imafry2

Or should it be 30?

Happy Birthday to my little sister - can't let this one slip by unnoticed!

May your next decade be as exciting as the first three!

love, jo

now, where were we?

Ok, so I've missed a few updates/ milestones/ holidays, etc, etc. The adoption news has been dismal (at best), and we have been really busy (a good thing). The combination of those has kept me from checking in with bloggy world and quite possibly has preserved my sanity.

So, here is a whirlwind update with bullet points and everything:

• SEPTEMBER 1 = Chinese National Holiday for Teachers Day - I am actually really sorry I missed this one. A national holiday celebrating Teachers? OK, they got this one right. Go Teachers!
• SEPTEMBER 4 = REFERRAL DAY - CCAA made it to November 25 . . . ONLY FOUR DAYS . . . and 193 LID days to go . . .
• SEPTEMBER 6 = 15 month LIDversary - no comment
• SEPTEMBER 25 = Chinese Traditional Holiday - Moon Festival - since I missed explaining this, you'll have to wait until next year . . .
• OCTOBER 1 = Chinese National Holiday - National Day - the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949
• OCTOBER 2 = REFERRAL DAY - CCAA made it to November 30. All I can say is . . . FINALLY. Goodbye to November. (it only took 6 months - yikes!) 188 LID days to go
• OCTOBER 6 = 16 month LIDversary - yes, another one bites the dust

I almost forgot that somewhere in the middle of this we had to redo our paperwork and reapply for our I-171H, get new fingerprints, etc. since our original application will expire as of October 21, 2007. I am silently hoping that we won't have to go through this a third time.

Other than that, we have been going gangbusters on the condo - so I will have some updates on that later. As for the rest of the adoption stuff, we will just go back to sticking our heads in the sand.

a birthday wish for Auntie Mimi

Today is the birthday of my sister, Amy. In honor of her love for Country music, I have done my best to find something fitting (if you know me at all, you realize this was not an easy task). It would have been really cool if I could figure out how to insert the actual song to play on the blog, so, if anyone knows how to do this - please fill me in.



So, without further ado, I present the refrain from the Rascal Flatt's song, "My Wish",

My Wish

by

Rascal Flatts

"My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish."

TA DA! Happy Birthday!

do something for my child

Go see "The 11th Hour". And, then, take some action.

http://www.11thhourfilm.com/

http://www.11thhouraction.com/

The film opened this weekend in LA and NYC, but it will be opening nationwide very soon.

creating a space for kidlet - part 3: drumroll, please! STORAGE!

STORAGE!!!!

We need storage. For kidlet toys and games and books and diapers and dohickeys and thingamobobs, etc. etc. etc. We also need a linen closet and other shelving for odds and ends that take over our life sometimes. So, VOILA! We tore out part of the one (1) wall between the hall and the kidlet room and created two (2) sided shelving/ cabinets.

Can I just say that these shelves are WORTH EVERY BIT OF DRYWALL DUST IT TOOK TO GET THEM THERE.

Yes, my husband is AWESOME. Yes, he built all of this himself. Yes, I am LUCKY. YES.

PS. On the hallway side, we have sliding wood doors that cover the shelving, but they are not yet installed in this photo (notice the track on the ceiling?)

creating a space for kidlet - part 2: frame, drywall, sand, repeat.

It's been awhile, so just as a reminder, you can see [part 1] of this series, "tear it up" here.

The next step, and BY FAR, my favorite (read: sarcasm) is the framing, drywalling and SANDING. This step (or steps) is neverending and far reaching. When we renovated our house in Atlanta, we had a lot more room to escape the renovation shrapnel, but with the condo we seem to be in it 24/7 - "all for one and one for all".

are we really still counting?

I guess so, nothing better to do.

14

[months]

7 more down, 197 to go

Referrals came in today for families that were logged in through November 21, 2007.

We still have a long way to go, but we fell under the 200 mark.

197 logged days of files to go.

yippee?

OUT OF REVIEW!

I just saw a flurry of posts on the internet about June 2006 files getting through the Review Room. I raced over to the CCAA website and it is true (check it out for yourself right here):

YIPPPPEEEE!
WOOOO HOOOOO!
SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS!

