STILL Matching??? Really??

Well we were really hoping to hear something last Friday (16th) , which of course we did not and even worse it is now Thursday and still nothing UGGGHHHH so frustrating.

A big American agency says that the CCAA are matching and RQ confirmed the same thing so I am REALLY hoping to hear something tomorrow! It would be okay if I just knew if we would beincluded this month or not - that is the part that is killing me. I can't imagine having to go through another month like this.

There are alot of people hoping/thinking they will finish August and I hope they are right I just can't believe it. I am just hoping they make it to the 29th and I am not even sure they will do that since that would mean 8 days?? There are some rumors that we could/should hear something tomorrow so once again...fingers crossed!

We have CARSEATS!!!

Last Friday Mike picked up both our carseats which was very exciting!! Especially since the CCAA didn't send any referrals out - it helped to keep us in a good mood LOL.

We tried them both out in our vehicles and loved them - I got the Britax Marathon 65 - Onyx which I love and it fits very nicely rear and forward facing. I had tried others like the Diono etc... but they were way too long and the passenger seat had to be pushed too far to the front. My vehicle is the pone we dive at night and on the weekends so we needed something that allowed us to be comfortable in the front too!!

Mike got the Safety First Complete Air 65 LX Mike really liked this one!! Although rear facing in his car does push the passenger seat right to the front it isn't really a big deal - Mike would only be using his car for daycare pickups, Daddy/Daughter days etc.. and once it is forward facing it is fine!!

It was so exciting to actually put the seats in our cars and try them out - I can't believe it is almost here. We are both getting VERY impatient now and of course China is taking their sweet time.

"Organizing Paperwork"

Well it is official - the CCAA are "organizing paperwork" which means they "could" be and hopefully are working on matching us right now!!!

Last month the "organizing paperwork" report came out on a Wednesday(15th) and then on the Friday(17th) it was reported that referrals were sent and that the CCAA had done up to and including Aug 21st.

I am REALLY hoping it happens that way again this month - that would mean we could hear something Friday! If nothing else it would be nice to hear how far they have gotten this month. Also I am REALLY REALLY hoping we are included this month! If not it will be next month for sure but we are hoping its this month.

Shouldn't be too long now!

Registered this weekend...soooo much fun!!

Well this weekend we registered for some baby items! We registered at Babies R us and at Springys Totte Shoppe - it was so much fun!!

Mike wasn't big on going, he said it doesn't matter what I pick or what cups I like and I understand that - to be honest I knew it would be better to go without him. So my sister-in-law Tiffany and my cousin Darlene and Lexi came. Saturday we headed to London to the big new Babies R us, to be honest there isn't alot of stuff we need, we have alot of blankets, sheets, clothes etc... but it is amazing how after looking around there are so many things you realize you need or will need soon!

On Sunday Mike and I went to Springy's, it is a store in Hamilton that has been in business for over 50 years and the people are sooooo nice that own it. It has some stuff that we really like that you can't get elsewhere and we love to support them! It was fun and Mike had a good time. The small store kept his attention for long enough LOL!!

I can't believe we are actually registered for baby items - it is so strange. I feel sometimes like I am not as excited as I think I should be? I don't know if it is just that I am guarded still and am not allowing myself to get too excited yet or that it has just been too long that we have been thinking/preparing for this and it has lost the excitement factor?? I find it kind of sad at times - I feel like I should be more excited?? I think what we/I need is a referral!!! I think once that referral comes it will be different - then the panic will set in LOL!!

Love this little funky brown dog - I had ever seen it before...sooooo cute!!!

Tiff loves this ball popper! I do to for the memories it brings but not for the noise it makes LOL

March 1st...could it be???

Could it be this month?? After 66 months - Yes that's right 66 months!!! Could March be our month??

For the first time I don't know what I think about what the CCAA will do next. Even RQ is saying she just doesn't know what to think anymore? Last month the CCAA only did 6 days which was the equivalent of 12 RQ families - if they did 12 families again (which is a pathetic number) then we would be included but that would be 8 days so will they do that many days??

Only time will tell!!!

2000 Days - February 19th, 2012

February 19th marks 2,000 days since our file was logged in a computer in China! I can't really even believe we have waited this long - if you had told me it would be this long when I started I probably would have never signed up.

Fast forward 2,000 days and I am glad we signed up, glad we have stuck it out, the timing seems to be great and we are sooooo happy we are almost done!!!

This is where our file has been sitting for the last 2,000 days!!

February referrals...

