Wow, this is hard

Now that our busy busy month is over and there's nothing to really keep me distracted, this is becoming tortuous! A good tortuous, better than waiting and waiting and never knowing when the waiting would end. This waiting will end. In fact, we already have our baby. That's the crazy thing. We've already been matched, I'm sure of that. Our file is either sitting on the director's desk waiting to be signed off on or it's sealed in a DHL envelope on it's way to the U.S. I'm just going crazy wondering who she is, how old she is, where she is. The only thing I can be sure of is that she has black hair and brown eyes!

This week seems to be taking forever. I just wish I had the confirmation that referrals have been mailed. Tonight will be Friday morning in Beijing so maybe I'll have an update from our agency tonight. If I do, I'll be sure to post!

Ladybugs!

Ladybug sighting! That's usually a sign that referrals are on their way! These adorable hairclips were sent to us from Emily along with other very cute gifts. Thanks Emily! We love everything you sent!

Our agency is hinting that referrals may not have been sent yet but if not, then they will very soon. Rumor Queen is saying that a European agency is saying that referrals have arrived. Not sure what to believe yet. I'll keep you posted!

Done with the Countdown

I'm not going to count anymore. We are here. These are the final days. Travel Approvals for the last batch of families are on their way to our agency. That's a good sign that referrals should be following very soon! I don't think we'll get the call yet this week. We should still be on schedule for early next week. Our agency has been wonderful keeping us updated. George and I are very calm, very excited, and very anxious to see who it is we have waited so long for.

Thanks to everyone who has been calling, emailing, and leaving comments, we really love everyone's excitement and support.

Please check back, if we hear that referrals are on their way, I will be sure to post it!

(If you want to see pictures from our weekend and video of baby raccoons, scroll down.)

Raccoons

I'm really just posting this because I'm practicing uploading onto YouTube and downloading onto our blog...it works, I figured it out. The baby raccoons are kinda cute too.

Day 29/35

Wow, the weekend just flew by! We had a great time. We did SO much! Poor little Lilah broke her elbow so the Boeschs never made it up. Mom and Dad were a great help. We got a lot done. George and I went for a canoe ride. The water was gorgeous and we found some fabulous swimming holes. 10 degrees hotter and we would have jumped in.
We were sitting on the beach and two baby raccoons came waddling down towards us. George was brave enough to take pictures and even video footage (to be aired soon!). I was scared to death of the mother coming out of nowhere to protect her babies but we never did see her.
Mom and I painted the front doors. They look so much better. Wish we could have worked on the second story window boxes but the mourning dove was still incubating her eggs.

We bought a boat! An itty bitty non functioning sailboat that is. It does have a rutter but no sail. We are still debating about what to do with it... It was just too cute to pass up.
George laid a lot of wood chips over the rocky shore to make a more stable footpath.
The ferries were packed this weekend being Memorial Day weekend and for most, the first weekend back up since last season. As I stood on the upper deck, I looked down and saw someones new bed making the trip over. One big wave and that bed woulda gone overboard.

The coffee shop on the island. We love going there. They had a big garage sale with awesome stuff. We bought a print and the sailboat. Dad especially loves coming here, there's a cute little bookstore right next door. Thanks Dad for the book on Door County wildflowers!

The Twice Around shop reopened this weekend. It's just down the road from the coffee shop. Mom and I had good luck there but my new lime green cruiser with basket and white leather seat was the steal of the day for only $3! George and Dad decided to build a very rustic boardwalk using some cedar trees and planks. Worked out great and makes it much easier to get in and out of the water.
The last section is actually in the water and it got moved with the water moving in and out. We all tried to straighten it back out with no luck, might just have to be a little crooked...
What a great weekend, great weather, and great company. Thanks again Mom and Dad for everything! We are back at home now with about 6 days minimum to wait for any news. I will post any rumors I hear. Our agency has a way of knowing if any packages are heading towards their way so those are the rumors I'm looking for now. We just can't stop thinking of this little one and wondering who she is. Please stay tuned.

Day 25/35

1o days to go! It is pretty certain that matching has begun at the CCAA. Apparently they do it in the last 2 weeks of the month, right before they send them out. This isn't anything new, it's just surreal to think that someone in China is looking at our pictures and file and matching us to a baby, the baby that will be our daughter...forever!

Mom and Dad are here and we are leaving this morning for the island. Mary, Tim, and Lilah, should be arriving today or tomorrow. Should be a fun weekend with a lot going on. After this weekend is over, we don't have anything planned...it's going to be tortuous remaining 7 days!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!!

Day 23/35

I reupholstered this little chair 2 years ago (!) to match George's chair. Like so many things, I didn't quite finish it so it's back out so I can finish sewing up the back piece. I hear other adopting moms who are getting very organized and cleaning like crazy. I don't know why I'm not on that bandwagon, I'm creating more projects and messes than I am organizing and cleaning! No rumors on the arrival of referrals, everyone still seems to think they will arrive 1st week of June so the rumor mill is pretty dead right now. Good thing we have the holiday weekend to keep our minds preoccupied.

Day 22/35

We cannot stop thinking of our little one. We can't believe we will know who she is so soon!

