thoughts

While we are more than estatic and over the moon with our "Christmas miracle", there are a few people that we don't want to forget. We're sending lots of prayers to the birthmother (and her boyfriend) as she goes through the birth. I know some of her history (and won't divulge it) but even without knowing her I am proud she made the choice she did (not even to choose us, but to go through with the pregnancy and set up an adoption plan). I also am praying for the other couple that wasn't chosen that their little one arrives safely in their arms sometime soon. I know it's not easy to be the one not chosen.

We're hoping there's room at the (Holiday) Inn...

Yep, we're matched. We found out today. The birthmother is due tomorrow, and if the baby hasn't come by Christmas she'll be induced at 8 AM that day.

We're heading off on Thursday (we are driving) - because we need a day to get everything together. I suspect we'll be there longer than normal since there is a little thing called "the holidays" that may delay the ICPC (all the legal paperwork) and stuff.

The birthmother doesn't want us in the room, and that is ok with us. We'll be in the waiting room, then get to see our SON in the nursery =)

We hope to be back by the end of the year, though it might be 2008 by the time we bring our son home. For everyone local, be prepared for a cookout some weekend in January. We want EVERYONE to come meet our son and celebrate with us! We'll have more details when we get back.

Please send good thoughts and prayers, karma, whatever you can muster to our birthparents as they go through this, our son as he is born, and us as we travel to meet him.

We are cautiously optimistic (as sometimes things can go wrong) and will tell everyone (and shout it from the rooftops!) when the paperwork is done and we are headed home.

If we don't have your email address (or address for that matter) PLEASE send it to us at mikeandlizadopt @ yahoo.com . We want to make sure everyone is included!

Love, Mike and Liz

Tis the season

I was chatting with my adoption coordinator today, and she mentioned that they were in need of maternity jeans in all sizes for birthmothers. Now, we usually donate a portion of our profits from www.WorthTheWaitBoutique.com to an adoption related organization (usually them). So, I decided to spend that money on maternity jeans.

I'm now on the lookout for EUC, NWT or NWOT maternity jeans. I posted on several of my message boards, and am also bidding on some at ebay. On my message boards I told them that I'd be willing to pay (and have them ship to the office) or I'd be willing to trade some of my product we sell on our website. My goal is to get about 20 pairs of jeans. We'll see how that goes!

One of our favorite places, Dinner Creations, sent out in their weekly newsletter that they were doing the "adopt a family" for Christmas. They had a sibling set of 2 teenage boys and a preteen girl. Plus they are donating to the Friendswood police Blue Santa program and are doing "donate a dish" for a single mother with 4 children (she's expecting #5). We decided to get each of the kids a Walmart gift card and then donate a few Noah's Ark Animals (one to the preteen girl, one to the Blue Santa program). We'll donate a dish too.

It's something we want to do, and we are glad that we are able to help out in some small way this holiday season.

Better today

I want to send out these virtual flowers (carnations of course, my favorite ;) ). To thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and emails the last few days. I don't know what hit me, it just did. And it made me very sad. But today is another day, and I am feeling oh so much better.

As someone said "the best way to approach the holidays is to enjoy your family as it is now". And yes, Mike and I will be doing that. If something "extra" comes along, well that's just lagniappe. We are very fortunate that we are able to spend the Christmas holidays together.

Mike only has one full week of work left for this year. Because we'd been saving his vacation until we got "the call", and it's "use it or lose it", next Monday is his last day of work this year. It'll be nice to have him around the house. He plans on relaxing, catching up on tv- and boy does he deserve it. He works hard!

Of course I don't plan on being 100% as productive as I usually am (how could I be with my sweet hubby in the same house), but I'll still be able to keep things going ;)

Well, off to do some work. Lots to do!

And Thank you.

Some days are harder than others

And tonight is one of those "harder" nights.

I've been doing pretty well. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that it's another holiday season and Christmas without a kid.

But sometimes I wonder, what is wrong with me? Why haven't we been deemed "fit" to parent? Why hasn't anyone decided that I will be a good mother? People tell me "oh, you will be a good mom", "your child will be lucky to have you" etc. All I want is to know what I need to do to change so someone will pick us. What is wrong with me?

I was at a party last night, and a friend asked "not to get too personal, but what is it that is taking so long? You should be parents by now". And at the cookie party Mike, with the kids -melted my heart. And I had a blast playing with them all- from my 5 year old nephew to my 1 year old niece- I even wore her in a Moby to show how it works. She loved it, it was so much fun. A couple times when she cried I was closest to her and picked her up and comforted her, with her snuggling against me.

