So Long 2006! It's been a blast!

I thought I'd spent a few minutes typing some of the thoughts I've had on the last day of 2006 and to the future of 2007. I started this year with a bit of confusion. I had a career, lived in interesting places, and finished my graduate degree. I had set all of these goals for myself while I was in college. I did it! But where do I go from here? I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next. Over the summer, I was working on the implementation of a big project. While I may have been delirious from a lack of sleep, I was sitting in the stairwell at work, taking a mental break, and thought about a family. I had been prepping my family for about five years that if I'm not married, eventually I will think about being a single mom. I was mostly met with support by friends, but my family always said, "Don't give up! Wait! You're still young!" I thought about it for a few days, and realized the time was right. I'm still young, but old enough that I've established myself and had a chance to do the things I wanted to do. I told my sister first, and was met with wonderful support from her and my BIL. I bridged the topic with my mother and father, which took a week or so, but they are fully on board.

This decision has kept me pretty busy for the latter half of the year, but it brings excitement and happiness to my life. Will 2007 be the year I meet my daughter? I'd like to think so, but with referrals being so sporadic and few with my agency, I'm keeping my doubts so I'm not disappointed. So for me, 2007 will bring preparation, enjoyment of the time I have as a "non-mother," and more great times spent with family and friends. If I'm lucky, a child around the end of the year.

To each of you, I wish you health, happiness, and wonderful days. For those waiting, patience and joyous introductions to your new sons and daughters. See you in 2007!

Dinner

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this knowing some of the people that will read this, but I have never had Vietnamese food. I've had Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and extend out of the Asian Pacific to Ethiopian, Afghan, Pakistani, Russian as well as food from most of the European countries. I just have never had anything beyond spring rolls that is Vietnamese. Until tonight. I had the pleasure of dining at a local Vietnamese restaurant and all I can say is yummy! I had catfish with spices and fish sauce cooked in a clay pot with rice. It was the best catfish I've ever had! I'm looking forward to going back and trying other items on the menu.

Funny thing...

I used to love to shop. Clothes, home items, kitchen equipment, crafts - I could shop 'til I drop. After deciding to adopt, it's been different. I know I'm on a tight budget to save for agency payments, nursery furniture, and all those other things I need to buy. Last night, I went to the mall to buy a celebration gift for finishing my dossier. Staying away from clothes, I realized there wasn't much I could buy for the nursery since I haven't decided on color schemes. I need to get my sister down here pronto so she can help me put together things. She's the designer in the family. Not as a career, but she has a good eye of what looks together. So I ended up buying some cute Christmas place mats and fifteen boxes of pantyhose since they were on sale for half off. ;)

When I got home I spoke with my mom who introduced me to ebay. Oh my! The deals on nursery stuff! I think I found the stroller I want to get as well as a rug (if it matches what I end up with for bedding, etc. What fun!

Ha! The radio thought it could predict my day!

Yesterday, the radio played that "Had a bad day" song on the way home from FedEx. (See post below). Rachel noted that it's past tense and that made me feel better. All was good this morning. I had a few meetings that kept me busy until 10:30, which is also the time when my dossier was supposed to be delivered. I noticed I hadn't received a delivery e-mail, so I logged into FedEx to see where my package was held up. Who knows? Maybe it was just a late delivery. Memphis!!! My dossier was in Memphis! Curious as to when it would be delivered, I called FedEx. She confirmed that it was in Memphis and that the soonest it would be delivered is tomorrow morning. I was disappointed, but she promised me it wasn't lost. I could wait another day. I began stalking the FedEx site and at 11:00 I hit refresh and poof! It had arrived in Evansville, Indiana! Insta-smile! And even better? It was delivered by 11:30! I guess I had some good karma saved up in my back pocket from all the crummy days in the past two weeks. So the dossier safely arrived at my agency. Whew! Such a relief!

Things that make me happy...I have these two pictures, drawn by C., next to my desk



The first picture is C., J., the baby, and me. The brown/blue thing in the air is the plane that brought us home from Vietnam. The second picture is C. and the baby. She is teaching her to walk. So far on C.'s list is to teach the baby to walk, make funny faces, be silly, and swim. She also wants to have the chores to change her diapers, feed her bottles, and make her laugh. Um, okay, but what do I do as the mommy?!? It's just too cute to see her so excited!