When you travel to China to pick up your daughter, everyone ends their trip in Guangzhou. You usually stay there about a week going to appointments, to court, and to get your child's medical exam. The White Swann Hotel has been the hotel everyone has stayed at for years, since adoptions opened in the 90s. This is the hotel that has the famous red velvet couch that everyone puts their babies on for group photo shots. This is the hotel where you get the "Barbie who adopts from China." This is the hotel where there is a huge playroom Mattel sponsored for all the adoptive families and their babies. This year they are starting major renovations and I just learned our agency isn't having us stay there during the renovations. We are staying at the brand new Westin instead. I was bummed at first but after looking at the website and knowing everything will be brand new with non-smoking rooms and AC that works, I am getting really excited about staying there. August can't come soon enough...

Day 21

Two weeks from today could quite possibly be the day we see our daughter's face. Two weeks! After 2 years, 2 weeks is music to our ears! We are very very very excited.

The island was beautiful. A little rainy and cold but it's certainly coming to life again. I wanted to take out the evergreen boughs I put in the window boxes at Christmas but discovered a morning dove's nest with 2 eggs. I will have to wait on that. We hope we will get to see them hatch! The Brill reel mower worked great. It's so nice not to hear a loud lawnmower going.
We painted the inside of the house. We spread a huge pile of wood chips. We hung the baby's swing. We did a little redecorating. We ate out, went to the coffee shop, and watched movies. We had a great weekend!

Day 18

Day 18 out of 35, assuming we'll get our referral on June4. At least halfway there!

Had a great time this morning helping out my good friend and neighbor, Christine, with her garage sale. The weather was gorgeous and I scored big time at the neighbors' sales. I bought some really beautiful clothes for baby Judy.

George taught me how to use the riding lawnmower last night (I've been using the push mower). It doesn't seem any easier, it was jerking me around everywhere and I really butchered the grass. I gave up and had George finish it. He thought it was hilarious and took a picture.

We're going up north this afternoon with a ton of projects planned. Hopefully we'll get a lot done. Have a great weekend everyone!

Day 17

We are SO excited around here...just about halfway through this month. We will see our daughter's face VERY soon! We just can't imagine who she is, where she is, what she looks like. The anticipation is killing us!

Yesterday was my day with Jing, my Chinese friend. I just adore her. She's so funny and sweet. She brought us Lychee which is a Chinese fruit that is dried. The shell is very thin, you crack it open and there's a delicious dried fruit inside.

We practiced the four tones in Mandarin. I had to tell her that I really am tone deaf and that's why I wasn't catching on very quickly. She taught me to say "Pardon me, I don't understand" and "Where is the bathroom." I have a feeling I'll be using these phrases a lot.

I have just been looking at the Chinese Cookbook Peter and Allison sent us. Makes me crazy hungry every time I open it. I am cooking Chinese for the second time this week. Thanks P & A for this beautiful book, we love it!

Day 16

Believe it or not, we still don't have a name picked out! We keep saying it will come to us when we see her. Now we are kind of worried that won't be the case. We are after all, just going to have 3 photos to look at...not a lot to go on. We have been confident that we'll just know her name when we see her face but of course, the "what-if it doesn't" is plaguing us. Only time will tell!

Day 15

Can't even say we're halfway through the wait yet...still about 19 more days to go! Ugh!
I'm not even following Rumor Queen right now, none of those rumors matter to me anymore, we are NEXT! Only rumors I'll soon look for are when they are actually arriving. We feel strangely calm, nervous, and excited all at once.

It's a hard transition to come back from the lake house to this house...both with long to-do lists. To say I'm keeping busy is an understatement. It's gloomy today and I'm forcing myself to stay in and get the wingback finished (I'm reupholstering it). Scroll down if you want to see our weekend photos.

Day 14

Great weekend! Loved having Mom and Dad up. We were very grateful for all of their help too, thanks Mom and Dad for everything!

We discovered that we have rhubarb and raspberry bushes. Mom made THE BEST rhubarb crumble ever.Our cedar trees that we had cut down were planed and stacked when we arrived. George is thrilled to have all of that beautiful wood. We can't decide what to build with it...we are thinking a tree house might be good. It will take about a year to dry out.
The canoe is now on the beach. George and Dad took it out Sat. afternoon. Water is so shallow that they said water was warm.
Hammock is up.
Mother's Day morning. We sat in the sun and drank coffee. Dad gave us our first lesson in fishing with our new rods. We practiced casting off the deck.

George and Dad put in the outdoor shower (with hot water!). It's awesome we all tried it out (except for Mom). We'll put up a curtain of some sort next weekend. We put in the stone pathway and filled in with cedar chips.
I power washed the bunkhouse deck. It took me almost 4 hours! It's pretty clean and looking good. We put some chairs out there and it has a wonderful view of the water.

We had a pretty good fish fry on Friday on the island and I ate fresh lawyers for the first time.

Lawyers, believe it or not, are a kind of fish. :) The owner of the place caught 400lbs. that day and since it's a fish that can't be frozen, I was served a HUGE plate of them, fried. Dynamite.

