Tell me it isn't so!!

Melissclued me into this on the CCAA website:

How long will it take approximately the CCAA from the time of accepting the adoption application to thetime of issuing "Notice of Coming to China for Adoption of Children"?

Date：12,Oct,2005 Source: CCAA

The duration from the time the CCAA accepts the adoption application to the time it issues the Notice of Coming to China for Adoption of Children is restricted by various factors, such as the number of foreign adopters’ applications and the number of children who can be placed out for inter-country adoption; whether or not the adopters’ desire could be met; and whether or not the supplementary materials and the feedback of Letter Seeking Confirmation from the Adopters can be received in time, etc. At present, it will take the CCAA about 12 months from the time of accepting the adoption application to the time of issuing the Notice of Coming to China for Adoption of Children.

Local adoptive families meet again

Last night our local group of May-September LIDers met for an Italian pot-luck night at the beautiful home of Jill and Seth. This was our third group get-together and once again, we all enjoyed lots of delicious food & drink, great conversation and a fun night was had by all.
BTW, we have some wonderful cooks in our group!

Now we are all looking forward to our November get-together where we will be having a bonfire & chili night! If anyone reading this is local and wants to join in on the fun, send me an email.

Thank you Jill & Seth for hosting!!

MTB* Tea (updated with recipe)

Today I lunched at an adorable local tea house with Cindy, Jill and Sonia. As you can see, we adorned ourselves with the appropriate accoutrements of ladies, who do tea...OK, we each wore a fun hat. We talked, laughed and compared notes of our adoption progress all while enjoying a very civilized full afternoon tea.

Our menu included:
A wonderful tea: Magical Garden Rooibos (a perfect selection by Sonia)
Seasonal fresh fruit
Freshly baked Scones
Lemon curd, lemon curd and a wee bit more lemon curd
(I used everything on the menu as a vehicle to have more lemon curd!)
Amaretto cream
Assorted Tea sandwiches
Miniature Tea desserts
Chicken Salad croissant
Each time our little MTB* group meets for a quick get-together or lunch, it turns into a 3 or 4+ hour event. I am so lucky to have met, through the adoption process, such wonderful new friends. It is fabulous that we live so close to one another, and I can't wait for the day when we can have tea parties with our daughters.

Lemon curd

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Whisk first 3 ingredients together and then strain through a fine mesh sieve into a medium sized metal bowl. Stir in sugar and then set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water). Whisk constantly until thickened and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the mixture registers 160°F, about 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from over the water. Add butter; whisk until melted. Transfer curd to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd. Will keep refrigerated for about a week.

* Moms-to-be

Misty Morn

In contrast to my previous post. No diamonds on the water this morning, just spooky mist. The pond must be preparing for Halloween. I'm looking forward to temps in the 70's this weekend as the cold weather is getting to me. At night, even the down comforter isn't enough, I have to use this to keep my tootsies warm.

Snug as a bug

Yesterday was our first cold day of the season. While I realize that temps in the high 50's/low 60's is still quite warm to some, to many of us living in the south, that is winter. Though unusually cold for this time of year, it was a truly spectacular, sunny day. When I returned home mid-afternoon, I was greeted with what looked like sparkling diamonds on our backyard pond. Just something about the cold, crisp air and the sparkling water made me happy and I wanted to share the view with everyone. Unfortunately though, the picture above just doesn't do it justice.

The cold weather then prompted me to change our bedding over to "winter" mode. So last night we snuggled under a fluffy down comforter as well as a deliciously soft chenille blanket.

I have to wonder if Baby S will love to snuggle under big fluffy blankets, or if she'll be a cold weather person. I don't like the cold and I often tell people that the happiest day of my life was the day I sold my snow blower and shovel. I hope that Baby S has a preference for aquatics or sailing as opposed to skiing and skating. We shall see what the future holds, but for now I guess that I'll deal with my southern "cold" weather, especially considering that tonight, New England may experience some snow flurries!

Trafalgar 200

Today, Eammon and his office mates are celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Trafalgar Day with a Limey (OK... it's lemon) cake that I made, to look like a British White Ensign. So no calling in with complaints of Scurvy.

Trafalgar Day is the celebration of the victory won by Admiral Horatio Nelson's British fleet, over the combined French and Spanish fleet, at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805.

Kikalee & Julie, I added all those links especially for you, because I know you love them and can't stop yourselves from clicking on each and every one!

