. Now I need a lent brush to get cat hairs off of it.

Madelyn's room is definitely the cutest room in my entire house. I can't wait to see her in there sitting in the floor playing with dolls with one of her friends and hearing them laughing and giggling.

Andrew modeling his new trunks

 

Logan modeling his new trunks

 

Swimming Trunks from Secret Pal

 

Dress from Secret Pal

 

Secret Pal Gift for July

This month's theme was Patriotic Baby. My secret pal went all out this month. She is spoiling us. Madelyn received a beautiful red and white striped dress with blue stars on the right side near the shoulder. All three boys got swimming trunks. I also got two ladybug magnets. I'll post photos later of two of the three boys showing off their new trunks.

Thanks again, Secret Pal!

Adoptive parents and parents to be, Listen up!

Got this off an adoption mailing list, and it is something that you might want to comment on:

On Monday, July 24, USCIS Director Emilio T. Gonzalez will be featured on "Ask
the White House." His Subject will be: "Emilio González, Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, will discuss naturalization and immigration policies and priorities Monday at 4pm (ET)"

You may submit questions for Director Gonzalez in advance at the White House website. http://www.whitehouse.gov/ask/

It would be awesome if we got a HUGE number of people to submit questions to
Director Gonzalez regarding the difficulties most of us are facing regarding
expiring I-171H's, especially with the increased delays in referrals over the last several months.

Obviously, it isn't within his power to speed up the referral process, but it IS in his power to make the I-171H and fingerprint expirations occur at a later time. This would be a great thing for all of us who are in the pipeline to adopt from China.

(Oh, and feel free to crosspost this on any adoption blogs or mailing lists!)

When will Madelyn be sitting beside these precious boys?

Slacker?

Here's my results from the quiz "Am I a Slacker Mom?"

Your quiz results make you a Zen Mom

How do you do it? Even when explosions are all around, you are able to take a deep cleansing breath and chant your mantra "this too shall pass." You are a calming influence on your kids in a hectic world.

Baby Rogaine

Before

Rogaine

(Isn't he sweet?)

After

I think he looks better bald.

Adoption Forecast

Based on this website it says our referral will come +/- a month from 11/21/06. I'm not sure if this is reliable. We were guessing a referral sometime in September.

A New Paint Job

I claim to be no painter and I hate painting but I do love the outcome even if I'm not any good at it and there's paint in places it shouldn't be like on the ceiling. Every room in our house is the same color on the walls. We upgraded from the typical white paint on all new homes to what is called desert fawn when we signed the contract on this house. It's just not a color for a kids rooms. I decided to paint Madelyn's room this weekend and bought the paint for it Saturday. Sunday I got all the trim work done and today I finished up rolling the walls. The paint color is called Rain Forest. A few weeks ago I found this wallpaper border on clearance (I love Clearance shopping) at Sears for 0.99 cents a roll. It doesn't match up to Madelyn's crib bedding but it looks cute with the comforter on the twin bed in her room. On her furniture are little painted flowers. I still need to do some touch-up, take down the tape and move the furniture back to the right place. I'm going to hang her 100 Good Wishes Quilt on the wall once I find a quilt hanger that I can mount. I hope she loves her room.

Secret Pal Gift for June

June's theme was Summer Fun. Today I got a Pink Pooh hat and sunglasses for Madelyn. Logan also got a pooh hat. There are also some toys for all of the kids to enjoy. I had sent my secret pal sunglasses too.

Thanks Secret Pal again for all the cool gifts you've sent. 

Birthday Gift Arrived Today

My Panda from Build-A-Bear arrived today. She is nameless. I need some suggestions for names to put on her birth certificate.  

2nd Anniversary of my 29th Birthday

Yep, Yesterday was my birthday. Tony surprise me with a Panda dressed in a Cheongsam. I'll have to share it with Madelyn.

Logan, Nate and Andrew gave me the best gift....kitchen magnet. It was in a card that reads on the front "Mom - got you something for the kitchen that will make preparing dinner a lot easier..." and in the inside is a magnet to hang on the fridge that list all my favorite take-out restuarants and their phone numbers. PERFECT!!! I never have a chance to cook supper these days in the evenings. The kids wear me out during the day and the evenings are when the twins are both always wanting to be held.

