China Bound

Merry Christmas to all!

2009-12-24T16:52:00.004-07:00

Yes, the cat was in the tree. A tribute to Jackson who is no longer with us.

3 Years Today

2009-09-11T12:11:00.003-06:00

Looking back on my post from September 11, 2006, it is unbelievable that it is 3 years later and here we are still waiting to be matched. At the time of log in we were told 14-16 months and that was considered a long wait at the time.
Reality is, if it continues to take 5 months to get through each month of matching then we are still over 24 months away bringing us to a grand total of 5 YEARS waiting to bring a daughter home China.
I have been very optimistic all along, where Drew has always been cautious thinking it is all unpredictable and uncertain. He is now asking me how much longer are we willing to wait, 2, 3, 5 years? We are getting older, he is losing faith and I have to say that I may be too. Where we are by January 1 will be a little better indicator if this so called "speed up" that was supposed to happen ages ago held any truth at all.
There has been talk that "March 2006 was the largest month of families waiting and once we get through them" or "the new orphanage mandatory donation fee being raised from $3000 to $5000 will enable orphanages to have more paperwork ready children" and on and on and on.
We never renewed our paperwork when it expired the first time and I am glad we did not. It would have been wasted money, as we knew, so now it's a guessing game as to what will happen next.
We are beyond fortunate to have been blessed this year with a son and for now, I am still hoping and praying that he will have that sister from China that we have been dreaming of for well over 3 years now.

3 years and counting...

One of Drew's many projects

2009-06-24T15:46:00.004-06:00

Before the arrival of the baby, we are on a mission to completely clear out our house and so far we have done a great job. Countless trips to the Salvation Army have enabled us to have 3 "clutter free" bedrooms AND closets and the final stage is the garage.
Our canoe has always taken up way too much space so my husband finally came up with a creative idea to properly store it utilizing the fridge in the garage (smart I tell ya). He did a little research online and came across directions to build himself a little shelf (probably doesn't like me to call it that) but I must say it was an AWESOME idea. I don't think we will use the canoe much in the next year unfortunately so it really was worth it to gain the space.
Oh, what life would be like with a basement!

The year has come and gone :(

2009-06-18T13:42:00.004-06:00

It is with mixed emotions that we took Jena to the airport on Saturday, June 6th. The year went by so quickly it is truly scary how quickly time passes us by as we get older. The above picture was right when she left us to go to her gate.

Jena was sad to leave yet so excited to return to her country and her family that she had not seen in 10 months. Such a HUGE thing for a 17 year old and she handled it like a champ, rarely ever showing any signs throughout the year of being homesick.

I have to say I was more emotional than I thought I would be putting her on the plane knowing how long she had to travel and the thought that we may not see her again for along time. I am confident we will keep in touch forever, and she still has high hopes of visiting us when we finally ever get to travel to China to bring our daughter home. It was a wonderful that she got to share most this pregnancy at least with her host mom, and I am certain we will meet again one day in the near future, especially if she comes back to the states during college.

We miss you Jena! Love, Drew and Nicole

Jena's going away party

2009-06-18T13:34:00.006-06:00

We had a get together for Jena with the people/families she was close with this year one week before she left. We had pizza and cake at our clubhouse pool and it turned out really nice. Great weather and great friends all together one last time before she left us. It was actually sad realizing that a whole year had passed us by so quickly. I truly hope the contacts she made will stay with her throughout life.

Memorial Day at the Aquarium and Polynesian

2009-05-27T05:28:00.006-06:00

That three day weekend is just what I needed! It was the first weekend in a very long time that actually felt like a weekend...the end of school is near I just know it!
Saturday we took Jena to the last place on her Tampa sightseeing list which was the Aquarium. We had a great time and then we treated ourselves to a yummy lunch at Sweet Tomatoes which was also a first for Jena and of course she LOVED it. Food+soup/salad buffet - the kid was in heaven.

Monday we drove to Orlando to see Drew's brother, wife and the kids. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, they chose to hang around the resort that day and save the park hopping for Tuesday when there was hopefully less crowds. We relaxed at the pool at the Polynesian for most of the afternoon so it was very nice. Only thing that would have made it better was if we stayed there 2-3 nights ourselves and not come back to Tampa for work.

Jena's exciting adventure

2009-05-24T12:35:00.006-06:00

Last weekend Jena had her final visit with the exchange student area reps.
She has had to have 3 overnight visits throughout the school year and they have always done really fun things with the girls.
This past weekend they went to Arabian Nights in Orlando and then horseback riding on Sunday. Her and Lina, the Colombian exchange student, had a wonderful time and I am so glad she had this opportunity.

FCC Tampa Luncheon last week

2009-05-18T18:06:00.007-06:00

I was lucky to be able to attend our local Families with Children from China luncheon this past Saturday. We had not been since October and I probably won't make it again for quite some time.
Most of the families we are acquainted with were there and Amy and Greg announced their referral for their son, Tyler and now they are waiting to travel to bring him home. Michelle and Neil also introduced their new daughter Phoebe who has just come home recently from Taiwan.
Drew had class and Jena had overnight plans so unfortunately they missed out. Jena just loves seeing the precious children just come home, especially when they are from Taiwan.

All the girls...Michelle and Chloe, Treena and Jemma (who is now walking). I am holding Phoebe, Chloe's new little sister.

Jemma entertaining her new friend Phoebe

Group photo including Kip and Neil.

The Countdown Begins

2009-05-11T17:41:00.003-06:00

ONLY 4 WEEKS LEFT OF SCHOOL UNTIL SUMMER!!!

It is so hard to believe we have made it to the final stretch. Jena can hardly believe she has been in America for 10 months now with very little time left until she returns to Taiwan.
This year has been a great experience for all of us and Drew and I want more than anything for Jena to leave here feeling like she accomplished things and got something out of her stay here. We have an ongoing joke in our house about her schooling...she is taking many electives (Culinary, Drama, Ceramics, Forensic Science) and these are classes that do not exist in Taiwan. It is strictly academics so this has been wonderful for her. However, we are a little concerned when she returns to her Senior year in Taiwan that she won't know what to do with herself because she will be back to totally intense studying.
She took the SAT two weeks ago and the math was comparable to what she learned in SIXTH GRADE IN TAIWAN. The absolute hardest part of her year was when her Drama teacher required them to learn to juggle tennis balls. She practiced for two weeks straight and only got a B- for her grade. I think it is pretty sad to think that was harder than any academics she faced in a new country and a new language all year long.
Our upcoming weekends are filled with fun stuff so we look forward to enjoying them before saying goodbye. Jena gave me a very sweet Mother's Day card and gift yesterday that really made my day.
Here's to 16 1/2 more student days, whoo hoo!!!!!!!!!

Log In Date AND a Due Date??????

2009-04-26T18:37:00.003-06:00

Well, this post is long overdue. I put it off for obvious reasons in the beginning to be certain this was really happening. December 1st we had the shock of our lives, and I do mean SHOCK! After waiting close to 3 years for our daughter from China, we found out we were not only waiting for her, but we were also expecting.
There are no words to describe how we felt as this is something we have never even thought about again since about 4 years ago prior to starting the adoption process. We always knew in our hearts we wanted to be adoptive parents so that is the route we chose over pursuing other avenues to begin our family.

We feel so completely blessed to have been given this opportunity. Not only am I so thankful that I am experiencing pregnancy, but I have also been blessed with it being terrible easy so far. I was 26 weeks yesterday, so only 2 weeks away from beginning the third trimester.