Edited to add: Three days and two posts to break my record for the most posts in a month! I'm so doing that! Also, check out the counter! It's almost to 1000! Yay!

She's checking a list, checking it twice...

Because I just got back from FedEx where the dossier has been sent to the agency!!! Yay! I could be finished with the paper chase. After I FedEx'd my dossier, I started my car to hear the song "Celebration" being played. I smiled big and danced a bit in my car. Unfortunately, the next song was that "You had a bad day" song. How opposite can a play list be?!? I'm so happy to be finished, but I just can't let my guard down. After all the little setbacks, I just feel I should prepare myself for something that will have to be corrected. It shouldn't be more than a week or so until I know if all is well. Happy days!

I find the best part of the paperwork being finished is that all I can do is wait now. I'm guessing 9 months until referral, so no stressing for 9 months. No problem! I'm looking forward to sewing, knitting, and getting a nursery ready. I've set certain rules for myself. Up to this point, the only purchases I'd allow myself to make were at milestones such as home study completion, I-171H received, etc., and the items could not cost over twenty dollars. Now I can only make nursery purchases. Clothes will be purchased after referral.


Christmas was great! I had a great time with my family celebrating Christmas three times! So much fun! Santa brought me a Tivo, which I love, a knitting kit, a serving bowl, underwear, and lots of gift cards (that I am saving to purchase diapers and formula). My brother-in-law and I did a bunch of cooking and I had a lot of quality time with my sister and nieces. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.

I hope each and every one of you had a marvelous holiday and pray that those of you delayed in Vietnam get home to your families soon!

How about some good news?

I'm having an amazing weekend with my family. Everyone is getting along and having a good time. The girls (my nieces) are amazing and having a blast. And even better? My FedEx package with my last set of documents was delivered today. Unfortunately, I am about 100 miles away in Austin, so I had to call a co-worker to see if she would pick them up. They probably would have been fine sitting in front of my door all weekend, but with my luck right now I wasn't going to chance it. So I'll send my dossier in on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Yay!!! C. was so excited when I told her that I will officially be on the waiting list next week. She wants me to decide on a name so I think I did, but it's a secret to you all still.

I hope everyone has a joyous and safe holiday!

How many more days this week?

I'm having a rough week at work and looking forward to a few days off. Except for the day I took off when I had strep, I haven't taken a day off since May (including holidays). I'm trying to max out my vacation prior to travel in 12 or so months. Unfortunately, I need to recharge so I'm taking three days off for Christmas. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family.

I'm still waiting for my final documents to be authenticated by the Vietnamese Consulate. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Please don't let my documents be lost! You know, I can handle getting copies of my homestudy and I-171H, but I may not make it through a fourth (fifth?) trip to the doctor. Overall, I'm disappointed that it looks like I won't have my paperwork done this year. It really would have been nice to be finished with paperwork as a gift to myself. Oh well! It will be a nice start to the new year!

For my friends that aren't aware of processes, after I finish the paperwork the next step is the referral. This is not immediate. When I applied to my agency they thought the wait would be 6-9 months. A month or so later, they said the wait for families starting in the near future would be 9-12 months. I'm guessing my referral could be around 9 months. When I talk to people though I mostly hope to travel between Christmas of next year to Summer 2008. Therefore, my New Year's resolution is not to complain about the wait until next Christmas. :o)

I probably won't update my blog until after Christmas unless I have some good news. I wish each of you that celebrate Christmas a wonderful day with lots of love from family and friends! Happy Holidays!

What's up with me?

I'm doing well and feeling much, much better. I'm back in my contacts with white eyes, and the allergy meds seem to be working. I spent the weekend in Austin with my sister and nieces and had a wonderful time. We did a little shopping, went ice skating and to church, and then looked at some homes. Oh! And there was a little modeling show and Christmas play that my nieces put on. Too cute! This morning, my niece C., asked me why it takes so long for me to become a mommy. I told her there was paperwork and then we have to wait our turn. She said she can wait until next Christmas or when she finishes first grade, but asked why we just couldn't fly to Vietnam and ask them to please give us a baby. I told her what happens if it's someone else's baby. She thought for a second and said that might hurt someone else. She agreed to wait until it's our turn and then asked if she could help pick out the colors and material for the baby's room. She's going to be such a wonderful cousin!

