In Seattle...

I'm currently in Seattle visiting my family for the holidays. Sadly, because of the big snowstorm in Denver, I was unable to get moved into my new place before I left for Seattle - so guess what I will be doing New Year's Eve??? Oh well, at least my place is all packed up and ready to move when I get back. I just hate the whole concept of going back to clean my old apartment on New Year's Day. New Year's should mark new beginnings, not cleaning up old messes...aaaahhh the symbolism and analogies THAT represents!

Got my dossier guide from CCAI yesterday. Looks like I am well on my way with the required documents and paperwork I'm needing to gather. I'm sure I'll learn more at orientation on the 5th. When you look at the guide, it can be overwhelming, but I'm trying to focus on one thing at a time and remember "slow and steady wins the race"...well, okay - maybe not "slow" in this case - but maybe "focused and steady - if a little bit rushed" :)

Christmas was great with the fam. Lots of support from my parents, grandparents and other relatives. We watched the CCAI DVD together. We all cried (happy tears). It's been a blast hanging out with my sister and catching up with old friends - at least those I could fit into the schedule. I wish it wasn't so rushed when I visit. It's hard to schedule everyone in. But nice to know that people WANT to see me and spend time with me when I am here.

I've been here four days now and I'm starting to miss Denver. It's home to me now. It's so dark and gloomy this time of year in Seattle. I miss the sunshine (and the glare of all that snow!) and I'm anxious to get my new place set up and start out 2007 with a refreshed sense of hope and optimism.

A Winter Wonderland??? ...not so much...

This is what we woke up to this morning in Denver. The snow is still falling, but lighter and not the crazy wind we had yesterday!!!

...Let it snow...cont'd

STILL SNOWING!!!

The furniture on the porch is now completely covered by the drifts...

Let it snow...Let it snow...Let it snow!

I'm glad I got all of my agency agreements & disclosure forms notarized and in the mail to CCAI yesterday. Today in Denver we are literally under a severe winter storm/blizzard warning and the snow hasn't stopped since 6 am. I went into the office for a couple of hours, but they sent us all home to do as much work from home as possible. The last weather report I heard was predicting 15-24 inches of snow thru tomorrow morning - FUN! (not)

Luckily, I'm not scheduled to move until Friday. The weather is supposed to be clear by then (although I'm sure things will still be sloppy!) Oh well - this gives me lots of time to pack and prepare for my move, right?

I just wish I hadn't packed my can opener already....whoops! :)

And the gifts begin...

When I told my colleagues about the adoption last week, I immediately started receiving presents...Debbie gave me the cutest little photo album that is pink & white and says "Thank Heaven for Little Girls". Not to be outdone, Lonna showed up the following day with the cutest little woolen slippers! I almost cried when she gave them to me (they are so little! but perfect for a toddler...) Somehow these little slippers make Lia THAT much more "real" to me...so adorable! I guess she got them at a holiday craft fair in Highlands Ranch. Other than that - most of my week has been focused on getting several big projects wrapped up at work, packing up my apartment to move later this week, and running around gathering all the paperwork I need to file - as well as the various items I will need to bring with me to orientation at CCAI on Jan. 5. Whew!!! What a week. Then on Xmas Eve I am off to Seattle for a week with my family. Looking forward to a little breather...then I will come back and hit the ground running in the New Year!

What Next?

Several people have asked me "what's next?" as far as my adoption goes...

So for those who aren't familiar with the international adoption process - the immediate task at hand is to start filing security forms and background checks. I also have to gather pretty much every piece of vital stat paperwork that has ever existed on me. Many of these items require fees, obtaining cashier's checks and going in person to government offices. I will start my orientation with my agency CCAI on Jan .5 - then a homestudy will be done - probably in the Jan/Feb timeframe and then even MORE paperwork will be processed and translated. All these items make up what is called my adoption dossier.

