New Number

Only time will tell if this matters or not... but as of last week we've moved up to slot #209 on the waiting list!

Nursery Ideas

I had a dream about Winnie the Pooh last night (I also dreamed that I intentionally melted nachos onto my leather couch, but that doesn't really have anything to do with this post). I woke up and told hubby we should paint our nursery-to-be to look like the Hundred Acre Woods.

He's on board. He suggested painting a tree that reaches up on the ceiling, and then hanging this lamp from a "branch" with bees around it to make it look like a hive.

Let me clarify - we are currently painting our master bedroom blue. Solid blue, one color, four walls. It's taken about a week thus far and left our entire house in disarray. So, we aren't master painters of any sort.

However, I found this website today. Check it out and see if it doesn't inspire you. Pretty soon you'll want to paint a forest - and stripes - and farm animals - and a castle.

(Li'l Sis? I know you have some mad crazy pumpkin-painting skills...)

I Met a Porcupine at Applebee's

Driving home from lunch today, I spied a tent and cages in the field in front of Applebee's.

"Puppies!" I cooed.

"Um, I think that's a porcupine... "

Hubby was right. Little River Zoo brought out several small animals and created a petting area. They suckered us right in.

I was a perplexed by this whole pet-the-porcupine concept, but Porky was down with it.

This goat and turtle were roomies.

Hubby fed a wallaby.

If ever an occasion to entertain a wallaby arises, and you don't know what vittles to offer, they apparently have an affinity for vegetable-flavored Ritz crackers.

Windblown

Our Shih Tzu enjoyed the beautiful weather on the way home from the groomer yesterday.

(No, Dad, of course I didn't take this picture while I was driving. I would never consider doing anything so unsafe.)

The Quick Summary

Hi all -

Yes, I fell off the face of the blogging universe. Adoptive families know why many of the Vietnam blogs have gone silent; for the few friends/family members who we've shared this blog with, here's the deal.

Y'know the Bog of Eternal Stench (quick, name the 80's movie reference!)? Basically, that's the current state of VN adoptions. USCIS posted this horribly disturbing message, closely followed by this one. Result: as of now, adoptions will not be processed for anyone who does not have a referral by September 1.

Remember when you were a kid and everyone would get in trouble because of the one bratty boy who just wouldn't settle down? That's basically what's going on here. The vast majority of Vietnam adoptions are ethical, but a very small minority of agencies/adoption personnel are causing problems for everyone; instead of making the troublemakers get out of the sandbox, all adoptions are being stopped.

Making sure adoptions are ethical should, of course, be priority numero uno - that goes without saying. However, there are ways to ensure ethical adoptions without shutting down the entire adoption system between the two countries.

As you can imagine, this hasn't been easy news to swallow. There was one particular Saturday that certainly wasn't pretty around our house (I recommend splurging for the Kleenex with lotion. The integrity of your nasal passages is worth the extra forty cents.).

I've exhibited unusual behavior since the news. I've cried over nonsensical things (though I did really love those shoes before the heel broke). When I carried a huge purse to work the other day, a coworker said she loved my "baby stealing bag" (she said it was big enough to hide a kid). I spent several moments seriously contemplating how she knew I was adopting, and further, how she knew I had contemplated nabbing one of the random children always wandering the toy section at Ross unattended*.

So, at any rate - we're sad. And mad. We're getting better, though. Hubby and I are now back on the pray/research/talk/pray/eat ice cream/pray some more wagon. It is kind of bizarre, exciting, and intimidating to think that, as of this moment, we have no idea where in the world our little children will come from - we are now charged (once again) with choosing the path that will lead us to our little ones.

So thanks to everyone who's told us they are praying for us - that's exactly what we need right now. I'm hoping one path or another becomes the evident choice for us soon. Please also pray for the other adoptive families, the orphaned children, and the government officials who have the ability to work out a new agreement.



*Disclaimer: I would never really steal a child. If a really cute kiddo turns up missing in, say, the south OKC area, I had nothing to do with it.

Brand New Family

Check out Tori, the newest cutie pie to be adopted by a CHI family! Her ecstatic and soon-to-be sleep-deprived new parents are blogging from Vietnam.

Movin' On Up

We're now #225. CHI received two referrals this week - a 13 month old girl and an 8 year old boy. Yay for the kiddos and their new families!

We went to see the movie 21 tonight. It was rather - eh. Kind of boring. It takes skill to make a movie about Vegas that dull. Ah, well, we had fun anyway. Our next movie venture will be to the snazzy new Warren Theatre that just opened a few miles from us. Balcony with wait service? I'm in!

OK, you blogaholics - I suppose I'm behind the times as I just discovered how to set up Google Reader to keep up with all the adoption blogs. Why has no one clued me in to this beautiful, beautiful invention until now? The lightbulb is on and my Blackjack is now tethered to my hand.

The List

So I finally asked for our number. :) I'm going to try to ask no more often than every couple months, though I know that will probably change to monthly.