Prezzies for all

Today prezzies arrived for each of us! First these beautifully wrapped gifts arrived from my August DTC Secret Pal. We opened the packages very carefully so that we could save the lovely paper, which we will add to Baby S's scrapbook. Once the paper was removed, both Eammon and I were treated to a book.

Eammon is looking forward to starting on his (if I don't sneak and read it first). And mine, well, it is just perfect. Of course Eammon will benefit from my book too because I love to cook and he loves to eat...well so do I. My book gives wonderful descriptions of hundreds of ingredients used in Asian cooking, then at the back of the book there are recipes. I think that Shrimp Coconut Curry with Red Curry Paste is now on the menu for this weekend. I'll let you know how we do with it!

Next, I opened a package from my friends Angela & Rich. They sent Baby S a wonderful book all about London in which Angela wrote a beautiful inscription. Also included was an adorable padded hanger with a Teddy bear on it, from their pup Teddy, who is just as adorable and looks almost like the bear.

Thank you August Secret Pal, Ange, Rich and Teddy too. We love everything!

Come out, come out, wherever you are

We see you lurking... We know you're there. So go ahead, say hello once in a while. We have found it interesting to see who is visiting and following along on our journey. We've had visitors from all 50 states with the most U.S. visits coming from California. Over the past week we have been watching to see where our foreign visitors hail from. Here is the list:

Africa: Mauritius

Argentina: Buenos Aires, Federal- Entre Rios, Mendoza, Rosario-Santa Fe

Australia:
Australian Capital Territory: Canberra, Duntroon, Majura, Weston Creek New South Wales: Abbotsford, Applecross, Bexley, Drummoyne, Garema, Hazelgrove, Helensburgh, Hunters Hill, Lakemba, Lane Cove, Lindfield, Pymble, Seaforth, Sydney, Toongabbie, Tumut, West Pymble, Urayarra
South Australia: Adelaide, Norton Summit , Woodville Queensland: Belmont, Dinmore, Gold Coast, Myrtletown, Pullen Vale, Wacol, Woolooga
Victoria: Armadale, Ascot Vale, Box Hill, Campbell, Derrimut, Essendon , Hallam, Keilor, Laverton
Western Australia: Perth

Austria: Fritzens-Tirol, Linz- Oberosterreich, Vienna- Wien, Werndorf- Steiermark

Belgium: Boekhout-Brabant, Brussels- Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Vilvoorde - Brabant

Bermuda: Hamilton

Brazil: Adrianpolis-Rio de Janeiro, Campos- Rio de Janeiro, Cordovil- Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba- Parana, Lapa- Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre- Rio Grande do Sul, Salvador- Maranhao, So Paulo- Sao Paulo,

Brunei Darussalam: Bandar Seri Begawan

Bulgaria: Sofia Grad Sofiya

Canada:
Alberta: Calgary, Canmore, Edmonton, Hobbema, Medicine Hat, Morinville, Okotoks
British Columbia: Britannia Beach, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Cowichan Bay, Gabriola, Kelowna, Macalister, Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach, Summerland, Trapp Lake, Vancouver, Victoria, White Rock, Williams Lake
New Brunswick: Aroostook, Fredericton, Saint John
Northwest Territories: Cambridge Bay
Nova Scotia: Digby, Halifax, Mahone Bay
Ontario: Barrie, Bridgeport, Don Mills, Elora, Guelph, Ingersoll, Kanata, King City, Kitchener, Leitrim, London, Mimico- Port Dalhousie, Ottawa, Scarborough Township, Simcoe, Stoney Creek, Stratford, Streetsville, Swansea, Thornhill, Toronto, Willowdale
Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown
Quebec: Beaconsfield, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Gatineau, McMasterville, Mont-Royal, Montral, Outremont, Pont-Viau, Richmond, Roxboro, Sainte-Foy, Thetford Mines, Waterloo
Saskatchewan: Regina, Saskatoon

Cayman Islands

China: Beijing, Beiqiao- Shanghai, Imjanjpo -Heilongjiang, Shandong- Fujian, Shenzhen- Guangdong, Tianjin

Chile: Porto Alegre- Rio Grande do Sul, Providencia- Region Metropolitana, Rinconada- Tarapaca, Santiago- Region Metropolitana, Valdivia- Los Lagos

Colombia: Bogot- Cundinamarca

Denmark: Copenhagen-Staden Kobenhavn, Frederiksberg- Vestsjalland, Glostrup- Kobenhavn, Tranbjerg Arhus

El Salvador: San Salvador

Finland: Helsinki, Jyvskyl, Karabacka, KoivistoKylml, Mankans, Rahola, Soidinsuo, TampereVaasa

