This Really Sucks

This pretty much sums up how I feel today about the lack of progress from the CCAA. Referrals are on the way. They've matched everyone through Sept 8, 2005. Last month's batch went through August 25th. So they only got through 2 more weeks worth of LID's. People are beginning to wonder why for the last six months my answer to "So when do you get your baby?" has not changed from "Oh.. in about a year." My answer should be "Who the hell knows?!" I'm usually okay with the wait. I just really want my girl home before Christmas next year. I'm trying to continue to be optimistic that it'll happen but it's getting harder with every month that the CCAA sends out these small batches.

PS. Congratulations to all of the families getting their referrals. I really am excited for you. The thought of this wait dragging on and on just really sucks today. I'm going back to my happy place now.

Spoonin'

This is how I fall asleep every night. (Unless I have company... wink wink.) Me laying on my right side with Griffey tucked up in my nook. Usually I have my left arm draped across him but to take the pic I had to hold the camera. Who needs a human sleeping partner when you have this kind of furry lovin'? He's nice to have on cold nights but he has bad breath and snores worse than any man. Think I might have some jealousy issues when Mia comes home? Oh and yes I am fake sleeping. I thought it'd give you more of a sense of realism, ya know.

PS. I told you I ONLY wear penguin pj's ..... and y'all thought I was exaggerating.

Christmas Parade

Today was the annual Children's Christmas Parade downtown. It's always on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It marks the start of the holiday season. My sister and I have been taking her kids for the past couple of years. They love going and secretly, so do I. Parades can bring out the kid in anyone. This is a pic of the gang before the parade started. It was naptime for Teagan so he stayed home with Daddy. Yes, my sister is holding a green, plastic frog. That happens sometimes when you're a mom. The parade had a little bit of everything....police cars, fire trucks, clowns, marching bands, cheerleaders, floats, uni-cyclists, police motorcycles, horses, dogs, ROTC units and a bunch of other stuff. The most exciting moment came when a guy in a gorilla suit rode up on a motorcycle, stopped in front of us, got off his bike and picked up Travis over his shoulder. This was probably not the right kid to choose to do this trick with. Travis is a shy, sensitive kid and we could tell by the look on his face that he was terrified. But he held it together and the gorilla put him down at the insistence of the clowns. Travis didn't think it was cool. And I was so shocked by the whole thing that I forgot to grab my camera!

Tatum was her normal enthusiastic self. She loved the marching bands the best. You could hear them coming by the sound of the drum corps echoing off the buildings. She would start doing this little marching dance as soon as she heard them. Very cute!

The parade always ends with the arrival of Santa Claus. My sister said to me "Just think next year we'll be bringing 5 kids down here for the parade." Oh from your lips to God's ears, Carla. I hope and pray the CCAA gives me my baby before next year's parade. I can't wait to bring Mia!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Top Ten Things I'm Thankful For

10. The ability to become a mother in a non-traditional way. Sometimes life just works out that way...... whether we like it or not.

9. Griffey, my furry soulmate.

8. My house. I love that I'm able to own a house and create a home for myself and Mia.

7. My job. I truly love what I do and it gives me the ability to comfortably provide for myself on my own.

6. The opportunities & freedom that I have as an American citizen. Especially as a woman.

5. Mia's birthmother whose choices helped me to find my daughter.

4. My friends, both new and old.

3. My daughter, Mia, who I don't know yet but I feel in my heart every second.

2. My family whom I love dearly.....enough said.

And finally.......the number one thing I'm thankful for........

1. My health.... any of you who know my history knows why this is at the top of the list. :)

I hope you all enjoy this day and are able to spend it with those that you love. And always remember to remain grateful for the blessings in your lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Fart...uhhh I Mean Feet

Carla and I took the kids to see the new penguin movie "Happy Feet" tonight. (For those who may be newbies... Carla is my two yrs younger sister who is a momma of four) Luckily, she had four free movie passes since it cost us about a thousand dollars for popcorn and treats at the concession stand. This was Teagan's first movie experience ever. All I can say is that it's not a good idea to take a 21 mth old to the theater and expect him to sit still. He was okay for awhile but got bored about halfway through. He would've been fine if we had let him climb up and down the stairs in the lower section where no one was sitting. But after a few times it seemed to be distracting to the other patrons so the idea was nixed. By the time, we did the photo op above he was having no part of it. Speaking of which, now that I'm blogging my life, I feel compelled to carry my camera everywhere to photo-document things. Yes I'm officially a freak!

