Just because

Just because I can't believe that I will have her in my arms 10 days from now!

I can't wait to see a smile on that face and kiss those sweet checks!

Still waiting

I am still waiting for my in China travel arrangements. I was supposed to hear something by mid to late this week, I haven't heard a thing. I'm getting close to panic mode. Okay, I've been close to panic mode. Hopefully I will hear something on Monday. At least I prayer I will hear something on Monday!
I have my meeting with lady #3 at DFACS on Monday. Wish me luck and say prayers for patience! After my phone call with her on Wednesday, I'm going to need all the prayers I can get.
And yes (you know who you are), I did get my prescription filled!

It always seems like I'm venting

Several things I want to vent about today, but I want to congratulate Sabrina first. It has been a long and emotional road for her and I'm so glad it's almost over. Also welcome home to Amy. It was a long and emotional road for her (still is). Stop on over and give her some love.

Now on to the venting....

1. The plastic bag that caused so much heartache in this house was not needed anyway. Apparently the tires that were supposed to be shipped using this plastic bag won't fit on the tractor so they are not being shipped... ugh!

2. DFACS - I will never understand DFACS. On 4/12 I went to our local DFACS office. I hated going there, but I needed to. Here you can get a $2000 reimbursement from the state for adopting SN. I know that we will get it. I have already spoken with the regional manager. So I show up at DFACS. I explain to lady #1 what I need. I explain I am adopting a SN's child from China and need to find out how to go about applying for the reimbursement. #1 lady looks at me like I have 3 heads. She pawns me off. I explain the same thing to lady #2. She looks at me like I have 4 heads. I am starting to get peeved at this point. They pawn me off on someone else. After about 5 minutes she tells me to come back to the conferance room. I explain what I need. #3 says she doesn't think I will qualify. I tell her I have already spoken to the regional manager and was told I would. #3 lady says that I will have to have an appointment to fill out paperwork. Why I couldn't do it then I'll never know. So I ask her if I can get an appointment. She tells me I will have to call her. Okay, she's standing right there. Can't she look in her appointment book and make it? So I call Friday morning to make my appointment. I get her voice mail. I wait until the afternoon to call and again and I actually get her this time. We make an appointment for 4/19 at 1030. By the way, she has my phone number because she says she got my voice mail and just hadn't had a chance to call me back. So I show up on 4/19 at 1020 for my 1030 appointment. I was already dreading it. The lady behind the class ask me what I needed. I told her. I was then told that lady #3 was very sorry, but she was unable to make my appointment because "something" came up. Hello, she had my number!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway I ask if there is anyone else who can help me fill out paperwork and am told that she is the only one. How hard can it be people? I have done 2 international adoptions and I work with paperwork and legalities everyday. I'm not stupid, but was certainly made to feel that way. So I call her that afternoon to get another appointment. I leave a message. I call twice on Friday. I called today. Today they are closed for Confederate Memorial day! Ugh! With people like this it's no wonder DFACS is in such disaray. I will be calling tomorrow so hopefully I will get an answer. It's almost to the point I want to give up, but then I think that's what lady #3 wants me to do and I don't want to give her the satisfaction!

3. Freakin D*sh N*twork - Here is the post from the Fishbowl regarding what happened. Last week I signed up with C*mcast. They had a deal. I should have canceled the other sooner because of what happened, but I didn't. I called DN last week to ask about canceling my account. The big C was coming out today (4/23) to install so I wanted to go ahead and get the ball moving. The lady answers the phone and ask me why I wanted to cancel. I told her because I didn't want their service anymore. She keeps hounding me about why so I explain the whole thing. She transfers me to their accounting department. This lady ask me why I want to cancel. I tell her because I have decided to because I didn't want their service anymore. She starts hounding me so I explain everything to her. She says "well the money was refunded so everything should be okay". Uh no, it's not okay! I asked her how much it was going to be and she said she couldn't tell me until I actually canceled. I asked her to go ahead and set up the cancellation for today (4/23) and she said she couldn't do it. Okay fine. Today I call to cancel. I get another operator and explain that I want to cancel my service.... blah blah blah. I get why do you want to cancel. I explain again because I no longer want their service. So I get the whole thing about being an excellent customer and blah blah blah. I finally give up and basically have to interupt and demand to speak with someone who will cancel my account. Okay, on to the cancellation depart. Same thing, why do you want to cancel, my same answer, because I no longer want your service and then it just goes from there. Why can't companies take a simple "because I want to"? It's not that hard. She goes on explaining about auto bill pay and I go on explaining no thank you. She goes on explaining there was nothing indicating $500 was charged on the account. I go on telling her yes there was and to just please cancel the account. She goes on explaining about with auto bill pay this won't happen. I go on explaining that by canceling my account I know this won't happen. Finally I get her to cancel my account. Oh yeah, one important thing here.... she tells me they don't keep the credit card on file unless it is auto bill pay (my account was not). I also explained that when I called and spoke with them in December trying to clear up the matter my telephone number was incorrect. I was assured several times that it would be corrected. It was not. Okay, so she finally works on canceling my account. She tells me that they will send me boxes to pack up the receivers and satellite eye and remote controls to send back to them. She then tells me "if you don't return them within 30 days your credit or debit card on file will be charged". Um okay, I thought you said that my card was not kept on file. Oh well, anyway I asked her about the dish on the side of the roof. She said that we could take it down or we could have someone come about from DN and they would take it down for $99. Don't think so. I actually laughed at that. Oh well, I'm done with them.