Referrals came out February 17th, 2012

Well it was a very emotional crazy month for us on many levels but one was the impending referrals. The CCAA had done up to and including August 15th in January so that meant we were officially 14days away from referral. Now normally I wouldn't have given it a second thought but since there is no one logged in with the CCAA (according to the RQ polls) between Aug 19-27th we thought there may be a small, very small chance we could have made it in?? I personally was giving it a 2% chance but it is amazing how as you get close that 2% gets the better of you

I know China "could" have gotten to us this month technically but I never thought they would do 14 days worth - and I was right. The only did up to and including Aug 21st. I was a little more than disappointed with this - I was thinking they would split the empty days in the middle and then hopefully finish August in March but now I am not sure??

I was REALLY thinking it would be March but it was kind of a kick in the stomach when I saw the 21st - I mean in terms of RQ families it is the worst batch EVER (not that doing those couple of more days would have made a difference in that area) I just don't know if they will do 8 days next time??

On a good note - we are less than 10 LID's away from referral!! OMG single digits!!!

My mom

My mom....were do I start? She is amazing and means the world to me!! We have had a bit of a scare with her over the last couple of months - I won't go in to a huge amount of detail but I do want to at least acknowledge it here. It is the life we are living on "our journey to Mhyia" and it is important.

In November after a series of tests etc.. she was diagnosed with colon cancer - we were all shocked, including the Doctors!! They never expected it to come back showing cancer. We of course were very upset and extremely worried and even though you feel like things are going to work out it is always in the back of your mind "what if it doesn't".

Thankfully they found a very small percentage of cancer and we were very hopeful that when they went in to remove the pc of bowel that they would have already gotten it all or that they would definitely get it all then. Two weeks ago she went in for her surgery to remove the pc - the surgery went well and although the recovery has been hard at times it does seem to get a little better everyday.

My Dad and I picked my mom up from the hospital 4 days after her surgery to bring her home. I know she was soooooo THANKFUL to be home in her own house. I stayed with her and helped her get showered and settled in, I even blow dried her hair! Like I said I know she was just sooo thankful to be back in her own house and it was so nice to be there with her during this time!

My mom is ALWAYS there for me and it is nice to be able to feel like you are able to repay some of that unconditional love that I feel everyday! Now we wait, we wait for the test results to come back - we are hoping they will have them this week when she see's the Doctor. The Doctor did say to us after surgery that from what he could see things looked good but he can't say anything for sure until we get those results. I just pray that everything is going to come back clear!!

UPDATE (Feb 16th): The results are in and everything is clear!!!!! Thank God!!!! She still has quite a few weeks of recovery ahead of her but thankfully the news was good!! I literally started bawling at my desk and I had to tell my friends - no worries - they are happy tears!!

I am just so happy and so thankful that things look good, it has been a very stressful couple of months!!

Mom I am sooooo happy and so Thankful - you rest up now because in a couple of months we are going to have a new little family member with lots of energy!! Love you xo

Our new nephew!!

Mike's sister had her second child - a baby boy!! Meghan now has a baby brother. He weighed in at 10lbs 3oz - soooooo cute and kissable!!!

I am also so excited that there are still some little ones in our family - it will be so nice for Mhyia to have so many cousins around her age to play with!!

Mom and baby are doing well and Uncle Mike and I can not wait to go kiss and hug him!!! Here are a couple of pics - sorry not great quality pics - they are from my ipod!!

Valentines Day!

We never make too big of a deal about Valentines Day. It is just another day pretty much! We do usually always get each other a card and sometimes we will go out for dinner.

This year Mike had a meeting that night which I wasn't overly happy about but I decided to clean out the pantry and let me tell you it was one of the best Valentine's Days yet LOL - I love getting organized!! I wanted to clear out 1 - 2 shelves for us to put Mhyia's stuff (bottles, plates, snacks etc..) Mission accomplished!!

This is the card (home made I might add) and yes in case you are wondering Mike did the lettering on his own, freehand!! Pretty good! He also had some sour keys (my fav) wrapped up!!

The crib is up, the stroller is assembled and the diaper bag is ready!!

Well the last couple of weeks we have got quite a few things done. I am not completely don the nursery but as soon as I am I will post some pics. It was very exciting to get the crib up and now we also have our stroller and the diaper bag!!

I am feeling like even though we have so much done we have SOOOOOO much to do. I just really want to try to get so many things done around here before we go to China. I don't want to come home to a list of things we need to finish or get. When we get home I just want to concentrate on us for the first little while!!

Our next purchase/must have is a carseat - as soon as we have our referral we will have to make a decision as to which one we want so stay tuned!!

here is one quick pic from the ipod of the stroller!!

Diaper Bag and a Stroller all in one day!!

