19 months...and still counting!

I almost forgot that today is our 19 month LID anniversary. Thanks Allyson and Ford for the reminder! It is hard to wrap my mind around this wait and the fact that we still have so long to go. Referrals ahould arrive again sometime late this week or right after Labor Day. The good old Rumor Queen is saying 11/29/05 may be included in this batch. I am hoping the CCAA matches at least up to 11/28 so the 29th would be a nice surprise. Even better would be if the CCAA could match up through 11/30, I have a few friends who would be very excited about that!! I had a ladybug sighting yesterday, this is suppose to mean good luck so just maybe the 30th will be included this month, although I am not counting on it! Happy 19 month anniversary to all my January friends.

Waiting.....At the Beach

Last week I missed the second consecutive waiting families meeting at our agency. I decided to take a break after the June meeting because it was getting difficult to sit through them and I was feeling worse about the wait after the meetings. The best part about the meetings is seeing the "99"ers; so this week I had waiting meetings at the beach! On Thursday Marilee and her son Jack came to visit the boys and I at the beach. We had a great day and talked about all the things Marilee needs to do because hopefully she will be getting her referral in October!! On Saturday Nancy and Tom, another "99er" couple came to visit us at the beach. We withstood the wind and spent a few hours at the beach and then went back to the house for apps, dinner and a beautiful sunset. Our friends; Greg,Sue and their daughter Maeve, who are regulars at the beach, also joined us! Sue is an avid reader of my blog and now understands the China adoption process and understands all the lingo. Sue was able to join in on our excitement because Nancy and Tom will also be hopefully getting a referral in October!! I will use this opportunity to say thank you to Sue for taking the time to understand this process and for cheering us all on during this wait!! Sue and Greg also have the most amazing daughter. Maeve is a beautiful child who has stolen my heart this summer. I get to see her at the beach almost everyday and she always has a hug for me, it's like she knows that I need a little extra loving this summer! Maeve loves the boys and I love seeing them all together. Thanks Maeve!

I think I will be making a comeback to the agencies meetings in September and hopefully we will be looking foreward to all our November friends getting referrals in October. Something good in this proess needs to happen soon for me because even with a great summer I am feeling "burned out" on this wait. It is hard to belive that we could still have another 6 - 8 months before our referral, that was the timeframe when we first started!! I finally figured out how to add pictures at the end of my post, enjoy!

The boys and Maeve

Enjoying a sunset

Tom and Nancy braving the elements at the beach

Back from R & R

Pat and I just got back from a few days of vacation in Newport, R.I. We had a wonderful time that consisted of sleeping, eating, drinking and a little reading. After a pedi and a massage I am feeling very relaxed!! The boys had a wonderful time with Nana and Papa and I got lots of hugs from them when I returned. We were gone 3 nights and we were just dying to get back to see them. I am just not sure how I will survive 2 WEEKS in China without my boys!!

While on vacation I actually had time to watch a little T.V. and I saw a news story about a group of soldiers who just returned from duty in Iraq. This story really put my wait in perspective. These brave men and women served 22 MONTHS over in Iraq! Their families waited 22 months for them to return, not knowing if they ever really would come back. A lot of these reservist had just returned from Bosnia when they then got deployed to Iraq. I can't iamgine not having Pat around fro 22 months and how hard it must be for these soldiers to have so much time away from their family. I am not happy with my 18 month wait, never mind the 24 months I will probally wait but at least I know Lily will be coming home to her family at the end. I do not know any one personally serving overseas but I will defiently be saying a few extra prayers from now on for our brave men and women serving our country and for their families!

August Referrals

Another 7 days closer to Lily. The CCAA matched through November 21, 2005. The "99ers" were not included and it looks like it will not happen until October. They are only 9 days away but it could take 2 months to get through those 9 days. In the past few months I have stopped looking at referral pictures but today I could not resist. Most of the babies were really young, 6 - 8 months and just so adorable! Pat and I are off for a few days of vacation, without the boys. No worries though, the boys will be with Nana and Papa at the beach and I am sure they will be a little bit spoiled!