On Thursday evening our local social worker stopped by to pick up the massive amounts of forms we needed to turn over so she could start writing the home study.  We also turned in our 10 hours of adoption learning, which we actually did 11.5, but decided to switch one of our classes at last minute.  It was a good one, so I'm glad we did.  I'm SO excited for the day that the SD CPS clearances come in the mail, it feels like these will be the last to arrive before sending in the home study for approval.
On Friday I f.i.n.a.l.l.y finished our photo book, it took FOREVER!!!  I'd say probably a month at best because I kept changing things and wondering if it was the right picture to put in or if I should switch pictures around.  Man...this was a task, but it is SO much fun to see the final product.  I have to say that I love it and hope that an expectant parent will see a small glimpse in our lives and want us to be parents to their baby. 
We also met with our chaplain on Friday evening, it was a great meeting and he'd be honored to be our reference for the adoption. 
Yesterday was fun, we went to our friends new home, had lunch and chatted for 5 hours.  Came back to base to go trick or treating with their 15 month old son, he was a monkey and a very cute monkey!  It was nice outside so that was nice for a change.   Over here in Germany they do things a bit different, celebrating earlier and it was massive people everywhere!  Nonetheless, it was fun, and now I know what to expect for next year and hopefully we'll have our baby along for the enjoyment. 

Well I need to go make hubby some breakfast!  Have a great day!

Finally

Today was so exciting, I received an email from both social workers first thing this morning.  Our agency in VA sent the form so she and the agency here can communicate, and also mentioned that our FBI clearances and ND CPS clearances were in, she is still waiting on the VA CPS clearances.  That's so exciting because we were told from our local agency that it would take 3-4 months for the FBI clearances to get back, it was only 2 weeks!  The email from the agency here said we could meet up tomorrow afternoon to hand over the paperwork we've collected so far for the home study.  It's a lot of paperwork!  Here's the list of everything we are handing over:

~copy of marriage certificate
~copy of hubby's birth certificate
~copy of hubby's passport
~hubby's life story
~Notarized financial statement
~copy of past 3 years tax returns
~letter from employer
~statement of service letter
~bank statements
~my SS statement
~copy of my medical exam
~copy of my medical insurance coverage
~copy of hubby's medical insurance coverage
~official military background clearance for me
~official military background clearance for hubby
~official local child abuse clearance for both on same letter
~PA record check clearance for me
~PA record check clearance for hubby
~2 letters of reference (so far, hoping to get one tomorrow before the appt.)

I also mailed out the following to our agency in VA:

~PA record check for both
~military background check for both
~military CPS check for both
~shaken baby syndrome form
~hubby's birth certificate
~my birth certificate
~marriage certificate
~my medical exam report
~release of information form

Today was so busy getting all this put together, plus we did 5 hours of adoption education!  We're ready!  I'm trying not to get too excited to begin to think that it's going to happen sooner than expected, but it's hard!  I guess I never expected us to get this far in the blessing to become a family with a child.  After all our loss and grief over IVF's and the fertility treatments, we are finally seeing our light shine on! 
On Friday morning we are meeting with a local chaplain since we haven't yet settled into a church.  Things just seem to be moving along for us, it's hard not to get excited.  I wonder if since things are moving now, does that mean we'll have a longer wait or a lot of bumps during the waiting and referrals?  I pray not, but it's all so unpredictable. 
Well I'm going to bed, need to get off this computer!

Nite Nite!

Miserable!

Oh my gosh!  Oh my gosh!  I'm in such pain today with killer cramps!  FYI...this might be to disgusting for some readers, but this is my blog and I'm writing!  I've already exceeded the daily limit of Aleve by 14 pills and I need more pain reliever!  I think I will try something else before going to sleep in a few.  I need something stronger, give me some percocet or something.  I've had this pain a few years ago when all i did was curl up and cry, that time it happened while i was out shopping and I was in Macy's.  Its a horrible pain, almost like I'm miscarrying but don't think I was pregnant since my cycle came on schedule.  I typically like to take pain without taking pills, but this is TOO much!  I've been taking the pills every 3-4 hours and they are just not helping...UGH...I'm in such misery!  I also used a heating pad, much to no help!
Other than my misery with cramps, today went alright.  Hubby was off work today so it was nice to have him home.  I went to the store to get a few things, bad idea since the cramps were talking the whole time and I bought SO much JUNK! 
I'm talking to my lil sister on web cam right now, its about time that she hooked up with a service so we can...i miss her baby girl!  I loved living only 3 hours from them and miss them all SO much!  I can't wait until they come visit and when I go back in May for my sisters college graduation.  I'm so proud of her and all her accomplishments throughout the past few years!
Well I'm about to talk to my niece so I'm outta here!

Nite Nite!

Busy body?

