Vote For Half The Sky

This is a contest to vote for someone to run with the Olympic torch.

If Jenny wins she will run with the torch and will have 8 children from orphanages in 8 different provinces run with her.

Click here to vote!

September has come and gone Part 1

I can hardly believe that September has already come and gone. We have been so busy this month that the time has just gone so quickly....Maybe if we stay this busy we can make the next few moths melt away as fast and before we know it will will be in China with our travel group and Zhou.....and our daughter...

I typed a super long post that NO one would probably read. So, I am going to post it in several segments so as not to bore you all at once with what we have been up to....

As we feel like we are coming to the end of this wait We want to thank all our friends for helping us to get through it. With out all of you this would have been much, much harder....

Congratulations to Luke and Layla on the birth of their daughter Mackenzie (SP?) Layla did I get it right? We can't wait to meet her...

Melissa it was good to see you again. We should get together soon. :)

Lisa, COFFEE I need COFFEE LOL. I am not sure how I would have gotten through all of these months of waiting without you. Our monthly Coffee nights have become a very important part of my life. I know that you are just as excited about our up coming referral as we are. Sophia will be so blessed to have you, Matt and the kids not only as friends but as family. I truly want to thank you for always being there when I need you. You are the best girlfriend a girl could have and I feel very lucky to call you my best friend. :)

Cheri, the friendship that we have developed is important and special to me. I know that in years to come our girls will benefit from the relationship we have created.

to all the new friends we have made Thank you for the friendship, laughter and most of all the support you all mean so much to us.


OK I am not sure why I went off on this Sappy post, it is starting to sound like one of those acceptance speeches they give at the awards ceremonies, sorry lol.I just want you all to know how much you mean to me and to Riz. I am not leaving any of you out the next four post will cover everyone LOL.... Sorry so mushy I am just feeling that way today...

Stay tuned for lots of SAP... LOL...

Want something to read?

I have been following the story of a waiting mother who I met in my Jan. DTC group. Her name is Christine. She is waiting for her referral for her daughter Maryann from China. Christine has been in China for the last month volunteering with a Foster Home called Starfish run by a women named Amanda deLange . Christine has had the most unbelievable opportunity to experience China from the inside. If you would like to read her amazing story go here and read from Aug. 29th until now. Christine will be coming home soon and rejoining us here in the wait for our children. We have all been fortunate to learn from her experience. I for one feel very proud to call Christine a friend and proud of what she is doing with her time while she waits for Maryann....

Survivor China

We are most excited because Survivor is starting once again. This time it is extra special to us because they will be filming the entire show in China, Jiangxi to be exact. Jiangxi is in the southern part of China and is where many of our friends girls have come form. Macy, Lottie, Claire and many others were born in Jiangxi. The possibility that Sophia will come from this part of China is pretty good.We look forward to seeing parts of China that we may have not had the opportunity to see if this show had not been done. Even if Sophia is not in Jiangxi she is somewhere in China right now ALIVE and waiting for us. It will be awesome to see her birth country every Thursday night from now until just before we go to get her. Survivor China starts this coming Thursday September 20th and will run until sometime in December. We encourage all of you but most especially our Friends and Family to watch Survivor China not because it is Survivor but because you will see and learn more about Sophia's Birth Country every week. Survivor China will be the first major American television show to be filmed entirely within China.

We have been HUGE Survivor Fans and have not missed one season. Toward the end of last season we decided that was it we were done with the show, Viewer Fatigue. When we heard that the next season would be filmed in China we were hooked....

Don't forget Thursday night 9/20/07 8:00 P.M. On CBS Channel 6 here locally in Orlando.

NICE DOES MATTER

I have been nominated....

By my good friend Stephe for the Nice Matters Award.

"This award is for bloggers who are nice people, good blog friends, and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also, for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world"


Stephe and I became friends when we met on the Jan. 2006 DTC Yahoo group. Stephe is a sweet, kind hearted and the most creative person I know. Stephe will be a great mom. She is single and is more prepared to be a mom then most married couples I know. Her daughter Giorgi Danette is going to be so loved by Stephe and by all of us who love Stephe.