4. I have no idea about my travel arrangements except for I'm leaving on 5/7, gotcha day is 5/9, consulate appointment is 5/16 and I'm returning on 5/18. This is very hard for a control freak. Hopefully I will find out more soon. Hopefully nothing will change because I was told to go ahead and book my tickets. They are nonrefundable and huge penalities to change!

On a positive note, 1 more Monday until I'm gone from work! It's hard to realize that in 2 short weeks we will be a family of 5. I'm so excited!

I also promise that the next post won't be to heavy on the venting!

That's it.... I'm on strike!

I'm venting big time here. I have decided I'm going on strike. No more putting dirty dishes in the dish washer. No more emptying the dishwasher. No more washing, drying or folding clothes that don't belong to me, Maddie or Sophie. No more picking up after anybody but me. No more throwing trash away that's not mine.

I've had it around here. Why is it that you order stuff and then leave the boxes and trash from the inside laying around? Why can't you throw it away? Why must it sit there for weeks on end?

This all started when I threw away a huge plastic bag. I thought it was from something that was ordered and just left there like all of the other bags and boxes. I made the HUGE mistake of throwing it away. If I was told that it was for shipping something, I wouldn't have thrown it away. Excuse me for trying to clean up a little bit around here. Guess I won't be doing that anymore!

It's almost time!

First off, please stop on over here and send Sabrina and her family some love and prayers. They really need it right now.

Now for the good news on the home front. We have our confirmed CA. Our appointment is 5/16/07. I will leave here on 5/7 and arrive in Guangzhou on 5/8. I am still waiting for the confirmed in China travel from my agency so I'm not sure if I will spend the night in Guangzhou or fly to Shenyang that night. Sophie day is 5/9. It still seems so surreal right now. I have the same feelings that I had when I was getting ready to go get Maddie. It just doesn't seem real yet. It's so hard to believe that after over a year she is almost home. I have made her dentist and ortho appointments and I just need to make her peds appointment.

It's almost time!

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TA week was a success for us!! Woohoo. I can't believe I actually get to make this post. After 145 days of waiting we finally have our TA. Our agency is requesting our consulate appointment for 5/16 and that would make Sophie day 5/9. I can't believe it's finally here. Just today I was thinking about how tired I am of waiting and how I am so ready for this to me over. It's almost here!

Hopefully LOA week won't be a bust. I'm still hoping for Beth and Sabrina.

TA & LOA week proclaimed yet again

First, a big congrats to Heather who received her TA this week. I hope she gets her consulate appointment soon. Second, congrats to Amy and family who are in China right now picking up beautiful Sarah.

Okay now I'm proclaiming TA and LOA week yet again. This has got to be the week for Beth and Sabrina to get their LOA's. I know they have to be here this week. I'm also hoping for TA's. I'm going to get selfish and hope mine comes. I know it has to be soon. Let's also a LID for the Walker family and congrats to Nancy and family who were DTC on 4/5. Their son Asher is in Dandong with Sophie.

Here's hoping for a good week. I did wish on my early birthday cake candles (thanks Mimi) for our TA so let's hope this works.

Private or Public that is the question

There is debate going around about private or public blogs. I guess I'm going to stir the pot a bit. My blogs have always been and always will be public (or until I get to old to type and have to delete the blogs). I think blogs and websites are an important lifeline. You can keep in touch with family far away (hello Gloria) or family close (hello Hannah). The most important thing (in my opinion) that you do with your blog and/or website is encourage and help others along this very long, long, long road. It is encouraging to read other blogs to find out that my child is not the only child who throws fits over being asked to put something away or put some clothes on. It is encouraging to read other blogs to find out that I'm not the only one nervous about our adoption. I know that there are tons of other families who feel the exact same way. I rejoice with families who are picking up their children. I rejoice when a family that I have been following for a really long time finally receives their referral. I feel with the family who talks about how hard this parenting thing is. It is hard. It is really, really hard. If it weren't for these blogs and websites I don't know how I would have made it the first time and especially this time. There is good and bad along this adoption road. I hope that by reading this blog, families have learned that it's not all rosey. I also hope that there are some people who read this blog who decided to adopt a SN's child or decided to adopt period. As I said before, I'm not going anywhere. I will continue to post the good and the bad. I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy having it. Pot stirring done for now.

Amazing discovery tonight!

First, congrats to Amy who received her TA for beautiful Sarah! Yea! Hopefully Heather will get her TA this week and Sabrina and Beth will get their LOA's. I still don't think our TA is coming any time soon, but I'm counting the days. Hopefully there will be a lot more TA's and LOA's this week.

Second, I was going thru Maddie's stuff from Half the Sky for no real reason. When I was reading it laughing because everything they described about Maddie is exactly the way she is today. Then I found her referal information. I've read it a thousand and one times, but I was reading it again tonight. Maddie was born in the hospital on 9/17/03 and then on 9/19/03 her birth mother walked out. Well the 9/19 date hit me. Sophie was found on 9/19/02. My girls will always share that link even more.

Sophie is on the top left and bottom right. Maddie is on the top right and bottom left. The pictures on the bottom are the very first picture that we saw of each girl. I can't wait to get Sophie home so she doesn't have that sad look in her eyes anymore. Maddie has definitely lost that sad look.