What will she look like?
We think about this everyday. We wonder what Sophia will look like.
Will she have hair?
or will she be bald?
Will she have spikey hair (like someone we all know)?
Will she be small?
or will she be big?
Will she be happy?
or will she be sad?
Will there be two?
The bottom line is it does not matter we already love her or them and we have know idea about any of this.. We just know she will be sweet as can be......
Cheri did this on her blog and asked all her loyal followers to join in and share their memories. So I am willing to play along are you? Well Riz and I went to High School together so all our answers are the same. We both tolerated High School and were really glad when it was over. There were lots of good memories of those days but they were mostly from times away from school.We were lucky enough to go to High School in Daytona Beach in the 80's when Spring Break was at its peak. MTV and hoards of collage students would come every year. The free concerts and and Collage Expos were great and the "partying" was not bad either LOL.. The one memory that stands out for both of us is not a happy one. In Florida whenever a Space Shuttle takes off it is a big deal. We went to school right across from the beach and could see the shuttle launches from the School campus. On Jan 28th 1986 it was unusually cold for Florida. We were both in School, I was in Mr. Piccolo's math class and Riz was between classes. All of the teachers would put the launch on the TV's in class and we would all watch it leave the launch pad then run outside to see it leaving the atmosphere. On that day we all knew immediately that something was different, something was terrible wrong. We learned quickly what had happened and a sadness feel over the school. It was one of those defining moments in life. The kind that you can never forget where you were when it happened. Riz and I both remember every detail of that day. I think our whole school grew up that day.......
Susan:
Name of High School: Seabreeze High School
School Colors: Red & White
Class Mascot: Sand Crab..... 
Yeah you heard right a Sand Crab
Year of graduation: 1986
Class Colors: Royal Blue and Silver (We did not know this until we looked at the year book)
Class Flower: White Orchid
Class Song: Don't you forget about me by Simple Minds
Class Motto: Through every hello is the beginning of a goodbye,do not lose heart:For Every goodbye may also be the begging of another hello (WHAT! Who in the world came up with that)
How many people in your graduating class: 392
Were you chosen for any "Class Favorites": NO
Any sports or activities: NO
Were you a class officer: No
Were you Valedictorian or Salutatorian: No
Were you on Homecoming court or Prom court: No
If so, did you win: N/A
Did you go to Homecoming & Prom: NO
Homecoming Theme: "Carnival"
Prom Theme: I have no idea
Favorite Teacher: Riz was Mr Tarizzo for obvious reasons Susan Mr. Piccolo because he was hot
School Alma Mater:
I have no idea
Favorite memory senior year: Graduating
I am still working on a post that is taking me some time.I should be done soon I was tagged by Wendy to list my top 10 things I still want and don't have for Sophia. I have had to put some thought into it but it has been fun. Stay tuned for that but in the mean time...
This morning on the way to work Riz and I were talking about things that people hang from their rear view mirror. You know sometimes after 16 years of marriage this is what the morning conversation turns into LOL... Anyway we were saying you can really tell alot about the personality of people by what they hang from their rear view mirror. So, I was thinking that it would make a fun post to see what (if anything) do you have hanging from your rear view mirror. We then went on to talk about what was stuffed in the visors.. I know stimulating conversation for 7:30 in the morning LOL... Riz proceeded to make me laugh by saying we have WAY to much time on our hands. Note that this conversation followed the conversation about what Dance Fever song to post on the "Feel the Beat" Blog today. He acted out the whole seen by saying instead of us saying "put your shoes on" "stay in your car seat" "Sophia don't do that" we are talking about what song to post on the blog and what other people hang from their rear view mirror.. LOL It was funny and a good way to start the morning...
This is what we have and I am not quite sure what it says about us LOL...
Rear view mirror--- A mother of pearl heart with this on it Susan and Riz Oct 15th 1988 written on it (shortly after we started dating). This has been in every car we have owned along with a 2 inch Red and White Italian horn.
In the visors---
Drives side... an Empty CD holder (we have an I-pod now and never use the CD's anymore) and a Palm Cross from Friendship Day and our best friends Matt and Lisa's Church it is dated March 2006...
Passenger Side... The Rose from when Riz and I went to the mountains with Cheri and Shane. We were walking in Ashville's Biltmore Village and Shane and Riz found these fake, but pretty Rose's laying on the ground and gave Cheri and I each one. I think Cheri still has hers too...