Since this is our adoption blog, I will not be posting much on the babyfront here, but I have started a new blog for anyone interested. There is a link to the right under "Renshaw Baby Blog".

We are so lucky to have such great friends and family who have been so supportive of us. I'm sure it's all their prayers that have gotten me this far while being so healthy. Talk about a 40th birthday suprise...I turn 40 in June and my due date is August 1.

3 1/2 months to go and then hopefully less than 24 months left until China!

Almost May!!

2009-04-26T18:32:00.003-06:00

Well, Spring Break has come and gone. Jena had a FABULOUS time on her trip to Washington and New York. She showed us a short 465 slide show of her trip and it was truly amazing for her. What a wonderful opportunity she had and I am sure this will make her year here so much more memorable.
We attended Relay for Life two weeks ago where I have been the Team Captain at my school for over 4 years now. The weeks are flying by so fast and it's hard to believe we are down to only 6 weeks of school!

Spring Break is HERE!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-06T05:31:00.005-06:00

5:45 AM waiting for her host mom to get out of bed to take her to the airport :)

This is our week of spring break and it could not have come any sooner. Jena left Saturday for a fabulous trip to DC, Philly, and NY. She is going with a group called Explore American which is a travel service just for exchange students in the US each year. They offer about 5 different trips throughout the school year and Jena was lucky enough to take advantage of this.

A big bonus was that her friend Sophie was joining her. Sophie is also from Chiayi, Taiwan and she has been placed with a host family outside Fort Wayne, Indiana this year but they have not seen each other. They are rooming with 2 girls from Germany and we are so excited for her and this opportunity.

I am leaving Tuesday to spend a few days in Louisville with my family. Unfortunately it's a short visit compared to my usual week there, but I am looking forward to it EXCEPT the fact I am going to a high of 40 and a low of 30 tomorrow. Guess I'll be relaxing at the pool today in the sunny 80+ weather to prepare myself.

Jena talking to her mom and dad through Skype between packing the night before she left...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREW!!!

2009-04-01T18:44:00.003-06:00

Yes my dear husband's birthday is on April Fool's Day. What a lucky guy he is! These pictures were testing out his new tricky tripod I got him from LL Bean. It's actually for when we camp cause it does cool stuff like wraps around trees, bike handlebars, etc. We tested it out wrapped around a plant in the living room. Oh the fun we have :)

Best Secret Around

2009-03-03T05:43:00.005-07:00

Drew's parents came to visit last weekend on their way to Fort Myers. We took them to a tiny town north of here called San Antonio for the best Mexican lunch ever. The restaurant is Pancho's Villa and it's hidden in this tiny little town with what seems about a population of 100. It's the most authentic food we've ever had aside from in Mexico and the highlight is the pure sugarcane imported Coca Cola's. Coke has just never been the same and you know it with that first sip!
We enjoyed a nice weekend and they will be back our way this week for 2 nights on the way back to Louisville.

Blog Post Slacker

2009-02-16T17:30:00.004-07:00

Well, it's been quite awhile since a good old blog post has appeared and I guess I have felt rather lazy so far in the new year. We have also slowed down our activities quite a bit after Christmas and we have been enjoying our weekends staying close to home.
Drew's parents will be visiting us this weekend and then we don't have much planned until April. For Spring Break, Jena will be going to New York, D.C. and Philadelphia with a tour group that caters to exchange students spending the year in America. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for her and we are so excited for her to get this awesome experience. She will be gone 6 days and 7 nights.
I will be heading out to Louisville to visit for Spring Break so I am looking forward to some gorgeous weather (we hope of course...with the way things have been going with the weather around there lately, anything is possible). Drew will be hanging here enjoying some peace and quiet with the house to himself for the week.
Below are some pictures taken a few weekends ago. We took Jena on a little canoe trip down the Hillsborough River; lots of gators, turtles and birds that day (click on the pics to enlarge them...see if you can spot the gator). The weather was so amazing. I think she enjoyed it!

Jena's latest Project

2009-01-13T15:19:00.009-07:00

Below is Jena's latest project that we just got around to getting rid of. It is something she tried for the first time and has decided one time was enough. Through tears and frustration trying to assemble it, she was glad when the day finally came to be rid of the dreadful thing.

She worked hard on this project

It was nice to have around...

Then she found a weapon of mass destruction...

cookie crumbs...

Christmas 2008

2009-01-05T17:59:00.005-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We were able to visit family in Louisville over the Christmas break and it was wonderful that we got to share this with Jena. The temperatures ranged from -6 to almost 70 degrees in a seven day time span; that was pretty wild for us Floridians.
Jena loved getting to know our families and it was fun to show her some of our familys' Christmas traditions (as well as the normal chaos that goes with Christmas morning and children opening gifts). We spent equal time with both of our families, so it worked out wonderfully. I especially loved all the time spent with our nieces and nephews; they are growing up so quickly.
We went to see "A Christmas Carol" which was wonderful. We had not seen this in a couple of years and it was nice to share what we had grown up with, with Jena.
Jena was hoping to see snow for the first time and got a glimpse of some flurries, but nothing substantial...maybe next time!
I try to post pictures as often as I can so Jena's family and friends in Taiwan can view how she's doing, so I hope you will enjoy the photos.
Happy New Year to everyone and wishing you the best for 2009! No China referral for us this year, but can we cross our fingers for the end of 2010 by Christmas???

Camping at Fort De Soto

2008-12-05T18:52:00.005-07:00

The day after Thanksgiving we packed up and headed over to the beach for a camping trip. Pauline, Billy, Cindy and Zoey joined us so we were 7 total, 3 tents, 3 cars, 1 canoe and a bunch of racoons.
The weather was beautiful. Just chilly enough to still wear long pants in the daytime and a good fleece at night. We had a campfire going each night and this time we brought a stove so we were able to make yummy breakfasts like pancakes and eggs.
Our campsite was right on the water so it was perfect. Saturday we spent the day on the beach and touring the Fort. Drew and I have 2 tents so we took the little one and Jena, Cindy and Zoey shared our new big one.
Drew had Jena and Zoey building fires by Saturday. We all had a great time and Jena absolutely LOVED it! Drew and I were a little worried she may not like it, may get bored, etc. She said it was the "best vacation ever" (alot of things are the best thing ever since she's been here so we feel very lucky to have a child that is so easily pleased).
Below are some highlights from our weekend...Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Jena's First Turkey Day

2008-12-05T18:14:00.004-07:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving at Pauline's house as we have done for the past 5 years. It was Jena's first Turkey Day and she thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of our day.
We were so thankful and blessed to be with close friends on this day since we could not be with our families.
Below are some "highlights" of our day. Jena asked me not to mention anything about how much she ate so I won't :)
Click on "View all Images below for a "faster view"

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2008-11-24T05:29:00.007-07:00

We have been so busy, time is flying by. We have been telling Jena about Thanksgiving and Christmas since she arrived back in August and it is certainly hard to believe we're already here.
Two weeks ago we all saw Phantom of the Opera for the first time. It was absolutely wonderful and we all enjoyed it very much.

There are very few pictures lately that include Host Dad so we thought we'd give him a little blog time this week. The TampaBay Performing Arts is right on the
Hillsborough River and we even saw dolphins while we were waiting to go inside.

Yesterday we got our house ready for Christmas. Normally we do this the weekend AFTER Thanksgiving but this year we will be camping for 3 days immediately after so it will be nice to come home to the house already decorated (assuming the curious cats do not destroy things while we are gone). Maya was very helpful with the decorations as you can see.