A local baby store was having their once a year Anniversary sale which was 20% off everything in the store. I had been in earlier in the week and decided that I was going to order my diaper bag on Saturday - they said I could get the 20% off online as well. I thought I heard a salesperson say everything was on sale except strollers and car seats?

I had every intention of ordering my diaper bag on line and leaving it at that - I woke up at 6:30am and was too excited and couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to go online. I found my diaper bag and was about to place the order until I started reading their return policy etc... and I just decided for some reason it might be easier for me to go to the store and order it there with the help of the salespeople. I called my mom and of course she said she would go which was so great (I hate shopping by myself).

When we got to the store OMG there was a line up completely down one side and half way up the other - I wasn't too concerned because I was most concern with getting some questions answered and then potentially just ordering online. As I looked around I came across the stroller we like (Baby Jogger City Select) and I was showing my mom - I asked the lady if these were on sale (I didn't think they were) and she said "yes" but in store only - I asked how much they were as I was pretty sure they were already on sale for $50 off - the lady said they were that price plus and extra 20%!!!! That equals almost $160 off and I have NEVER seen it that low anywhere. I was a little nervous but I went for it! After waiting approx 1hr and 30min my diaper bag was ordered and so was the stroller - sooooo excited to get them both - they said hopefully they will both be in this week!

All in all it was a very successful day with some good sales!!

Here is my diaper bag - I think I have seen 100's of diaper bags and this is the onle I like best! It is the Oioi Black Floral Messenger;

And here is our stroller - I just can't wait to put her in it!!

Gung Hei Fat Choy – Year of the Dragon!

Happy Chinese New Year to all our friends and family and to our baby girl who is somewhere in China – it won’t be too much longer and mommy and daddy will be coming to get you!

Year of the Dragon is known for being one of the luckiest years and we are hoping this proves to be true for us!

We have some big changes coming in our lives and we cannot wait!!

I read this article on the some of the history etc.. and found it quite interesting so I decided to re-post it here! Enjoy…

"Gung Hei Fat Choy" That’s the traditional Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin. The first day of the Chinese New Year – which begins at midnight on January 23, 2012 – is the most important of Chinese holidays, celebrated by billions in China, and by millions of ethnic Chinese around the world. It’s a celebration that lasts for 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival. Each year is associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2012, it’s the Year of the Dragon.

There are several variations on the mythology behind Chinese New Year celebrations. Most are based on a ugly bloodthirsty monster named Nian that would emerge on the last night of each year to destroy villages and eat people. A wise elder advised villagers to scare the monster away with loud noises. That night, they set fire to bamboo, lit fireworks, and banged their drums. The monster, afraid of the loud noises and lights, ran away to hide in its cave. In another version of the myth, an old man persuaded Nian to turn its wrath on other monsters, not the villagers. Before he was seen riding away on Nian, the old man, actually a god, advised the people to hang red paper decorations in their homes and set off firecrackers on the last night of the year to keep Nian away. On the first day of the new year, the villagers celebrated, greeting each other with the words “Guo Nian” which means “survive the Nian”, a tradition that has continued to this day to mean “celebrate the new year.”

Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally lasts 15 days, from the first day (during a new moon) to the 15th day (a full moon). Each day holds a special significance that varies according to local traditions. But first, before the arrival of the new year, homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away ill fortune, and to welcome good luck. On new year’s eve, there are family gatherings to celebrate and enjoy sumptuous traditional feasts, and to greet the new year with fireworks at midnight.

The celebration culminates on the 15th day with the Lantern festival; on this night of the full moon, families mingle in the streets carrying lighted lanterns, often creating a beautiful light display.
The Chinese New Year for 2012 will be celebrated on 23 January. It’s the most important of Chinese holidays, celebrated by billions of people across the world. Festivities traditionally last for 15 days to culminate with the Lantern Festival. This calendar is based on a complex lunisolar calendar system that uses both lunar and solar cycles to mark time. As a result, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, between January 21 and February 21 of the conventional Gregorian calendar. Each Chinese lunar year is associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2012, it’s the Year of the Dragon.

Mike and I didn't have anything planned this year for Chinese New Year but when he came home from the gym he brought this little surprise!! These were the best chicken balls we have ever had - form a little local restaurant - why haven't we tried them sooner!!!!

Six years ago today!

Six years ago today Mike and I headed to London for our agencies information session on adoption – it was the start of what has turned into this incredibly long journey. Although we have hated the wait I kind of feel like now is the perfect time for Mhyia to come into our lives – I am in a job I love, we have completed things we wanted to get done around the house, we are more mature, we have met so many amazing friends along the way etc… the timing is Great!!

Today we will mark this special day by assembling her crib, I/we have been slowly working away at her room (pics to come soon) and we thought that this would be a special day to assemble her crib!! I am soooo excited!! Even though we have had the crib in the house for a month or so it hasn’t hit me like I think it will when it is set up.