So What does this say about us.. Hmmm I wonder maybe that we are lazy and have to clean out our car. LOL....
So who wants to play????
I have updated things a bit with the addition of a few of my favorite shopping sites and a few just for fun things. Keep your eyes on the blog I am working on a few fun things to be added in the next few days...In the mean time I promised Riz I would post his favorite Bruce Springsteen song to the blog. So enjoy a little music until my next post. Riz said he can just see Sophia dancing around our living room to this song :)
Man,There are some really great songs to post and it takes much thought in my retro pick.Many of my favorites are hard rockin' empty songs,but there are a few with some meaning and direction in the lyrics.This is not to say next week won't be a slick over produced sleazy video...just not this go around,I need to keep my reputation good for the time being.
For us, TP is a local boy growing up in Gainesville Fl. a place Susan and I visit a few times each year for a camping trip or a Sunday afternoon drive.Without question I will always think of our Retro days,TP,and of course waiting for our girls from now on as we visit that area...a mental stamp forever more.
I am really glad the guys are getting involved with some of the Internet happenings that our wives have been enjoying for the past months(years).I have had a great time meeting some of the fellas and I can't wait to meet everyone in the future.
....The waiting is the hardest part!
Bruce Springsteen is still one of my favorites. This song in particular reminds me of high school. When I was in High School this song made me think of "Love" and relationships but, now this song some how parallels my feeling related to the adoption. It is funny how you can always make a song fit your life. I sort of feel like that's what we have been doing all this time "Dancing in the Dark". As we get closer to our time for referral it is sort of like the line "Messages keep getting clearer". This past week I have been feeling down and you all gave me the encouragement and support we all need from time to time. Cheri and Wendy gave me some great advice on how to lift myself out of the funk. What I needed was a "Spark" to light my "fire" thank you all for doing that for me..
Another note THE BOSS gives a FANTASTIC concert one of the best we have been to. We have seen him twice and would see him again if we had the opportunity.
One last thing... In the video we see Bruce dancing on stage. He makes eye contact with a girl in the crowd and at the end of the video he pulls he up on stage. Who will be the first to tell us who this young fresh faced beauty is?
OK enough chatter lets watch the video....
| Your Five Factor Personality Profile |
 Extroversion: You have high extroversion. You are outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends. You truly enjoy being with people and bring energy into any situation. Enthusiastic and fun, you're the first to say "let's go!" Conscientiousness: You have high conscientiousness. Intelligent and reliable, you tend to succeed in life. Most things in your life are organized and planned well. But you borderline on being a total perfectionist. Agreeableness: You have high agreeableness. You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly. Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone. You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance. Neuroticism: You have medium neuroticism. You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic. Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy. Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything. |
Please join me in wishing Susan a VERY Happy Birthday. We hope to have Sophia home and settled in by this time next year, to celebrate as a family of three. It is funny how all your life you think about celebrating your birthday for yourself but, now we celebrate each passing milestone with the thoughts of Sophia and how she will be included in each celebration. I think one of the best presents Susan got this year was seeing Elise (a mom from our agency) with her daughter Violet for the first time this weekend. Elise is in China now and was united with Violet on Sunday.
Happy Birthday Susan.... I love you, Riz...
U2 "I still have not found What I am looking for"
Because I feel it is appropriate to our situation. What we have been through together and what has brought us to the point we are today waiting for Sophia.... That and because my wife thinks Bono is the epitome of "COOL".........
Well, we can't call it RETRO without a little something from the "Queen of Pop" that's right Madonna... Like her or hate her, you have to give credit where credit is do. The girl can sing and dance and is a genius with reinventing herself. It is simply amazing to me that she has been around for over 20 years. I think "Holiday" was the first song I heard of Madonna's and I instantly loved it and wanted to hear more. Who among us girls of the 80's can say we were not influenced in some way by Madonna's fashion style? I know I had plenty of bracelets, lace tops and skirts.I mean really, Come on, didn't we all look good with leggings under a skirt and little white sneakers and white lace socks? Funny, 20 years later I am now buying Madonna's children's books for Sophia's book library "The English Garden" is my favorite. I never in a million years would have thought then that Madonna and I would have anything in common but, we do, we are both adoptive mothers..
