DTV 9 months

Well, we are almost at 9.5 months now Dossier to Vietnam. Hard to believe. Hard to really guage how much longer we could be waiting. 9 months... I honestly thought we'd be planning travel by now. 9 months is such a big number. In pregnancy it is the number we count down to... knowing that the end is near. But to compare adoption to pregnancy is senseless. They are two very different (and wonderful things). Nothing about my 2 past pregnancies (which resulted in 2 amazing children) prepared me for this journey we are on. It is like walking around with the anticipation of a baby coming (like when you are pregnant) without any physical signs that you are truly making the progress you want to be. There is no finish line date and so I've had to learn more patience than I've ever needed to exercise before in my life. I admit I'm not very good at it. I admit it.

I think we might of moved 1-2 spots the past couple months, which means we probably will not recieve our child proposal for at least 2 more months, maybe 3 or 4. I'm settling into that fact and making the most of this beautiful weather. Soon our pool will be open, the flowers will be blooming and although the wait continues and remains hard - everything is a bit easier in the sunshine. I think the Winter just about did me in - in more ways than one. What a horribly long winter that was. We have days now that are very warm for Spring and then other days where it is still very cold. I love Spring and the promise it brings of 'things to come'. I hope this Spring brings happy news for several of my friends I've made... that are awaiting child referrals - some who have waited almost 2 yrs for the day they will become moms. I am anxious to share that happiness with them, I think it will help me with our wait and keep me remembering that good things in our adoption are right around the corner, we just have to wait for them a bit longer than we'd hoped.

Photo of the Week

My Chloe loves to dress up. Crowns, Tu-tu's, plastic heels. So cute!

Heavy Heart

After months and months of speculation it became official today. The United States and Vietnamese government will discontinue International adoptions this year. I follow many American families blogs and 'know' many families that are now in a position where they have to let go of their dream... they will not be adopting from Vietnam at this time. Although I am in Canada and these things do not affect our adoption, I have a VERY heavy heart about the entire situation. For the families left to figure out a different future for their family, my thoughts are with you. I am saddened beyond belief for you. For the families and children of Vietnam, I feel such sadness also. It is clear that some families in extreme poverty were taken advantage of and thier loss is too devestating to fathom.

For me, in Canada we continue on. I have faith in my agency (there are only 2 agencies working in Vietnam for Canada) and its love for the children of Vietnam... I believe that they truly are finding families for children, and not children for families. Still, I feel as though I've been pulled through the ringer tonight and come out feeling powerless and sad, when adoption is a joyous and rewarding journey. This truly puts a mark on International adoption in general and leaves me with worries I wish I didn't have.

"On April 25, the Government of Vietnam announced that it will allow (US) adoptions to be completed in cases where prospective adoptive parents have been matched with a child and received an official referral prior to September 1, 2008. It further stated that in accordance with Vietnamese law, the DIA will suspend the acceptance of new dossiers on July 1, 2008. On September 1, 2008 any dossier that has not received a referral will be closed and returned to the Adoption Service Provider. In view of the processing time required in Vietnam from placement to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony, an adoption process begun now cannot be completed before the current Agreement expires."

A little fun

I saw this over at another bloggers site and thought I'd play along too.

Answer the following:
I am: hoping that Lost is a new episode tonight?
I think: about when we might get 'the call'...way too much.
I know: 'the call' will come at the perfect time, I need to find patience and peace in that.
I wish: I had more patience ;)
I hate: HATE
I miss: the ocean
I fear: things out of my control.
I feel: anxious, hopeful, pessimistic and grateful... all rolled into one.
I hear: silence. 3:35 pm, 15 minutes more of quiet before the kiddies tear into the house. i prefer noise to silence most the time.
I crave: FOOD. naughty food. I'm on a 'diet'.
I wonder: if our daughter in Vietnam is born yet?
I love: my life.
I ache: for how unfair life can be/seem for some.
I care: about children all over the world.
I always: bite my nails. dangit!
I am not: physically fit. i need to remedy that.
I sing: in the mini van. loud ;)
I cry: when i'm happy. when i'm sad. when i watch oprah.
I don't always: act the way i know i should
I write: here and on my family blog
I win: the love of an amazing family
I lose: a few pounds this week i hope.
I never: go a day without saying I LOVE YOU
I listen: to a variety of stuff.
I am scared: of not measuring up to my own expectations of myself
I need: to feel important to the people who are important to me.
I think: being the mom to 3 children will be amazing. tiring, trying at times but most definetly the most amazing trip of my life :)

Thinking of my mom today

My mom went to Kingston today to have a 'day' surgery heart procedure done. She has had a few episodes of racing heart over the years and today they will go in and attempt to correct the problem. It is a pretty non-invasive surgery but I'm still nervous. I am sending her my love and healthy vibes today as she goes under general anethesia (spelling?) and hopefully gets all fixed up. My mom is amazing. Everyone should have a mom like mine :)

Digital Scrapbooking

I get a lot of emails from people about digital scrapbooking. Although I don't do a lot of it, since my job calls more for working with paper and product... I do love digital scrapbooking. There is something about being able to finish a layout, upload it and share it with friends or print it and then have NO MESS to clean up. I am a very messy scrapbooker so I think my husband thinks Digi scrapping is GREAT! ;)

With digital scrapbooking, once you learn a program (I do all my digital pages on photoshop) you simply download designs, papers, elements and work with them over and over. Talk about a 'green' way to scrapbook. No waste at all and you can reuse your digital designs over and over again.