The adoption paperwork? I don't think I'm going to get it all in by the end of the year. I'm waiting for my last batch of documents to come back from the Vietnamese Embassy. The last batch took 3 days. This time? I'm on day 12 since they received it with no FedEx tracking number for return present yet. I'll call if I don't have them back this week to make sure they weren't lost. I pray not since the physical that took 3 doctor's appointment to get right is in this batch of paperwork. I may have a pity party if I have to get it done again.

I'm looking forward to Christmas and taking a few days off from work. I enjoy parts of my job, but I really need a few days off to recharge. Hopefully, I'll have something interesting to share, such as dossier completion, in the next few days!

Sniff...

No, I'm not crying. I've been hit with a doozie of a sinus infection this week. And if that weren't bad enough, I also picked up a wonderful case of pink eye. (Gross!) That has also spread to my other eye! (Double gross!) I'm on the up side of things though and hopefully after a relaxing weekend I will be all better!

I got my last set of paperwork back from the Secretary of State and sent them off to the Vietnamese Consulate. Hopefully, I'll have my dossier to my agency next week. Yay! And then I wait.

Besides sewing up a storm I also have the nursery to prepare and my family has been great at adding other things to my plate. My mother bought me a learn to knit DVD with a little rabbit hat. I already know how to knit, but all I can knit are scarves, so maybe it will teach me all the other things about knitting.

I'm off to rest a bit. Have a great weekend everyone!

It's here! It's here!

Yay! I was feeling a little down regarding the adoption and questioning a lot of decisions, but it's been a great week! My agency got it's first referral in a few months. Yay for the new family! And even better (well for me at least - can I be a bit self-centered on this one?) my I-171H came in the mail on Saturday! I was out of town for the weekend so I open the mailbox and saw the brown envelope. I almost started crying because I thought it was my homestudy sent back again. I cautiously opened the envelope and saw a signature and knew it was it! I'm so happy! It's getting copied and notorized and sent off to the Secretary of State by lunch tomorrow!

Pins and Needles

Well, no 171-H for my birthday. Quite the opposite actually. My home study was returned- again! The information is there, it's just not in the wording the CIS reader is looking for. So we resubmitted and I hope to hear something soon. Until then, I'm a nervous wreck. For those of you wondering, I have a great social worker. She returns my calls on a Sunday night and gets things done the next day. She completes about 100 home studies a year for the past few years and has never had one returned. Mine is the never-ending home study. It's not how one acts when everything goes right. It's how they act when things go wrong. And my social worker is on top of things!

Can I still hope to be DTV by the end of the year? We'll see...

Wow! A second post

I'm so proud of my second sewing project. I thought I would share. It's for my five-year-old niece. It's not quite finished. I still have the arm holes and hem left, and I'll finish those this weekend.

Okay, after viewing the uploaded image, it's not as impressive. It's a cord jumper with two pockets in the front. Oh well, I hope C. likes it.

The best news (so far)

After three physicals, six vials of blood, and countless phone calls I received word from my agency coordinator that my physical form is good to go! Yay new doctor for getting it right! Now I'm secretly wishing for my I-171H as a birthday gift from the government!

Cara and the Much Better, Nice, Fun Weekend

As you can tell, I'm back to feeling like myself. I didn't think or talk much about the adoption this weekend, and instead spent some time in the gym, reading, running errands, and taking my first sewing class. Overall, a great weekend with nice weather! My sewing class was fun. I learned to use my machine (most of which I already knew) and we made a pin cushion. Its actually a very small pillow, but it's all semantics, I guess.

Cara and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Okay. It's not quite that bad, but I just really wanted to use the title. I am still in a crummy mood, but I am thankful that I have a wonderful social worker who is writing an amendment to my home study this weekend and will mail it to the SA USCIS office on Monday morning. I realized as I reflected last night that it could have been worse. They could have rejected me based on something in my incorrect home study. And on the postive side, it means that my home study was reviewed. Hopefully, there won't be too long of a wait once the amendment is submitted.