Next stop...Thanksgiving. This will be the 5th year we celebrate the holiday in Tampa with friends we previously lived in Key West with. A bunch of us who do not have immediate family in the area get together for food and fun and this year we are all carrying it over to a camping trip at Fort DeSoto Beach. The weather is predicted to be highs around 75 and lows between 50-55 so perfect weather for the occasion.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!!

CCAI Florida/Georgia Reunion 2008

2008-11-10T18:32:00.008-07:00

This past Saturday, we spent the day in Orlando at our adoption agency's annual Florida reunion. It was held at Turkey Lake Park and the weather was gorgeous! The park is a campground as well, so we may try it sometime as another camping option.
We arrived early since we were helping with the registration of families as they arrived. It was a great opportunity to meet other families and see how their families have grown through adoption.
Our agency founders/directors for the whole US were there, Joshua Zhong and Lily Nie. They were both quite interested in Jena and her experience here as an exchange student so she got to hang out with them a bit and talk in Chinese (which she always likes since she can't do that at home :))

Picture with Lily

Other friends arrived including Tom, Irene and Maggie; Neil, Michelle and Chloe; and Kip, Treena and Jemma. We got to hang out and play with the kiddos while enjoying food and Chinese performances that included music and dance. Overall, it was a great afternoon, but it's hard to believe that it has been 2 whole years since the last reunion, when we had JUST received word that we had a log-in date. Unfortunately, we will probably see one more reunion, in 2 years, until it's our turn.

All the girls

Chloe & Maggie

Genie vs. Punk Rocker

2008-11-04T05:23:00.014-07:00

Jena got to go Trick or Treating and she thought that it was AWESOME! She did not intend to dress up, but our friends insisted she wear a costume and when I picked her up...there she was, Genie costume and all!
She had a great time and was amazed at the amount of candy she received just walking up to peoples doors and asking for it. She said "this is the best holiday ever" as she was sorting through it all, making piles of "good stuff" and "bad stuff" and of course "the unknown". Wait till she sees what I am like around Christmas...maybe that will be her new favorite holiday :)

Jena's big challenge is hiding her candy from Host Mom and Dad!

Jena picked a good year to be here

2008-10-28T15:41:00.003-06:00

Jena always says she picked a great year to come to America and especially Tampa since we have so much going on this year.
First there was the Olympics going on when she got here. It was neat to see her perspective on things and hear her teenage point of view coming from Taiwan with the Olympics in China.
Next she gets to witness our country elect a new President which is absolutely huge for her and so cool for her to be a part of. She got to vote with Drew on the very first day so she was very excited about that.
Then of course we have sports. Jena is a big baseball fan (New York Yankees) but she is routing hard for our own Rays who are postponed right now in the middle of the 5th game of the World Series to determine if there will be another game and possible chance for them to make history.
Next we have the SuperBowl which will be hosted in Tampa this year so there is so much for her to be excited about. Oh, and friends of mine are huge Yankee fans and they plan to take Jena to a game this spring in Tampa. Of course all her friends want her to purchase merchandise to bring back home with her.
Go Rays!!

Asian Pacific Rim Festival & Beach

2008-10-13T19:01:00.011-06:00

Once again we found something fun to entertain Jena with this past weekend. In St. Pete there was a weekend long festival called the Asian Pacific Rim Festival. It ran both days and there was plenty of foods and arts and crafts that are indigenous to each country. We learned a little history/geography as well about some polynesian islands that we were unfamiliar with.
At the Taiwan booths I bought a couple of really cool things that Jena promises she can send me more of when she returns home. It was also really neat because one of the ladies working is from Jena's hometown of Chiayi which is several hours south of Tapei.

We met up with our friends Michelle, Neil & Chloe and also Kip, Treena and Jemma. It was great catching up with them since it has been quite awhile since we have all been together. All of us plan to meet in Orlando this November for our adoption agency's(CCAI) reunion. This will be a fun-filled day in the park with food and lots activities for the kids. The CCAI reunion is exactly where the 6 of us met 2 years ago.
The picture of the daddies and daughters would have been really great if Drew could have put Jena on his shoulders as our "daughter on loan for a school year"...she said "absolutely NO WAY". (I think she was afraid he'd drop her).

Once we were nice and toasty on this very hot and sunny day, the 3 of us left the festivities and headed to the beach at Indian Rocks. It was absolutely beautiful! The water was the perfect temperature and very clear. We stayed about 2 hours and it was a great first time at the beach for Jena (about time, since she's been here since August 1st).

Universal Studios - September 2008

2008-10-01T19:33:00.006-06:00

We spend last Saturday at Universal and it was a perfect weekend for it. It was a beautiful day, 85 with no humidity and hardly crowded at all compared to what it could be. The longest we waited for any attraction was 40 minutes so that was great. Jena had a great time and we did as well. She wanted to capture some funny pictures for her blog so that explains some of the silly photos above.
The park closed at 5pm in preparation of Halloween Horror Nights but it was just enough time to enjoy everything then take Jena for her first meal at a Hard Rock Cafe.
We've all had a long week but ready to tackle Busch Gardens this Saturday with some of Jena's friends. Jena and I will also be attending a baby shower on Sunday for baby Jemma just home from Taiwan.
Love the weekends!

This aunt just loves to brag...

2008-09-26T15:41:00.006-06:00

Since we don't have kids yet it is very convenient for me to borrow my siblings kids. My brother said when they were waiting for the last baby to be born, his wife always said she "wants her blonde hair blue-eyed baby". I think she got one, what do you think? This is miss Hallie Nicole's 1 year picture and she is wearing the same dress that big sis Isabel wore for her 1 year picture. I can hardly wait to see this one at Christmas (and Jena can hardly wait too).
I just returned from a fabulous 2 day conference in Orlando. We stayed at the Gaylord Palms which is about as fancy as it gets (for me anyways) :)
It was so much fun and I felt like I learned alot but we also played a little since there were 6 of us friends that went together.
Tomorrow we are taking Jena to Orlando to Universal Studios so hopefully I will get some fun new pictures to post after our trip. We had free passes and just realized they expire this Tuesday so with such short notice Jena couldn't really invite a friend but I think she will still have fun anyways.
Hooray for Friday!!

Welcome Home Party!

2008-09-21T08:31:00.007-06:00

Yesterday we took Jena to her first FCC luncheon. It was a great afternoon since all our friends were there to celebrate two of the newest babies home with their families. Although she has had a cold and couldn't taste everything, Jena was very excited about the "American Chinese" buffet and she went back several times to be sure she didn't miss anything.
John and Nancy got to introduce little miss Lily who has been home 2 weeks yesterday. She is doing great and keeping them busy for sure:)

Next came Kip and Treena with baby Jemma who has been home almost a month now. She is almost 7 months old and so very healthy and happy. When you adopt from China, usually the youngest the child is when you actually bring them home is about 9 months. In Taiwan, typically the child is between 4 and 8 weeks at referral then you travel to bring them home anywhere between 3 and 5 months after that. It was so fun to see her take in all the sights and sounds.

This next photo is very special too. Jena Chen from Taiwan meeting Jemma Chen from Taiwan. Jena thinks it is so amazing as she never knew about the adoption world. She tells her mother everything and her mother thinks we are all "so kind".