The movie was cute. Especially for fellow penguin lovers. It wasn't as visually dazzling as some of the other recent animated movies. Probably because it was set in the Arctic so most of the colors were whites and blues. But we enjoyed it. The funniest part was when the theater was silent and Tatum turned around to me and said my name...... which, by the way, is pronounced "Kri-ta" these days. Yes the "s" is silent in her world. I used to be "Sheesha" but not anymore. Anyway .... she turns around and declares loudly "Kri-ta I farted!" Carla and I just looked at each other and laughed. Kids.... they say the darndest things!

Thanks Secret Pal

My secret pal decided that this month should be about taking some time to relax a bit before the craziness of the holidays kicks in. She included a cold pack for my eyes which will be good to use at referral time. Helps knock down some of the puffiness from crying my eyes out. I cry tears of joy for all the beautiful babies who have found their forever families. Then I cry some more over how long this stupid wait is for the rest of us. Remember Krista... deep breath, find your zen place. Moving on. She also sent some moisture gloves. These are cool. You slather your dry ass hands up with lotion and then put on the gloves. Voila! Beautious, smooth, silky skin. I got a pumpkin spice candle. I'll fire that up. Maybe it'll help me get to the zen place. My pal always remembers Griffey, too. This month she sent little cookie cutters shaped like dog bones and some recipes for homemade dog biscuits. So actually I guess these aren't cookie cutters but dog biscuit cutters. I might have to help Griffey make these since he's missing those all important opposable thumbs. Thanks again Secret Pal. You are one of the bright spots to help mark these passing months until I get my Mia.

There's A Table Here Somewhere...

First of all, gotta give a shout out to my Bengals who finally won a game today. They beat the New Orleans Saints with a final score of 31 to 16.
Who Dey!!


Second, I need to finish up my quilt squares so I will be able to see my dining room table again. It's looked like this for months now. Pathetic, I know. This is what happens when you're single. I never eat in the dining room. Always either standing up in the kitchen or on the coffee table in front of the TV. So my poor dining room table has become the catch all for anything in my house that doesn't have a home and it's my crafting table, too. Anyway, I digress. Anyone out there that I owe a square or have promised a square to, please let me know. I'm losing track of people. Norma and Gen I will have yours out this week. If anyone else wants one from me, please e-mail me. There'a link in my sidebar.

Third, if you check Mia's quilt blog (also listed in my sidebar) you'll see that I have a little over 90 squares. But if you'll notice, there are several members of my family that still have not contributed. Yes, I'm putting you on front street. Why? Because I started this project in June. I extended the deadline from Oct 1st to Nov 1st then to Thanksgiving for your sorry asses. Let's get with the program, people!! I know that procrastination runs in our blood but come on already! Okay, ranting over.... for now.

Fourth, anyone else out there in the blogosphere who'd like to contribute, please e-mail me. If I get enough over 100, I may pick out some of the pink & green fabrics to be made into a separate smaller quilt to match her nursery.

Okay... off to go get the glue stick.

Favorite Foto Friday

Just because I love their sweet little faces.....

5 Months Down...

As of November 14th, my dossier has been logged in for 5 months! I know quite a few of you will disagree but for me these last 5 months have flown by. I still have so much to do to prepare for Mia's arrival. Right now the wait is between 14 to 15 months. I hope it stabilizes there. I don't even want to think about the possibility of not traveling until 2008. So I keep praying my sweet little prayer which is to have her home before Christmas next year. Please CCAA... don't make us wait any longer.

Tailgaters-R-Us

A couple of my co-workers and I started a tradition a few years ago of attending a Bengals game together. We pick one game a year and make a day of it. We met at 7am then started the caravan down to the stadium. Okay 7:15am for me... remember the part about how I'm always late. I wasn't worried though cuz I was the holder of all the tickets so I knew they couldn't leave without me!

We got to our favorite lot at about 8:30am and found our spot. On a sidenote...this lot is the best cuz it has port-o-potties. Last year, we got shut out and had to go in the not so great lot where there were none. The girls were not happy about that but I got lots of practice on what it will be like to use a squatty potty. LOL! Once we set up camp then the fun began!