I have excitement this weekend. I'm taking a sewing class this weekend. I learned to sew when I was in elementary school, but haven't done anything since then. When I went up to visit my parents a few weekends ago, I noticed my Mom had a few sewing machines sitting around. (She's a home ec teacher, so this is acceptable in their house.) So I confiscated one and signed up for a community education learn-to-sew class. What fun! In talking to my sister this week, she encouraged me to take as many classes as I want and can while I'm waiting for referral. I could see the difficulty in setting up a weekly babysitter for a few weeks. And besides, since I work am I going to really want to leave my child for a while?

Bummed...

I received a letter from CIS today. I was immediately suspicious since I've heard the I-171H is delivered in a brown envelope and this one is white. I opened it to my surprise and they are requesting additional information. Actually, they write that my home study is missing five elements. Five!!! After my initial freak out, and looking through my home study, I see that most of the items are covered, but not in the Q&A they require. Ugh. I wish they would just take my word that I am a good person. If it were only this easy. So, I'm bummed tonight. Not even the thought of watching Grey's Anatomy sound good. At least tomorrow is Friday...

I haven't posted this month?!?

Crummy few days paperwork-wise (but otherwise a great week)...I found out that my medical paperwork was not filled out correctly for the second time. So I'm trying another doctor closer to work. This way, if there are problems it doesn't take a couple of hours for each trip to the doctor. (Did I mention I hate going to the doctor?)

Still waiting for the I-171H...two months since submission and two weeks since fingerprinting. I really hope it comes before Christmas! That would be a great gift! And if it would like to be a birthday gift instead, I'd more than welcome it! (My birthday is this month.)

I'd also like to thank God for my wonderful friends and family. Each person I share my news with is extremely supportive and happy for me. I am truly blessed.

And what a weekend!

What a wonderful weekend! I stopped by the USCIS to have my fingerprints scanned on Friday after work and then drove up to my parents weekend for TCU Homecoming weekend. My sister, brother-in-law (BIL) and nieces came up from Austin as well and great times were had by all. Friday night was uneventful as I didn't get into town until 9 pm. Saturday, we had breakfast prepared by my Dad and then went into Fort Worth for some shopping. Afterward, I took my oldest niece, C., to TCU for a tour of the campus. Yes, she's only five, but she's interested in what college is all about, and she likes spending time with her Aunt. I took the opportunity to talk with her about my plans to adopt. (I know it's a long way out, but I really wanted to let her in on what was going on.) It's a conversation that will be a favorite memory for a while. We walked and sat in the grass for about a hour and a half. Key highlights of the conversation:

• The excitement as her face lit up with joy as I told her. She is looking forward to teaching the baby many things such as how to swim and all about baseball, and she wants to babysit.
• She asked wonderful questions: "Will the baby have two mommies?", "Why will the baby's Mommy not keep her?", "Will the baby have two birthdays?"
• I told her that it won't be until a year from this Christmas or when she is finishing 1st grade, and she responded, "I'm patient every year from Christmas to the next Christmas or from my birthday until my next birthday. I promise I can be patient!" All with a huge smile!
• She wants to put together presents for all the boys and girls that don't have mommies and daddies yet. She said she'd put together two boxes one for boys and the other for the girls with crayons in one and coloring books in the other, but they would share them. The boys would get baseballs and the girls would get hair bows and clips. She's such a giver!
• This morning she drew a picture of me, J. (her sister), herself, and the new baby. The picture also had the plane that the baby and I would fly on to get home from Vietnam. (I'll try to get a picture of it scanned tomorrow.)
• She also told me that I'm not allowed to move from San Antonio unless I move to Austin, Round Rock, or Georgetown because she wants to see her cousin all the time. Too cute!
  

What a week!

