My New Camera

It's here, my new TOY, left on my door-step by UPS. I have shopped and researched this camera and many others more than any car I have ever purchased.

My boys have been warned threatened that they will be my subjects and that they better smile.

I have signed up for an online photography class for beginners, like me. After looking through the manuals, I'm going to need it!

This camera is capable of taking some amazing pictures, so I'll need to learn how to get out of the point and shoot mode. The class starts in a few weeks, just enough time for me to get acquainted with Mr. Nikon.

My primary goal with this camera is to capture as much of Jadyn's heritage as I can while I'm in China. Not to mention the cute faces of my family members.

33 Months

Yesterday, January 29, 2009 was 33 long months since our log in date.

I can't call it an anniversary, anniversaries are for celebrating.... right?!. But I can call it one month closer to Jadyn coming home.

The Hockey lovin boys in this house do celebrate when this 33 scores!. So here's to you, Ames & Garrison! Go Red Wings!

Fun Gifts

A Yahoo China adoption group I belong to has a different themed gift swap every few weeks.

January's theme was "My Little Cook" This is the special gift that Jadyn received from a sweet lady named Sherri, who is also waiting to adopt.

Thank you Sherri!

Chinese New Year

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality.

This years sign is the Ox, those who are born under this sign are said to be logical, patient and easygoing. They have a strong sense of integrity and are often unpretentious, quite reserved and reflective and born leaders, they inspire confidence in those around them.

Two people who are close to me born in the year of the ox, Brandy and my sister Kim, who also will be traveling with me to China.
We have started a tradition in our house by celebrating the Chinese New Year. This will continue when Jadyn comes home.

This year we will be meeting other families who have adopted, and who are in the process of adopting from China at our local Wok King for some yummy Chinese food.

They wait too

The photo above is from Love Without Boundaries. They have chosen their favorite picture of the year. And yes, a picture is worth a thousand words..... These babies wait for families.

Pink

A peek into the only pink room in our house!.

Jadyn's room has been finished for several months.
I have pretty much stopped buying clothes, her closet and drawers are full. That's just what happens when a Mommy (that loves to shop) waits 3 years for our daughter to come home.

The walls are painted a light pink color, just enough to give it a warm glow. I spent several days with an overheard projector drawing on the walls. Then had fun painting to match her Frog Prince and castle bedding. We are ready for the Princess!.

Some have asked how old Jadyn will be when we receive her. The answer is, we really don't know. We asked China in our original documents for a healthy 6-12 month old female. China does try to meet requests, but we will be happy no matter what age she is.

Expiring Documents?

Oh yes they do! Every 15 months we are required to have our fingerprints re-taken. Not just checked or verified, but re-printed! In addition, every 18 months we have to reapply with the United States immigration office.

Last Friday, for the 3rd time in 32 months we submitted our updated home study, updated fingerprints, and 5 other necessary forms (and required fee's) to once again be evaluated for our ability to adopt and parent an orphaned child.

We hope and pray this extension will be the last one we need. It will expire in September 2010. We now await our approved I171-h form!

Where We Sit

A picture to follow up on where our dossier has been sitting for the last 32 months. These are all adoptive families files sitting in the matching room. I wonder if they have been dusted!

Our Time Frame

Way, way back....................On December 25, 2005 Christmas evening, we completed our initial application asking to be accepted by an agency to adopt from China.

Our application was approved by Children's Hope International in early January 2006, we then started what was a roller coaster of collecting, notarizing and authenticating piles of paperwork, for the completion of our dossier. We had a home study done, several police and FBI background checks, finger printing, and the all so famous (and expensive) immigration approval.

This process took us 4 months to complete. The hardest form to come by was our marriage certificate, we actually had to hire an attorney in the Bahamas to retrieve this for us. Ames and I worked on this daily, My goal was to have all our paperwork to China by May 2006. The picture above is our completed dossier, each piece is notarized and authenticated by the Chinese embassy here in the US.

Our Log in Date (lid) with China is April 29, 2006. As I start this blog, it is now January 2009, and we still wait!. China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) is matching families with a March 1, 2006 lid. When we started our adoption process the wait was 6-9 months. It has kept growing since. The wait right now is approximately 33 months and climbing.

I predict late 2009 we will be offered a little girl. We are so close, but so far away. We will name our daughter Jadyn Brooke.