Our Newest Nephew...

I guess we weren't the only ones waiting for our LOA...apparently, our newest nephew was waiting for our LOA to come so he could come too ;-) Rodney's sister delivered a beautiful little boy early this morning...here are a few pictures of the chubby little bundle.

Rodney's sister, Shanda, and Asa

Our brother-in-law, Trevor, and Asa
Congratulations Shanda & Trevor!!

Shanda and Rodney are 15 years apart...he was a very proud big brother and a thrilled new uncle.

Sending love & hugs to Asa...and of course our Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 125....

LOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, do I need to say more?

Sending love & hugs to our Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 118...

Still no news yet, but hopefully by the end of the week. I am hoping that as I sit here, at 1:03 am on Monday morning, that some CCAA employee in China at 1:03 pm is mailing out our LOA ;-)

I wanted to share a really sweet conversation between me and Parker. We had just had a little family Wii bowling tournament where Parker won the first round, yes the 4 year old beat his 2 older brothers and father, and then lost to Jacob in the second round. He was distraught. Long story short, I began crying like him because he beat me...trying to prove the point of a good sport. Anyway, we began laughing and telling stories of "remember when...." Rodney told a few, then Jacob and when it came Parker's turn to tell us his "remember when I was a baby and you got me from....where did you get me from?"

I asked him, "what do you mean?"

"Where did you get me from? America or China or something?" he asked.

"We got you in America," I answered."

"Oh yeah, remember when I was a baby and you got me in America and......." he continued.

How precious is that? Parker knows that he was born to us because he has seen pictures and video of him in the hospital, when I was pregnant, etc., but for him to not even think about it and just assume that he is like Anna and Elli / Anna and Elli are like him - I love it. Yes, he will "understand" the differences later, but the innocence of it and just to believe that Anna and Elli are his sisters that have/are coming to us completely normal, it was the sweetest thing of the day!

Sending love & hugs to our Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 113...

I don't want to say anything prematurely (God knows, I have been wrong before!!!!) BUT, I feel very good about the coming week...and rightfully so. Hopefully I will have more details soon.

Sending love & hugs to our Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 108...

I have no news....zero, nada, nothing. To my knowledge, there is no package on its way. Which means, that at the earliest it will be the end of next week. There is nothing I can do about any of it, other than count my days and try to be productive in the meantime....easier said than done!

On a positive note, we have made...actually I haven't done anything...great progress on the house. The roofers are suppose to start today. Hopefully the electrical and plumbing will begin next week. Tomorrow, we are going to start "clean up" from the framers. The weather is expected to be great tomorrow, so I am honestly looking forward to getting outside and working. The fun part will be actually being productive and keeping Parker and Anna out of trouble. Kids have a talent at being able to find something mischievous to get into even when there is nothing mischievous around...at least my kids do!

It is so fun to "plan" what will go where. I am not a real stickler on everything having to be perfect - thank goodness...with my kids and my husband, that never happens! But I like to have a general idea of what I am planning on doing. As we were walking through the bedrooms I loved saying, "the girls' room". I was trying to envision where we would place 2 beds for the 2 beauties and it was fun. I think a little therapeutic actually. After so long of nothing on the adoption end, it is good to be able to plan something about her coming home. Sometimes it can seem like it is never going to happen, but just standing in Elli and Anna's room and thinking of the 2 of them in there, was good for me. It is going to happen...I don't know when, but we are getting ready for her. And doing that is a boost for my spirits.

Sending love & hugs to our Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 99....Last of the 2 Digit Days

Tomorrow we officially enter the Century Club....in no way is this an esteemed club to be a member. I remember feeling so bad for those who had to wait over 100 days with Anna's adoption. I thought, "how horrible to wait so long!" Well, you know the saying, "you don't know till you have been there"? Well, I can officially say tomorrow, YES, it is horrible!!!

There was a package delivered to our agency last Friday. We were so hopeful that our LOA would be inside, but it wasn't. There was one lone travel approval. Although I am thrilled for that family, I must admit I was soooo disappointed. I did see a post yesterday for a family with another agency that did get their LOA and they have the same LID as us, 11.18. It may be another week, 2, month...who knows when our agency will get another package, but we surely will be next. I would love for everyone remaining with our agency to all get their LOAs. There is no point in them having to wait this long....plus I would love to travel with them and see their cuties in person ;-)

Sending love & hugs to Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 90...

Why do I estimate these thing? Why do I torture myself? Why is this adoption process lasting FOREVER??!!?!??! Obviously, we haven't heard anything YET. I did see a 02.09 LOA for a LID on 11.09...we are LID on 11.18. You can do an estimation if you want - I refuse. However, I will say that Rodney's birthday is on Thursday, so......

There is currently no one at my agency waiting for travel approval and we should be next in line for news. The agency hasn't gotten any packages since the CNY, so it has to be close...it has to.

Sending love & hugs to our Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 81...

I wanted to give an update on my mom...she went yesterday afternoon for her post-op visit and the surgeon told her that her decision to have the type of surgery she had was a wise one. He said that there was more cancer in the tissue that was removed and removing another smaller area might have gotten clear margins, but there would have been more cancer left - maybe even undetected. We are so glad that God gave her the wisdom to make the right choice and the courage to follow through with a very hard decision.