Things have been moving this week! I received my final home study document on Monday and immediately went to the post office and sent it to the San Antonio USCIS office. Wednesday I had my second physical and had the rest of the documents notarized. Given the 3 month expiration on forms by the Vietnamese Consulate/Embassy, I sent all of my documents to Austin for authentication. I know I'll have a lone document when I get my I-171H, but I'll be darned if I'm going to the doctor for a third time! Of course, I did this thinking it will be two or three months before I get my I-171H. Well low and behold, I came home today to a fingerprint appointment. I can go anytime during working hours Tuesday through Saturday. USCIS here I come! Now, the question is how long will it take to get approval after I get fingerprinted? Any guesses?!?

Yay! Fall is here!

I would like to thank everyone who sent cool thoughts to Texas. Thanks to your sharing we finally have some Fall weather. I haven't had my air conditioner on since Thursday. It's so wonderful! I would also like to congratulate all of my online friends that have recently received referrals and travel approval. Yay!

My paper chase is moving along. I received my approved home study yesterday and immediately went to the post office to mail it to the USCIS. Thanks to online tracking, I know they received it this morning. On to the wait for fingerprints... While I'm waiting for fingerprinting and the I-171H, I might as well finish all the little things like mounting photos on card stock, getting passport size photos taken, and send a batch of documents to Austin and the Vietnam Embassy for approval. I'm worried about the timing, so I'm going to submit in two batches.

I had a great weekend. Besides the cooler weather, my best friend in the whole wide world ( ;o) ) came to visit this weekend. We drove around to a bunch of small towns in the Hill Country and then road tripped to Corpus Christi. Unfortunately, it was raining along the coast, so we didn't get out to the beach. Seriously, it was pouring only along the beach front roads. Once we got a 1/2 mile from the beach it stopped!

I wish everyone a wonderful week with more referrals and safe travels!

Where, oh where, has my fall gone?

I'm a Northeasterner or New Englander at heart. Unfortunately, my parents and sister have settled in Texas and I really enjoy seeing them. It's very difficult for me this time of year. My friends who live in Mass. and NYC call and tell me how wonderful the weather is right now. For me? I'm running the air conditioning and sweating as it's STILL SUMMER here! I hate this time of year in Texas. Where are the color changes? And I don't mean where the grass has died from the lack of rain. Where is the cool weather? A cold front was supposed to come through this weekend, but it was warm and very humid. Blech! For those of you that live in the North, where it has already snowed, do you think you could send just a little bit of the cool weather this way? I'll forgo the color changes, if I could have a few days in the 70s. Please? With sugar on top?

On adoption news, I'm back in the game. My receipt for my I-600A came on Saturday, followed by my state background check and revised home study. Yay!

Still waiting

This adoption process is going to be difficult for me. I tend to be a little impatient to waits. I've written this post a couple of times over the last few days, but hopefully tonight is the night to post. I've been a little crabby for the past few days, and I see others moving through segments of the process and I am at a standstill. There is nothing I can do but wait for others. At least during the referral wait I can craft and get the nursery ready. The anxiety that is spurring this negativity? I mailed my I-600 almost three weeks ago and I have yet to receive a receipt. I'm all afraid that I messed something up! I know, I know, welcome to the club, right? On a positive note, with the increasing wait at my agency, I'm telling myself that it will probably be two years before I meet my child. See, if it happens sooner then I'll be thrilled!

All's quiet on the adoption front

No adoption news, work, or thoughts, so I thought I would share a bit about myself since there are people reading my blog who don't know me. I'm a 32 year old single woman who works for a hospital in San Antonio, Texas. I decided to adopt a child after accomplishing the goals I set for myself after graduating from college. I lived in multiple place, travelled, obtained a graduate degree and have a successful career. Now I'm back in Texas and within hours from my family. I always wanted my child to be close to their extended family. As far as my adoption, I'm requesting an infant girl, but if I end up with a boy I'll be just as happy. Why a girl you ask? It's more of a comfort thing. I know girls. I grew up with a sister, and have two nieces (with lots of great hand-me-downs). I've worked at an all girls camp, women's college, and have dealt with all the "growing up a girl" type things. Don't worry though! If I end up with a little boy, I'm more than confident in myself that I'll figure it out.

I found this survey on a friend's blog and thought I'd share it here!