Ultimately, the goal is to have my completed Dossier to China (DTC) by April 1. Once my dossier is received in China, it will be assigned what is called a Log in Date (LID). China matches babies to adoptive parents based on the LID - so that is when the real wait begins. Currently they are matching babies with LID's from Fall 2005 - so as you can see - I have a long wait ahead. When I finally receive my baby match it is called a referral. At that time I will likely get a photo and some stats about her - and then wait a few more months to get my travel visa and travel arranged to China. After all of this...I will travel to China for two weeks with a group of parents adopting from the same orphanage, to pick up our babies and bring them home. At this point that looks like it will probably happen sometime late in 2008 - but honestly once all my paperwork is in - it is in the hands of God and the Chinese government!

I am asking for friends and family's support thru prayer about this journey. I know that ultimately God will lead me to the little girl who is my daughter - and I need him to grant me the patience and sound mind during the coming months/years as I await and prepare for her arrival.

If you feel called to help, I would appreciate any kind of donation you can provide to my adoption fund. I will be taking out loans and applying for some grants - so every little bit will help! I realized this weekend that if I could collect just $20 from everyone I know - I could make a huge dent in the adoption fees. So I have added a donation button to this site. For a breakdown of what costs are involved, please see the "adoption costs" link at left...

Regardless - please bookmark this site and visit it often for updates on my adoption progress. I will try to post pictures and additional information as I receive it! Most of all - thanks for visiting and supporting me through on this amazing journey.

I'm IN - Part 2....(Happy Tears)

So I woke up at 5:30 this morning and could not sleep another wink. I think last night I was still in shock until I went to bed...I talked to so many friends and family members on the phone and my mind was racing...this morning I woke up and I realized I was TRULY beginning the journey to my daughter and I just started crying (happy tears of course) - but I seriously have not been able to stop. It's like all the emotions behind the past few weeks (months, years) of hope and pursuing this dream are just flowing out of me - raw and uncensored. Congrats to ALL the new single moms who got the news yesterday. An amazing journey lies ahead of us.

...by the way - Happy Birthday to Kris! What an amazing birthday gift for you :)

It's Official...I'm IN for 2007!!!!

I got the call from Hillary at CCAI this afternoon - I'm in....I'M IN!!!! Oh my god....keep breathing Julie... I was so worried this weekend when I heard the news about China discontinuing the singles program...this morning it suddenly occurred to me that I would be OK - no matter what happened over the next week. So I sent an email to my family and asked them to pray for me this week so that I would have a sound mind while I waited for news...and BINGO! I got the call from CCAI this afternoon - a week early!

Before I left work tonight my boss handed me a little gift. A pink baby photo album that says "Thank Heaven for Little Girls"

THANK HEAVEN IS RIGHT!!! She said she "just knew" that this was going to work out for me. I nearly cried when I opened it. I think the only reason I didn't is that I was still in shock.

So now the race to get DTC by April 1 starts...let the paperwork begin!!!

Another Great Quote...

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous...
It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
~Elizabeth Stone

Just trying to stay sane...

One more week until I hear back some news. News that could change my life forever. I'm trying not to be impatient. Or worried. Or stressed. I know having those types of thoughts will not do anything to make my dream come true. Positive thoughts. BELIEVING that in two years I will be living the life I've dreamed of WILL! I do believe in my heart that I will get the news I've been waiting for on the 18th and everything will work out fine. My sister recently posted the following quote on her website and I found it very timely for my own situation this week:

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see."

Ain't THAT the truth??? I am sure of proceeding with adoption and am certain that I will be meeting my Lia in the coming months/year(s). I'm praying for all the other women out there who are pursuing this dream as well. Together we will endure this long journey and celebrate together in the joy of bringing our babies home.

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Luna does NOT love wearing "outfits" but I had a friend take some photos of us today for my Xmas cards. This one is my favorite! I love the way the Santa hat slid down over her right eye. LOL! She's like a Pirate Santa...Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum... :)