She is healing well and feeling better. She will meet with an oncologist for her treatment plan which should consist of some oral meds, but no chemo or radiation! That is just awesome news for all of us.

Yesterday I saw a post for a TA on one of my yahoo groups and usually those things come in waves. So maybe our agency will be getting a package full of goodies soon ;-)

Thankful while sending love and hugs to Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 78...

Unintentionally, I have been on a bit of a hiatus. It has been really busy to be sooo not interesting. First, my mom had her surgery last Friday and did wonderfully. She is recovering well and we are so thankful things went as well as they did. She was suppose to go back for her post-op today, but it was cancelled because the surgeon was in surgery....so it is rescheduled for Friday. It is our prayer that the pathology report is good!

No news on the adoption front. We are quickly..as in 2 days...approaching 80 days. I am starting to get into that mode where I check the caller id when the phone rings thinking it "might" be our agency. It kind of does a number on your nerves...but thankfully I am still pretty calm which is a blessing.

On the fundraising front, I have sold 2 card designs and a blog design in my Etsy store - that's a start!

The weather here is crazy cold, warm, then crazy cold again. It hasn't gotten above freezing for the last 2 day, but a warming trend starts tomorrow. Living in this older house, the heating isn't great and I just can't get warm enough.

Rodney and I have been looking here, there and everywhere for the best prices on EVERYTHING! I have lists and lists of prices for the house. The timing of building a house is a bit crazy right now, but when we got an offer on our house, especially in the "then" deteriorating housing market, we didn't feel like we needed to pass on a buyer. And now with the current market - it was the best decision. We were able to get what we wanted out of our house and "thought" we might be able to get the house done before Elli got home - WRONG! So now it is mid-winter, we are just starting on the house, we are expecting our LOA any day and while trying to build a home for our family, we are trying to fundraise and save for our trip to China. I am not complaining about anything, I'm very happy were we are in our family's journey, it's just kind of stressful at times. There honestly doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to get it all done...and I need to do more. This will definitely be one of those "remember when" stories!

Sending love & hugs to our Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 69...Gung Hay Fat Choy!!!

January 26th marks the start of the Chinese New Year celebration. According to the Chinese Zodiac calendar, 2009 is the Year of the Ox. People throughout China, and all over the world are celebrating the new year. Thousands will make the long journey home to be with their families during the festivities. This is the holiday of holidays in China.

The CCAA, the governmental agency that oversees the international adoptions in China, will be closed throughout the "Chinese New Year" celebration. No news is expected for at least another week. I expect us to be waiting 80 days + for our LOA...but a surprise would be nice ;-) Hopefully Elli is having a wonderful time as the sounds of the celebrations are sure to echo the halls of her orphanage.

My mom's appointment last week and rescheduled for today. It was decided that she would have her surgery on Friday morning. Thank you for your prayers and kind emails. We ask for your continued prayers for her surgery and recovery.

Sending love & hugs to Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Seeds of the Heart...

Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I love to make things. I do a little bit of everything. I love the whole creation process and seeing a finished product. My latest "craft" is digital designs. I have made cards in the past, some Christmas gifts and of course playing around with the blog templates for Anna's and Elli's blog. Whatever I am doing, I want to enjoy it. So, I decided, "why not try to make some extra money doing what I like?"

I just, as in today, listed my first items on Etsy.com. Right now, I only have card designs for sale, but will be adding more items in time. The funds, of course, will be going towards adoption expenses. The cards are customizable for any occasion. You can opt to purchase a design and print at a photo finisher of your choice, or I can have the cards printed for you on a heavy matte or glossy cover cardstock with envelopes and shipped directly to you.

If you are in the market, I would love for you to take a look and spread the word. You can get directly to my store by clicking the icon in the right hand column of the blog or go to http://www.seedsoftheheart.etsy.com/

Thanks,
Marcy

Day 63...

I am sick - again! I don't know if it is a virus, the weather or maybe this house. It seems like I have been sick a lot lately, so it may be the heat here. Either way, I will be glad when Spring is here.

We are officially 2 days past Anna's LOA wait, which is good news. It stinks that we didn't break Anna's number, but it also means that any day now we could get our LOA! There was a group of families that got word today from our agency that they had recieved their Travel Approvals. If my memory serves me right, our LOA should be the next news that our agency gets from China...that's exciting!

With so much going on right now, it really is hard to even imagine going to China again, but I am ready. Our lives seem pretty crazy right now, but our family doesn't seem complete. It can be a little overwhelming to try to "plan" the "unplannable", but it doesn't stop me. I suppose I like that overwhelmed feeling - glutton for punishment I guess. I do try to step back and just see the big picture, which doesn't seem to overwhelming. We are just going to China again to get our new daughter...been there, done that, gonna do it again...no biggie. When I try to figure our the logistics, the money, the timeframe - that's when I get a little stressed.

If you remember the other family that went through the immigration nightmare with us in our state that was adopting from Ethiopia, well they got their official "referral" last week. They are waiting for their travel approval as well after their case goes through the courts. She mailed me a picture of him along with her 2 other children and let me say, he is just gorgeous...along with her other two beauties....congratulations!

