She Might Just be the World's BEST Big Sister!!

Meggie decided I needed some cheering up today. (She's probably right, now that we are on day 69 of the wait for LOA and I am BEYOND stressed!) After attending my friend Katie's baby shower, we went shopping for supplies and Meggie spent the afternoon making Carson a sports-themed fleece blanket! (See the photo of the artist and her work-of-art...what a CUTIE!!)

I am so afraid to shop or pack for the trip until we get that official paperwork that says everything is...well, official. I think the holding pattern we are stuck in is making me a little depressed, so this blanket really makes me smile. It's the first of what I'm sure will be MANY sweet gestures Meggie will extend towards her new little brother.

Isn't she the BEST??!!

Still No News...and Very Little Patience!!

A group of my Yahoo friends got their travel dates this week and are excitedly packing for China to go get their children. Don't get me wrong, I am SO happy for them (especially Sara and Teresa Q, as we have really gotten close -- as close as one can get over the Internet, anyway!). But it is SO HARD to be the one still waiting!

I'm not alone, of course...lots of people are waiting for good news in some form or another. The problem is THAT FACE. Carson's adorable face is staring at me from picture frames all over our house. I already love that face (I'm sure that sounds weird to most of you, but it's true!) and it is absolutely KILLING me that we know about him but I'm not sure he knows about us. And every updated picture shows such huge changes...I don't want to miss another thing in his life!!

We were shopping last night at Target and Meggie dropped another kid-friendly photo album in the cart, saying it was time to send Carson another care package with some more pictures of us. Guess that is a good idea...if for some reason the other care package didn't make it, this will give us another shot at letting Carson know we exist, we love him, and we're on our way!

Funny, people say adopting is the EASY way to grow your family. Those people have obviously never adopted...

Could This Be a Sign??!!

Since I was on my own for dinner tonight and feeling kinda gloomy (today is Day 60 on the wait for LOA and TA), I stopped at a Chinese restaurant for take-out. In my fortune cookie, was the following message: "You will hear pleasant news."

Please, please, please let that mean we'll get our LOA next week!!!!!!!

Who is that Good Looking Kid??

If you scroll down on the blog, just under "Our Adoption Timeline," you'll see some updated photos of Carson! Pam (the absolute angel who took the time from her own adoption trip to find him for us) e-mailed them to me today...yeah, I'll admit it, I cried a little!

While Kevin's probably not happy to see Carson holding a pink backpack, we are both THRILLED to see that he can indeed pick up objects with both hands! (The medical updates have been rather scant, so we really don't know what to expect as far as his motor skills.)

Lots of people got their TAs today (yeah for them!), but I'm on cloud nine 'cause I got another glimpse into my Little Man's adorable face!!

Couldn't you just EAT HIM UP??!!!

More Fun Things Arrive!!

Yesterday, on my way home from work, Meggie called me on my cell phone. I wanted to put her on hold because I was talking to my mom...she was excited and said it was important. What was it? Our "brown envelope" had arrived in the mail!

The "brown envelope" comes from the U.S. Consulate and contains documents we will need in China to finalize Carson's adoption. A lot of people never receive this envelope (CCAI just provides the documents when they're needed) and some people receive two of them -- it's all very random, so I never really worried about getting it. Since Meggie is now closely following our journey, she had heard me talking about the "brown envelope" and was very excited it had arrived! So, even though it is a small milestone, it IS a milestone. Yeah!

Last night, our entire family (minus my sister, Nikki) took our parents out to dinner for a belated and combined Mother's-and-Father's-Day celebration. As we all met at my brother's house, my sister Debbie handed out the invitations to our "Little Man Shower" on August 26th!! She hand-made the adorable invites -- see one in the picture above -- and did SUCH a great job!! (She also announced that she and her new husband, Brandon, are expecting their first baby -- congrats to both of them!!!)

I got an e-mail today from Pam (remember, she found Carson and other waiting children while in Hefei and e-mailed that she had pictures of them?!). In her e-mail today, she said they had difficulty posting the pictures in China and, now that they're back home, will get to it this week. I have been DYING to see these pictures and really appreciate Pam's willingness to seek out our children and give us a small peek into their lives over in Hefei. If I can post the pictures here, you KNOW that I will!

Today is Kevin's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Dear!) One thing is for sure, this is the last birthday that we'll celebrate without Carson -- his is next (September 4th -- hopefully we'll be in China for that one!), then mine is in December. As the wait wears on, I'm really trying my best to focus on fun things like adoption showers and family time and obsess less on things like TP2 and LOAs.

