You Might be Adopting from China if...

I saw this post on another family's blog - and thought it was too good (and too true!) not to share:

You might be adopting from China if...

...you've been expecting a baby for over 3 years.
...you know that I-600 & I-171 aren't highways.
...you've "paid for" 3 citizenships, but never brought anyone into the U.S.
...you know that "waiting for China" has nothing to do with Dillard's or dishes.
...your homestudy is followed by a number (i.e. #2 or #3 or #4).
...you've been fingerprinted four times, but never committed a crime.
...you automatically assume everyone who is expecting is having a girl.
...you own new clothing in 3 little sizes for all 4 seasons (because you don't know when or how big).
...you look twice when you see a lady bug.
...you never know how many days will be in the next month.
...you know that babies come in batches.
...you know people who understand when you talk about 2-day months & 3-day months.
...your due date hasn't changed by days, but by years.
...you know who the Rumor Queen is ... AND ... you don't know who she is.
...you've waited so long, that they checked your fingerprints to see if they changed.
...if...while trying to understand why they're printing you again, you study your own fingerprints and wonder if fingerprints grow wrinkles.
...when you speak of "that time of month" you're talking about CC@A updates & referrals...
* You might be adopting from China if you love someone you've never met with all your heart*

Rain Storms and Ferries and Rainbows - OH MY!

This past weekend, Steve and I headed to Seattle for a quick visit with my family.  In March, my parents moved from their townhome in Kent, (a southern suburb of Seattle) to Vashon Island (a small island community of 11,000 people just west of Seattle). In order to get to Vashon Island, you have to take a 20 min. ferry ride across Puget Sound.

My parents new house sits directly across from Quartermaster Harbor and faces east. So it was really beautiful to watch the sunrise over the harbor on Saturday morning. The sky was a brilliant pink and orange, and reflecting so beautifully off the boats and water. I'm now wishing I had woken Steve up at 6 am to see it himself (and take photos!) but I decided to let him sleep.

Saturday afternoon, we ran some errands around Seattle and visited all the stores and restaurants that we miss living in Spokane. There was a short, torrential downpour in the afternoon, which cleared up just in time for our late afternoon ferry ride back to the island (complete with a rainbow):

On Sunday morning we awoke to a dense fog covering the harbor. At about 9 am, the fog started to lift, and Steve was able to catch some great photos:

After the fog burned off, Sunday afternoon was gorgeous. We headed over to Issaquah to have lunch with my aunt, uncle and grandma. They will soon be moving northwest of Seattle to a town called Anacortes, near the San Juan Islands. Steve was able to catch an impromptu photo of me with my grandma:

All in all, a very relaxed weekend - which I REALLY needed after all of last week's drama!  :)

3 Years...and Still Counting...

Another milestone complete. Today marks 3 YEARS since my log in date (LID) for the China program. Hopefully not many more months to go at this point. At least this year, I can see a light at the end of this very long tunnel. It's possible I could still be waiting to see Lia's face this time next year...but not likely. In all likelyhood, I will at least know who and where she is, even if I have not yet traveled to get her. It's possible she could be home by then! It is also likely that she has already been born and is on her universal path to me at this moment. The thought of that is very exciting, but also makes me cry because I so wish I could hold her in my arms right now.

Especially now.

Those who know me personally know what I do for a living. The past couple of days have been very difficult for me - both professionally - and as a waiting adoptive mom. Emotions are understandably high, and being caught in the middle is very hard. I found myself trying to maintain professional composure, yet in tears behind closed doors. I was thankful more than ever this week that I have the opportunity to work remotely from my home office and be removed (at least physically) from the drama and intensity as it happened. From a case study perspective, it was mind-blowing to see how much social networking now plays a part in situations like this. The ability of every person around the world to blog, FB, tweet, and comment on situations as they unfold is incredible...and overwhelming to say the least.

In the meantime, I must hold onto hope. It is easy to get discouraged month after month as I see others receive referrals and travel to their children - some who applied long after me - but just in a different "order". I still believe I have been true to myself on journey. I am still happy with the agency I chose. Since the very beginning, I have followed the path that has made the most sense to me - mentally and spiritually. But I have learned so much over the past three years. When Lia is ready, I will be ready for her. That is a certainty.

April Ramblings...

I guess pretending that I had received a referral and then going "Ha, ha - APRIL FOOLS" wouldn't really be funny. Not to me anyway. We are, after all, approaching the 3-Year mark from my LID (log in date). But that's a post for another day...

Yesterday Steve and I saw this pick-up truck in a parking lot, very artfully decorated for a little girl's 9th birthday. It was so cute I had to take a picture. What cool parents she has!  The passenger side says "See this face - this is the face of a happy nine year old" and the driver's side says "See this face - her dad feels old (so does her mom!)... Then I had to wonder if her parents are even 30 years old?  I see a lot of very young parents in and around Spokane.

Month three on our "lifestyle change" has wrapped up. At my lowest weight this month (about a week ago) I was down 20 lbs total. Right now I am hovering around 18 lbs. down. Steve is down a total of 29 lbs. Two weeks ago, we went to the Indigo Girls concert and I was able to wear a pair of jeans I hadn't worn since 2006. In fact, most of the jeans and pants I own are too big for me now. Thank goodness for belts. I don't really want to shop for new pants yet, as I am still working toward my goal weight. I am lucky because I tend to both gain and lose weight fairly evenly all over my body, so people tend not to notice changes in my physique - positive or negative - very often (or at least they don't comment on it out loud). But that becomes a bummer when people are really noticing the weight loss of those around you (i.e. STEVE) and not saying anything to you...finally last night our friend Jared (who hadn't seen us in about a month) mentioned that he could see the weight loss in our faces - plural - as in BOTH of us - HOORAY.

Meanwhile, I have been making some more friends at my aqua sport class. The teacher is great. She incorporates a lot of cross-training - running, swimming, and core-work into our 1 hr sessions and makes it fun with great music.
ALL GOOD.   :)