Mailing the Care Package....

Today I mailed Lizzie her first package. The box contained two receiving blankets, a lovey, a small stuffed bunny, a disposable camera, a small photo album with pictures of Jeff and me and the boys, and chocolate for her foster family. It felt so GOOD to do something for her. I mean, finally, my first act as her mom. Obviously, we wish we were there in person to give her these things, but this is as close as we can get right now. We are crossing our fingers that we will get some pictures of her life right now back. It would be a treasure for her and us.

MORE PICTURES OF OUR BABY GIRL

Okay, so Jeff and I in our referral madness yesterday both wrote Mei Ai Fang's name incorrectly on our sheet. It wasn't until today when the package came that we saw we had misunderstood our agency rep.

So...Introducing Mei Ai Fang (Fragrant Love). We believe if we are interpreting her paperwork correctly which we won't know until Tuesday when our agency is back open that Mei Ai Fang has been in foster care since she was four days old, which is great. We also think in these pictures and our pediatrician agrees that she is probably closer to seven months old. Some of our medical information is dated in November and some is dated in October. We think the pink pajama referral photo we received yesterday is October and these are November. She looks older to me and her hair looks a little longer. Gosh, isn't she just the cutest? I mean, come on! Really, just a Super Fudge Chunk Bonafide Cutie Patootie.

We are all very happy. Our pediatrician felt her health report look fantastic, there was nothing that gave him pause. It's funny...Cooper at six months had her same height and weight. Nate was a couple pounds heavier. Our doctor said, "Well she'll fit right in with your family." It's amazing how we feel like she is absolutely perfect for us.

This morning when I passed the refrigerator and saw her picture my first thought was, "Oh there you are!" Crazy how attached you can get to a pictures.

Happy Chinese New Year!!

The call we have been waiting and waiting for finally came!! Our agency called us this morning at 9:40 am. Introducing Mei Ai Huang, soon to be Lizzie Mei!

Born: April 3, 2005-We hope to be home with her for her first birthday, but at the very least will be with her!
Resides: Hubei Province in the city of Huangmei. She is in foster care where she is obviously very well fed!!

Weight: At six months she was 18.7 pounds!!! I have to start lifting weights.
Height: 27.1 inches
She had no teeth, loves playing outside, toys that make noise, listening to music, and mimicking people! She could roll over, sit up unassisted, eat a biscuit by herself, and tear paper! She is a DEEP SLEEPER who goes to bed at 8:00 pm and wakes up at 7:00 am.

We are over the moon!!! All the waiting is a blip on the radar now. So excited. Thank you CCAA for our beautiful daughter!!

Our agency has reported that the CCAA is now working on the next set of matches. Well, I hope so! The last batch was mailed on Dec. 29. What have those people been doing during that time? Organzing their desks? Restocking their paper clips and pencils? I mean come on people!! I don't want to know they are working on the next set of matches! I am assuming this already. Hence, the "Match Room". Does is remain empty for three weeks out of the month? I want to know that the "matches have been mailed". That is the email I want. Or better yet..."Hi Rhonda and Jeff you have a daughter." That would be even better. But I am getting a little persnickity about what I want to hear. I used to be satisfied with any bit of info. Any news was news and that was at least something. Now however, I am just tired of news that does me no good. I want MY news. Where is my daughter? How much longer until I see her picture? How much longer does she have to wait until she can be held all the time and eat whenever she's hungry and play with toys and have a bath? How much longer until I can try to get to know her, and learn to comfort her and teach her about unconditional love? How much longer until our house of four will be five?? I am getting pretty cranky here. Just ask my poor husband. Well, I am off to Longs to pick up my Ambien perscription. Don't worry...it is for the trip so we can sleep when it is China's night and not California's night which are 15 hours apart. I promise I will not break into the prescription early. I know my parents are reading this and probably about to call in family and friends for an intervention. "She is over the edge! She has purchased a sleep aide! Perscription no less!"

So I have been tagged by Stacey. That means that I answer some fun/silly questions about myself, post it, and then tag someone else. So here it goes...

What were you doing ten years ago? Jeff and I had been married six months. We were living in a sketchy apartment trying to save for a house. I was teaching second grade and settling into marriage. Jeff had just bought me skis, boots and poles for Christmas and we were planning lots of ski trips in the future.