1. FIRST NAME? Cara
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? It was when I was exhausted during a big project at work. I pushed the down button instead of the up button for the elevator and I lost it. Go figure!
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I guess so, but only when I take my time. Otherwise, it's chicken scratch.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Salami, but I know it's bad for me so I rarely eat it.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course! I'm a good friend.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? this blog and another defunct one. I have an old fashioned journal too, but I don't write in it often.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope. They took them away from me.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I haven't had cereal in a long time. I used to like Apple Jacks.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Sometimes but I usually wear flip flops.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No..... I know I am strong!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint chocolate chip.
14. SHOE Size? 8.
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My chin. I think it's pointy.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My best friend Kevin. We used to take long walks around the city.
18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? khaki shorts with bare feet right now.
19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The television. HGTV is on.
20. WHERE IS THE ONE PLACE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE RIGHT NOW? I like where I am.
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Lavender...no reason why.
22. FAVORITE SMELL? Chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My Dad.
24. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their smile.
25. FAVORITE DRINK? Coke Zero
26. FAVORITE SPORT? Watching or participating?
27. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Purple
28. HAT SIZE? No clue! Do women know their hat size?
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Sometimes.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Sushi!
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.
32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Pink
33. SUMMER OR WINTER? Fall is actually my favorite.
34. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses.
35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Carrot Cake! Yum!
36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Haven't felt like reading much since grad school.
37. WHAT'S ON THE MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad - I have a laptop.
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Pride and Prejudice
39. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SOUNDS? Crickets and the wind at night when camping.
40. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? London
41. WHAT ARE YOUR SPECIAL TALENTS? Hmm...Cooking, work, being a fantastic aunt
42 AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Chicago, IL
43. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I borrowed it from another blog, but I don't remember where
44. WHAT DAY IS IT? Sunday

For a change of topic, I'm sick of this template. I signed up with Blogger Beta and there aren't a lot of compatible templates outside of the ones that Blogger provides. I know I can go in and mess with the HTML, but I've been to lazy to do it. I'm looking for things to do today, so maybe this is my project for the day.

Busy bee

I can't believe how much I've accomplished in the last week. First, the big things, I finished my home study (just waiting for the report) and changed agencies. I'm relieved the first one is done, but I'm so happy I did the second! I had to call twice with questions this week, and I actually spoke with my coordinator- no message necessary! She was there! I always had to leave messages or send e-mails with the last agency and then they were rarely returned.

The other big thing is that I started my dossier. I'm in the paperchase! I was overwhelmed at first when I received the 60 page manual, but once I organized myself and made a list it really isn't that bad. I've already finished all the things that I can. And everything else is submitted to the appropriate people. I'm a little concerned about the CIS paperwork though. Nothing can be over 3 months old when it is reviewed by the Vietnam Embassy. I had to have a physical for my home study so the clock is ticking on the physical. If I don't get the I-171H in three months then I'll have to have another physical. Ick! I'm holding of on getting anything notorized until I get the I-171H and then I'll get the notorizations and send it off to the state.

Regarding the I-171H, I was on the CIS website for San Antonio and it says they are currently (as of September 12th) working on May 11th. Does it really take 4 months to get through the CIS paperwork. I thought it was 2-3 months?

Big change...

Well, after second guessing my agency decision, I've decided to change agencies. I can't say a lot of nice things about my current agency as I only received a call back once. I didn't leave for ethical reasons as there was nothing that seemed unethical. It was more for customer service issues. I didn't like waiting a week and a half for a return on a question (there's a VM I sent in three weeks ago that still hasn't received a reply.) I switched to another ethical agency that I haven't heard a bad word about. I mentioned my dissatisfaction with my social worker on Sunday and she said I should look into the agency I switched to. It was my second choice originally, and I'm very happy with my decision. They received my application today and I received an email as well as a phone call welcoming me and asking if I had any questions she could answer. AND...I immediately have access to dossier information so I can start organizing my approach to the paperchase! Yay!

Otherwise, life is great! My mother called this weekend and told me that she and my father were talking about the adoption and they BOTH want to come to Vietnam too! I love my family!

It's a milestone!

Yay! My home study is over and went really well! I'm off to celebrate! Paperwork, here I come!

Whistle while you work...