France: Amiens- Picardie, Angers- Pays de la Loire, Arche- Limousin, Avregny- Rhone-Alpes, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne Centre, Boulogne-Billancourt, Caen Basse-Normandie, Cesson Ile-de-France, Clichy Ile-de-France, Fouju Ile-de-France, Grenoble- Rhone-Alpes, Levallois-Perret Ile-de-France, Lyon Rhone-Alpes, Noyelles-Godault- Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Orgon- Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Orlans- Centre, Paris Ile-de-France, Pinet Languedoc-Roussillon, Poitiers Poitou-Charentes, Puteaux- Ile-de-France, Quincieu- Rhone-Alpes, Roubaix Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Saint-Jean-de-Beauregard- Centre, Seichebrires- Centre, Vieux-Maisons- Ile-de-France, Ville-d'Avray- Ile-de-France

French Polynesia

Germany:
Baden-Wurttemberg: Degerloch, Feuerbach, Gundelfingen, Kornwestheim, Malsch, Neidlingen, Rintheim, Stuttgart, Ubstadt-Weiher, Viesenhuserhof
Bayern: Altenburg, Grafing Bei Mnchen, Moos, Munich, Regensburg
Berlin: Gartenfeld, Tiergarten Brandenburg: Wolfslake
Hamburg: Hinschenfelde, Neu Lokstedt
Hessen: Bellersdorf, Hoxhohl Niedersachsen: Bad Salzdetfurth, Heine, Oldenburg, Veltenhof
Nordrhein-Westfalen: Bonn, Brusterhfe, Bockholt, Bottenbroich, Dortmund, Dsseldorf, Kleinehhe, Paderborn, Schwerte
Rheinland-Pfalz: Gabsheim, Herschberg, Kaiserslautern, Mainz, Nauort, Rieschweiler, Schmitshausen, Wackernheim
Sachsen: Dresden
Thuringen: Erfurt

Guam

Hong Kong: Caroline Hill, Choi Hung, Happy Valley, Ho Man Tin, Sheung Wong Yi Au

India: Bombay-Maharashtra, Delhi, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Jaipur- Rajasthan, Madras- Tamil Nadu

Ireland: Drumcondra- Dublin, Dublin, Letterkenny- Donegal, Limerick, Luttrell's Cross Roads- Dublin, Naas- Kildare, Rockbrook- Dublin, Waterford

Israel: Haifa- Hefa, Ramat Gan- Tel Aviv

Italy: Busiago- Veneto, Cadine Trentino-Alto Adige, Cesena Emilia-Romagna, Marcigliana- Lazio, Mariano Comense- Lombardia, Milan-Lombardia, Musocco- Lombardia, Orta Nova- Puglia, Rome-Lazio, Villaverla-Veneto

Japan: Akasaka- Tokyo, Asagaya- Tokyo, Asahi- Chiba, Bamba- Tochigi, Ebisucho- Kanagawa, Fukagawa-Ishijimacho Tokyo, Fukiage-Saitama, Fukushima, Hommokucho- Kanagawa, Itsukaichi- Tokyo, Konan- Aichi, Morowa- Aichi, Sarugakucho- Tokyo, Shimo- Saitama, Toyama, Wadahommachi- Tokyo, Yamagata

Kuwait

Malaysia: Kampong Pandan Quarters- Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur - Wilayah Persekutuan, Puchong Batu Dua Belas- Selangor, Salak Selatan - Wilayah Persekutuan

Malta: Mdina, San Gwann

Mexico: Cuernavaca- Morelos, Las Vigas - Nuevo Leon, San Miguel Amantla- Distrito Federal, Santa Mara Ticomn- Distrito Federal, Tianguistongo, Zapopan- Jalisco

Morocco: Beni Brour- Rabat-Sale, Hajja- Rabat-Sale, Rabat- Rabat-Sale, Sidi Bouqnadel- Rabat-Sale

New Zealand: Auckland, Brightwater

Netherlands: Arnhem-Gelderland, Amsterdam Noord-Holland, Berkenwoude Zuid-Holland, Beverwijk Noord-Holland, Delft Zuid-Holland, Goyse Dorp-Utrecht, Hilversum Noord-Holland, Nekkeveld- Gelderland, Nijmegen-Gelderland, Leijenbroek-Limburg, Ridderkerk Zuid-Holland, Roeleveen Zuid-Holland, Rotterdam Zuid-Holland, Schiedam Zuid-Holland, Spijkenisse Zuid-Holland, Tilburg Noord-Brabant,Utrecht, Veendam- Groningen, Wageningen Gelderland