This is a really big step for us. Making it through the Review Room means that we have OFFICIALLY been accepted by the Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs to adopt a child from China. Now our file will be sent to the Matching Room to wait for our turn to be matched with our child.






It could still be a long time before we get our child. Right now, we do not expect to get our referral at least until next summer or even later. But, today, we are happy. WHEW!

shameless plugs

Today, I went down to the LA Convention Center to visit a good friend of mine. She was exhibiting her new fantastic business, Fish Lips Paper Design, at the LA Gift Show. This wrapping paper is brilliant - not only does she have some super cool designs, but the paper, inks, packaging, etc. are all 100% environmentally friendly incorporating 100% post-consumer recycled paper and soy based inks. Believe it or not, there are only a few companies that make "green" wrapping paper, and Fish Lips does it best. (I am not biased or anything). By the way, big news - Fish Lips paper will be showing up at a couple of big name stores near you. . . to be continued.

For my adoption buddies, she even made a Chinese inspired paper design, just for us - check out "Dis-Orient".

_________________________________________________

We also have some other fabulously talented friends that have launched their own organic kid's t-shirt business called Biome 5 - Animal Alphabet Project. I love these t-shirts! I hope they are going to make some for adults very soon. With an animal for every letter, combined with the eccentric color combinations - it is really hard to choose my fave. I love the fact that the kids are constantly looking down at their shirts - reading the words that are printed upside down just for them. You have to check out the website for this one - it is a real treat with sound effects, etc. Made of 100% organic cotton in sweatshop free factories, these T's are fun, fun, fun. They recently got a nod from www.coolmompicks.com - check it out.

Please take a minute to check these new ventures out - I am really excited for my friends and wish them all the best!

rock climbing

Finally, I think I found a sport I am good at besides walking (well, I guess walking isn't really a sport).

Yesterday, we went to the rock climbing center, Rockreation, with my sister-in-law and her fiance. I was not feeling particularly excited about the adventure, but decided to give it a try. As it turns out, I happen to be quite a natural at it - Go figure. It was fun to try to navigate your way to the top of a maze of man-made crevices and outcroppings. If you do things correctly, you should be following the color coding on the outcroppings, but that was a little above my level at this point. Besides, making it to the top is the fun part. And, there aren't any color coded outcroppings out in the real world, now are there? (By the way, I did not do any of those fancy advanced moves shown at the left. . . photo courtesy of the Rockreation website.)

There were quite a few little kids there and they were just little spitfires clamoring up those walls like there was nothing to it. I seriously think my nieces (at least the little one) would love to try this. Maybe the next time they come out to visit we will have to talk "Uncle Ed" (my sister-in-law's fiance) to take us climbing again. And, how fun would it be to have a kid's birthday party here?

I am not ready to take this new found skill on the road to the real thing yet, but it sure was a fun Saturday afternoon.

angeleno summer nights

[updated July 22 - my sister, the teacher, noticed I misspelled the word "two" in the first sentence - Thanks Ms. Freiberg]

Summer combines two of my favorite things about Los Angeles - KCRW (the local NPR and alternative music station) and The Hollywood Bowl (absolutely my favorite place to be in the summer).







Last Sunday, July 15, we went to our first show of the summer at the Bowl. KCRW hosts a "World Festival" series every year and we usually go to a few of the shows. This week, Cafe Tacuba was headlining with Groove Armada. The show was fantastic, one of the best we have been to yet. The crowd was, of course, a Latin majority. Cafe Tacuba, a band based in Mexico City, sang and spoke only in Spanish. There was a lot of laughing and hooting between sets, I WISH I UNDERSTOOD MORE SPANISH! Must LEARN SPANISH. They had an amazing range of music and a brilliant energy. Really Fun. But, my favorite for the night was definitely Groove Armada - they opened the show and really set it on fire.

Aahhh, summer nights at the Bowl. We always sit up high in the bleachers (this is on purpose, by the way). From that height, you can see right over the roof of the Bowl and get a glimpse of the The Hollywood Sign between the mountain peaks. An iconic sight. Oh yeah, and the bleacher seats are cheap - $6 - $15 each - a bargain for the LA market. We bring a picnic and a bottle of wine and settle in for the night.