I haven't done a digi page in months and months... but I'll share some older ones from last year. For anyone interested in learning about digi scrapbooking, there is an enormous amount of help out there on the internet. There are also Idea books (Scrapbooks Etc has one and so does Autumn Leaves) and free tutorials all over the web. My favourite site for digital is http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/ = this is where I learned how to put it all together. When I first got started I had no idea how to do anything on Photoshop. The tutorials are wonderful and in-depth. Most the digital kits I use are from there as well. I have some from Designer Digitals that are great too.

Photo(S) of the Week

We are having fun in Niagara Falls. Keaton and Chloe are having fun hanging with me, the mommy.

The daddy is quite busy with the conference so we are pretty much a trio these few days up here.

Photo 1 - the kiddies our first evening here. Can you feel the love?

Photo 2 - Keaton in front of the Canadian horseshoe falls - Chloe was pretty timid about getting anywhere near them. The mist from the Falls was quite chilly too!

I have more photos on our family blog (see side bar link).

Niagara Falls - April '08

Off to see the Falls

Niagara Falls, Canada that is. Shaune has a conference so we are tagging along. It is about a 3.5 hr drive. I'm hoping it will be fun and the kids and I can get out and see some of the sites while Daddy is working :)

Beats staying home I say.

Staying here, Hilton Fallsview - anyone stayed here, is it close to Clifton Hills and the tourist section of Niagara Falls?

We took the kids many years ago... when Chloe was a baby. Keaton was only 3 and says he doesn't remember seeing the big spectacular Niagara Falls... so I'm looking forward to showing them both. We'll probably hit a few cheesy tourist traps too and I'm considering taking them on the Maid of the Mist - if it is warm enough.

I'll check in at some point. Happy Wednesday to you all.

Yay for me...

Okay, I am really excited about this and I'm going to finally share my news. I love working with Scrapbooks Etc magazine and I was asked this week to take on a more key role with the magazine. To say I'm excited would be an understatement... I have wanted to be a Contributing Editor for a few years now. I'm really proud to be part of such a great magazine.

So... I will work from home and keep doing what I do... but more of it. Here is Michelle's announcement on the Better Homes and Gardens blog site. Reading it makes me feel very GIDDY. :)
=================================

shout out to our new contributing editor
Posted 4/13/2008 2:55 PM CDT
Hola! I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I just wanted to stop by and let y'all know we have a sparkly new contributing editor! Leslie Lightfoot has been a longtime scrapbook designer for Scrapbooks etc., and most recently she has been tagged as one of our photography bloggers and as part of the Gadget Girl duo with Erica Hernandez (see her in action in the July issue, which hits newsstands June 10). We're super excited to bring her on in a more permanent capacity! Welcome, Leslie!

Got my first shot

I finally got organized enough to order my first TwinRX prescription and have my doctor administer it. That was a couple weeks in the making... everytime I'd be in town, my doctor's office was closed for lunch or for the day.
I finally did it though, it's nice to have this underway even though I know I have lots of time likely before we'll travel. He gave me the option of fast tracking it (completing all 3 shots in a 1 month time period) or doing 1 now, 1 in one months time and then the final one in 6 months... hopefully we would be back from Vietnam by then but who knows. I went with the slower process, is that the right decision? I am clueless about vaccines and what was the right option to choose. I don't need the 3rd one before returning from VN, right?

The prescription for the needle was covered by our prescription plan (thank goodness, we each have to get 3 of them) but the writing of the prescription by the doctor costs $20 and then each time he gives the needle it is another $20. So the vaccine process for each of us will only cost about $80 total as opposed to approx $260 if our plan hadn't covered the meds. Yikes.


The cost of all these things 'hurt' but needles themselves don't bother me one little bit. Which my doctor finds odd considering I was subjected so many as a 5 yr old when my cat got rabies and our whole family had to go day after day for the shots. Fun, Fun! I told him all I remember is my dad taking me for ice cream after our needles as kids. Today, I didn't treat myself to ice cream though... I started a new 'diet'. Let's hope this one works better than all the other times I've tried the past few years ;) I don't want to be fat and sweating like a piggie in Vietnam (or ever anymore actually). Wish me LUCK!

Photo of the Week

My handsome boy. I love this photo of him with his hair all sea-breeze blown, his freckles sprinkled across his nose, and the way he smiles with his top front teeth biting his bottom lip.