CCAI is having a Florida Reunion this November in Orlando. 2 years ago we went shortly after finishing all our paperwork and we had a great time. This is where we began to make friends with fellow families adopting from China in our area. We first met Kip and Treena here and found out we have the exact same LID date for China, 9/11/06. We are making plans to hopefully attend with them again this year. This time will be even more fun since we will have Jena and Jemma with us too:)

Weekend in Orlando

2008-09-09T19:09:00.006-06:00

This past weekend we went on a little trip to Orlando. My brother and his wife Heather came down to spend the week at Disney with the twins who will be turning 5 this month.
We got there early on Saturday before they arrived so we could take Jena shopping at some outlet stores. She had a great time and she found lots of great bargains for clothes for school. This is the first time she has really been shopping here since her first weekend. I could tell she enjoyed it so much more now that she has settled in.
The kids were so excited to see us. I think Isabel was pretty much attached to me the whole time. They stayed at the Grand Floridian which was really cool and we got to enjoy the shuttles by boat and monorail to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner Saturday night. I think Jena really enjoyed her first trip to Orlando too.
Sunday we hung out at the resort and swam in the pools, had lunch, then we rented "Motor Mice" or is that Motor Mouses? We are really not sure what they were called but they were pretty cool.
Jena has never driven ANYTHING in her life and she was told she could not drive anything while in the US. Since the age limit for driving was 12 and older, we felt she could handle it, right Jena? Check her out her expert boating skills.

Below are some more pics of our fun weekend in Orlando...You can click on any of them to make them bigger.

Those Eyes!

2008-09-09T18:57:00.005-06:00

Recent photos of our newest niece, Hallie who just turned 1 last month. Her eyes are truly amazing and it's so funny how Jena, our exchange student, can hardly get enough of American kids with all their light features. I on the other hand, can hardly get enough of her baby cousin in Taiwan. Isn't it funny how that works?
We just spent the weekend with Hallie's big brother and sister in Orlando. She stayed in KY with the grandparents...we missed her so much!

Jena preparing for first day of school

2008-08-16T18:41:00.004-06:00

So, Jena will be taking her lunch to school each day, unless she can find any school food worthy of purchasing.
We told her this lunch box featuring the Jonas Brothers would be a HUGE hit as a 17 year old in an American high school...is this mean of us? Do you think she will make friends?
Okay, we really purchased this for a 7 year old with a birthday tomorrow, but she still got a good laugh out of it.

So much great stuff...

2008-08-16T17:32:00.012-06:00

Today is the last Saturday before I am officially back to work. Teachers had pre-planning last week, but our kids will be there this Monday...yikes! I am so not ready but here we go again.
Our friends, Kip and Treena, left today for Taiwan to bring home their beautiful daughter, Jemma, and John and Nancy leave on Thursday for China to bring home Lily. John and Nancy are going to enjoy some of the activity in Beijing before meeting up with their travel group. What a fantastic opportunity to get in on the action of the Olympics while there for such a special occasion.
Jena, our exchange student, has officially been here for 2 weeks. After losing 1 of only 2 bags she brought here for 1 year in Hong Kong, it was found and delivered to us 2 days later. We felt so bad for her since this was the most important suitcase (contact lenses, clothes, etc) but she recovered from the scare, especially since Continental gave her $100 worth of shopping for her "troubles". We have had so much fun getting to know her and we have learned so much from her already about the Taiwanese culture. It has also been interesting to watch the Olympics with her, beginning with the open ceremonies, and hearing more about the politics between China and Taiwan.
Her favorite sport is baseball, as this is very big in Taiwan. She has been up early two days this week watching Taiwan vs. Japan and Taiwan vs. China in the Olympics. A fellow Taiwanese is on the NY Yankees and we will be taking her to a spring training game or a Devil Rays game here in Tampa. Her friends are SO jealous!
A great thing for Drew and I has been introducing all of our foods to her. She is an extremely good eater (as alot of teens are not), and so far the only things we know that she does NOT like are goat cheese, and Drew's insane "tofurkey" (don't ask, he's back to vegetarian). We have also found out that she has a distaste for green beans; we are in good shape.
Monday will be her first day in an American high school. She has come to us with a preconcieved notion of high school in America from watching movies like "Step it Up" and "Mean Girls". It will be very interesting to hear her impression after a couple of days. The school she is attending has over 2000 students with an extremely diverse population, which is great. This will truly give her a chance to experience our culture, no holds barred.
Now that we have some excitement in our lives, enduring this painful wait for our daughter wont be so bad. I will have fun things to post about. How cool that we are parents to a teenager before a baby? We could not have had a better match between exchange student and host family. We have become really close, really fast and we are so excited about the upcoming year.

New Babies Everywhere!

2008-07-31T09:05:00.006-06:00

Wow, what a month for babies around here...Four couples that Drew and I know through the Tampa adoption community have received wonderful news recently. Theresa and Brad are proud new parents to a baby girl who is home with them now. John and Nancy just received their referral after a LONG wait for their beautiful baby girl Lily from China and should be traveling soon to bring her home. Kip & Treena are traveling any day now to bring home that beautiful baby girl from Taiwan, and Michelle and Neil just received word of their new daughter from Taiwan and little sister for Chloe. I also have a very close friend from work that is pregnant so I am looking forward to the upcoming school year sharing this first time mommy experience with her.
As this wait for China continues to be increasingly longer all the time, months go by that nothing happens. It is so wonderful to see these events unfold and also see these precious children find their loving homes.

Congratulations to all our friends that are new mommies and daddies!

It's Official!

2008-06-24T15:23:00.003-06:00

I have been waiting to post about our excitement for the upcoming year until the travel itinerary was set. We are hosting an exchange student for the upcoming school year. Her name is Ching-Wen Chen and she goes by Jena. Jena will be arriving August 1st and she will spend the next 10 months with us going to our local high school. She is from Chiayi, Taiwan and she will be turning 17 this summer.
We are so excited to have this opportunity to provide a hopefully amazing experience for her and in turn, we get to learn all about the culture our daughter will be from and learn Chinese too.
It is also neat because we have several friends in Tampa who are currently adopting from Taiwan and it will be great for them to get to learn a little more about the country, culture, etc. We will be bringing her to Louisville this Christmas to meet our families so we are definitely looking forward to that.
With our China wait still at over 2 years away, we thought this was a great opportunity to make another year fly by and do some fun things we always talk about doing but we find excuses not to. We will take her to Cape Canaveral (we have never been), Disney/Universal, get Busch Gardens passes (we haven't renewed ours over 2 years), Key West and hopefully show her as much cool stuff around Tampa that we can.
Wish us luck since we are going from kidless to teenager! We have gotten to know her a little through email and she seems so sweet and fun. She sends us pictures a lot of her and her friends so I hope the transition goes smoothly for her.
I will post some pictures upon her arrival...Welcome Jena!

I know, I know...

2008-05-17T15:10:00.002-06:00

I have been getting so many "you haven't posted in so long" lately that I needed to take a minute today so everyone doesn't stop tuning in completely.
I am 3 weeks away to being done with work until August 8th! It is always so exciting yet so hard this time of year because you know the school year is almost over, kids know it and they are acting CRAZY, and there is so much preparation to end the year. 3 MORE WEEKS!
The picture is from our latest and last camping trip for the season. We went to Alafia River State Park which is about 30 miles south from us. Apart from the campsite having no shade (90 degress), sunburn, and at 9:00pm we turned into the Verizon commercial (for those who have seen it the one with the mosquitos), on a scale of 1-10 this camping trip was about a 2. We got a new tent that we just HAD to try and the only good part is it had a separate screen room to save me from being one huge skeeter bite when all was said and done. We definitely pushed the limits of our comfort level tent camping in this weather. We learned that we will stick to Florida camping in the months of November through March from now on.
Upcoming Fun Things -
Lion King performance on June 7th, I am going to Louisville on June 9th for a visit, Dave Matthews Band concernt on July 9th, and the rest is relaxation and hopefully plenty of exercise the rest of the summer. (Not doing so well with the last part recently).
Last week was 20 months since our LID, but who's keeping track at this point?