Nigeria

Norway: Vevle - Hordaland, Forus - Rogaland, Lillehammer- Oppland, Tretten- Oppland

Oman: Ruwi- Masqat

Panama: Camino El Comercio

Peru: Lima

Philippines: Makati- Rizal, Philippine- Benguet

Poland: Pogwizdw- Rzeszow, Warsaw- Warszawa

Portugal: Aores- Aveiro, Cortegaa- Aveiro, Monte Da Carvalheira- Beja

Republic of Korea: Chungnam Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Seoul Seoul-t'ukpyolsi

Russian Federation: Tomsk

Saudi Arabia: Riyadh - Ar Riyad

Singapore: Bukit Batok New Town- Dakar, Kampong Sungai Jurong-Dakar, Windsor Park Estate-Dakar

South Africa: Cape Town- Western Cape, Parow- Western Cape, Pretoria- Gauteng

Spain: A Corua- Galicia, Barcelona - Cataluna, Cabanabona- Cataluna, Ciempozuelos- Madrid, Granollers- Cataluna, Guaro - Andalucia, Hmera- Madrid, Ibiricu- Navarra, Ibiza-Islas Baleares, La Joyosa- Aragon, Las Palmas De Gran Canaria- Canarias, Los Maridos- Andalucia, Madrid, Santander- Cantabria, Sevilla- Andalucia, Valencia Comunidad Valenciana

Sri Lanka: Colombo

Sweden: Biel-Bern, Gteborg-Vastra Gotaland, lvs- Vastra Gotaland, Mrsta- Stockholms Lan,Jnkping-Jonkopings Lan, Sdertlje- Stockholms Lan, Sjulsarvet- Dalarnas Lan, Stockholm- Stockholms Lan, Therwil Basel-Stadt

Switzerland: Bern, Dbendorf- Zurich, Massagno- Ticino, Saint-Prex Vaud, Sornetan- Bern

Syrian Arab Republic: Damascus- Dimashq

Taiwan: Chiencheng- T'ai-pei , Taichunghsien- T'ai-wan

Thailand: Bangkok- Krung Thep

Togo

Turkey: Antalya, Trk- Burdur

United Arab Emirates: Dubai-Dubayy

UK: Abingdon- Oxfordshire, Accrington- Blackburn with Darwen, Basingstoke- Reading, Birmingham, Bletchley- Milton Keynes, Bloomsbury- Newham, Bracknell-Bracknell Forest, Brighton, Bristol, Chiddingfold-Wiltshire, Coatbridge-East Dunbartonshire, Croydon, East Kilbride-East Renfrewshire, Elmton- Rotherham, Harold Wood-Havering, Hebden Bridge- Calderdale, Hoxton-Newham, Ickenham, Isleworth, Kings Walden-Norfolk, Kingston On Soar- Nottingham, Kingston Upon Hull, Lancaster-Blackpool, Llandudno- Conwy, London-Lambeth, Maidstone- Kent, Milton Keynes, Newbury West Berkshire, Radlett, Reading, Rossington-Doncaster, Rusper- Birmingham, Saint Johns Wood- Newham, Sheffield, Shenley- Redbridge, Salford, Shoreham-by-Sea Birmingham, Slough, Stevenage-Norfolk, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Tadley- Reading, Telford, Walford-Shropshire, Warrington,Walsall

Uruguay

Venezuela: Caracas

Vietnam: Hanoi, Dac Lac

Some of our U.S. visitors live in places where the city name just tickle me:
Amf Ohare, Illinois
East Wenatchee, Washington
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
Homosassa, Florida
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Olive Branch, Mississippi
Ooltewah, Tennessee
Orem, Utah
Owasso, Oklahoma
Passumpsic, Vermont
San Juan Capistrano, California
Swisher, Iowa
Wantagh, New York
Weehawken, New Jersey

Thank you to all our visitors, for following along on our journey and for all the comments, emails and support. Something that this list has made me realize though, is that I need a major geography lesson!!

You can't always get what you want.

