A place I go...

when the wait ahead seems daunting or I just want to think about the path we are following and the child that will someday be a part of us, of our family.
This site: http://www.childviet.blogspot.com/ is a favourite of mine. To see how others are helping the children of Vietnam, to just see all their beautiful faces sometimes, to feel in touch with a place I am quickly falling in love with and learning more about every day. Sitting here in comfy Canada, I feel so far removed from her and from her country. I feel helpless to make a difference when all I really want to do is swoop down and hug all the kids and make it all good. A friend I have met online that is adopting from the same Ontario agency as I am came up with a wonderful idea - something small we can do to help the children. We have been collecting clothing donations from family and friends for a month or so. I have 5 big boxes of new and some gently used clothing that we are going to start having sent over to Vietnam and the orphanages. I know Leah has collected a bunch too. I am also hosting our annual Halloween children's costume party again this year and this year we are having families donate new clothing towards the cause. People can be so giving and I thank everyone that has shown us that you do care. You mean a lot to us and our family. It isn't a lot but it is a little and it makes me feel a bit more connected to Vietnam and the child that may already be there, the child we are waiting to bring home.

Another thing I'm spending a lot of time doing: I love visiting family blogs and reading thier journey towards adopting from Vietnam and how similar we are and how different we are all too. I've learned so much in the process. It is helping me pass the time, especially in the evenings when my mind begins to obsess :)

Today

...we paint.

Shaune is just getting started. I'm letting him handle most of this. The bunk beds almost did me in (yes, I hate painting and am complaining about painting a simple little bunk bed). The colour is bok choy. You can 't really tell in this photo - the yellow walls behind it were the original colour of Chloe's room that gosh-darn-it did not match her & baby girl's new bedding. The colour is actually pretty mellow and groovy, I am liking it with the stark white furniture. It's definetly going to need 2 coats - darn it!

I am enjoying watching the room transform, even if it isn't THAT different from the original yellow. Paint is a wonderful thing - as long as I'm not the one painting.

I don't think Shaune enjoys it much more than me :)

Airline Miles/Points/Etc

I have been thinking it would be wise of us to figure out some sort of system that earns us travel/airline miles so we can start earning toward our flights to Vietnam. I am in Canada so there probably are different options for different countries, but for anyone that has a system in place, I'd love to hear it. I need suggestions of what will work best for us.
I am assuming I do not want to go with one airline specifically since we have no idea who we will fly with, etc.

Flying to Vietnam will be myself, my husband, my mother and our 2 children (age 5 & 7 by then). So, that is a lot of $ and a lot of miles to save up for. I know we won't be able to earn much before we travel (which now looks like it could be another 11 months away) but even buying the 5 tickets will earn us a lot of air miles, right? Perhaps toward a future trip as a family, if nothing else.

Advice - please :)

Longer wait than we thought...

This wait. Yuck. I was in touch with our agency today and they let me know I was mistaken on expected time frame... I was thinking late spring to travel when they actually meant late spring, early summer until REFERRAL (then another few months before we travel.)
So, it looks like our wait is now likely bumped up again for an early fall 2008 travel time. Wahhh, I had my heart all set in us waiting out the time and having our baby girl home by Spring - that is not likely to be the case.
I do appreciate my agency's honestly and I'm just going to keep crossing my fingers that they are over-shooting their estimates. :)
Shaune, my husband, always the optimist reminded me that 9-10 months til referral is about the same as a pregnancy. It really isn't THAT long. I'll continue keeping busy and it looks like I'll continue traveling for work as needed. I had secretly hoped that my trip to Memory Trends in Las Vegas last week would be my last one for a while. I plan on taking a year off from any work-related travel once our referral is here.
Maybe I'll start a list of 1000 things to do to pass the time. Maybe I should finally learn to knit?

Where have I been?

Sigh. I have nothing to report. This waiting around stuff is just getting started and I'm struggling already. Luckily I have been very busy with 2 trips to the States in the past 3 wks. I went to Minnesota to the Mall of America Scrapfest 2 wks ago and I just got home from Las Vegas where I was working the Memory Trends Scrapbooking Tradeshow. Every where I go I am now thinking of my 3 children, is that ok? I know we do not even have a referral yet and have a long wait until we will - but I can't help but think of her in all my plans, in all my shopping, in all my travels. I miss a little girl that hasn't even become part of us yet.