These are such fun evenings and they attract a wide range of people from the very young (there was a six year old groovester sitting in our row) to the very old. Our little one will definitely be getting a taste of the Bowl at a young age.

Here is the line-up for the rest of our tickets this year:

August 26, 2007
Macy Gray - Artists: Macy Gray; Zap Mama; Brazilian Girls; Chris Douridas, host

September 9, 2007
Underworld - Artists: Underworld; Paul Oakenfold with special guest Carmen Rizzo; Jason Bentley, host
(Hey Mom - remember Paul Oakenfold a few years ago? Wanna join?)

September 20, 2007
Arcade Fire with LCD Soundsystem

the wait, the weight

I have been meaning to post this information about the wait for all our inquiring family and friends, but as you can see, I haven't been the most consistent blogger. I guess I better work harder at this, since I won't be able to get away with such long absences once the baby is here - grandparents will be chomping at the bit for photos and stories. The good news - I've got time!

For all of my adoption buddies - stop right here - you have heard all about this, no need to rehash.

For the rest of you, we have been getting so many questions from everyone about the wait - how long will it be, what is going on, etc. I decided the easiest way to TRY to explain what we do know is to direct you to the place where we get a lot of information.

www.chinaadopttalk.com is a website/blog that was started by a adoptive mother (now with two children from China). She has built quite a community of prospective and adoptive parents that spans the US and also Internationally. Over time, she has developed relationships with all kinds of different sources as well as acted as a filter for any and everyone's rumors or tidbits of information. She scans, filters and analyzes this information and condenses it into daily reports on the status of China adoption.

It is important to understand that most of her information comes in the form of rumors (some of which are proved correct and viceversa) so you can take or leave what she posts at your own risk. However, I have found that having news (good or bad) makes the wait a bit easier in the sense that it gives me a bit (granted a minute bit) of control over the situation. So, I have tagged a couple of the more interesting and informative posts that she has had in the last month or so. These, in particular, go into quite a bit of detailed analysis of the statistics and probable timelines given the current conditions in China adoption.

BTW - Please do not ask me to interpret all of her spreadsheets! I hope she has some kind of insane software that is doing all that number crunching for her.

an analysis of possible timelines based on LID

speculation on the backlog

information from the CCAA visits - (the China Center for Adoption Affairs regularly makes visits internationally to many of the countries that participate in their adoption program)

analysis of the numbers based on the CCAA visits

So, what's the verdict? Very Helpful - Thanks! or TMI? (Too Much Information)

creating a space for kidlet - part 1: tear it up

This is the corridor leading to the "private" section of our condo. From this corridor you can get to the guest bathroom, the kidlet room and the master bedroom/bathroom. I have three words for you - We. Need. Storage. We also needed to get rid of some extremely confining ceiling heights in the corridor. So, we decided to tear out the low ceiling and tear up the wall between the corridor and the kidlet room. We are now enjoying a little more breathing room above our heads in the corridor and we installed built-in doublesided shelving in place of the wall between the corridor and kidlet space. . . stay tuned for progress photos in the next installment.

left - looking toward master bedroom

right - looking into kidlet space

left - looking toward living room

right - looking into kidlet space

"unlucky" thirteen and other superstitions

Thirteen months since our Log In Date. When we first started, counting up the months meant we were counting down to the adoption. Now, with the constant delays, I feel like we are just counting up.

Here are some fun facts I found at Wikipedia.

13 (number) is:

The atomic number aluminium
The number of dimensions in some theories of relativity

The point when a person officially becomes a teenager.
The number of guns in a gun salute to U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps Major Generals, and Navy and Coast Guard Rear Admirals Upper Half.
The number of steps, according to Egyptian lore, between life and death.
Unreasoned fear of the number 13 is termed triskaidekaphobia.
In Tarot decks, the #13th card of the Major Arcana is Death. While Death is rarely interpreted literally, it is possible that this furthered the perception of 13 as an unlucky number.