But sometimes it works out even better. After my five blissful hours of sleep Thursday night, I had hopes and dreams of future restful nights, but that was not to be the case. But luckily for me, Saturday night was the invasion of the Shannons so I didn't end up wandering the house all night, aimlessly and alone. Late Saturday afternoon, after their long drive that morning from the Carolinas to Atlanta, followed by a brief 8 hour shopping spree at IKEA, fellow bloggers Shannon and Shannon arrived at our home for an overnight visit. This was the first time we have met in real life and OMG what a hoot these two girls are, playing off one another like an old married couple. Shannon R. had us in such a state, with stories of her life and times, that Eammon and I struggled not to pee in our pants whilst holding our tear stained cheeks which ached from laughing so hard. For some reason while talking to Eammon, with his London accent, Shannon R would lapse into her version of an English accent. Sorry Shanny, not only are you not going to win American Idol with your singing, but you have no hope of doing international voice overs. It was so funny as her words started in Dick Van Dyke cockney and ended some where in Pakistan but not before taking an unscheduled tour of New Zealand. It was soooo fun.

It was a gorgeous evening and we sat outside until after 11P.M., eating, talking and laughing. By that time all of us were full and quite tired so we all went off to bed. But for me, sleep proved elusive yet again. I heard one of the Shannons up and wandering around so I got out of bed and joined Shannon R. in the family room where we talked and laughed until 4 a.m. when she finally was ready to sleep. I crawled back into bed and managed 45 minutes of sleep before deciding to call it a night and start my day. Sunday morning proved a slow start for all of us, but after sitting around and chatting some more, then a light breakfast, the Shannons bid their farewells and headed back to the Carolinas with their car loaded down with IKEA booty. Thanks for the visit girls and for all the fun loot.

Five delightful, blissful, glorious hours

Well, not all in one go...But I did actually sleep for a full 5 hours last night. That's the most sleep, within a 24 hour period, that I have had in over 2 months! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to finally get some sleep!!! I hope that my bout of insomnia is winding down, and maybe tonight I'll get 6 or more hours!

Bobbie and the bean stalk

Eammon and I have been living in Georgia for 6 years and we are currently in our 3rd home. (Please, No more local moves!!) Two years ago we sold our home in gun city Kennesaw to a woman named Bobbie. Now, each time I go by the house and see its current condition, I find myself depressed. I knew when we met her that she wasn't going to do anything good for the house or the neighborhood, but I never thought it would be as bad as it is. Before we moved, all the exterior window frames were freshly painted and the gardens and beds were all weeded and looked really good. Our backyard was a park like setting with a beautiful flower and vegetable garden near the house. Now, the backyard and garden is an overgrown mass of weeds and kudzu. All the window sills as well as the entire back portion of the house, are covered in mold. In the picture above, that side of the house was lined with beautiful, lush daylillies which put on a show to stop traffic. Now it is a mess of weeds and what is with that bean stalk?? That thing got that big in 2 years and it's going to damage the foundation...which I am sure will be *my* fault. See Bobbie blamed me for all her problems when she bought the house and it all started at the closing.

Though the years, between buying, selling and re-fi's, I've probably participated in over a dozen closings and never has one taken more than an hour. Well, that was until Bobbie and her incompetent agent Ken, where the closing took 6 1/2 hours!!! Ken informed us that ALL of his closings take 4 or 5 hours so this was nothing new!!! Can we say useless, incompetent boob! Why they hadn't reviewed the closing documents and didn't have her funding in place was beyond me. Had we not been doing 3 closings back-to-back, I'm sure that we would have walked out. So when did the blame Lisa game start? Well, that would be on the Monday after the closing, when I dropped off the keys to her.

First let me tell you, in Georgia, closings and the transfer of the home is done a little differently. We had our closing on Friday...all frikkin day!! <~~ feel the anger even 2 years later! Saturday, the people whom we were buying from, moved from our new home into the new home that they had just purchased. Sunday was our day to move from Bobbie's home into our new house and then Monday, Bobbie was able to move into her new home. I have never lived anywhere other than here, where the transfer of the home didn't occur at the closing, but oh well. About a week before the closing, I contacted the electric and gas companies to inform them of our move and get the services for both our old and new homes transferred as of the Monday after closing. Bobbie was required to contact the companies too, as she had to be the one to set up service in her name.