When I got home from Vegas, Chloe asked me if her sister came home with me. Bless her heart, she is being so patient and is going on faith since she understands so little about all this. I told her it wasn't time yet and she replied: "Will it be time tomor-noooo" (that is how Chloe pronounces tomorrow - ever the cutie pie!) I have no answers - just that we have to be patient and we can think of her even though we do not know her yet.

We are about 90% sure that her name will be Maya but Isabel is still a close second. The funny thing was when I went away to Las Vegas, Chloe started at a new babysitter. It was her and 3 other girls... guess what their names were.... 2 Maya's and 1 Isabel. For some reason that makes me smile so big :)

Side note: do you all use bloglines? I follow a lot of adoption blogs right now, to learn and to connect with other families like ours and to pass the time...the wait. Bloglines notifies me with a little icon at the bottom of my screen when ever one of the blogs I subscribed to posts. I love it.

Also, Shaune and I would like to take a moment to thank his Graduating class for doing something very special for us this weekend. I am speechless and so thankful to each of you. I will remember your kindness and encouragement each and every time we stumble over a bump in this special road we are following. Thank you doesn't seem enough.

Leslie

Fun vibrant colours!

Chloe and baby Lightfoots bunk bed bedding came in the mail today... it is awesome. I am so glad I got it. I think we will have to repaint Chloe's room but oh well... something to keep us busy and our minds off the wait, right?!

If anyone likes this bedding, I have to tell you that Teri at Kukunest was really helpful and nice to deal with. Great customer service and it got to me quickly even though it was coming from West Coast USA to Ontario Canada :) She even threw in some really cute felt hair barrettes for the baby - they are so adorable! The funny thing is I did not realize she owned this hair accessory online store... I remember my friend Tara posting a link to it over a year ago and I picked a bunch of favourites I liked but then never got around to buying them. Fast forward many months and I order bedding from her and find out she is the same gal/owner. I love that! Thanks Teri for the Giddy Giddy hair barrettes, they are so fantastically cute, I will definetly be ordering some more!!

I cannot wait to put the bedding all on tonight and for Chloe to try it out :) Maybe it will keep her in her bed all night?

I need reference and resource book recommends...

Which books have you read dealing with international and/or transracial and transcultural adoption? I have a lot of them bookmarked at Amazon.ca (free shipping over $39...can't beat that) and want to start reading up more. Problem is I don't want to buy them ALL and I don't want to buy any that aren't helpful. Our library isn't the best and I owe them money - ha. I'd like to buy the books new or used so I can take my time reading them & then Shaune can read them as well.
If anyone has read any you think would be helpful to me (or have read some you think are 'duds') please let me know which ones. If anyone has any they'd like to sell used, let me know too.

A few questions for the more knowledgable :)

I have all these questions floating around in my head. I think that is why my insomnia is still lingering... I go to bed thinking about all the things I don't know or cannot predict... etc. I know you all know what i'm talking about.

Anyhow, I am wondering:
1) What immunization/vaccines are we supposed to get and are recommended to get before traveling to VN? Is it all in one shot or several. How soon before travel should we start this process? And for my Canadian bloggers - is there a cost or is it all covered by OHIP? I need to start preparing my son in the event that we decide for sure the kids are coming (we are still wavering back and forth on that topic)... he is VERY afraid of needles and told me he thinks he'll skip VN just b/c of this. :)

2) Traveling out of country once your child is home from VN? How does this work or is it not a possibility - and for how long? If, we happen to have a referral by Spring we would likely rent our fav beach house in Florida for late August ... but then I got thinking that I don't know if we can travel internationally before a certain date after she comes home. May seem like a silly question - but i don't know the answer so I thought I'd ask.

3) We have started shopping for strollers. I would like a stroller that an infant seat fits into (incase we get a young referral) but also has the seat/stand position behind it for when my 4 yr old daughter is shopping with us... she can be a 'handfull' at the Mall. :) Any recommends?