A little while after the party I started crying. Why? What is it about us that people read our profile or website and say "no. they aren't it". Why? What is wrong with me? I love kids, was born to be a mom, and mike was born to be a dad. Why do people think we aren't it?

Ok, I'm crying again.

What is wrong with us? It's been over 17 months. Why aren't we good enough, what do we have to do to be good enough to be parents?

I'll feel better tomorrow. Things will be ok. Mike comforted me, reminded me that I am a good person, we are a great family. And we will someday be blessed with a little one. He tells me not to be so hard on myself. He's frustrated too, but he makes sure that I am ok, that I don't beat up on myself too much. He says it's a supply issue- there are just too many people like us who are waiting to adopt, and not enough children to adopt. Someday...

Well, it's just a low on the roller coaster. There will be a high eventually, it's just not today. We will be blessed some day. For now. we just smile and enjoy life the way it is.

I am looking forward to Christmas with Mike. He's going to be Santa for our nieces and nephews. They will enjoy it. And he has a good time playing the role too. Though he can't wait until it's our little one, and our child who is discovering the wonders of a visit from Santa. The first year we have a child and our child is able to understand who Santa is, Mike is NOT going to play Santa- he'll get to enjoy our little one as he or she has their first visit with Santa.

It'll happen some day.

C is for cookie!

Ah, I love this time of year. It's time for the annual holiday cookie decorating party. Each year I make tons of cookies and invite friends and family (and the kids!) to come decorate them. I provide the cookies, decorations, a cookie tray and snacks. The kids even help decorate my tree (I bought plenty of shatterproof ornaments). It's a ton of fun.

The party is this weekend, Sat and Sun. It used to be just one day, but it's grown so much that I do it two days. I hope I got the evite to everyone local - I switched evite addresses recently and am afraid I might have missed some folks. So if you have been invited before (and you know who you are ;) ) or are local and didn't get an invite- please come!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone, and getting a baby fix ;) And everyone loves getting together and getting to see how much the babies grow, and have fun. It's a great time.

My house isn't 100% perfect- but it's ok. It's homey :) We have all our Christmas lights up, and a few decorations up. Mike is going to set up the tree in a bit so the kids can decorate it. I'll add the breakable ornaments after this weekend.

I planned to have all my Christmas gifts done and wrapped so I could give them to everyone this weekend when they come to the party, but I am not 100% sure I'll be done. We'll see!

Back to work!

Meet Up

Click here to check out
The Clear Lake Adoption Meetup Group!

So, I started this group on meetup.com. I figured it might be nice to meet some other folks who are adopting too. I haven't been a very good group leader yet, but that'll change. I am determined to get it going. I think it could be very beneficial to all of us to share our stories, experiences, etc.

December already?

Wow, where has this year gone? It seems to have just flown by. It hasn't turned out quite as we expected (we'd figured we would be parents by now) but then again, does life ever quite turn out the way you expect?

Overall, life is very good. We're missing one thing in our life, parenthood, but that is pretty much it. There is always a chance we could get the call sometime this month, but we're figuing it probably won't be until 2008 that we realize our dreams of parenthood.

You never know though, stranger things have happened. Here's to a happy and fun December for all, and that all dreams for everyone are realized this December.

17 months

Wow, it's been 17 months since we contracted out. I didn't even realize it until I was chatting with someone today and she asked how it was going. I realized it's the 29th. I need to do a check in. We've been waiting 17 months. Not quite a whole year and a half, but still.

We got our homestudy update and we sent it in. So now we are good to go. We are still needing to see if it is valid for 6 months or a year, but it's in and good right now- so that is the most important thing.

17 months

wow a lot has happened since then...

Donate: Make a Difference in the Life of a Child

In celebration of National Adoption Awareness Month, Lifetime Adoption Foundation is offering special gifts for donations to the Lifetime Adoption Foundation.

For a gift of $35 or more, you can receive the For a Lifetime pendant. It's a pretty pendant that reminds us that adoption is for a lifetime. As they say, adoption provides a lifetime of love, support and the opportunity for a future.

For a donation of $50 or more, you can receive both the Fora a Lifetime necklace and an adoption mug. The mugs are custom made for Lifetime Adoption.

For a donation of $100 or more, both the mug and the necklace are sent along with the book AdoptingOnline.com - that is a great book that Mardie Caldwell (founder of Lifetime Adoption) wrote, and we found it to be very helpful when we were starting our adoption journey.