All American Baby

2008-03-11T05:24:00.004-06:00

My newest niece posing as the "All American Baby" for sure. Those eyes and that smile just melt my heart all the way in FL, especially since I haven't met her yet! I am looking forward to Spring Break in KY with my family since I haven't been since last July.

Sorry it's been so long!

2008-02-25T17:48:00.004-07:00

Yes, we are still alive! Sorry it has been so long since a post, but quite frankly, there hasn't been much to say.
We are chuggin' along into 2008 and I must say time is ticking by fast. In fact, time is flying by so fast that if we were told tomorrow we would have our referral by Christmas 2009, I'd be doing the happy dance! Just trying to stay optimistic with all those who believe "getting through the Beijing Olympics" is the ticket to the impending speed up.
The pictures above are from our most recent camping trip. We bought a canoe, tent, fire pit and various other camping items, and we decided to take advantage of enjoying Florida winters and doing things those in the north cannot. This past Christmas we camped with friends on Ft. DeSoto Beach in St. Petersburg. The above pictures are from Blue Springs which is about 25 miles west of Daytona. Silly us went driving along that beautiful Sunday morning hoping to make it there in 2 hours. Didn't exactly happen that way, as all of the sudden, traffic came to a screeching hault...it never dawned on us that 250,000 people were heading towards Daytona for the Daytona 500! Anyways, we made it to the most beautiful state park/campground. There were so many manatees in the water! You can see how close we were in the canoe. In the "lagoon" area leading to the St. John's river, they gathered in masses because the water is warm. We could not paddle for fear of hitting one of these gently giants - they were amazing! This was definitely an exhilerating experience that was so awesome even I was speechless. For more pictures you can click HERE
We hope everyone is doing well and I promise I will make an effort to post more!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone the best for a Merry Christmas! I hope everyone enjoys a safe, fun-filled holiday surrounded by family and friends.

My Favorite Christmas Song

Is this something?

2007-11-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a long time overdue for a blog post but there really hasn't been much to say. We did however receive a tiny bit of good news that we are out of the Review Room in China. For those "non-adopting" readers that are our friends and family, this basically means our "file" that China received and accepted last year on
9-11-06 saying we are fit to be parents, has been examined with a fine tooth comb for any inconsistencies or "gaps" if you will. I am happy to say we passed!
Way back when as we started the process this would have been fabulous news and it would have meant we were getting closer. However, at this time it only means "we passed" and we are still looking at a minimum of another 2 years to wait.
With that said, I guess the bright side to this would be, at least we have one year's wait behind us?
Drew and I will be taking a little vacation in 2 weeks to our home before Tampa...Key West! We are so excited (especially since I'm playing hookie from work for 5 days) and it will be great to relax and visit friends and see all the changes that have occurred since we were last there.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is looking forward to the Holidays to come :)

Family Fun - October 2007

2007-10-08T17:08:00.000-06:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Drew and I enjoyed 4 fabulous days with my brother Brian and his 4 year old twins. We went to Weeki Wachee to see the Mermaids, Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg and the Lowry Park Zoo. We had so much fun and are sad they went home to Louisville.
Hugs and Kisses from Aunt Colie and Uncle Drew xoxoxoxox

One Year In Waiting

2007-09-11T04:57:00.000-06:00

As of today we have been officially been waiting for 1 year to become parents. I just read the post from this same day last year and it's kind of funny sensing all the joy and optimism I was feeling back then...hmmmm, don't think I'm feeling it at all today.
It should be such a milestone to have gotten through a year. We thought we'd have our daughter by Christmas but the reality is we are facing another 2 years minimum wait for our daughter. It further saddens me when I start to think of the children that are being forced to prolong their stay in the orphanages without families due to this massive slow down in the adoption process.
This past weekend we spent time with 3 families we are close with here in Tampa. Two of them have had their daughters home about 6 months now, and one family is anxiously waiting with a LID of 1-23-06. I guess we spent a lot of time on "China talk" and it is more depressing than anything at this particular moment. Especially when I am holding these darling little girls and I know how many more are out there waiting to have the same opportunities. I am sorry to sound so negative. "It is what it is" is what Drew says and I need to deal with it. This is the path we chose, so waiting we must do.
I also feel guilty with my ranting on this significant day for Americans. So many woke up today with a heavy heart, reliving the events of 6 years ago. I did say a prayer last night and this morning for all those who lost loved ones, and for all those who survived that have to live with this horrific event in their heart and mind each and every day. It will never be easy but we continue to move forward, yet never forget.
Here's to 1 year...

New Family Member

2007-09-02T17:39:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to my brother and his wife as they welcomed the newest member of their family last week. A beautiful, healthy baby sister for the twins (turning 4 this month).
Wish we could be there to see her! She will certainly keep them busy while they face the growing wait for their 4th child (LID 12-11-06) from China. Drew and I are looking forward to the visit from my brother and the twins in October...Hope we have good beach weather!
Welcome home Hallie Nicole - Love Aunt Nicole and Uncle Drew

Can Hardly Wait for Moments Like This!

2007-08-18T18:20:00.000-06:00

My nephew Christian just started Kindergarten last week. I am so excited for him, as we all know what a big deal this is. I miss him so much since he is in KY!
I have my days of being so discouraged about this long wait, then I stop and remind myself that these are all the wonderful things we have to look forward to, no matter how long we have to wait.
Today was our Tampa FCC meeting (Families with Children from China), and this was one of the most crowded luncheons in a very long time. SO many darling Chinese children there, along with a lot of parents in waiting like us. We had a great time, and the topic for discussion was Lifebooks. A Lifebook is something adoptive parents may choose to do for their child as it is a book telling their story of how we came to be a family. Obviously birth parents can tell the story of their child's birth over and over and this satisfies the need to know where they came from.
Adoptive parents need to create the story from the heart to ensure our children know their own story and that they have complete understanding of how we came to be a family. A lifebook is created for, about, and from the perspective of the child. It answers such questions as “What do you know about my early life?” and “How and why did I come to be adopted?” There are a lot of resources out there to help us, so I am looking forward to doing some research before starting the project.
We are anxiously awaiting the birth of our new niece OR nephew who should be arriving on August 28th! Hopefully my next post will be with joy to announce the introduction of the newest member of our family...Best wishes and prayers to my brother Brian and his wife Heather for a safe and easy delivery!

The Paper Doll Shoppe

2007-07-14T13:12:00.000-06:00

Click to enter website
A friend of mine in Tampa recently started her own business. She is an incredible artist and she has made "old school" paperdolls like we had as kids featuring all cultures from around the world.
She was gracious enough to give me the Asian set as a gift for our daughter and they are so beautiful. Just thought I would share her link with anyone who may be interested.
Thank you Alina!