I said I'm trying. I didn't say I was doing a great job of it...

Our First "Adoption Shower" is Scheduled!

In the mail today, we got an invitation -- addressed to "Guests of Honor," of course -- to our first shower! (Don't you just LOVE getting fun things in the mail?!) The invitation is printed on sports-themed paper and has one of Carson's updated pictures in the middle!! I'm telling ya, folks, that kid is CUTE!! This shower has such a large guest list that it will be held under one of the shelters at our neighborhood park.

Let's pray for good weather on August 11th!!

New Look for the Blog...but No New News!

I'm sure you're wondering...no, the picture in the header is NOT Carson. Makes me smile, though, 'cause it sure could pass as him!! My awesome blog designer (Randa Clay from Randa Clay Design) found that picture and created the new look for the blog. She will also help us update and post pictures while we're on the trip to get Carson since people often have difficulty accessing their blogs in China due to firewalls.

Unfortunately, no new news, no new documents, no new anything! Still awaiting TP2, still hoping for LOA, still wondering when we'll travel. We have no idea if the care package made it to China or if Carson got any of the stuff inside if it did arrive.

Basically, our state of limbo remains...

Getting Frustrated...and Trying to Keep Counting My Blessings!

International adoption is necessarily an exercise in patience. After jumping through all of our dossier "hoops," the wait should be the easy part. Right? Yeah, right! When we sent our LOI for Carson, we were told Pre-Approval from China would take 1-2 months...ours came in four days! Maybe that was bad...I started to expect that every step in the rest of this process would go much quicker than the projected timeline.

Sprinkled throughout "the wait," CCAI will e-mail us to download packets of information that prepare us for the trip. When Travel Packet One was accessible, I was ecstatic...one more milestone on the journey!! Travel Packet Two (TP2) is the packet, though, that all waiting parents yearn for...that is the packet that tells you the LOA is right around the corner and that your dossier has been moved to the beloved Match Room! Getting to the Match Room means your dossier has passed review and you are now to be officially paired up with the child you are so desperately trying to adopt. The Match Room is a GREAT place!!

On Tuesday of this week a number of my Yahoo friends got the e-mail to download TP2. We did not get that e-mail. It's hard to be happy for others when I am dying inside. Dying to travel with the people I have gotten to know on the Yahoo groups, dying to see my Little Man's face in person, dying for the wait to be OVER! Unfortunately, we are all at the mercy of the Chinese government, so we continue to wait.

Wednesday, as I tried to stay upbeat knowing we don't yet get TP2, I received another e-mail that was definitely the silver lining on my black cloud. An angel named Pam is currently in Hefei to adopt her own child. Before she left for China, she offered to seek out any of the waiting children living at the Hefei orphanage (or in one of the foster homes on the grounds). I e-mailed her Carson's Chinese name and she found him!! Pam has video and pictures and reported in her e-mail that all the children she sought out are "beautiful and doing well." WOW!! I am completely impatiently waiting for her to post the video and pictures so I can devour every frame of this adorable kid!! (Think of it as our "ultrasound pictures" -- you know, the picture you see before you get the kid in your hands -- and it won't sound so much like stalking!!)

Tonight, we got the e-mail to download the Waiting Family Support Packet -- while it isn't TP2, we know that TP2 is next!! Guess I should just keep breathing, keep praying, keep counting my blessings, and keep trying to accomplish...SOMETHING!!

I am so distracted and having trouble concentrating...gonna be a rough couple of months 'til we travel!!

The Care Package Finally Hits the Road...

Thanks to the wonderful advice from my "family" on the Yahoo groups, we revised the care package. The chocolates stay home (will melt in the heat), the overalls and t-shirt will travel to China with us, the football and bubbles can wait 'til the next box. We added lotions and candy for the nannies, candy for the orphanage director, and perfume for the foster mother...foster father gets the Jelly Bellies. The Rubbermaid shoeboxes I bought will find another purpose...I bought the smallest shipping box at the Post Office and CRAMMED THE STUFF IN TIGHT!!

Wow...this is hard work! One of my Yahoo friends said it best...this is our first real contact with our son and I just want the package to be perfect! Explains my intense "wigging out" this weekend, huh?!

I hear from those who have done this before that it will bring me to tears to mail this box off tomorrow. I actually suspect that it might. But a few embarrassing tears in front of the Post Office dude are worth it to me if Carson gets the gifts and finally finds out that he has a family in the U.S. just waiting to bring him back and love on him!!

Enjoy your gifts, Little Man!