Secret Pal Revealed

It's been a long 18 months for our June Bugs DTC Group. For those not in the adoption world, I'll quickly explain what that group is. It's an internet message board made up of people from all over the world who've all sent their Dossiers To China in June 2006. While we're waiting for our referrals we chat on this message board, share stories, support each other, have gift exchanges and other stuff. It's a fun way to pass the time. And it's a great way to get to know other people who I might ultimately end up meeting in China since some will get referrals around the same time.

I signed up to be part of the Secret Pal exchange. Basically that means I have two Secret Pals. One who sends me a gift once a month and one who I send a gift to. We've decided to end the exchange because, quite frankly, 18 months is a long time. I think a lot of us have lost our steam. In the beginning, we were all so excited about our adoptions. But the wait has become difficult. None of us expected it to take this long. The exchange was becoming more of a chore trying to come up with new gift ideas every month. And for me, the last few months have been bittersweet. I really looked forward to the gift but it was also another monthly reminder of just how far off we still are from our babies. So this month we revealed our identities. (I'll reveal the SP I send to once I know she's gotten her last gift from me.)

I never knew for sure who my pal was all this time. At one point, I thought I knew who it was but then decided I was probably wrong. But I was right! My Secret Pal is Drea from Canada! She also has a blog named And Mia Makes 3! Not only are we both adopting from China at around the same time but she's also chosen to name her daughter Mia. I think that's cool.

Drea, I've truly enjoyed your thoughtfulness. My favorite gifts from you were the personalized ones. I love seeing my daughter's name on things. That was always so much fun. You really took the time to get to know me (through reading my blog) which helped you come up with ideas suited for me. You even included Griffey several times. I cherish all of the things you sent. I can't wait to explain to Mia when she gets older how much fun this was. I appreciate the time you took to make each month special during this crazy wait. Maybe someday we'll actually meet.

Here's my last Secret Pal gift. I love the little Asian family dolls. They're adorable. The hat and mittens will come in handy in these cold Ohio winters. Of course, the pen is perfect. You can never go wrong with a penguin. But I was stumped on the two spotted things. I've never seen anything like it. I saw the name on the side of the tag and had to go to the website to figure it out. For anyone else who can't figure it out either, they're fleece baby legwarmers. They snap on over their pants to cover that gap at the ankle you get when you carry them. What a cool idea. Those will get some use during our winters, too.

Thanks again Drea for everything you've done to make this wait a little more bearable! You're the best.