Thanks soooo much to my Mom and Dad (aka Grandma and Grandpa) for buying the most beautiful crib for Mhyia – we love it and we love you – Thank You!!!

This was an exciting purchase - the mattress - I didn't want to put the crib up unitl I could put it all together




This is her crib before and after assembly!!

January referrals!

Well the CCAA have sent out referrals for January (before leaving for CNY) they have done upto and including August 15, 2006! It was kind of what I was expecting; it is equivalent to 28 RQ families which means it seems a little bit better than last month’s batch.

If they were to refer the same amount next month that would more than include us but I honestly do not see that happening. That would mean they would have to refer 14 days and even if they could I just don’t think they would. I am kind of thinking they will get to maybe Aug 22/23 next month and then finish out August the month after – which means a March referral for us. To be honest that is the way I am hoping it plays out LOL, or even April – I know after all this time that sounds awful but I feel like it has been so far a way for so long and now all of a sudden it is here and I’m not prepared – I am gearing up to be prepared for March so earlier would just throw me off LOL.

Also there is no one logged in between the 19^th and the 27 (inclusive) so that is why the CCAA could easily do what would appear to be a larger batch.

So this also officially means that our group is NEXT at our agency!! Yahoo group 272 - although there is only one other couple left in our group which originally had 8 couples I believe? Only 14 month lid's to go!!!

New carpet, fresh paint and a long list in waiting!

We have a 4 page list I have had posted on the fridge for a year or more. I have it broken out by room of the house and "cost money" and "doesn't cost money" - until lately we have not been great at knocking things off.

I feel with our referral getting closer I am almost in a panic - I feel like I have soooo much to do and not enough time to do it.

We are getting new carpet up the stairs and in two of the bedrooms and I can't wait!! We repainted the hallway, repainted the banister and now the new carpet - it has forced us to clean up all the rooms and get rid of stuff we don't use etc... it is such a great feeling!!

Once the new carpet is in I will work on finishing Mhyia's room - sooooo exciting - I don't want to post pics until it is finished but as soon as I am done I will post pics! I am loving it so far!!!

20,000 visitors!!

I signed into my blog today and realised that we have had more than 20,000 views on our blog AMAZING!! I think I would have many more if I was better at updating - I really have such good intentions.

I also want to thank everyone who posts comments - it means so much to us that you are following along and take just a moment to comment - this journey has been very hard at times and it is so nice to know that there are people in our corner and wishing us well along the way!!

Happy New Year...and what a year it will be!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!! This year is going to (fingers crossed) be one of the most exciting years of our lives!! I can't believe that we have waited this long but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end when we finally get our little girl. The next couple of months will be a very busy and exciting time - so much to do so much to plan for and yet so much I feel I can't do until we get our referral.

Usually I find the first 4 or 5 months of the year fly by but I have a feeling this year may seem more like they are going by at a snails pace.

The chart below is from our agencies website - it shows where we are in terms of referrals etc.. as you can see there is now only one group ahead of ours - group 272!!! It is so close yet still so far. I really hope the CCAA is feeling generous when sending referrals this month prior to the Chinese New Year!!

64 months!!

I think after 60 months hit I have totally lost track - I keep forgetting to post on the 29th of the month. There really isn't much to say other than hopefully it will be our turn in the next couple of months!!

Here's hoping I only need to post 2 or 3 more of these month counters!!

Christmas 2011 – should be our last Christmas without Mhyia!!

This Christmas seemed to come and go before it even felt like Christmas. We had no snow at all and until today I have yet to wear a winter coat this season. Christmas was the usual – at my parents for Christmas Eve, off to church, sleep over, get up, open gifts, have an earlier dinner and then off to Mike’s sisters (Lisa’s) for dinner #2!!

Many many times this Christmas we thought or talked about how “next year” Mhyia would be here and the thought is soooo exciting – it has been sooooo many years that I have been saying “hopefully by next Christmas we will have a child” well it looks like this if finally the year!!!! There are some friends at my moms church who adopted a couple of years ago from China and their little girls is so sweet, they were sitting in front of us on Christmas Eve and I couldn’t stop starring at her with her mom and thinking next year that could be me with Mhyia – I can’t wait, I am soooo ready!!

Christmas overall was great, I just love having the week off and visiting with family etc… it is such a great time of year. I had hoped to get a bunch of things done around the house but I didn’t get as many done as I would have liked – I have a huge list on the fridge of things I want to get done before Mhyia comes, so many little things I need to finish or organize – I have committed to doing at least 1 or 2 of these things per week!