We obviously are big supporters of Lifetime Adoption Foundation. In fact, they are the primary organization that we donate to with our Worth The Wait Boutique. For this month, 10% of all profits are going to the Lifetime Adoption Foundation and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. So far this month we have donated over $50! It's nice to be able to give back, and to help out where we can.

A little sad

It's hard NOT to be a little sad during the holidays. We love spending time with family, and it really means a lot to us that we get to spend time with out nieces and nephews. Those "baby fixes" help a lot. But then they leave, and it's back to the holidays and gearing up for most likely another childless holiday season.

It was the most AMAZING feeling when we pulled up to Windy Hill on Thanksgiving day and got out of the car. Our niece came running across the grass and jumped up into our arms. What a wonderful feeling to have a child be so excited to see you. Then, she took our hands and led us to her big brother and the rest of the family. He was super excited to see us too.

We were fortunate enough to get to take our niece and nephew to see Santa on Friday. It was SO MUCH FUN. We were in the historic town of Greune, and the Santa was a real Texas type Santa. We got to wait in line with the kids, and be there when it was their turn to see Santa. Our niece was not as enthusiastic, but she did come around and sat on a hay bale next to Santa. Our nephew loved it because he got to sit on a real saddle (there was a saddle on a haystack next to Santa). While we were waiting for our name to be called our niece sat on my lap and watched Santa. We kept talking about going up to visit him, where she was going to sit, etc. She was really excited to see him.

After that we went back to Greune Hall to meet up with my parents and sister (her kids we were with). While we listened to the band play all the little kids there ran around, played on the back stage, and had fun. I watched my niece, and Mike played with our nephew. It was fun to follow after them and spend time with them.

They left yesterday, we stayed on for a few more days. While it's nice to enjoy the quiet, and sleeping in, there is still that little bit of your heart that is sad. Knowing someday it's going to be your little ones (and you will be missing those quiet times!), but for now, not so much. It's nice to fix dinner whenever you are hungry (we ate dinner at 830 tonight), go to sleep whenever you want (most likely we'll be up until midnight or so), and sleep in or take a nap whenever you want to. But there still is that little sadness. And sometimes you just need to excuse yourself so you can go be by yourself for a little cry.

As Mike says- bring it on, we're more than ready to be parents. I love that man, he is my rock, my strength, and our little one is going to be one lucky kid to have such an amazing father.

Relaxing weekend

We've been enjoying our relaxing weekend. We went to Windy Hill to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents, my sister and her family. Now, everyone is gone except Mike and I. We're still here, and will leave tomorrow. Mike has more vacation to use up, so he took Monday off. We'll have Thanksgiving dinner at his parent's place tomorrow night. We've enjoyed relaxing, spending time with family. It's been a nice holiday.

Thanksgiving

We just want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. We are oh so grateful for our support system and those who are following along in our adoption journey. You don't know how much your thoughts and prayers mean to us - more than you can imagine.

Thank you

Do not be anxious

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

We received this in a Thanksgiving greetings email. And how true it is, it makes you stop and think for a minute. Continuing on:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Basically, it says don't worry, but have faith. Ask for what you need, and give thanks for what you have been given. By doing this, your heart and mind will experience peace.

In other words "don't worry, be happy". By giving thanks, and doing so, you will achieve peace as you wait for important changes in your life.

It's hard to remember to do this sometimes. But it is important to step back and think about it sometimes. Anxiousness won't get us anywhere, we're still going to have to wait as long as we have to wait. But by praying and relaxing, staying at peace we'll have a better time waiting.

National Adoption Awareness Day

I am going to do a little bit of plugging here ;) Today is National Adoption Awareness Day and I decided to make a difference too. This is what I posted on our buisness website.


TODAY (Sat Nov 17) is National Adoption Awareness Day. Use code AdoptDay and receive free shipping on your order (no minimum). Also, an extra 5% of all profits today will go toward our two chosen charities for the month, Lifetime Foundation and Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption .


Today is an at home day for us. I'm working on the website, Mike is watching football. We're just relaxing, enjoying the day. Tonight we'll go out to dinner to celebrate the day. Hopefully next year we'll be celebrating National Adoption Awareness Day with a child or two.

Lots of babies come home this week

Quite a few of my friends and people I know who are adopting are lucky enough to bring their little ones home this week.

My friend Tracy and her husband Adam brought home Charlotte from China last night. And as I type this my friend Chrissy and her husband Gary are at the airport waiting for their son Garyt to arrive from Guatemala. The plane just landed a few minutes ago, and they will meet their son for the first time.