Keaton

Florida, April 2008

My thoughts go to the Martin's

Friends of our's lost their home yesterday. I went to pick Keaton up from school for a doctor's appointment and I saw several fire trucks in the distance. I was shocked to find out at the school that it was Diana's home. I feel horrible. This is the 2nd family I know who's home has been destroyed by fire in the past 5 months. If you remember, my neighbours house burnt down on Christmas Day.
They have lost everything. Diana emailed me tonight after I tried to contact her. They will have to tear down what remains of the home and they lost all their belongings. Thankfully, it was a fire during the day and all the family (including their dog) got out safely.

Diana is a strong girl. I know they will do okay. I just wanted to post and let her know I'm thinking of her, Darren, Dalton and Tyson during this hard time. My mom's house burnt down when she was a child and I know that it is not something that you can easily recover from. My hearts are with you guys. Please call if I can help in any way.

Canadians adopting from Vietnam

My country counter on my side bar informs me that I've had 1304 Canadian visitors since I put the counter on a couple months ago. But most of my comments come from my (wonderful) American bloggy friends I've met and who's blogs I read.

I would love to 'meet' more Canadians adopting from Vietnam also, our process seems very different than the US system and I have still not met many adopting families that live in my area of Ontario.

I would love for you to come out of lurkdom, fellow Canucks... just for a second to say hi :) Where do you live and have you already adopted or are you in the process, waiting like us? Do you have a blog?... I'd love to read some Canadian adoption blogs if they are out there somewhere. Right now I have 3 bookmarked/bloglined... Bev, J, and Ange's, I'd love to add some more.

Congratulations AMANDA!

Poppy is beautiful.

Amanda lives in Buffalo and we have 'met' through emails back and forth. I'm hoping to meet her at the next GTAWM get-together in May (??)

She just got her referral for a beautiful baby girl... and not from Vietnam but from South Korea. That girl is full of surprises.

Amanda, I am thrilled for you. and your darling girl, Poppy just couldn't be any cuter!

Go say Congrats to her here

Our Florida Vacation - In pictures...

Here is the link to our album of photos from our trip to Cocoa Beach Florida and Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure theme park.

ALBUM LINK HERE

Focus on the positive

2 things (adoption related) making me very happy today...

First - is the news of a lovely family in Ottawa from our agency that recieved their referral for twin girls! Can you imagine? I bet they are adorable. Congrats to this family! I'm assuming this may put our family at #6 on the list now, but I'm not sure.

Second - my friend J, (who does not have a blog - gasp!) is in Vietnam right now and has met her new 15 month old daughter... although they haven't had their G&R cememony yet. I've stared at their photos forever and am so happy for their family and for this beautiful little girl that holds a special place in my heart. I cannot wait until they are home and I can see her in person. I hope she and our baby can be friends and share a common bond. I also asked J to take photos of all the babies in the orphanage... just in case Baby Girl Lightfoot is there somewhere.

These 2 things, today, helped me focus on the positive about the adoption. The wait is so worth it, the wait is so worth it!

Tonight, I'm sending my love to the children of Vietnam!

A year!!

Has it really been a year today that we began this amazing and suprisingly difficult journey to baby girl? I honestly hoped and prayed that she would be in our arms by now, but our time is coming... I can feel it. Not everything happens when you want it to and the many blessings in our life remind us daily that she is worth the wait, worth the uncertainties... and worth every thought, prayer and stressful moments I've had the past year.

I really truly hope she is with us by Fall. I can't believe I'm typing Fall... I always had hoped for Spring 2008 but expectations and hopes change with time. I know she will come to us when the perfect time shows itself. I will continue to dream of her and all she will become to our family. Her brother and sister anxiously await her arrival. We want her so much. She is so wanted. I cannot wait to love on this child.

Today is a big day. It marks a year closer to our 3rd child. It marks a year full of emotions and it marks the anniversary of the day we made one of the best decisions of our lives... following our hearts to a place that was calling to us.

Photo of the Week

I guess I missed a week but who's counting.

Here is our pup. Henry. He is a hand-full but a wonderful pup. He is 2. I think he will forever be a puppy. This dog can leap 4 ft in the air and runs like the wind. He is a lot like Keaton actually, full of energy and love. He is most definetly a big part of my days are spent with this guy. He is great company.

Home

We are home. Our vacation was great. The kids did wonderful and had a lot of fun. The weather was nothing short of perfection the whole time we were there. I need the weekend to recover and unpack I think... lol.
There is still snow. But it is melting. It will be spring here eventually - or perhaps it will be summer before Spring gets a chance to show itself. I'll take either at this point :)

It is nice to be home, even though we had a fabulous time and could of handled another week in the sun.

Enjoying our vacation

We are keeping busy and enjoying the beautiful weather Cocoa Beach, Florida has to offer. I have posted some photos on our family blog for anyone interested. Our blog address is:
http://www.leslielightfoot.typepad.com/

Time has flown by. I'm sad our vacation time is almost up... although I miss Shaune and am looking forward to seeing him again. I will hate to leave this sunshine behind though. Shaune told me on the phone tonight that the snow is SLOWLY melting back home... so that is a positive sign. I honestly hoped it would be spring by the time I got back home on Friday :)

Bye!
Leslie