Hey, today is July 6 (7-6-07) ---> 7 + 6 = 13. I know, I am a dork.

In China, numbers definitely hold significance. Many chinese superstitions have been born from the fact that many words in chinese can hold multiple and sometimes contradictory meanings. Often, two words may sound alike, yet mean something different (a homonym). This has created a taboo among certain words and of course, numbers.

For instance, the number (8) in chinese means "prosperity," "fortune" or "wealth." Eight is considered the most auspicious number and the chinese try to include it in as many parts of their lives as possible including their address, their phone number, etc. In fact, the Beijing Olympics will begin next year on August 8, 2008 (08-08-08), at 8pm in the evening. The more times a lucky number can be strung together, the more potent the luck becomes.

The number six, "liù", is considered to be a very auspicious number because it is a homonym of the word for "flowing" or "smooth." In western culture, 666, is considered the "devil's number". However, it is a particularly lucky one in the Chinese language, as it sounds close to the words meaning "things are going smoothly."

WOO HOO! Our LID is 06-06-06 - "things are going smoothly". That will be my mantra.

It is *SLIGHTLY* possible, however a long shot, that we could possibly travel next summer. [Don't worry, I am not holding my breath]. How lucky would we be if we ended up traveling on 08-08-08 with our 06-06-06 LID?

OK - time to go to bed, I am getting slap happy.

and then there were 204 days . . .

babies, babies, babies

Referrals were announced today for families with LID dates through November 14, 2005. This is a total of (7) days of LID's since the last round. But again, (2) of these were weekend days and don't really count. We now have a total of (204) days of LID's before they get to our file.

WE ARE NEXT!

[in the review room that is]

WOO HOO!

I just saw on www.chinaadopttalk.com that the May 2006 dossiers have been completed and are officially out of the Review Room at the CCAA. This is a very important step in the process because until you are through the Review Room, you have not officially been accepted by China to adopt one of their children.

First, to all my friends in the May group - Congratulations!

With a June 6, 2006 dossier Log-In-Date (LID), this means that are files are now in the Review Room. EVERYONE - THINK. GOOD. THOUGHTS!

If you want to follow the progress of the files at the CCAA, you can check their website at http://www.china-ccaa.org/frames/index_unlogin_en.jsp (don't worry about the message about installing the language). The "Documents Processing" Banner is in the middle of the right hand sidebar.

our fingerprints

. . . have expired (as of June 21, 2007).

(does this sound strange to anyone else??)

And so it starts all over again . . .

[long post for another day]

one year LID ANNIversary & referrals

[backdated - June 16 - catchin' up]

So, one year.
(sigh)

We have been really busy the last two weeks (the main reason why this post is so late), however, I am not sure how I feel about this one (the other reason this post is so late). Our one year LID anniversary came on the same day as referrals were announced this month and the news was pretty dismal.

So, without further ado - here are the stats: (read 'em and weep)

LID (Log In Date) in China - June 6, 2006

Referrals announced this month for families with LID dates through November 7, 2005
This is a total of (6) days of LID's
But (2) of these were weekend days and don't really count
We now have a total of (211) days of LID's before they get to our file.

At this rate, it is *possible* that we could get a referral in 2008, but it is also *very possible* it may be 2009. YEP. (sigh)

***GOOD NEWS***
Although there has been no official announcement by the CCAA in regards to finishing the April 2006 files in the Review Room, there are reports from the May 2006 group that they are being asked questions. This means that our file is next in line to be reviewed - hopefully in the next few months. At least we would be through another hurdle.

keep swimming, just keep swimming

the further adventures of tub

. . . now featured in our dining room.

cb's new toy

happy birthday papa fry

a little older now,
but here he is at 5!

Have a great day
Dad!

welcome home emme lu!

You can follow their trip in china here.

mother's day

my second mother's day since we started the adoption process and we fully expect to be waiting through another one . . .

This year, I decided to do something that would make me feel a bit more "motherly" on Mother's Day. Last month, I read an article in Vanity Fair magazine's "The Green Issue". The article, "The Rise of Big Water," by Charles Mann profiled the plight of the Chinese water system and the rise of the big water companies. I think most people are aware of issues with drinking water in foreign countries like China, but this article really opened my eyes to the SERIOUS lack of availability of clean water throughout this entire country.