A couple games of beer pong, many jello shots, a cheeseburger and some taco dip later, we headed for the stadium only to be disappointed to see our Bengals lose to the Chargers 49 to 41. It was still a great day! I look forward to our tailgating event all year. Especially now that I'm no longer a season ticket holder. Unfortunately, they had to go to trim the budget. Here's our crazy group. That's me in the middle with the festive pony tails. You can see the stadium in the background.
From l-r top row: my best bud Lisa, Matt, Mark, Carla & Craig, Terry, Gary, Dave & Julie. Then on the bottom row are Brian, Me, Kelly, Tricia and Terri.
These two fools on the ends are the guys who, along with yours truly, started up this great tradition that has grown to include more people every year. We let Gary come even though he's really a Dallas Cowboys fan. He won't wear any Bengals gear as you can see. And if you look at his wife Terri in the pic above you'll see that she is also an outcast in the sea of orange and black.
We were in the nosebleed seats. We actually prefer these seats cuz you can see all the play on the field below. But it's a be-yatch getting up there! This morning I felt like I'd done the stairmaster for 3 hours... on high speed and the highest incline! Damn am I out of shape. Here's the view of the Ohio River from our seats. It's pretty cool sitting up there. On this side of the river, it's Ohio and on the other side it's Kentucky.
Game day always puts a big smile on my face... and sends me to bed early. I was asleep at 9:30. Until next year guys.... hopefully I'll have to plan this around my trip to China :)

Playing Hooky At The Zoo

We're experiencing a couple of days of what is called "Indian Summer" here in Ohio. Yesterday it was sunny, beautiful and 66 degrees. These are probably the last few days of weather like this before winter kicks in full force. I have a few vacation days that I need to burn up before the end of the year or else I'll lose them. So what better way to get rid of them than to ditch work and go to the zoo. I called my sister and she was down with the plan. We loaded the kids up and kidnapped Tanner from school. It was already lunchtime when all of this was decided so he didn't miss much. Plus the zoo's educational. Besides what's more important than creating a great memory for a kid? Just to make sure that we didn't permanently disrupt his learning potential we discussed what he was learning in school that day on the drive there. I'd forgotten just how boring common nouns, proper nouns, adjectives and verbs really were. On the way home he practiced his spelling words. I apologize to all my teacher friends who now think I'm a horrible influence....Not. LOL!

The kids agreed to let me photograph them on the tiger in honor of the Cincinnati Bengals. It didn't turn out bad considering how hard it is to get 4 kids to sit still and all look at the camera at the same time. Teagan looks a little drunk though. Oh and disregard those kids in the background. No idea who they belong to. We saw penguins, too. Tatum was sure to remind me that they are my favorite. We got lucky cuz the lion was feeling territorial as we were watching him so he let out some really big roars. I'd never heard a lion roar before and neither had the kids. We all thought it was prety cool. Travis has just learned his right from his left. He's very proud of himself so we heard this all day..... "Mommy's on the left and Krista's on the right. This is the right side of my body. This is my left foot." Etc, etc to infinity. But it was cute. It's fun to be 6 yrs old.

It was awesome weather to be outside enjoying the sun and breathing in some fresh air. The zoo wasn't crowded and we all had fun. All in all it was a really good Thursday.

I Survived Detroit!