Shopping in Minnesota (Mall of America)

I'm headed to Minnesota next week for the MOA Scrapfest. I'm working the show and love that we shop every night in this fantastic mall. I am wondering if there are readers out there from this area and if there is a place in the mall where they'd sell Paper lanterns. I really want to get them bought and 'finish' the room in the next few weeks. I hate half-finished projects (although they are the story of my life). I also plan on hitting the Oilily store (I missed it last time) and Hanna Andersson... I only wish I knew a ball park size so I could start buying cute little baby clothes. That will have to wait though... so I'll hopefully find some fun stuff for their room.

Give me a shout if you know of anywhere in that area or that mall ...
thanks!

Good news for some fellow Canadian bloggers

Referrals (I'm not sure how many) came in for some long-awaiting families with the other agency here in Ontario. I am beyond thrilled for them, it has been a long and uncertain road and they deserve such happiness. I must admit, reading of their referrals makes my heart beat a bit faster. Our day will come and this is just another reminder of that. I will continue to wait 'patiently' and celebrate for these new families in the making!
Congrats (you know who you are!)

Home decorating...

My background is Interior Design. I haven't practiced as a designer in MANY years but you would think I could be more 'with it' when it comes to decorating a simple little bedroom. I have put so much thought and internet research into Chloe's (and baby girl Lightfoots) new bedroom that I will be glad when it is just all finished.
My mom (my lifesaver) watched the kids friday night and all day saturday for us. We took advantage of it and got up early Saturday to head to Toronto (a 2+ hr drive) for some shopping - and to make a final decision on bunk bed quilts, etc.
The decision was made for us (it saved me having to decide) when we got to Yorkdale and Pottery Barn Kids was CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS. Lol! That is just our luck. We actually had stopped at IKEA on the way to Yorkdale and had pretty much decided on this bedding: http://www.kukunest.com/browse_lantern.php ...mentioned in a previous post and shown above. Chloe loves it and after reading more about Vietnamese lantern festivals, I thought it would be a perfect blend of Asian culture and Chloe funky :) I ordered the sets today and can't wait for them to come.
Chloe's room is almost finished now and we are waiting for the bedding now to come so we can see if the yellow walls will have to be repainted to match better. I'm secretly hoping it all looks great without painting the walls. So is Shaune ;)
At Ikea we got the cutest pink storage boxes for under the bunk beds and some funky pink flower lights for the walls, as well as duvets for her new bedding. I finished painting the bunk beds (whew!) & my dad came down today and put together her other furniture that matches the white beds (a beautiful armoire with mirror that Lynn & Larry gave us). When the room is totally finished I will take some photos. I think I'm going to like the new bright colours.

Excited that we are almost finished it. I also saw a nice white cot/crib at IKEA for only $119 if we end up with a referral for a young baby - I gave our crib away earlier this year to my cousin :)

Things keeping me busy like this are good. Helps the time go by... sorta faster.

PS: If anyone in Canada knows of a site (or a store) that has colorful paper lanterns (globes) I want to buy 3 to hang from the ceiling (i'm thinking pink, red & orange) but don't know where to find them. All my internet searches take me to the USA and buying in bulk.

Ministry Approval - CHECK :)

I got word from our agency that we received our Ontario Ministry approval (to adopt) on August 7th. Our dossier was sent to Vietnam several weeks ago to begin translation. Our agency says now that we have Ministry approval we are "officially awaiting child proposal/match".

One step closer. I am smiling this morning.

On other news, I am knee deep in white paint. Chloe now has bunk beds (given generously to us by our friends Kerri & Matt) in her room. She is very excited that she will be someday sharing these beds with her sister. They were wood so I am painting them white to go with all her other furniture in her room. They are looking good and now I am even more anxious to get her bedding ordered (I'm still not 100% decided and may take a drive up to Pottery Barn Kids tomorrow just to be sure I want the kukunest bedding). I love the Kukunest bedding and Chloe loves it too (she picked the top link - see below post - the red lantern set with the 2 girls on the pillowcase). The only thing is... with both sets - they do not match what is in her room already - including very expensive Pottery Barn drapery & sheers, pillows, etc. Also, her room is butter yellow and that is not going to match the bright reds/pinks/teals. So, if I get her the Kukunest bedding, I am no doubt going to have to paint her room (nightmare - did i mention i hate painting?) a soft teal colour, and find a home for her lovely Pottery Barn butterfly stuff. So, this is why we are still undecided. Shaune is game for whatever I decide I think ;)