An excerpt from the article. . .
"The Rise of Big Water," by Charles Mann

"China is in particular trouble. The country's State Environmental
Protection Administration grades water on a scale from one to five, with three
being minimally acceptable and five a direct health hazard. According to
SEPA, for much of their length, five of China's seven main river basins are
rated at four or five - poisoned by rampant industrialization. Almost half
of China's municipalities - and most of its rural areas - have no systems in
place for treating waste at all. Between a quarter and a third of China's
population still do not have piped water."

Within the last few years, large, foreign, private water companies have been contracted by China's government to turn this crisis around. Surprisingly, even though hundreds of miles of new piping have been laid and new treatment and sewage plants have been constructed, Chinese residents must still boil their water. In fact, the Chinese are so used to the bad water, they do not expect to drink it straight from the tap.

Then, I heard about "A Child's Right", a non-profit humanitarian organization that focuses on providing clean water to children around the world.

"A Child's Right is committed to providing the very best in water purification technologies and clean water systems to desperate children in orphanages, street shelters, children's hospitals and schools in impoverished nations throughout the world."

This May, A Child's Right is working in China, assisting orphanages in Jiangxi and Sichuan Provinces as well as Chongqing municipality to install about (5) new water systems to help provide clean water to over 3000 Chinese orphans.

So, I made two donations - (1) on behalf of my cousin, friend and fellow adopter, Angie, and (1) for myself. We may not have our kids yet, but at least I can sleep better at night knowing that I hopefully have given them the opportunity to get some clean water. That is just about the best thing I could think of to do right now and the closest I have felt to being a mother yet.

Happy Mother's Day!

bowling

(5) tacos, chips & salsa, (2) sodas at Tito's - $13.50
(6) pairs of bowling shoes - $24.00

(1) game of bowling for six - $18.00

bowling with my nieces . . . PRICELESS!

eleven

eleven month LIDversary

Just for fun, here are some pics of us at age eleven.
Introducing:
The "Mork & Mindy" Fan and The Soccer Player
ahhhh, those were the days . . .

Check 'em out quick!
I don't know how long I am going to leave these up.

chinese national holiday - Youth Day *updated*

also known as the May Fourth Movement

[photo & quote courtesy of Wikipedia]

". . . an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement in early modern China. Beginning on May 4, 1919, it marked the upsurge of Chinese nationalism, and a re-evaluation of Chinese cultural institutions, such as Confucianism. The movement grew out of dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles settlement, termed the Shandong Problem, and the effect of the New Cultural Movement."

This movement was significant for many reasons. It was a large scale movement involving 20 provinces and over 100 cities in the country. Young chinese students were the driving force of this shift in the political philosophy of China and it spread the ideas of Marxism as well as ultimately building the foundation of the Communist party in China.

*updated: I have been thinking more about this holiday and the whole thing just seems ironic to me. The day is a commemoration of an uprising, a student call-to-action, a very DEMOCRATIC way to put a public voice on an idea. And yet, the roots of this movement ended up creating the Communist political system in China. . .

referrals and a little perspective

Referrals arrived today. Babies have been referred to families who were logged in through November 1, 2005. That means they completed a total of (6) days. April showers bring May flowers? uh, sort of. . . at least better than last month.

They still haven't released any files from the review room passed March 31, 2006. But, they have been at holding at that date for a couple of months now, so we hope that they will announce some progress soon.

So, for the perspective. We have been getting a ton of questions lately about the wait, how long it is taking, how long it will take, why, etc. etc. etc. I think it is very important for everyone to understand what we are dealing with - so, I give you "The Numbers":

There are two things to count:

"days"
We were logged in on June 6, 2006.
The CCAA has referred children to families through November 1, 2005.
That means they still have to finish (217) days of dossiers in order to get to ours.
Last month they finished (2) days.
This month they finished (6) days.
It took (4) months just to finish all of the days in October.

and then there are the

"dossiers and babies"
We are told that there are currently around 25,000 dossiers on file at the CCAA.
We are told they usually refer approximately 400-600 babies per month.
We are told the CCAA can only refer 10,000 children for International Adoption per year.