Well, barely survived... I'm still recovering. This weekend was a complete blast! We got to Detroit in the wee hours of the morning and checked into the hotel. Those 3 hours in the car flew by with all the girl talk keeping us entertained. The next morning (well actually just a few hours later but we were trying to delude ourselves into thinking we had gotten some sleep) it was rise and shine to meet Catherine who had arrived the night before. She was all smiles as she greeted these complete strangers with hugs all around! She has a very warm and friendly personality. And what a hoot! Who knew those Canadians had such a sense of humor?! Us "southerners" fell in love with her accent. She's very soft spoken and that accent made her sound so regal and sophisticated. Like she should be taking tea in the garden and gingerly sipping it with her pinky finger high in the air like a proper lady. We teased her relentlessly all weekend but she was a great sport!
Each morning before we'd head out, we had to check the blogs. I mean it was referral time people! We didn't want to miss anything. Stacy was a sweetie too! She tried to convince us that she was shy but we weren't buying it. We do have to give her some props though. Connie and I don't live far from each other and have hung out on several occasions but Stacy had never met either one of us. She completely stepped out of her comfort zone, took a huge leap of faith, and hopped in the car with 2 perfect strangers who then drove her across the state line. Didn't we learn in kindergarten that this was a bad thing? We discussed later on in the weekend her slight apprehension about what would've happened if she didn't like us. She would've been trapped in Detroit without a way to get home! This had never even occured to Connie and I... because quite frankly we're so freakin' cool we knew there was no way she wouldn't like us. LOL! But seriously, Stacy, we're so glad you decided to take the risk cuz you're pretty awesome and we wouldn't have had near as much fun if you hadn't been there. Connie and I are both a little wild and crazy but Catherine and Stacy are more reserved. We did our best to corrupt them as much as possible and surprisingly enough, it didn't take much peer pressure. Don't worry gals... the secrets are just between us! :)
This is Boone. He became our mascot early into the adventure. He has a secret blog addiction also. Or maybe he just thought Tess was a cutie! He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. It was comical to see 4 grown women carrying around a stuffed dog everywhere and photographing him along the way. Boone decided he wanted to check out IKEA. (Or "icky" as us southerners decided to pronounce it with a down-in-the-holler accent and all. Okay I guess ya had to be there for it to be funny.) Connie and I had never been to this place. We were curious what all the fuss was about since we've heard other bloggers rave about it (yeah... you know who you are). It was pretty cool!! Why don't they have these in Ohi-er?
Did you know you can get breakfast there for 99 cents? They have their own cafeteria. At a home furnishings store. Seriously! Here we are starting out with some nutrition for our power shopping day ahead. And this was Day 2. We'd already hit the outlet mall the day before, mind you.
We had to photograph this just to document the only time in recorded history that Connie, the self confessed power shopper, had ever exited a store without making a purchase. We thought maybe she wasn't feeling well. Especially since this was a Babies-R-Us store!
Thanks to our lovely waiter at the Olive Garden for snapping one of the few pics of all four of us. Little did he know when he agreed to do it that we had 3 different cameras! Catherine informed us that they don't have these restaurants anymore in Canada so she was very happy with our dinner selection. Connie was trying to blend in with the locals. Check out the sweatshirt.
Boone is definitely a party animal. For some reason, our margaritas were served in a martini glass. Err.... I mean HIS margarita. There was way too much food, chocolate and margarita consumption later that night back at our hotel room pajama party. Unfortunately, the queen mum, I mean Catherine, had to leave early to make it to work on Monday. Boone almost had her talked into calling in sick (he was such a bad influence) but the responsible part of her brain took control and she headed for the border. Back at the slumber party, I learned something new about Connie. I had never seen someone laugh so hard that they cry. No ....I mean like scrunch your face up like what Oprah calls the "ugly cry" and SOB with real tears streaming down her face. The noise that came from the depths of her soul wasn't even a laugh anymore but serious sobbing. I almost gave her a hug cuz I thought she was upset. But that's just her uncontrollable I'm-about-to-pee my-pants-cuz-I'm-hysterically-laughing LAUGH! Never seen anything like it. I so wish I could get it on tape somehow. It sent Stacy and I over the edge laughing so hard our stomachs hurt. You girls in Florida gotta get her going and try to find that laugh. You won't believe it either.
Okay so if you have already read Catherine or Connie's blog there might have been a little mention of my penguin addiction... uhh I mean... collection. Everybody has something, right? I happen to dig penguins. Don't ask me why. I just do. So this is my penguin haul. I do have a "few" pairs of penguin pj's for Mia stashed away at home and couldn't resist these as well. Plus I found some other stuff, too. By the end of the trip I had the other gals picking up everything penguin related to show me. Good lookin' out ladies!
Alright a little explaination is in order for those that have read Connie's blog post about the ride home. She did get pulled over by this very hot, very young state trooper with a gorgeous smile and eyes the color of...... oh wait... where was I? Sorry I got a little distracted and lost my train of thought. Anyway, it seems Connie had failed to renew her license plates and they were a little expired. Since March!! So when Trooper Hottie said he was going to have to write her a citation I simply asked if maybe a warning would suffice. I then casually mentioned that I was also a police officer and, as such, could vouch for her normally very responsible nature and how this certainly was just an oversight on her part that she would take care of first thing in the morning. He realized that on the scope of criminal behavior this was a pretty minor infraction and so then decided that a warning was a good enough alternative. Thanks Trooper Hottie! We made it back to my house safely, after we convinced Connie that the low fuel light was not a dare just to see how much further you could drive without gas-ing up. After an amazingly fun, gut-busting hysterical belly laughing (or crying depending on who you are) kind of weekend with the chicks I didn't think it could get any better. (Well, maybe only if Trooper Hottie had offered his phone number. Sorry, I got distracted again!) But look what was waiting for me in the mail box. My Brown Envelope! I was starting to worry cuz some other folks logged in after me had gotten theirs already. But now I feel much more official. Like this might actually happen someday!
Girls, I had a great time! I was even just a tiny bit surprised at how well we all got along. I mean I knew we would but it was like we were old friends, not folks who had just met. There were never any awkward silences. We all clicked instantly. There was lots of girl talk and some secrets shared. It's astonishing how different we all are yet we have so much in common. Before the weekend had ended we all made a pinky swear to meet up again before our girls get home and then have another reunion after we're all finally moms. Can't wait for that crazy weekend! I'm really looking forward to following along as we all get our referrals. I'm the last one of us logged in so I'll get lots of good advice before my turn comes up. Now Mia will have 3 little Chinese "cousins" and a few extra "aunties". Check out Catherine and Connie's blogs for other pics. Some of them were the same so I didn't double post them here. Stacy hasn't posted about the wild weekend yet (she probably is still recuperating) but check out her blog when she does for her perspective on how things went.