I thought about posting Holiday today but then I thought "Get into the Groove" from the Movie "Desperately Seeking Susan". I must have watched this movie a million times. It is a total cheese ball movie but then it was great. If you have not seen it I would recommend it for a rainy Sat. afternoon when your hubby is working LOL (definitely a girl movie)..
OK enough talking lets watch and listen to the video..
One more thing, I don't think one day a week is enough "RETRO" it was really hard to pick just one song today. Riz had a good idea to have a Man's pick for "Retro".. What do you think?
This is how long it has been since we started.... OK so today it has officially been 2 years since Riz and I signed our first adoption application. We have learned a lot about ourselves over the last 2 years. Here are a few things we have learned… 1.We have more patients then we ever thought was humanly possible. 2.We can make friends more easily then we ever thought we could. 3.There is a lot of information out there about adoption, some bad but, mostly good. 4.We have so much to learn when we started this process and still today have more to learn. 5.That there is an amazing community of adoptive families out there. 6.That your heart can grow, without you even realizing it. Adoption has made our hearts grow. 7. That the world is a much bigger place then our four walls or our little town. 8. Most things are not as bad as they seem. 9. That we will make mistakes as parents and that is OK as long as we recognize that we did and learn from the mistakes. 10. That I am lucky to be married to the best man in the world and he will be a wonderful daddy. 11. That sometimes things don’t happen the way you planned. 12. How to be more flexible. 13. To be more generous. 14. To be more responsible. 15. To be more excepting. 16. How to pack and travel around the world to become parents. 17. How to blog. 18. How to wash and fold baby clothes. 19. How to read children’s books. 20. That we love children’s TV. 21. That we are not crazy about children’s music but, that we will listen to it for the sake of our daughter. We love music and want her to love it as well…. 22. That we could love someone so completely who we have never met. 23. That we love our daughter beyond measure already. 24. That I will be a good Mom and Riz will be a Great Dad. We hope that in the next few months this wait comes to an end and our lives as a family begin…….. We are ready to put everything we have learned into practice.
Well, I don't know if this counts as "RETRO" because it was made in 1999 but, it was all filmed right here in Daytona Beach. Kim, because you started "Retro Saturday" and I know how much you love the beach I am posting this one for you. I wanted you and all our land locked friends out there to get a small glimpse of what Daytona Beach looks like and what fun you could have if you came for a visit.
Enjoy....
Len--- Steal My Sunshine
This was my fortune in the cookie I had today, boy is it true....
"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains." :)
The song? well, I just like it :)
Happy LID anniversary to the Love's and anyone else who has reached this milestone...
The 2008 Olympic Gameswill begin in Beijing China on 08/08/08.
The number 8 is very important to the people of China and is said to be a symbol of good fortune.This morning (US Time) on 08/08/07 at 8:08pm (Beijing time) the countdown Officially began. Riz and I love to watch the Olympic games.This year will be even more special because we will have been to China and back with our daughter Sophia. We are excited that our friends and family will have the opportunity to experience a little of our daughter's birth country, the culture,customs, food and most of all its people. We are very happy that China will be showcased during the 2008 Olympic games. We of course wish that we would have received our referral long ago. However, we are over come with emotion when we think about teaching Sophia about this historic event and how it happened in her birth country in the year we became a family. We think that it makes her life story even more special. We hope that you all will be watching too. We have an other reason to be excited about these Olympic games. During this long wait I have met another waiting mom, her name is Melissa. Melissa is waiting for her daughter who she plans on naming Sophia Rose ( and get this...We almost picked the name Sophia Rose (because of Riz first name being Rosario) and she almost picked the name Sophia Joy, how funny) but I digress. Anyway, Melissa has shared many of the same feelings as I said above. Pride in China and joy about sharing with her daughter her life story and how the Olympics were part of it.Melissa has a cousin who will be participating in the 2008 Olympic games in China. Her name is Natalie Woolfolk . Natalie will be part of the US Women's Olympic Weightlifting team. . Melissa could not be more proud of her cousins world class athletic accomplishment. When she talks about Natalie she beams with pride. I know Melissa will share with Natalie that she now has a huge extended family of adoptive families cheering her on. We think it will be exciting to cheer on someone we kind of know. 
We hope that you will watch along with us to cheer on Natalie and to learn a little more about China, our daughters birth country...
OK so either you all are really smart and know me well or I made that WAY to easy for you.... Either way you all are right, well, half right I really did work at Disney World just not as Eeyore, I worked at one of the resorts for a short time.