Trip to Montana June 2007

2007-07-02T16:51:00.000-06:00

Drew and I just returned from an amazing week in Missoula, Montana where good friends of ours from Louisville now live. Last time we visited, it was March 2002 and it was covered with snow. It was great to experience the summer this time although we would have loved to snowboard again.
Mike and Jenny have 2 sons now, Abe (2) and Eli (4). It was great to meet the new family. Our friend Pat and his girlfriend Katie recently moved from Louisville and are now enjoying the lovely west too.
Coming from Florida, the weather was incredible. I think we saw a low of 40 and a high of 95, depending on where we were. We camped at Glacier National Park and Riverbend which was 1 hour outside Missoula. Our "crowd" included 7 adults, 2 children and 4 dogs. The drive to Glacier was beautiful and we camped at the base of Avalanche trail leading up to Avalanche Lake.
Missoula is the coolest, small, laid back town with that sense of community we thought we'd never find again after living in Key West.
We had a wonderful time away from Florida and it was extra special that we were surrounded by friends. It was extremely hard to return...Until next year Montana!

Hangin' at the Beach!

2007-06-04T16:37:00.000-06:00

I just enjoyed my first offical week of summer break! My mom, sister Julie, and nephew Christian came to visit and we rented a wonderful condo on St. Pete Beach. Christian got to celebrate his 6th birthday here with us. We had great weather and a fabulous time. We are hoping uncle Brian will come visit in the Fall with our darling twin niece and nephew James and Isabel, while their mommy is home spending time with the new baby due in September. They will definitely be keeping busy waiting for baby #4 from China.

Drew and I are looking forward to our vacation in Missoula, Montana in a few weeks to visit friends. We are also hoping to sell our house, but this Tampa market is pretty bleak right now so keep your fingers crossed for us!

Happy Birthday little buddy!! Love Aunt Colie and Uncle Drew

Friends with new babies!

2007-04-23T18:27:00.001-06:00

It's been a long time since the last post. Things have been quite depressing with these wait times getting longer and longer each month. For all friends and family we have not talked to lately, the wait times are increasing and realistically, we are not hopeful of a referral for our child until Fall of 2008. Yes, that is over 18 months from now. There is no easy was to explain it, but it is what it is and we are at the mercy of the Chinese government for now...sigh
We have been trying to keep busy and we are currently getting our house ready to put for sale in hopes of moving back to KY before the baby comes. Of course with the current housing market in Florida, it's hard to say what will happen first - the house selling or the baby coming.
We have made some wonderful friends while waiting, and it is so exciting to see them travel and back with their little ones. This past weekend, I went to my second Chinese baby shower. It was so much fun! We also attended our monthly Families with Children from China meeting and we got to greet 3 friends who have just come home with their daughters.
Welcome home Lexie, Maggie and Olivia!

6 Months Already!

2007-03-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

I only realized half way through the day that today is officially 6 MONTHS since our Log In Date in China (LID). Time has gone by so fast it seems to get easier all the time to accept the wait, and realize "it is what it is" and we will have our daughter when it is our time.

Friends of ours here in Tampa, Amy and Greg, left for China yesterday! They have set out on the journey of a lifetime to meet their long anticipated daughter, Lexie.
The longer we wait, the more we see and experience the reality through our dear friends we have made along the way. It is so wonderful to be able to share this intricate process, and for us, we gain knowledge along the way.

Best wishes and prayers to Amy, Greg, and Lexie!

Welcome Home!

2007-02-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was our TampaBay Waiting Families luncheon and we got to celebrate in many ways.
Our friends Michelle and Neil returned only 3 weeks ago with their beautiful angel Chloe. Her personality is amazing and her energy and confidence makes it truly difficult to believe she has traveled so far and endured so much.
They are so blessed!
We also got to see Amy and Greg, and Susan and Jason who should both receive word any day when they will be traveling to get thier little angels, Lexie and Olivia. These milestones we get to share with our new friends help us not forget that this long process is real, and yes, at the end of a very long wait we too will have our daughter.
What a wonderful weekend! We are so happy for you and your families!
Love, Nicole and Drew

They got "The Call"

2007-02-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to our friends in Tampa on their recent referrals. Susan and Jason Montgomery are proud parents to Olivia (top picture,10 Months) and Amy and Greg Harrison are proud parents to Lexie Grace (13 months). We are so happy for you and can hardly wait to follow your travels. You can follow the journey to Olivia here.

Seeing progress like this keeps it real for all of us in waiting!

Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You Again!

2007-01-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

I belong to several Yahoo Groups made up of couples all over the United States who are also adopting from China. One of my groups had a "January Cyber Shower". About 30 of us signed up and one of our fellow members was in charge of designating "secret pals" for the gift swap. This month's theme was "Bath Time" and boy was I spoiled! I would like to send a HUGE thanks all the way to Washington State to my Secret Pal...your gifts are so loved and appreciated!

Has anyone ever seen anything cuter than the 12 month triangle top bikini?

We still have a long way to go but fun like this sure helps pass the time!

Canoe Skills

2007-01-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

We had a close call today on the Hillsborough river (and yes there are gators!).We were brushing up on our skills so in the future we can pass them on to our daughter. Here is what you are NOT supposed to do...WATCH

Christmas 2006 in Kentucky

2007-01-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some pictures of my wonderful vacation to Louisville. Drew was not able to go with me due to work, so I returned to Tampa Christmas Eve. I had a fun-filled week with my family and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I can never seem to get enough of those nieces and nephews...how crazy will Christmas 2008 be with the addition of 2 Chinese babies in the mix! (One ours and one my brother's).

| View Show | Create Your Own

FRIENDS LEAVING FOR CHINA AT LAST!

2007-01-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Our friends in St. Pete are leaving this Sunday, January 7th, to meet their beloved daughter Chloe Jun Li Robinson. Chloe just turned 1 on December 22 and she is truly a blessing. Their GOTCHA day for this little miracle will be January 11th.

To follow their travels you can go to Our China Journey as they venture halfway around the world to meet and bring home their precious little girl.

Wishing you the best of everything on your journey. Our thoughts and prayers are with you each and every day!
Nicole and Drew

Thank you for the Merry Christmas!

2006-12-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

| View Show | Create Your Own

Fall Project

2006-12-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

For those family and friends that know me well, you also know I do not have a crafty, artistic, bone in my body. However, this was the project of Fall 2006. It is finally completed and hanging proudly in the kitchen.

The bad news is that this is my very last project of it's kind...due to consistent turmoil, stress, losing the needles, running out of thread, occasional strong language (okay, a lot), and pouting, the husband says this is the "last project of it's kind". I will accept his declaration and throw in the sequins, thread, needles,...and whatever was involved...

But it looks great (at least I think so:)

Great News for the Family!

2006-12-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that my little brother Brian and my sister-in-law, Heather, received great news today...their Log-In-Date (LID) for their China adoption is 12/11/06...exactly 3 months after ours (9/11/06) !!

Drew was so excited last night because he has hopes of getting our daughter then working towards moving back near our families. He is just thrilled with the fact that our daughter will grow up with a cousin, her age, that she can share her heritage and similarties with.

Happy news for the Daniel family, including James & Isabel (3 yrs.) for confirmation of their little sister (Mei Mei). I can't wait to see you all next week!

What a Great Way to Spend a Saturday!

2006-11-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our FCC Tampa Bay luncheon. The Guest Speaker was from Passport Health talking about all the immunizations we may or may not need prior to travel.