So I'm often told by my husband that I'm a busy body, but am I?  I am very spontaneous in my every day life, i don't have a schedule, much to his dismay, but I enjoy my days.  I do often find that my days fly by and I'm wondering where the day went, but this week was filled with a new activity to catch my attention.  I'm hoping my love for this new art I've found will not fade.  I became certified at pouring ceramics, which means I can make and create my own bisque ceramics.  This new activity brings much joy and peace in my day and I feel so much happier.  I look forward to it each day...now why can't I feel the same way about going to the gym...lol??  I've added some pictures of the items I made, the potpourri set and the thinking frog.  The pig is a creation that some guy made and I thought it was darling and would like to "copy-cat" it.

Have you been wondering if hubby has been home more?  What do you think?  Do you think it's possible?  Well it hasn't worked out yet, but I'm okay right now, I think because of the ceramics keeping me busy.  Is that bad, rude, or selfish?  Possibly, but I'm sure he's not complaining since it's SO hard for him to leave work all the time...lol.  He went out of town on a last minute business meeting Tuesday morning and will return tonight, I'm so excited, but more I think monkey boy is...he's been waiting by the door since last night thinking "dad" would be walking through the door, he's been sad.

This morning I had my adoption physical exam, it was painless, but still enjoyed it.  I love telling people about it because I've gotten such great response from strangers.  Today though, i didn't have to say anything because it was in my records why I was there, so everyone just started talking to me about it.  The receptionist said "thank you" for going through with it because he and his wife wanted to adopt back in the day, but because they were both in the military and deployed back to back, their agency they were working with told them that they had no chance...that's SO sad!  Then the nurse was asking me about it and thought it was interesting and wished me good luck, the doctor came in and did the same.  I had to go down and get a alcohol test done because when the doctor put the order in last week, he forgot that one.  That's done now, just waiting for that result and the HIV result to get back so I can pick up my sheet.  After the hospital I went over to Family Advocacy and picked up our child abuse check. All is clear on that, but then again, i didn't think it would come back any differently.

Oh, I'm happy to say that my hubby found me some raynaud's gloves.  We ordered them and I really hope that they will work.  I've been feeling angry with my hands that I can't seem to enjoy being in the outdoors, which is where I LOVE to be! We went for a walk on a trail around here, it was so nice, but my fingers were frozen and they HURT bad!  Here's a pic of the trail.

Well I think I've got it all from the past 5 days. 

Nite Nite

Lost

So this morning hubby calls looking for his ID, he has LOST it!  Not good, now he needs to go through hoops to try to get a new one, I hope everything turns out and he can get working so he's not there all night.  Well i guess it would be okay if he was since I'm going to a friends tonight and we are going to watch Remember Me.  I don't have many plans today, I do plan to work on the photo book, hopefully will get to the police station to get background check started, will run to the store to get some ingredients to make Spinach dip for tonight, yummy.  I didn't really get to enjoy any on Saturday when i made it, i think i had 3 bites.  
Yesterday...we went and had our TB test read, picked up the forms for family advocacy, and got our financial statement and SD CPS forms notarized.  I made some Thai egg rolls and stir fry last night for dinner and they were SO tasty!  I also went to the Arts and Craft store and made a pumpkin cup with good friend P and her girls, it was a good time!  I can't wait to get my paint and ceramics that I ordered so i can take my stuff there and use the area so i don't have to worry about messing my stuff up.  It will also be nice just to get out of the house.  I'll post a picture after the pumpkin cup gets fired, I'm excited to see how it turns out after being fired.
Last night I talked with hubby because I feel like he's spending a lot of time away from home.  We chose to live near his work so he wouldn't be there for 15 hours a day, but he's gone all day still.  I feel like I don't get a chance to see him and enjoy being around him.  He gets home between 630 and 7, then by 8 he's in the bed already because he wakes up between 330 and 415 to go workout, then off to work.  I understand that he's tired, but maybe he could get home at a decent hour a few days a week so we can enjoy each others company.  He said if i had things to do during the day, like a job, then I wouldn't care so much...um, yes I would!  I remember shortly after he started his new job and he had a meeting with his boss, his boss said that he does not need to stay there until he's gone, which is what hubby does, he believes, "if the boss is there, I must be there".  Then comes the subject of always having SO much work that "i can't get away"...um, leave it for the next day, if it's already late, what's another day or two?  So after our talk, we decided that he's going to come home for lunch so we can see each other...we'll see if it works.  He'll say that, but then "something" will come up way more important, then it will end before it starts.  I hope to see him at lunch.

Have a great day!

Getting things done

Yesterday hubby and I got some of our medical stuff done for the adoption.  We had to get HIV draw, TB test, and urine drug test.  While I was getting my HIV blood drawn, the technician asked "so you're adopting?", I was surprised because I didn't say anything, so I guess the doctor I spoke to last week inputed why we needed the tests done.  I enjoy talking about it, it brings me peace and happiness.  Hubby probably thinks I talk too much about it, but I do watch who i speak to about it, not just everyone.  I went to the gym last night with good friend P and her girlies...on our way out we noticed arts and craft signs, so we were curious and went down the stairs to check it out.  I'm SOO happy that we did because I found out that I can get certified on making my own ceramics!  That is awesome and since I love bisque ceramics, I'm going to go talk to the guy today to see when he can teach me.  I can also talk my ceramics there and paint using their tables, paints, brushes, even their fire torch.  Oh my, this is my destiny!  I'm so in love with painting, it's so relaxing and a great stress releaver.  Oh and also, it makes the time go so fast, so while going through the adoption, this will definately help my time go with ease instead of worry. 
I'm getting ready to take monkey boy on a walk, but i first wanted to post on here. 
I received my laptop today and 2 picture frames from Target...i can't wait to fill the frames up and smile everytime I walk past them.  They will be filled with family, friends, and LOVE!
Thanks sis for ordering my laptop and sending it to me...sorry HP was being a pain in the rear and wouldn't let me since my address is not in the US.  Love ya!