I was enjoying the anticipation of not knowing exactly how many spots we'd moved up the list, and trying to guess from the news on other PAPs' blogs. Turns out we were right on target. After last week's referrals, Hubby and I are now #227 on the list. We've moved up 21 spots since we joined the list around Valentine's Day. That's certainly more than the average; we've moved up several spots due to PAPs leaving the program due to the impending suspension and whatnot.

Referrals!

Yippee for two CHI families! Two referrals for baby boys were received this week. I hope their new families blog so we can see the cuties.

Vietnam to Require DNA Testing?

The adoption groups are abuzz tonight. A memo describing new DNA testing requirements was posted on Bring Our Children Home. This site is legit, but they haven't shared their source yet, so I'm incredibly curious to see what comes of this.

If accurate (and legitimate - it is April Fools' Day, after all), the memo mandates that orphans and their birth families will have to undergo DNA testing - possibly twice - to confirm actual familial relations before an adoption can proceed. The memo itself is odd; it needs a lot of clarification and another proofread. For instance, it states that this testing will be required for abandoned children. I'm assuming they mean relinquished children, since abandoned children were, by definition, um... you know, abandoned. As in, left without contact information for their birth families. Makes giving them a blood test a bit tricky. The memo also refers to PAPs represented by attorneys instead of agencies, which is not currently an option for adopting from VN.

I don't know what all the potential ramifications are for PAPs (assuming VN adoption is allowed to continue). Obviously it would be yet another hurdle. I can't wait to hear my agency's take on this one.

I suppose it's possible that CIS is modeling this requirement after the DNA testing system in Guatemala adoption. I don't know a lot about those details, but I do know that the DNA testing causes major time delays in a lot of Guatemala adoptions. The Vietnam memo projects a one-month turnaround; I don't know that I fall for that, especially given the recent I-600 debacles.

Anyway. I'm off to watch The Biggest Loser. This is the first season we've watched it, and we're hooked. We were going to work out tonight, but Hubby's too sore from a kickboxing DVD we did last night (and he never trusted me that those were great workouts...). We're going to eat taco soup instead... and yes, I'm aware how contradictory those activities are. :)

Roller Coaster

Here's the quick summary of this post: blech!

That's not actually the first word that would come to mind, but my semi-rational side tells me that a string of expletives wouldn't be appropriate for an adoption blog. We received an update from our agency after I posted earlier. Looks like the MOU will, indeed, expire on September 1. I had been fairly confident that the countries would sign a new one - it just makes so much sense that they would - but neither government has actually stated that they are working on a new agreement.

Why, oh why, are the governments making this so difficult? Seriously. Perhaps I should mail my copy of "Getting to Yes Without Giving In" to the DIA, Vietnam government, or whoever else could negotiate us out of this mess. :( It's heartbreaking to think of the gazillion kiddos living in orphanages, while there are so many parents here who would give about anything for the chance to welcome one into their homes.

When we first started researching adoption, everything I read said it was a roller coaster. That's the most accurate metaphor I've ever heard. Let's all cross our fingers - and pray, pray, pray! - for some positive movement in Vietnam.

MOU update

Happy Monday everyone. I know my fellow Okies had a rough start to the week; our tornado sirens went off at 1:45 this morning. That's enough to get your heart racing. The tornado threat was on the other side of town. I stayed awake and watched the coverage for quite a while, but Hubby managed to doze off again even before the siren quit wailing. I only wish I could fall asleep like that boy!

Today is the last day the MOU could potentially be resigned. It's after 9 pm in VN now, so unless they're burning some midnight oil it looks like there will be a pause in adoptions after September 1 (we don't have official word from our agency yet, but I think it's a gimme). We aren't surprised - we've been expecting this - but hopefully it will be a very temporary suspension while everyone gets their ducks in a row. It appears that VN will continue processing adoptions for those families whose dossiers are in country by the cut-off date. We won't be far enough along to submit our dossier by then, but this is good news for many families. The good news for us is that we will continue to move up the list while those families receive their referrals, even if the country is technically closed during that time; therefore WHEN (positive thinking - note I said "when," not "if") Vietnam reopens we'll be further along.

Please pray for all of the children waiting in orphanages, and for their forever families who are so eager to bring them home.

Happy Easter!

I have been conspicuosly absent from blogging. I'll blame it on the Easter Bunny. He arrived early and captured my unsuspecting sisters and me while we were helping my niece and nephew hunt eggs. Here we are moments before the kidnapping:

You can see the menacing look in the his eyes as his seemingly innocent paws creep around us. Note the looks of blissful ignorance on our faces. Little did we know that moments later we'd be whisked away and submitted to various forms of fluffy torture to keep us from our keyboards. We managed to slip away while he was distractedly filling Easter baskets with marshmallow Peeps.