Saturday evening we went to a house warming party at John and Nancy Swanson's house (amazing new house may I add). We met them through the Tampa FCC group. It was so much fun because there were 4 other couples including Drew and I who are adopting from China that we also already knew from the luncheons (Eric and Cindy, Jason and Susan, and Greg and Amy). They are all adopting through the agency Commonwealth. It was great to hang out and talk in a casual way about our upcoming journey. The amazing thing is that we all know we will be matched with the perfect child for us, we never have worries about that part. We also never talked about the trials and tribulations we may experience upon meeting our new daughter, we just all keep talking about how stressed out we are about a 12-15 hour plane ride or how we don't want to be on a tour bus and realize we may have eaten the wrong thing at breakfast (that's really what we're all worried about right?)

These are the experiences along the way that I think will make this wait time so much easier. Staying connected with others throughout the process makes this HUGE decision seen so real. I have talked with people who backed away from luncheons in their area, didn't belong to Yahoo Groups or other support groups, didn't really have any connections with others adopting and they have said it is so easy to start feeling disconnected and so far away. I don't want this to happen so for me, the plan is to stay as involved as I possibly can.

Best Wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Florida Reunion

2006-11-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend! The CCAI Florida Reunion was amazing. We met so many wonderful people that I am sure we will see year after year as our children grow older.

There were a few families from Tampa there that we had actually met before at our Tampa FCC monthly luncheons. It was very cool to see Tom and Irene and Michelle and Neil because they will be getting their referrals NEXT! CCAA made referrals last week through families with a Log In Date of August 25, 2005. These 2 couples are August 28, 2005 so this weekend had to be extra special for them.

Also there was Theresa and Brad who are right behind us with the LID. I met Theresa at our montly luncheon when she had just moved to town from Atlanta. We had the best time together as we bonded immediately and both share this huge enthusiasm that I know will make this next year more bearable. It was quite funny because our husbands Drew and Brad are so alike in that they just go with the flow and hang back and watch us run around stalking all the adorable little girls (Theresa was our photographer for the weekend with her new camera). Neither Drew or Brad had a clue who Mulan was (she was the "suprise" at breakfast for the kids).

We also met a really nice couple, Kip and Treena, and not only are they from Tampa, but they have our same LID, 9/11/06. It was wonderful to meet them and hopefully we will get to know each other better as it will be a great possibility that we will travel to China together.

They held a silent auction where all money raised was going towards a particular orphanage in China that is in desperate need of a playground for the children. All they currently have is a big open space outside that is all concrete. I have to check the CCAI to see the grand total but I'm sure it was a huge success. Josh and Lily,founders of CCAI were there and they are just as wonderful in person as I imagined them to be. They really made it a point to greet every single family there over the weekend and they truly are a blessing for all of us.

CCAI Florida Reunion

2006-10-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend Drew and I are going to Orlando to the CCAI Florida Reunion. We signed up to help with the registration table and we are so excited as this is a great way to see all the beautiful children. We will be staying in the Sheraton Safari Resort and we are looking forward to an evening reception on Friday then a breakfast on Saturday. Of course the highlight will be meeting Lily Nie and Joshua Zhong, founders of our adoption agency, Chinese Children Adoption International.

We were told that there will be mostly families who have already adopted there, but also a number of families "in waiting" like us. If we get any good pictures I will post them after the weekend. We're so excited!

Oooh...the "Brown Envelope"

2006-10-10T16:43:00.000-06:00

Strangely enough I only read yesterday, a post on one of my Yahoo Groups about a "brown envelope" that some people recieve, and some don't in the mail. I have never heard of this and all of the sudden today, in the mail, came a brown envelope from Guangzhou, China.

Basically it is the paperwork that we take to the U.S. Consulate General pertaining to our daughter's immigration and visa. The cool part is the actual medical form that they will use when we take her for the medical exam at the Consulate...Seeing all that beautiful Chinese writing is just one more thing that reminds us that this "so out of our control" process is for real!

I guess it is just a formality as I also heard you will fill out these same documents right before your Consulate appt. in Guangzhou, and your CCAI rep will give you the papers you need again anyways. It's still cool to see!

Moon Festival

2006-09-30T19:08:00.000-06:00

The Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. It's also known as the Mid-autumn Festival. Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.

The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. With the full moon, the legend, the family and the poems, you can't help thinking that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.

So tonight we joined FCC Tampa Bay (Families with Children from China) to celebrate the Moon Festival in Al Lopez park. We met up with our new friend Kelly, who has a log-in-date (LID) the week before us and she is also with our adoption agency, CCAI.

The little girls were adorable and they had activities to participate in such as making Chinese Lanterns. When the sun went down there was a "parade of lanterns". We did not get to stay for this part, but we heard it was pretty cool. They were selling T Shirts and lot of great children's storybooks.

FCC provided the food and drinks, and each family brought a side dish. The food was really great, and yes, Drew even had a moonpie! Everybody was so nice and we actually knew several couples and their daughters from our monthly luncheons. It was so awesome to experience our first Chinese festival, and of course seeing all the girls was the highlight! We look forward to experiencing these moments with our own daughter some day...

LID 9/11/2006

2006-09-12T20:31:00.000-06:00

We are so thrilled I am beyond words...It is so amazing that this day is finally here. This is the biggest milestone in this whole process and I really feel it will be easier from here on out. Of course as long as my obsessions don't take over again, we should be just fine.

Yesterday we received our special news that officially ends our "paperchasing debut" to the adoption world. China has accepted us as potential parents and that is just what we needed to hear.

To have 9-11-06 as our log-in date, it can finally put a teeny weeny smile in our hearts that we will remember this date for 1 thing other than the tragic sadness and loss that we will continually grieve for each year.

Thank you for all your support and love on this journey to our daughter!!

Still no word...

2006-09-10T07:29:00.000-06:00

This past week has been rather uneventful other than checking my email at least twice an hour every afternoon when I get home from school. We are still waiting on the last and most important piece of this adventure to feel secure that we are officially "waiting" for our daughter. I find my behavior quite obsessive at this point, but I am comforted by fellow Yahoo Group members that I am not the only one.
A bunch of people in my Aug/Sept. CCAI group received their LID's last week (Log In Date). Congratulations to everyone!
Hopefully this will be the week!

Great Poem

2006-08-27T19:26:00.000-06:00

Different kinds of Love

There were two special women, they never knew each other.
One you don't remember, the other you call mother.
Two very different lives together make yours one.
The first one like a shooting star, the other like the sun.
One gave to you the gift of life, one showed you how to live it.
The first one gave a need for love, the second was there to give it.
One gave you roots of heritage, the other your good name.
One gave you seeds of talent, the other gave you aim.
One gave to you emotions; the other calmed your fears.
One saw your first endearing smile, the other dried your tears.
The first one had to give you up, it was all that she could do.
The other prayed for her own child and then was led to you.
I hope you see my precious child, that you're the product of,
not just one but two hearts, with different kinds of love.

By - John Trapani

Still Waiting...

2006-08-26T18:49:00.000-06:00

Anyone who occasionally checks our blog, you may still notice changes in the name. We are still waiting for our official Log In Date and it is so amazing that after 4 long months of paperchasing, how relaxed we are at this point.

We are in China!

2006-08-21T17:56:00.000-06:00

As of last Friday, August 18th all our hard work is now safely in the hands of the people at the CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs). We received a confirmation email that our Dossier was hand delivered so you would think we are at ease by now. I am so excited but Drew is still insisting, until we receive the next and final email for a very long time (well over a year), that we wait to "officially" celebrate when we receive our Log In Date.