Congratulations and a weekend away......

Busy, busy day for me today. First gotta work my regular job then put in a couple of hours at my second job. After that I'm off to my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary party for a few hours. Then rushing home to change, grab my suitcase, and wait on the curb for Connie and Stacy to pick me up. We'll be on our way to spend the weekend in Detroit where we'll meet up with Catherine for a girl's weekend. Why Detroit? Because Catherine is Canadian and Detroit is the halfway point for all of us. It's not like we really planned a November trip to Detroit just to see the place. I hope to get some sleep sometime before the sun comes up again but we'll see how it goes.

Great news that the CCAA is finally sending out the referrals we've all been waiting for. They've matched everyone through August 25,2005. Unfortunately, the girls and I will be in withdraws this weekend with no internet access. But we'll be sure to raise a toast to all those who get to see the pictures of their new daughters this weekend, including Julie and Lisa. And we won't forget about Rod & Mary-Mia who'll be flying home from China with their twin girls, Rose & Marie.
Congratulations to all the new mommies and daddies!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! See ya Monday.

Trick-Or-Treat

I went to my sister's house to trick-or-treat with my niece and nephews as I do every year. I can't wait until the day when Mia will be joining us. This year Tatum was a witch. She's so enthusiastic about everything and this was no exception. She skipped down the street singing some song she'd made up about going trick-or-treating. She was a little rusty when we first started out. Last year was the first time that she actually got to participate and she was just shy of 3 yrs old.
We had to remind her to say "trick-or-treat" and then to say "thank you" when she got candy. I told her to remember to say both. Then for the rest of the night she would skip back down the driveway after each house proudly advising "I said both!" It was funny. Teagan was an elephant. He didn't want to cooperate for his picture so this is all ya get.
Tanner was the Grim Reaper. He decided he wanted his face painted like a "skeleton head". So Aunt Krista was more than happy to lend a hand to help move the show along while sis and brother-in-law got the other ones situated. Travis was an "Army Guy". He got the hand-me-down costume that was Tanner's last year. And if I remember correctly, Teagan's elephant was once Tatum's also. I guess that's what happens in a family with four kids.
Here's my masterpiece. Travis' daddy did his camouflage look. Tanner took his Grim Reaper look very seriously! There was no smiling for this picture.
Just for fun, I threw in a pic of trick-or-treat from last year. I dressed up with the kids. They thought it was pretty cool. Although, when I first came in the door they weren't quite sure what to think. I included another close up to show my awesome make-up job. Look at those scars! This year I just wasn't up for a costume. The temps were in the 30's and it had rained most of the day. Maybe next year. My sister has already informed me that the CCAA better have Mia home before trick-or-treat next year because she bought her a ladybug costume. I haven't seen it yet but I'm sure she'll be adorable. I really hope the CCAA listens.

We had a great time. The kids hauled in a lot of treats that they were nice enough to share with me. Then I read them bedtime stories and tucked them in. Unfortunately, their sugar highs were still in full force so I don't think they stayed there. But I snuck out the door and headed home leaving daddy to fend for himself while mommy caught a few zzzzz's before heading to her night shift at the hospital. I hope he survived....