Cheryl's daughter Aubrey arrived home from Korea on Tuesday. And Annie and Greg are enroute right now to Guatemala to pick up thier son William.

Such exciting news, and such a great thing to see families coming together.

Escape

So, this week was a bit of a tough one for us. Physically, mentally, we're ok. It's just the ups and downs of adoption. We both felt it, the feeling of, "is it ever going to happen?" and "why can't it just happen already?" Not to mention the "we want to adopt more than one, but at the rate we are going, what are the chances?"

Just some of the low parts of the roller coaster ride of emotions. We're already putting into place (my business) the start to plan for adopting #2. We're going to have to move fast once we get our first, and as soon as we are able to we'll go ahead and start the process for #2. We'll be very lucky if we get to adopt #3 (it was in our plans) at the rate we are going, it might be doubtful.

But, anyway, on to happy things!

We decided to escape to Windy Hill for the weekend. We needed the break. We do have internet up here now, which is nice. Right now, as I type this, we are both on our laptops, but the doors are open and we are listening to the river rush by. It's a beautiful evening. The whole day has been wonderful. We truly are blessed. After sleeping in and getting some much deserved rest, we sat out on the balcony all day and enjoyed the weather, the river going by, and watching the kayakers.

It's hard to believe it's November already! It was 80 something degrees today, and tonight we have the a/c on. It sure doesn't feel like late fall!

We have to head back tomorrow, but we are going to enjoy as much of the day as we can before we head back. It truly is a nice relaxing, and well deserved weekend for us.

Tag

I was tagged earlier this week by Angie first, then Nia and LL. Thanks ladies :)

For those of you who are curious about tagging, this is how it goes:

Rules: Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.


SO, here goes :)

1. I am left handed.
2. I was not going to get into the whole stamping thing (just do scrapbooking) but have found I really like to stamp. So much I joined a stamp club!
3. I'm counting down the days until my next cruise. (6 months, 3 weeks and 1 day)
4. Of the 50 states, I only have 3 more to visit (Alaska, North Dakota and Montana)
5. I own a treadmill, and actually USE it.
6. I've been a subscriber to Entertainment Weekly since it first came out into circulation.
7. I listen to Christmas music 24/7 starting the day after Thanksgiving (it's because I used to work retail, and that was the only thing that kept me focused on the true meaning of Christmas. Working retail (especially toy stores!) management during Christmas can really get to you.)
8. My undergrad degree is in Recreation Park and Tourism Sciences, but my masters degree is a MBA. I actually found a job that tied both degrees together and enjoyed it while it lasted!

OK, a lot of my blog buddies have already been tagged, but I'moff to tag: Lawfrog, katd, Mae, Lani, Lesiw, Kim, Margaret, and Barely Sane . I can't wait to read more about them!

Busy week is over

Well, we have time to breathe a little now. We had a really busy week. But it sure was fun. It all ended last night with going out to dinner with both my sisters, Ella and Blake at Lupe Tortillas, a mexican place with a playground. Blake had so much fun on the playground! Ella did too - but then the draw of chips and salsa was too exciting for her.

I held a 1154Lill purse party. It was a lot of fun. While we "girls" were doing the party, Mike was in charge of the kids. Blake was easy, as he played video games and all Mike had to do was change games periodically for him on the super nintendo. Ella had free roam to check out the party, her brother, and Mike. Mike was on the computer and watching football.

When we got back home last night and were watching football, Mike mentioned how cute it was that Ella kept coming in to check up on him. She'd come in, play with him, bring him a cookie, or tickle him for a little while. Then she'd come back out to the "big girl" party. It was a cycle, and both he and Ella had a lot of fun.

It's so cute to hear him tell stories like that, and enjoy the kids.

November is Adoption Awareness Month

Every November is designated and recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. It actually was started in and effort to primarily focus on children in foster care, but it also is a great way to help build awareness of adoption in general. By recognizing it and creating an awareness, we are able to promote positive perceptions, debunk myths, and overall explain to people who are uneduacated about the adoption process.

Saturday, Nov 17 is National Adoption Day. On that day, many (much more than usual) adoptions are finalized. It's a great way to raise awareness about adoption.

There are many different events and activities that will be taking place throughout the month. We decided to participate as well, and are donating a percentage of our profits from www.worth-the-wait.com / www.MyAdoptionShop.com and www.AdoptionTees.com to the Lifetime Foundation and to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.