Monday morning I meet Bobbie at our old house to give her the keys and the garage remote. She tried the remote and nothing happened so she said to me in her very snotty voice, "guess you couldn't be bothered to put in some fresh batteries, could ya?" I knew that the remote had worked the day before, so I told her that maybe Eammon put the opener into locked mode for safety and that we could check it. So, we went in through the house, out to the garage and there was no little red light. So I thought maybe a circuit tripped, so I went over to the box and turned on the light and *nothing*. Light dawns on Marblehead here, and I asked, "did you have your electricity turned on?" Out comes the snotty voice again where she informed me that she called the electric company and that since I wasn't having the electricity turned off until Monday, she couldn't have her electricity turned on until she called the office on that day. I said that she could have asked for continuation of service and all they do is read the meter. Then I thought to ask her...When did she call? Oh yesterday,(Sunday!!) she "didn't want to pay for me living in her house and using her elecrticity!!" Well OK...maybe that's why the opener didn't work, not the batteries you B****! So, I gave her the keys and she signed off that we didn't do any damage to the house during our move out and I went on my merry way.

Two days later, 5am Wednesday morning our phone rings and it's Bobbie!! She wanted to know what *we* did to her water heater before we moved out, as she needed to take a shower and go to work and there was no hot water. Luckily my brain was was working and immediately asked if she had her gas turned on. Yes, Tuesday they turned it on. So, trying to be nice I let her know that the pilot light was out. Then, she wants me to tell her how to "turn it on"!! No frikkin way!! Just my luck she would do something wrong and it would be my fault. So, I politely inform her that I am no longer the owner of that home nor am I a service technician. If she has a problem with her gas, call the gas company, call a friend, but she was never to call me again. Ahhhh...life without Bobbie!!! Yeah!!!

Desperately seeking...

As of today, CCAA has had our dossier logged in to their system for a full 2 months. I think of our dossier with all its pictures and official, notarized, certified & authenticated documents, just sitting there in a huge pile surrounded by hundreds of other dossiers, waiting until it becomes eligible to move into the coveted Matching Room<~~~oooohhh, ahhhhh.

So, am I anxious about this whole process and wait? Well that was the question raised yesterday when I lunched with other local adoptive Moms-to-be, Cindy, Jill and Sonia. We were discussing anxieties and stress related to the entire adoption process and especially now, as we are all experiencing the long wait for our referrals. I said that I am just going with the flow, but then had to wonder about that statement. Maybe I think that I'm not stressing or don't openly realize it, but could that be the underlying cause of my current bout of insomnia?

I have so much to do before the arrival of Baby S, but with my lack of sleep and an energy level of zero, nothing is getting done. If push came to shove and miraculously someone said that our baby would be ready for us in 2 weeks, trust me, we would have the crib together and the nursery though not perfect, more than ready for her arrival. I am amazed though at how some parents-to-be are so organized and ready with nurseries complete. I sit with a painted room and some furniture...and of course a lot of pretty clothing but nothing practical. I have been asked to set up a baby registry at some stores so that people will know what we need. The problem is, I don't know what we need! What are the necessary items for an approximate 12 month old girl? It is soooo overwhelming. We have the crib & changing table, a stroller as well as his & her carriers. I know we need a car seat and a high chair, but after that, where do we go?

So my blogging buddies, help out your poor, disorganized, uninformed, insomniac friend and let me know what things Baby S and her parents *must* have. Also, if you're stressing, how do we deal with it?

Thanks!!
L~~

Prezzies!!!

Last night Daphne & Greg joined us for dinner. They arrived, arms filled with gifts! Baby S now has her first Sonya Lee doll...Actually it is her very first doll of any kind. They also brought a little baby leather giraffe for Baby S's room, which is currently hanging out with my other leather giraffes. On top of that, they brought Eammon his first Harley Davidson t-shirt! It was a fun evening, and thanks for all the prezzies!

I'm sick and tired...

Literally. I have been suffering from insomnia for almost 2 months now and let me tell you, getting less than 4 hours of sleep per night sucks and so does Lunesta. Yes, I have tried Ambien too and no, I don't drink any caffeine and I even avoid beverages listed as decafe. I do though sometimes enjoy my favorite herbal tea but that shouldn't be impeding my sleep. On top of that I have a sinus infection, double ear infection as well as Costochondritis. So, I can't breathe, smell, taste, hear or sleep. I am extremely dizzy and every bone, joint and muscle in my body feels like I have the worst case of the flu ever. Only 3 more days of Levaquin and who knows on the Antivert. Amazing all these meds that cause sleepiness, knock me out so that I can't really function, but don't allow me to sleep...AAAHHHHH! OK, another whinge over.

Update on the adoption: CCAI announced that on 10/4, they received 81 child matches which included all families with a March 2005 LID. Congrats to everyone who received their referral. We're still hoping to be on track for a February 2006 referral. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Update on the nursery: Nothing, nada, zip, zilch...haven't done a thing (see whinge above).