Stephe, Thank you so much for nominating me for this Blogging award. Blogging has really been an outlet for my thoughts,feelings and frustrations but more then that it has been an avenue to make great lasting friends who mean the world to me and will one day mean the world to my daughter.
I'm supposed to pass this award along to seven other bloggy friends. Only seven??? Okay, here they are:


1. Susan L at As we Wait for Lily Kate
2. Cheri at Our Hope and Dreams
3. Wendy at Charmed in China
4. Melissa at Waiting for Lily
5. Dannye at LayDFrog
6. Sharon at Journey to Mary Alice
7. Christine at Our Journey to Mary Anne

My Top 10 Baby Wish List

I am re posting this because I wanted to tag my good friends Susan L and Stephe
I was tagged by Wendy to create a list of the top 10 things I want for Sophie. I had to give this some thought but, I was able to come up with a pretty good list

so here it is

10. I definitely want a pretty white cotton dress for Sophie, maybe a size 12 to 18 months.
There is nothing prettier then a picture of an Asian girl with dark hair and dark skin in a white dress. I have seen so many photos like this taken at the beach and I just have to have one of Sophie. My friend Julie took a few beautiful pictures of her daughter Emma on a recent beach trip and they are stunning. Check out Julies blog's July 10th posting

9. I would like a Mei Tai. Wrap to carry Sophie in while we are in China. Our friend Melissa is very crafty and makes these beautiful baby carriers.











8. One Step ahead
has a GREAT Diaper Bag Back Pack that will be handy when we travel to China and even for years after when we travel. A must have :)










7.I love Mahar Drygoods and all of the products they have most especially the Donutswhich happen to be my weakness.







6. The Company Store has a GREAT line of lunch box's and back packs. I know it will be quite a while before Sophie will be using one of these but they are so darn cute that they are on my list.








5.BRITAX CAR SEAT
Britax Boulevard Car Seat... We have put off buying a car seat because of impending baby showers although we do not expect anyone to spend this kind of money. We thought that the longer we put it off the shorter we would have to store it and maybe they would have new deigns or models come out. So this is our One BIG purchase we have not done yet. But Britax are the best #1 in safety and durability, so that is what we will be purchasing before Sophie comes home. I love the colors of this pattern, very girly.




4.I think every baby needs a lovey One Step Ahead has these great new loveies called Pancake Security Blankets. They look so soft and cuddly, I think Sophie has to have one. :) I love them










3. These great travel and baby books are hand made and designed for families who travel to China to be united with their children. One of the things that we as adoptive parents don't get to do is have a nice baby book with all of the relevant info in it for adoption.
The traditional baby books just don't cut it because the pages all relate to when you were pregnant or when the child was born or even when the child was very young. These books are costumed designed to answer all those questions about your adopted child. I think they are beautiful and would love to have one as a nice keepsake for Sophie.




2. As much as I don't even want to think about Sophie ever hurting herself or ever feeling pain I know she will have her fair share of bumps and bruises. I have seen these cute Boo Boo Bears and even have a few friends that have them for their kids. I found this site that has cute pink puppy dogs.
I will have to get at least one of these if Sophie is anything like her father. I LOVE YOU honey :)












1.Every Girl needs some "BLING" There is not an Italian child out there who does not have "Baby Jewelry"(do not be mistaken Sophie will be Italian). I found this and think it is simple but, pretty.











This will be worn only in special photos and on special occasions. I plan to keep it for Sophie in a special keepsake box with a lock of her hair, her first tooth and these very pretty Baby Rosary Beads from Things Remembered.


Now I am going to tag Cheri. Put on your thinking cap Cheri it is not as easy as it sounds LOL. I can't wait to see your top ten

New TV Programing

Copied from Rumor Queen

September 6th, 2007
Arthur: Binky gets a sister from China
From PBSkids, premiering this Friday, September 7th


In an upcoming Arthur show, his friend Binky Barnes gets a sister from China. The producers are said to have done their homework and researched the process as well as talked to families to get their input on the show. People who have seen it say it is very well done and they are impressed. I can’t wait to see this one.




Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
From Nick Jr, premiering October 22nd


NI HAO, KAI-LAN is supposed to be a Chinese version of Dora. A play-along, think-along series starring Kai-lan Chow, a playful, adventurous preschooler who speaks both English and Mandarin. Kai-Lan and her animal friends are guided by her YeYe (grandfather) through their adventures. I hope this series is done well, and I hope Kai-Lan ends up with as much merchandise as Dora.

August Referrals are in

Well the August referrals came in on Monday. I can't say I was surprised but maybe a little disappointed. Every month we all hope for the "Speed Up" that everyone talks about. We do feel like we are coming to the end of the wait and that within 6 months we should see our referral. For now all we can do is wait some more, stay busy, rejoice in the happiness of others referrals, hope that those people with LIDS between Nov 26 2005 and Jan 10 2006 have peace, and of course pray for that speed up to happen.... Congratulations to all who are reaching the end of the wait and seeing your sweet babies faces for the first time.