!. Yes, I was in fact a Police Explorer. I once had a dream of becoming a Police Officer. I am not really sure why but I did..
2. This is in fact true. My family name is Reitano and we are from Sicily. There is a Small village in the North Eastern part of the island named Reitano. That is where my family on my fathers side came from. My grandmother immigrated to the US through Elis Island when she was 7 years old with her Sister Katherine and her Mother and Father. My Grandfather immigrated to the US also through Elis Island with his mother and Father along with his 4 brothers and sisters.
3. Yep you guessed it this was the lie.....
4. This was my first car although my car did not look this good. Mine had a dark blue hood, a white door and a green fender. I tell you though that car cost me $50 and ran great for 4 years until I got rid of it for a car that looked better cost me more and ran like a piece of junk..
5. Lisa I knew you would get this right LOL.. I once worked as a nanny for a family who owned their own business making those tacky t-shirts that say Daytona Beach on them that you see in the gift shops all over the beach. They were HUGE Miami Dolphins fans and even had a dog named Shula. They participated in a celebrity golf tournament that Chris Collingsworth (an other player). I got to attend because they were bringing the baby. It was great because I was 18 years old got to stay in 5 star resort and hang out by the pool all day with professional football players (Boomer Esiason and yes Kim I did meet Jim Kelly tell Kevin I have a picture with him). Then there was a dinner and a photo session so, I have a book with Autographs and pictures of several big name football players. It is really funny because I am probably the least interested person in football I know LOL... Now my best friend Lisa is a HUGE Dan Marino fan and drools over the picture of Dan Marino that I have.
This is a fun one going around the blogs you list 5 things about yourself, one of which one is untrue. I thought long and hard and came up with these, but remember only ONE is fictional, can you guess which one???
1. When I was in High School I full fledged member of the Daytona Beach Police Explorers.
2. My family name (maiden) is the name of the village in Sicily where my family is from.
3. I once worked at Disney World as Eeyore...
4. My First car was a Ford Pinto
5. I once met Dan Marino from the Miami Dolphins along with Jim Kelly From the Buffalo Bills got their autographs and a pictures taken with them during a golf tournament.
The Mall at Millenia Orlando Florida
Today is the BIG SALE day at one of my favorite stores Bath and Body Works. If you love all things that smell good you must go check it out. My favorite scents right now are Cherry Blossom, Sweet Pea, and Fresh Cucumber. I have the Sweet Pea hand lotion in my purse along with the Cherry Blossom Antibacterial Gel. I had to go check out 5 for $15 sale so, I picked up one Sweet Pea Antibacterial foam, One Cherry Blossom Antibacterial foam both purse size. In addition to those I bought 3 of the sink size antibacterial foam hand soap, in you guessed it Cherry Blossom, Sweet Pea and Fresh Cucumber. I just love the fresh smell of all three of these scents. I have been stocking up on the small purse size so I can take them to china with us.
What are your favorite scents?
Something else that I saw while I was in the mall were lots of moms with kids school shopping (school starts here a week from Monday). I thought about what shopping is going to be like when we have Sophia. My best friend Lisa and I take her girls out about once a month on a "girls day" we usually end up at the mall shopping. We always have a good time and in fact we are way over do for a "girl day". I can't wait until we have Sophia and she will join us for those shopping days.
One more thing, I am thinking about a gift for a friend and want it to be special. I wandered into Things Remembered just to take a look at what they had. Now here is the question, How do you feel about baby jewelry? I am not sure really how I feel. I like small earrings of course. I can remember being a child and having "Baby Jewelry" a baby ring, bracelet, and a small chain with a cross. This jewelry was only worn on special occasions like Christening and Holiday pictures. It always was taken off and put back into the velvet jewelery box as more of a keepsake then something to be worn on a regular basis.
So what do you think Yes or No for baby jewelry?
Susan
It's official the CCAA has complete referrals for the month of August. They completed another 7 days worth of LID's. What this means is that families with their adoption paperwork logged into the China Center of Adoption Affairs CCAA) between November 15th and November 21st 2005 will be seeing their sweet babies faces for the first time in the next day or so. Riz and I want to congratulate all of those families who are realizing their dreams come true. What this means for us is that we are 7 days closer to realizing our dream come true. There are 50 days between November 21st 2005 and January 10th 2006. The CCAA is now 7 weeks away from our LID. We hope and pray that we will start to see some sort of speed up but, we are realistic and know that the best predictor of the future is the past (that sounded just like Dr. Phil). We could be looking at another 7 months to wait for our dream to come true. The excitement is building each month when referrals come in because we know more and more families receiving their referrals. Our adoption agency has one group of families in front of us. They should be seeing their dream come true in October or November. We can't wait for them and for us because then we will be able to say that we are next with our agency... I look forward to that day.. If you would like to see some of the BEAUTIFUL babies check out the Rumor Queen site.