We'll be back up there this weekend, can't wait. Still 3 weeks away from referral, we're so grateful for this house as a distraction...

Day 11

My Mom and Dad are here for the weekend. While Mom and I shopped, Dad went out and got us completely outfitted to fish on the lake! We are so excited, we each have our own rod and a full tackle box! We then went to Gander Mountain and got canoe paddles. We are leaving this afternoon for the island. We can't wait to show them all the work we've done and to finally get the canoe in the water. Should be fun.

Time is flying this month, I can't even keep up with the countdown. This is a very good thing! Mom brought me my baby gift which is a handwoven diaper bag by Susan Johnson at the Avalanche Loom shop. I love it! Can't wait to use it. Typical mom fashion, she brought a lot of stuff for the baby, thanks mom!

Check back again for photos from our weekend.

Day 9

My Chinese friend, Jing, was over today for 5 hours! We talked the whole time, we're just like old friends. She brought me the best green tea I've ever had and taught me how to brew it properly. She's very concerned about teaching me things to be able to teach our daughter which I really love and appreciate.

Today Rumor Queen is speculating when referrals will arrive. She's predicting around June 4th, that sounds about right. Yeah!!!

Highchair and car seat arrived today. I told the UPS driver that we're expecting a baby soon. He looked at my stomach and I told him he would be delivering her next month. (He really will be delivering our referral) He walked away too fast for me to explain. I'm sure he's still trying to figure that one out!!!

Keep scrolling down to check out pictures from our trip to STL.

Day 8

It's Day 8 already. We won't see our referral until the first week in June. So, it's Day 8 out of probably 36-42. Day by day, right?

Our weekend in St. Louis was fun. It was great to see everyone. We had dinner at George's dad's house on Saturday. Here are some of the photos. (Keep scrolling down to the previous post to see the photos from the engagement party)

Jackson (George's little brother)

Elizabeth, Lee, baby Charlotte, George, Christianne

George & Charlotte

George, Elizabeth, & baby Anderson (George's little brother)

Isa
Cate
Elizabeth, Charlie, Lee, George, Anderson

Cate & Musa
Back at Nonni's reading bedtime stories

Thanks everyone for having us this weekend, we had a great time and loved seeing all of you!

Have a wonderful summer and visit anytime!

Day 8

Ben & Bridget's engagement party was beautiful. The country club was gorgeous, the weather was perfect and it was so nice to see all of our friends!

Day 4

Yikes, only 4 days! This IS going to be realllllly long.
We're leaving for STL very early tomorrow. It will be good to get away and to see family and friends. We've had beautiful weather and I've been out walking a lot with my good friend and neighbor, Christine. I can't wait to get this canoe off the patio and into Lake Michigan. Next weekend Mom and Dad will come and help get this big red monster onto our car.

George made very good progress in the workshop last night. Along that wall will hold 3 saws, his mortiser, and his router. Note the extensive dust collection system overhead. Looking good.
Check back soon, we should have some fun pics to post from our trip to STL and by then it will be DAY 8!

Day 3

Everything is blooming in the garden. This is our little apple tree ready to flower!

I ordered the carseat yesterday! I also ordered her highchair, it's just a little seat that hooks on to a counter or table. Those were the last two big things I needed to get. Feels weird, like this is really happening. It IS really happening. Wow!

Day 2

Day 2 out of how many? It could be anywhere from 28-36 or maybe even longer. Seems easy now, I imagine the closer we get, the harder it will be.

Our agency received 15 referrals yesterday for the Oct. 27th families. All girls! Ranging in age from 7 months to 11 months and all from the Jiangxi Province! Rumor Queen's site has links to blogs of families who just received referrals. Check it out if you want to see some pretty cute babies! http://chinaadopttalk.com/category/referral-announcements/

I met with my new friend, Jing, yesterday. She's Chinese and just wonderful! She's going to teach me Chinese and I'm going to help her with English. She is really concerned about teaching Chinese culture to our daughter and wanted to make sure I would show her how to eat with chopsticks! I assured her I would.

George's project of redoing his workshop has turned into a pretty big project with an extensive dust collection system. Our three car garage is now a NO car garage. George is on the phone with his very good friend, Tim, learning of the news that they are expecting a baby girl!!! Yeah! Our daughters will be only a year apart.!!!

Day 1

Since it's May 1st and since we know we're next, I thought it would be a perfect day to start a countdown until referral day. So far it's been a pretty calm feeling around here. We're beyond jaded so I think our mentality is still "I'll believe it when I see it." I think we just need to be pinched.

Of all things, this is what I did yesterday. I took all of her clothes that I've been collecting from dressers (yes, two dressers and a basket but not including all the stuff in the closet!). My mom's voice is in the back of my head telling me to wash all of that stuff. For most people, washing wouldn't be such a pressing matter but since I buy just about everything used, it's driving my mom crazy that I haven't washed it yet. The nursery does smell a little like Goodwill...

I revealed this pile to George last night who wondered why he hadn't put a cap on me earlier. Of course, he loved looking at all of her little clothes. I also discovered that she has 6 swimsuits! The nursery door has been closed for nearly 2 years...I'm rediscovering a lot of fun things in there.