A friend of mine surprised me with a cake and ice cream late last night. I went by her house and she had candles in a chocolate cake (my favorite) with chocolate ice cream (another favorite). She gave me some Mary Kay make-up and bag.

I'm hoping soon Tony and I will get a evening out as a belated gift to me. Anyone up for babysitting?

Breastfeeding an Adopted Child

I've been asked twice now if I will breastfeed Madelyn. My answer is no.

I nursed Logan until he was one year old. He quit on his own the week after he turned one. I currently nurse Nathaniel and Andrew. I've had many comments made to me about breastfeeding twins from "you're crazy" to "you're the woman" with many saying there's no way they would ever think of trying to feed two babies. I chose to breastfeed the boys for two reasons....1) Breastmilk is said to be the best for babies and 2) Formula is very expensive.

I can't imagine starting to breastfeed a child that has already lived most of his/her baby years without being nursed. I didn't chose to breastfeed just b/c of the bonding issues, even though I do feel a strong bond with my babies while breastfeeding and having that closeness. I have given my babies a bottle and I can cuddle with them that way also. Nate and Andrew do get some formula once in a while so I'm not totally against it. I just don't feel comfortable nursing a child that has been bottle fed for many months. Madelyn will be my daughter and I don't want her to be treated any different than my other children, but she will not be breastfed by me.

There are many websites about nursing adopted children such as Adoptive Breastfeeding. I watched A Baby Story several years ago where an adopting mom chose to breastfeed but she started it immediately after the birth of the baby. The biological mom gave birth to the baby at the adopting parents home. The adopting mom did not produce milk at that time but there is equipment designed that uses formula in a container and tubing is taped to a woman's breast so that when a baby begins to suck, he/she stimulates the mother to make breastmilk.

I've never heard of anyone adopting from China chose to breastfeed their baby. Maybe there are some moms out there that have and I'm curious to hear their experiences with it but I still don't think I would chose to go that route with Madelyn. Nursing two babies is not easy - three would be insane for one person to do all the time.

Happy Birthday America

Isn't this adorable? My mom took this photo today at my nephew's first birthday party of the twins laying in a pack-n-play.

 

Exploding ladybug cont...

My digital didn't get a good photo of the exploding ladybug fireworks but I did snap this one after the ladybug took off into the sky. 

Exploding Ladybugs???

What's fireworks without the exploding ladybugs?
Tony found these fireworks today and said he just HAD to get them. The card around the bugs say the bugs emit showers of sparks, spins and rises into the air. I'll try to catch this on my camera tonight when we light them up. Wish Madelyn was here to see the fireworks tonight. 

Logan's New Bike

Logan decided he wanted a new bike since his friends had bikes. Instead of just going out to buy something he told us he wanted, we made him earn it. I printed out a chores list that included things like cleaning the playroom, helping with laundry and the kitchen. He had to complete 10 chores to get this bike. He loves his new bike and is getting better everyday learning how to ride it. He didn't know how to pedal before we moved to our new house but he quickly picked up this skill watching his new friends ride their bikes. He's growing up too fast. 

I can't believe I'm up this late

This is what happens when I take a nap during the day. I can't sleep at night. I just got back from a late night trip to Wal-Mart. It's so nice to actually get to shop without calming a crying baby or telling a four year old he can't have everything he sees and wants.

A week from today will mark 10 months since we were LID. Hard to believe our time is finally approaching for our referral. I'm really hoping we see Madelyn's picture by September. If I didn't have the twins, I think I would have gone crazy by now just waiting and waiting for Madelyn. Thankfully I had something else to drive me crazy and to help pass the time.

Would you believe the twins are four months old tomorrow? Wow! They weren't even concieved when we first started the adoption process. The two of them are just too adorable and lots of fun. Logan still talks about Madelyn every day. He's just as excited as we are, well, maybe not as much as I am but close.

We have a neighbor with a 5 year old girl. She told me today that when Madelyn gets here she's having a sleepover with her here. She's sleeping in the twin bed in Madelyn's room, and Madelyn will sleep in her crib. I didn't want to upset her and tell her Madelyn will be a bit too young for sleepovers for a while. Logan isn't even having sleepovers here yet.

Off to get some zzzzzzzzz's.