Last year in September I went on a trip to Philadelphia to meet other women who are waiting to be mothers of little girls from China. This group of women were in a word incredible. We have created friendships and a bond that has continued to grow over the last year. None of us thought at that time that we would still be waiting for our daughters to come home but, here we are still waiting. The wait has been hard at times for all of us and we have always been there to cheer each other up when we are down. This adoption journey has been long and often times frustrating but it has also been wonderful and enriching in so many ways. I have been fortunate enough to meet not only these great moms but others who have become good friends. Riz and I feel very blessed to have met each and every person that has come into our lives because of the "Wait".
This time of the month it is always hard for those of us still waiting. The feelings of happiness for those in front of us are tremendous. The emotion we feel for the children who are getting families is indescribable. The frustration that the wait is continuing to grow is hard to swallow for many. Today a friend (Stephe, one of the Philly Moms) wrote a post to our Jan. DTC group that touched my heart. Although I am not a single Mom and Riz and I do plan on adopting a sibling for Sophia from China, We don't know what the future holds for us. Stephe's post captured exactly how I
have been feeling the last few months. Her post was amazing to me because I felt like she was typing the thoughts in my head. If you have not looked at Stephe's blog please go take a look. She is fantastic and her blog is full of wonderful, fun and useful information. Thank you Stephe for capturing my feelings exactly. I look forward to the day Sophia and Giorgia are home and building a friendship.
With permission, Here is Stephe's Post
My Confession
Can I tell you all... (confession)
Since deciding to adopt, I've figured a lot of things out about myself both good and bad. I've wasted too many years of my life by not realizing my dream sooner.
I've wasted too much money on stupid stuff that doesn't matter.
I've wasted too much time thinking there would be lots of time.
I've wasted too much time procrastinating.
I have learned that there is nothing more in the world that I want than my daughter.
I have learned that I can really, really save money when I need to.
I have learned I will still occasionally spend money on stupid stuff (just not as much)
I have learned I will still procrastinate (just not as much)
Here's the big part of the confession...(I also have to preface and say that I can't wait to be a mom but...)
I also LOVE the WAIT. I know some of you are thinking I'm horrible but it's true. I am LOVING every minute planning for to her arrival, shopping for little clothes, organizing all her stuff, working on her nursery, dreaming of all the things we'll do, trying to figure out all the ways to get through the hard times we will surely have, meeting all of the great adoptive parents and creating this awesome circle of friends. My life before this was never as rich. Good, but not as rich.
I have first time mom anxiety. I KNOW I'll be a great mom. The closer I get to referral, the more I worry about not having enough money to lavish her every whim. Which I know is stupid because I can give her a great life and I'm very resourceful if I don't have the cash. (plus I don't want her to be too spoiled anyway) So, my brain tells me to knock it off. I'm sure some of you might know what I mean. I worry that that she will resent me for her being in daycare. Then I think...Have a prepared enough? do I have everything I need? did I do all of those things on my list that I really, really wanted to get done? (my downfall to my crazy list making) At 16 will she say she hates me and I'm not her real mother? (this will destroy me) Geez. I hate those days when these thoughts swirl around in my brain. On these WAITING days, I feel my dream slipping away. On the other days, all of these thoughts are in perspective and I am cool with anything life or my daughter throws at me. I'm strong and I can handle it.
So, I guess my only secret (which isn't a secret anymore) is that I LOVE the wait. (please don't hate me) Even when she's finally in my arms I will tell her what an amazing time I had waiting for her and that there is more to come. I will only be a mom to one and this will be the only time that I will be able to anticipate something so great! So, I'm cherishing this time and all of you.
Now, for those of you that are yelling at the computer for me to shut up, gagging, or throwing rotten fruit...I LOVE you too. (sincerely) Don't worry, I probably the ONLY person that would confess to this!
Okay, that's my confession. Thanks for listening.
.jpg)