We attend monthly luncheons here in Tampa at the Hao Wah. These are gatherings for families in Tampa who are waiting or have just adopted little ones from China. There is usually a guest speaker each month and of course lots of beautiful little girls to stare at. The first couple we met when we started going to these just received their referral after 1 year's wait. They will be leaving shortly to travel across the world to bring their beautiful little girl home. I have NO idea how this must feel after such a long wait! Also, a good friend of mine who is also a Media Specialist just joined the group as well. Her and her husband are working their way through their paperwork and they are right behind us! Hooray for Jennifer and Calvin!

Maya's SO excited!!

2006-08-15T19:11:00.000-06:00

For most of you who know us well, Maya is our first daughter. Her and her little brother Jackson look forward to the new addition to the family. (Not really, Maya doesn't really like kids) but that will all change real soon!

Can't you just tell I am way overstimulated at our news today???? Drew thinks I'm nuts, but he is very tolerant with the girls in his life because he knows if they are happy, he is happy too.

An Exciting Day!!!

2006-08-15T18:56:00.000-06:00

Today is the biggest milestone yet...We are officially DTC which in adoption terms means Dossier sent to China! This means that we have done everything we can do on our side and our adoption agency has translated and sent ALL our "stuff" to the Chinese government. They will now put us in their system, which is called the Log In Date, and from this day forth the wait begins. We are officially in line to wait for our beautiful daughter. We should receive news in 3-5 days that the mail was hand delivered to the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) and we will receive confirmation of our Log In Date within 8 weeks time. Typically this date happens within a couple of weeks, but we may not receive notice of this for up to 2 months.

Her Name???

2006-08-12T22:35:00.000-06:00

Drew and I have been doing a lot of thinking lately as we anxiously await an email telling us our "file" is in China. We have been discussing the name of our daughter and originally we thought it might be Lily. As time goes on, we are really not sure. We come across beautiful names every day and we have loads of time to think about giving our daughter the perfect name meant just for her.

Chinese Cousins to be in the Family!!

2006-08-08T18:02:00.000-06:00

As of today we are out of critical review and our agency is now translating everything to send to the Chinese government.....Whoo Hoo! We were told we were 3-5 business days until we are mailed out to China. This is the best news yet...Come on August Log In date!

Officially as of today, August 8th, 2006 our daughter will have a Chinese born cousin! Someone she can grow with and have a special bond sharing the same heritage. My dear little Brother, Brian and his wonderful wife Heather have officially announced their plans to adopt a little girl from China using the same agency as us, Chinese Children Adoption International. Most of you know they have adorable twins, James and Isabel who will will be 3 years old in September. We are so thrilled and cannot wait to start our family so we can share the joys of parenthood with our family and friends.

If all goes well, we are only 2-3 business days away for being "DTC" which in the China Adoption world means "Dossier to China" where all our hard work and time spent on paperwork is finally over. We are in "translation" right now so we are praying that we will receive this great news by early next week.

We hope everyone is healthy and well~

Message from DH (in adoption chatrooms this means "Dear Husband")

2006-08-05T19:06:00.000-06:00

As of right now we are still waiting on CCAI to tell us that all of our paperwork is in place and it is on its way to the Chinese government. We seem to be more excited about this than anything so far. Everything seems like we are racing to get things done as quickly as possible, but in reality, every day that we are delayed by some unforeseen "red tape" is just another day that is matching us perfectly with our daughter. If we get set back by a few weeks because something wasn't signed or notarized, that is just someone telling us that our daughter wasn't ready for us to come and get her yet. Every day that we wait is just another day of room in our hearts for her to come home.

Our Documents Arrived!

2006-07-29T19:23:00.000-06:00

Finally, after a painful week of not knowing where our documents were, they arrived back to us last Wednesday. We made copies and overnighted them to our agency immediately. They received our complete Dossier yesterday, July 28...Whoo Hoo! Now we wait for the critical review of our file then we will receive an email saying "your Dossier has been mailed to China". This is a huge relief because our paperchase will be done at this point.
I have been busy joining Yahoo Groups for adoptive families and I predict these contacts and listservs will help us pass the time for the LONG wait.

Where exactly are we in this process?

2006-07-22T14:03:00.000-06:00

I think I failed to mention exactly where we are in this process. As of today, we are 1 step away from mailing 4 months of compiled official documents back to our agency, along with photographs (3 of just us and 8 with friends, family, etc. included) so they can be mounted and translated for the Chinese government, wht is called our Dossier. We are in the middle of a minor glitch where our "oh so important" documents are stuck in the People's Republic of China Consulate in Houston Texas on someone's desk. Apparently the post office made a little mistake and our package full of documents was sent back into the Consulate rather than arriving at our doorstep last Thursday as promised. This place is not somewhere you can pick up the phone and call. We are not really sure who this person is holding, well our life and future in their hands, but with the help of a nice friend I've made in the Houston post office and our agency contacts we are hoping to have this matter sorted out by Monday. Our next big milestone will be the Log-In date in China, so hopefully that good news will be in August!

Meant for Us

2006-07-21T09:38:00.000-06:00

Please join us in this amazing journey we have set out on to provide an innocent little girl with a loving, caring home, and in turn she will fill our hearts with so much joy and love we will not be able to thank her enough.

Drew and I have always considered international adoption, but really started investigating seriously this past spring. Once we did the research, we just knew in our heart of hearts that this was the right decision for us. We have chosen an agency called Chinese Children Adoption International based out of Colorado with offices right here in Florida. Our experiences with them have been absolutely wonderful and they have made the process as painless as I guess it can be.

We hope to have your thoughts and prayers as we set out on this long and tedious journey to bring our daughter home. We have not yet settled on the name, but her middle name will be determined by her Chinese given name. For those of you unfamiliar with the adoption process, I will give a brief summary. You fill out some paperwork, then some more paperwork, then a little more paperwork, somewhere in between all the flying papers, you meet with a Social Worker who evaluates you and your family (since birth), then documents are sent out for Certification at the Secretary of State, then for Authentication at the appropriate Peoples Republic of China Consulate. Now since we were born and married in Kentucky, but have resided in Florida for so long, this was a bunch of different steps for different documents. In adoption terms, all this is called the "Paperchase". At the end of this daunting task, all final documents compiled are called a "Dossier". These are sent to our agency in Colorado for translation and review, then they send them off to China. Somewhere in the month after it arrives in China we will receive what is called a "Log-In Date". This is the big stuff...now the wait begins. The current wait time for Log-In to Referral (referral is your child match when you get a picture, medical history, etc.), is approximately 11-14 months. I do not want to be too anxious so we are honestly expecting a 14-16 month wait which should put us around Christmas time 2007. Of course since this is government red tape, these timelines may decrease at any time shortening our wait time but for now it is how it is.

Once we receive our referral for our daughter, travel should follow roughly 6-10 weeks after. We will be traveling with other families from different states in the US, possibly 10-20 families, that have received their referrals the same time as us. We figure the more the better for moral support.

">How do we know our child is a girl?

China being a Communist country has a lot of political things going on that is quite hard to comprehend. One of them being the 1 child per family law. Each family may have only 1 child and the preferred child is a boy. Boys will grow up to take over the land, carry the family name, etc. Thousands and thousands of baby girls are abandoned each year due to this rule. This is how we know our baby will be a girl. The current "healthy" infant age to adopt now is 7-12 months old.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we muddle through the ups and downs of the "waiting". We will try to keep busy in preparation of what is to come. Somewhere way across the ocean, a little girl may be growing in a mommy's tummy right now that will be our little girl (kind of a strange concept), but nonetheless, God will keep an eye on that little one and he will choose the daughter that was meant for us.