Jealous! But also happy...

Everyone please meet Jaryn Reed...my good friend Betsy and her husband Ron have been pursuing adoption (domestically) this year - and their dream came true on Tuesday when their son, Jaryn was born!!! Betsy and I have shared an office at work for about a year - and as you can imagine, adoption is/was a MAJOR topic of conversation for us. I am SO, SO happy for her and Ron. And a little bit jealous...and a little bit sad because now Betsy will be a stay-at-home mom and I won't get to see her everyday. Luckily she lives nearby and I know I will still see her often. By the time I get Lia, the babies probably won't be too far apart in age. So maybe we can have playdates. I hope so, in fact - I'm looking forward to it! Congrats Betsy, Ron and Baby J!!!!

ALSO - Great news...looks like I will be moving to a GREAT new home in late December (Merry Christmas to me!) I will post some photos soon...

My Current Baby Girl

Those who know me, know that my miniature schnauzer Luna has been my #1 Baby Girl for almost four years now. Tonight it's snowing hard here in Denver and little Luna is snuggled up next to me. I wonder how she will react to a baby in the house one day???

In other news, I've been looking at rental homes...I'm currently living in an apartment (still trying to sell the house with the ex). I know I need to get into a larger place with more room for an infant/toddler eventually (not to mention all the wonderful things an infant requires!) So I'm looking at some townhomes just outside of Denver that would offer more space. In areas with good school districts. And a ideally a small yard for Luna. Wow - how suburban and domesticated I have become! I'm practically acting like an adult! : )

So far, so good!

Today I got a phone call from Hillary at CCAI. She called to tell me that they received my application. She also said things are "looking good" so far. I guess they haven't received an overwhelming number of applications to date. Fingers crossed!

Today I Mailed My Application...

I finally got all the documents I needed together to send in my application. I dropped it in the mailbox about 10 minutes ago... A move that could change my life and a little girl's life - forever. Oh my gosh...

One of my friends likened it to mailing off your college application. That seemed really big back then. But I think this is A LOT bigger than that! Going to college was more something I knew I "had" to do in order to do what I wanted to do in life. Adopting a baby from China is the fulfillment of a dream I've had for 15 years!

Everyone cross your fingers for good news on Dec. 18th!

Applications Now Being Accepted...

My name is Julie and I am a 36 yr old woman living in Denver, CO. I am applying to adopt a baby girl from China and this is my blog about my life and that journey.

I first learned about the Chinese adoption process back in 1992. I was a college student and read about the overpopulation problem in China, the "one-child rule" and how many of the baby girls there are given up at birth and put into orphanages. It has always been at the back of my mind. All those little girls in China...just hoping for a mommy to love them.

It had been my hope to do this with a partner as a married couple, but that never came to fruition, therefore I am pursuing my dream as a single woman. For the past few years I have done a lot of research on international adoption and always go back to China as my number one choice. I am excited about pursuing this dream.

Exciting news! Today I found out that my agency of choice CCAI is now accepting applications from single women for their 2007 adoption program!!! This means I should know by Dec. 18th if I am chosen for next year's program, or if I have to wait for another year. Fingers crossed!