Being under the weather all week has put me behind in my schedule to get ready for my home study, which is tomorrow. I must say that having so much to do today has put my nerves at bay. I know that my place doesn't have to be spic-and-span, but I haven't really given the place a good cleaning in a while, so this has given me a good reason to thoroughly clean too! LuLu (my dog) hasn't been very helpful. I tried to explain to her why we needed to keep the place tidy, but she kept pulling ALL her toys out of her basket after I picked them up! Silly LuLu!

Is it normal to second guess your decisions when it comes to adoption. Normally when I research something and make a decision I feel pretty confident in it, but with my agency selection I just don't know. I picked an ethical agency with positive recommendations, but I've been hearing such wonderful things about my second choice that I keep thinking maybe I should change. Sigh... Oh well, I'll keep praying about it. I'd better get back to work. Only my bedroom and the entry stairs to go! Whoopie!!!

Moving along

Things are moving along. I have my home study on Sunday, but progress on getting the home ready have been hampered as I caught strep throat from my sister. Luckily, I haven't felt as bad as she did! I'm slowly working through my list of things to do, so I expect Saturday to be a marathon day of cleaning and organizing that will last into the night. Otherwise, I have my physical on Tuesday and most of my recommendation letters have been written. The people writing my letters of recommendation have been sending me a copy and I've been really touched about what they wrote. I know I'm looking forward to being a mother, but the words that people have used to describe me as a mother have been quite touching!

Since I told my sister about my adoption plans she began saving hand-me-downs from her two little girls. Most of the items are at least 18 mos. in size, but everything is in wonderful shape and I will never have to buy a cute swimsuit for my daughter! I've packed everything up in a storage bin until it is needed. It's odd thinking those items will be in there probably for two years! Sigh...

Not much on the adoption front

I just spent the day getting ready for my home study and finishing up my education requirements. Last night I tried for a few hours to put a new (non-Blogger) template on my blog, but I later (2 a.m.-ish) realized that they don't work with Blogger Beta. Who knew?!? I guess I'll have to put the few programming skills I have to work, but on another day. Maybe during the wait? Until then I girled it up by changing it to pink. I'm not a big pink girl, but most of the other templates are green and blue- far from my favorite colors. Oh well!

Lazy Saturdays

I had a rough day yesterday. After getting access to my agencies list, I became uncertain if I chose the right agency. I took a lot of time to make sure I chose an ethical agency that was giving referrals in the time frame that I was looking for- I'm on the slow route. I guess it's always normal to second guess yourself when making decisions. I said a prayer, slept on it and felt much better this morning. Especially since I received an educational packet to keep me busy today.

I spent much of the day working on adoption education, making a list of things to do before my home study, watching the TCU game (go frogs!), and hitting the gym for a workout. I love weekends! Also, thank you to Mrs. Broccoli Guy for the Vietnam Adoption Blogroll. I have had a great time reading other families experiences! I think I've been motivated to try to change up my template to something more exciting than what is supplied by blogger. Let me know what you think when I get it changed!

First step...

Well...I did it. I took the first step and sent in my agency application. I've had a smile on my face all day long! Although it could be because it's Friday after a long work week, but I think stopping off at the Post Office to mail my application had a lot to do with it too!

I'll say this early and often, I have the best sister in the world! She has been absolutely amazing to talk to about this journey and supports me 100%! She actually has already offered to travel with me to Vietnam, whenever that day may be! I love her so much and am so happy that I moved back to Texas since I can see her and her wonderful family on a more frequent basis!

I guess that is all for now. Hopefully, I'll hear back from the agency in the next week or two and can get started on my homestudy! Yay! Let the fun (and the paper chase) begin!

The journey begins with the first step...

Well, I haven't quite made the first step yet, but I have decided to adopt. After considering a handful of countries, I have decided upon adopting a child from Vietnam. I'm now in the second part of preparation- deciding on an agency. There are 25 agencies that are licensed for adoptions, and I'm currently reviewing websites, references, and information packets to make a decision on which agency to apply. So far I've got a few agencies in my "learn more" pile and a few in the "do not use" pile.
I probably won't post frequently for the first few months, as I don't plan on starting the paperchase until the end of the year. Of course, I will keep you posted on milestone events! Thanks for stopping by as I prepare for this wonderful journey.