Hubby and I took advantage of beautiful weather and visited the OKC Zoo today. It was quite busy - not only was it spring break, but there are four new lion cubs on exhibit. We had to park across the street at the racetrack and casino. On the walk over, I heard a man excitedly explaining the intricacies of gambling to his eight-year old son, only he forgot to explain the part where you don't always win when you bet on the ponies.

At any rate, I still have warm fuzzies from watching the lion cubs. I'm having problems with my flickr slideshow so I'll post some pictures individually. Bear with me for some "awww!" moments.

Tearing up an old fire hose.

Faux Turner Falls and some bears in the snazzy new Oklahoma Trails exhibit.

Squishing a gator.

Making a new friend.

Spring is here!

On the way home we stopped at our favorite Asian restaurant. We've always avoided the Vietnamese buffet in the corner, primarily due to its confusing labels and ambiguous meats, but we were up for the challenge today. Or at least, I was up for the challenge until I wandered off to my familiar Mongolian BBQ and sweet and sour chicken. Hubby, on the other hand, gave this concoction a try:

His face says it all - we couldn't quite figure out what that congealed green substance was. He said it tasted like potato chunks in pina colada pudding - I didn't think that could be accurate, but after tasting it, I'd say he hit the nail on the head. Any ideas what we may have consumed?

Lastly, check out our fortunes. A sign of good things to come.

Beware the Easter Bunny... but have a very Happy Easter!

Bloglift

Kathryn, another CHI PAP, gave her blog a facelift (bloglift?). My blog was a wee bit envious, so I followed in her footsteps and jaunted on over to Cutest Blog on the Block. Kudos to Ashley, who runs that site - she has some very creative (free!) designs and easy instructions.

Clearance Bargains

I know, I know... I wasn't going to buy anything for the nursery yet. But how could I pass up this oh-so-fun chandelier from Target? I've had my eye on it since they put out their Global Bazaar collection a couple months ago, and I couldn't pass it by when it went on clearance. I think it would work for a boy or girl room. I also snagged a couple more books from the Dollar Spot. I love all things Disney - especially the old-fashioned cartoons.


Now, I'm not going to buy another thing for that room until we have a referral.

Did I just hear a collective, "Yeah, right!"?

Fur Baby

Our dog just came home from the groomer. I woke her up to take her picture; she wasn't particularly compliant.

Posting this reminded me that I put the below picture on Puppy War a couple years ago. Looks like she's won 49% of her matches. I won't explain to her what that means for the other 51%. I personally think it means she's perfect. :) It may also mean that I've turned into a crazy dog lady.

Vote for Abigail on PuppyWar!

Flu-Induced Ramblings

How sad - I've only blogged for a couple months and I'm already guilty of blog neglect.

CHI didn't have any referrals this week, but hopefully there will be several in March. Several families will be traveling this month. I still haven't come up with a cute waiting list countdown calendar idea yet. Maybe I'll hit Hobby Lobby this week.

No news related to the pending resigning of the MOU.

I've been home with the flu and a sinus infection since Tuesday. Today's the first day I feel normal-ish, other than a cough that feels like it originates in my toes.

I added a new skill to my repertoire while I was home. I spent a couple hours mastering the cup trick shown in the Happy Slip video below. That's an advanced stage of cabin fever, I believe.


I showed off my mad crazy rhythym skills when Hubby came home from work. I think he was more confused than impressed.

I also came across the blog of a single mom who has adopted... drumroll please... 39 children. Wha....? Yes, 39 children. Fascinating.

I'm sitting on the back porch typing this, and a storm's getting ready to roll in. The wind just picked up substantially. I wish it would blow my neighbor's windchimes straight to Oz. Yesterday it was mid-70s and beautiful. Now, a line of severe weather including hail and a tornado watch is headed this way. Tomorrow it's supposed to snow. Crazy Oklahoma weather!

Have I mentioned how ready I am for winter to pass and take all of its cooties with it?

Happy Birthday

Today is a very special day.

Happy

Birthday,

Mom!

XOXOXO

Yoda and Friends

My cell phone has been dying a slow death since the fall. I finally gave in and bought a snazzy little phone, a Blackjack II. It took me months to justify the increased monthly payment. I'm an internet consultant, though, so I need to be able to access my site from anywhere, right...? Well, that and check movie times.

At any rate, I just learned how to transfer pictures from my camera. Here's one of hubby enjoying his Valentine's treats.

Yes, he's sharing his cookie with a little Yoda. Ahem, Yoda himself said, "Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not, for my ally is the Force." Quite a powerful li'l guy.

In adoption news, we just received an update from CHI. The sweetest little three-year-old girl, who is HIV positive, has been on their waiting children list for over a year. Her forever family has now found her! Congrats to the family. She is quite the cutie.

Traveling family

The Abrams (another family from Children's Hope International) are currently in Vietnam completing the adoption of their little girl. I thought I'd share the link to their blog. I love all the pictures they're posting.

They're currently in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for the second half of their trip. Isn't Norah sweet?