Lots of days, lots of files, lots of c-a-l-c-u-l-a-t-i-o-n-s . . . I think I need a drink!

When will we get our referral? anyone care to guess, anyone?

chinese national holiday - International Labor Day or "May Day"

Today is Labor Day in China (as it is also celebrated in many other countries around the world - What's up with the US having Labor Day in September?). Labor Day in China has become one of the so-called "Golden Weeks"* in China. The holiday has grown from (1) paid day off to (3) paid days off in the early 1990's and now has become a full week off for most people in China. Most working people in China worked over the last weekend and then put those days together with today's holiday and next weekend to give them a full week off. During the "Golden Week" thousands of chinese workers (usually living far from home) travel back to visit with loved ones.

This holiday is also especially busy as it falls directly after the spring China Import and Export Fair held every year in Guangzhou, China (the last two weeks in April). As you can imagine, adoption travel is fairly difficult during these three weeks and highly discouraged - especially during the last two weeks of April since all Americans must go through Guangzhou to complete their adoption paperwork before leaving China with their children.

Happy Labor Day!

*Updated: I thought I should explain that there are (3) "Golden Weeks" in the Chinese year. The first is during the New Year celebration or "Spring Festival", the second is in celebration of Labor Day and the third is to commemorate "National Day" starting the first of October.

"the little bookshop around the corner"

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was held this weekend on the UCLA campus. This has become one of our favorite things to do in LA. UCLA is only a couple of miles from our place, so I took advantage of the great weather (I know, always great weather in LA) to walk over and indulge. This festival is probably the largest book festival in the country - an more than likely, the most CROWDED outdoor event I have ever been to. But, all you need is some time, a backpack and some lemonade and you have a really nice afternoon.

I am experimenting with a new feature I found - a photo slideshow thingy. The campus at UCLA is really beautiful and I took some shots around the festival. Hopefully it will work. I ended up coming home with (5) books - all new and all for $27 total. (by the way, mom, I am taking six books from my shelf to the thrift store for someone else to enjoy to make room for the new finds).

tub

in our living room . . . to be continued . . .

"the happy birthday girl"

Happy Birthday to our "Ninabel". Today was my niece's number 5 birthday. . . you have come a long way, baby, and still the star of the show! Have a great day!

Year 1

Nina makes her debut at 2 months old at our wedding.

Year 2

Nina becomes a BIG sister.

Year 3

Nina's First day of school.

Year 4

Hangin' out in the "O" at CalifOrnia

Adventure.

Year 5

Riding Blackjack on her number 5 birthday.

Happy Birthday! We love you!

earth day

[The famous "Blue Marble" photo taken by Apollo 17.]
I don't think I have heard the word "green" as many times as I have this week. And, that is a GOOD thing. Finally, Earth Day is getting the spotlight that it deserves. It seems everyone is getting into the act and I say "get on that bandwagon!" If you want to be trendy, this is the time to do it!

We have been mesmerized all day with a marathon of episodes called "Planet Earth" from the Discovery Channel. You MUST see this show. The series took five years to film and is an unprecedented collection of the wonder that is this planet. It will change the way you see and feel about this world. . . definitely.



We have been doing our small part for quite awhile now, mostly the usual stuff. Living in California makes that a little easier. However, we will be instituting some additional practices into our daily lives this year and plan to instill this philosophy of life to our children, too.




I did some quick research for some sites with activities for the little one:

Earth's Birthday Project - educating children about the earth

Planet Pals

Celebrate the planet with recipes, crafts and games

Activities for Earth Day

Books about Earth Day

Create a Neighborhood Earth Day

Owen & Mzee Kids Boma (Owen & Mzee are the baby hippo & turtle from Tsunami fame)

Earth Day for Kids website sponsored by the US Government

Earth Day for Kids website sponsored by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)

So, enjoy the day, celebrate our Planet Earth . . . and save some for my kid, ok?