What were you doing one year ago? Our paperchase was on hold as Jeff's company had gone bankrupt and he was looking for a job. We were heartsick about our adoption being put on hold and scared about how long he would be unemployed. But it was also very nice to spend some time with each other at home and Jeff had been unhappy for awhile with his company so there was some relief that it was over.

Five snacks that I enjoy: Only five?
1. Pita Chips (Staceys found at Costco)
2. Peanut M&Ms
3. Rice cake, spread with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins
4. Jamba Juice Orange Dream Machine
5. anything chocolate

Five things I would do if I were a millionaire?
* I have always felt that having this much money would be more hassle than anything else. How does one even decide?
1. Buy a house that has enough space for three kids, a dog and two adults. Our current house is 1138 square feet of "cozy". Really "cozy"...a.k.a. "cramped".
2. Set aside enough cash for all three of my children to go to college/specialty training of their choice without worrying.
3. Purchase a vacation home near the ocean and another near skiing.
4. Buy my parents something crazy extravagant...a car? A cruise? Something they would really enjoy.
5. Buy my brother the totally impractical, convertible 60's type gas guzzling boat of a car he has always wanted.

Five Bad Habits
1. Being over-sensitive
2. Being a little too compulsive
3. Real Coca Cola (can't go diet...just can't do it)
4. No self control, I mean NONE, when it comes to chocolate chip cookies
5. Nervous chatter when I am uncomfortable

Five Things I Like To Do
1. Read
2. Go to the Beach, any time of year
3. Pajama Days
4. Go to dinner, coffee, lunch (doesn't matter) with my husband and then we hit the bookstore to browse
5. A satisfying dish session with a good girlfriend

Five Things I Would Never Wear, Buy, or Get New Again
( Almost everything I wore as a child or pre-teen is back in style. )
1. Mini skirts
2. Just about everything in Forever 21
3. Colored mascara
4. Fake nails
5. Legwarmers

Five Favorite Games or Toys
First I have to say that I am not very technically savvy. The blog is a stretch for me. So I don't have too many "toys". So I will go with games that do not make me cringe when my children pull them out and ask me to play.

1. Cranium
2. Memory
3. Sequence
4. Connect Four (Jeff and I actually played this for hours in a Thailand bar back in 1993.)
5. Jenga

Well that's about it. As I read this I find that I am not very exciting. Five games and they are all kid games? Yikes. What does that say? That my years of adult type entertainment are a pretty distant memory. And now if we are among friends and finally get the kids to sleep and still have some time to hang out we usually open another bottle of wine and relax. No one runs to the game cabinet and grabs Monopoly.

Well that's it for now. Still waiting to hear that the next group of matches has been mailed. Will post as soon as I hear.

The Ritz!

Here's a 100% guaranteed remedy for the referral blues...a weekend at the Ritz. Send the kids or pets or both( as the case may be) to the grandparents and head to Half Moon Bay. The hotel and scenery are gorgeous and the staff spoils you rotten. Be sure to eat yourself silly and get a massage and a pedicure. Of course, Jeff just chose the sauna. He's not a "massage person". His loss as far as I am concerned. Sleep as much as you want and walk along the ocean at least twice a day. You will return to civilization very relaxed and happy. You might not even think about the fact that you missed the last referral cut-offs by TWO days.

Oh yeah, and to make it even MORE relaxing.. make sure your husband's company foots the bill. It adds a lot to the relaxation factor. Jeff won a sales "comp" at work and we were given an all exclusive weekend at the Ritz. I made reservations as soon as my hot little hand could get to the phone and off we went. It was great. We figure it might be our last weekend away for quite a while so we didn't take a moment for granted.

Hi all! Just wanted to post some happy referral news! The Teague Family received their referral today! Go check out their blog and see beautiful Ryleigh Gyll for yourself. She is just a doll and I am so happy for them. Stacey, of the gorgeous 100 Wishes Quilt, and I have been emailing or instant messaging just about nightly since January. I don't know how I would have made it through this process without her quite frankly. She has made Jeff's life so much easier!! So go on and take a look. Ryleigh is just adorable. Congratulations to the Teagues!