My mom goes back to the surgeon tomorrow. From our understanding, they will be setting a date for her surgery. She is doing really, really well. I am very thankful for her attitude about the whole situation. The news could devastate anyone. But she seems to have picked herself up and trying her best to be positive...and actually, she is doing a pretty good job at it. She has had several people call her to share their stories that are similar to her's. People that she didn't know had faced the same diagnosis giving her words of comfort and encouragement. It has lifted her spirits....so thanks!

Sending love & hugs to Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 59...

C - O - L - D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rodney got up this morning to discover that our pipes were frozen...no water. He went under the house (poor guy, it was only about 6 outside!) with my hairdryer....not sure how I am going to clean it. Anyway, with no success of thawing the pipes, he called his dad to borrow his pipe thawer thing. The bathroom has copper pipes and they are right on the outside walls. This is an older house so the insulation is not the best...especially in the bathroom and utility room.

As they began to thaw the pipe...they realized that water was running out the back of the house. They weren't real happy with that discovery. So Rodney and his dad spent their morning putting in some new pipe in the place of the busted one.

After Rodney's dad left, and we had water again, I was cleaning the kitchen and went to turn on the washer...they forgot to thaw the pipes in the utility room. So, Rodney's poor dad came back out with the very scary contraption and they thawed those pipes. It is only scary to me because anything that is very "electrical" is frightening to me. I don't like messing with fuse/breaker boxes, anything to do with car batteries, or electric fences (remember I live in the country and electric fences are everywhere). I am not sure where my fear of getting shocked actually came from, but my guess is electric fences. I have been shocked more than once and if there are sparks or potential sparks....I don't wanna mess with it.

So tonight, we are taking some extra precautions to prevent a repeat of this morning. It isn't suppose to get as cold as last night, but freezing temperatures are freezing temperatures. The colder it gets the more I want to hibernate until spring! I like winter to a point. But when you get so cold outside that you shiver uncontrollably - that's just painful.

Getting Elli's pictures from her birthday party was wonderful, but you pick apart all the details in the picture. After the initial excitement of the pictures, it doesn't take long until you start to dissect the scene. There were a ton of thoughts and questions that went through my mind, one being, "Why is she wearing a coat inside?" You can't help but wonder if they have adequate heat. All the kids have on coats, as do the adults. There is no doubt that she is in a good orphanage...knowing that Half the Sky is involved, makes it even more comforting, BUT, she isn't here. I hope she is warm and cozy today as she is waking up...and if she needs a coat inside, I hope they button it up to the top.

Sending love & hugs - warm love & hugs to Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna

Day 58...phew!

I have been pretty sick over the last few days...not physically, but "adoption" sick!! There were reports that a new process was going to be implemented with China adoptions, even those not falling under the Hague guidelines (I-600 vs. I-800). The new step was going to definitely add more "wait" time and involve immigration again - not good! BUT, today I learned that it was a mistake and it did not involve those families on the I-600...which is us. Much happier this afternoon to say the least!

We are on day 58 and honestly our LOA could come any day...or in several days, but it wouldn't be unheard of if we got it....remember Anna's was 61 days. The thought of getting the LOA and then having to wait on immigration to sign off on the form and return to China was making me sick. Then the whole immunization thing - I won't put you guys through my agony on this subject! So glad it was an error and we are still well within our estimated timeline to bring Elli home!

It is insane cold. I would hate to be further north right now. In North Dakota -21...that's just crazy! There are several schools closing tomorrow because of the temperatures - which I really can't understand, but I am hoping our schools close too. I do not want to have to get out in the morning to take the boys. Call me lazy if you want, but it's cold and my flannel sheets feel really good ;-)

Speaking of cold, have you ever watched a movie where there was a lot of snow and you felt "colder"? The movie, The Day After Tomorrow...I seriously about froze to death trying to watch that film (good movie by the way). But today, I got a "breaking news" email about the US Airways plane going down in the Hudson River. I turned it over to Fox News and wow! Amazing that everyone seems to have survived with no serious injuries. That water looked so cold and I shivered as I was watching some of the people getting on the rescue boats. It could have been a horrible scene...there were some very lucky people aboard that flight.

I have a funny story about Parker. I am going to preface this with the fact that there is no negative insinuation here...just a funny line from a 4 year old. Parker asked for a waffle the other day. His daddy toasted the Eg@, put in a plate and drizzled with syrup. Went to the drawer to get a fork and oops, there weren't any clean (telling on myself here). So he got out a plastic fork and handed to Parker. Now we have some chop sticks that we occasionally pull out and Parker knows they are "Chinese forks". He took his plastic fork and said, "Momma!! Daddy gave me a Mexican fork!" Yes, we love our Mexican take out. After he said it, I started thinking, that may be the only place that he has ever used a plastic fork, at least that he remembers. Fast food/Pizza = finger foods; eat in restaurants = silverware; but Mexican takeout = Plastic Forks. He is a very funny boy.

Sending love & hugs to our Elli,

Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker and Anna