Have a great day!

Our adoption timeline

So I created our timeline for our journey through adoption, as you can see, we still have many things left to do, but it all seems pretty small.  I'm hoping to have all of it done by the end of this week except the clearances of course, which are out of my hands.
I love having this blog to post and reflect everything we are going through.  It allows me to write whatever I want and what's weighing on my heart.

Where has time gone?

I feel like time has been flying past me, the days are gone before I realize and get the opportunity to reflect on what's been happening.  So, now to reflect on the past few days...

Wednesday, busy getting things together for the adoption home study, all the paperwork/documents that needed to be copied have been copied and found :).  It was a busy day trying to organize everything and make a list of everything we need to get the home study in approval status.    I was so excited from Tuesday's home study visit that Wednesday was a day filled with joy and excitement as I could see the future when we have our baby in our arms.  Sure the paperwork is a lot of work and determination, but it is and will be SO worth it all!

Thursday, I had a coffee date with my good friend, P, so we enjoyed our java and pastry over some good conversation.  It's so nice to be able to get out and spend time with people who are similar to yourself.  After java, we decided we would try to find a shopping center, well we found it, but couldn't find a place to park.  How at 1030 in the am, could there be SO many people out shopping.  There are parking garages all over the area, but for some reason, we could not find one.  It was frustrating, since all the signs for the parking garages showed you which way to go, but we still couldn't find the garages...ugh!!  I just wanted to do some shopping.  So since I knew where to park at another shopping area, we decided to drive away and go somewhere else.  It all worked out because I was able to get things for the party we were having Saturday night.  Then her husband was so generous and helped carry up a bench that I bought, if only my hubby would be around more.  I started doing some tidying up around the house after they left, and a few hours later, our good friends, M and J, from Virginia moved here so they emailed and said to stop by, I was so excited!  This family is just awesome, we've been through similar experiences in life, such as our infertility experience.  They have a handsome little boy, M who is 1.  We were neighbors in VA and have a lot of fun times and memories together, it's so nice to have them in the area, even if they won't be living 2 houses away, we'll still see each other very often and hang out a lot...exciting!

Friday, still getting things ready for the party on Saturday, in addition, I hung out with the newcomers a lot and loved every minute of it :).  Later that night, we were invited to a surprise birthday party for friend, A.  She and her family had gotten here 2 days before hubby and I, so she was hating this place and worried that she wouldn't make friends, well i'm happy to say that she had a great turn out at her party that she has many new friends.  Happy Birthday A!

Saturday, well it's party day!  I think i ran to the store about 8 times before the party started, things i forgot, or just decided to get at last minute, but in the end, the party turned out great.  We hosted a total of 16 people and it sounded like everyone enjoyed themselves.  We made BBQ ribs, 3 different kinds of german bratwursts, veggie tray, pasta salad, russian potato salad (thanks M, it was awesome!), chips, spinach dip (i make it and everyone always loves it...i think i'm going to make it a "secret" recipe so that way I can always bring it everywhere and be told how awesome it is!), chips/salsa (thanks A), veggies and corn on the cob, however, I forgot to have the corn cooked...oops!!!  So now i have 24 ears of corn ready to be cooked in the freezer...lol.  We drank wine, beer, sodas, water, sat around and had a lot of laughs as the men reminiced about their time deployed together, us ladies also talked about the area, as we are all fairly new to the area, everyone within 3 months of being here :).  I also showed and talked about the adoption, which always excites me, i'm sorry if i bored anyone with that...lol.  Oh, we also got the new car seat yesterday in the mail.  I think it's going to be a nice one, the fabric feels awesome and seems like it will be easy to clean for the most part, hopefully it will fit in the car nicely. 

So now, Sunday, we are cleaning up the house from the party.  We pretty much did most lasty night, but we still have dishes, and hubby is working on mopping the floors.  I'm also going to look at a new site I was referred to and see about making our photo book on there...i hope it is just what i'm looking for.  I have one done on another site, but i'm going to try this new one and see if i like it better :).

Have a great day!

Awesome God!

Today was a day that was an unexpected day.  We had our adoption home study!  That was a huge surprise because we thought we were only signing papers, paying the fee and asking the bazillion questions I had, but much to our delight, we did the home survey, interviews, questionnaire, and went over the agency policies.  What a relief, if I would have known we were about to do all this today, I would have been STRESSING and lost last night's sleep, but since we didn't know, I didn't stress and I slept GREAT!  I've been singing, Our God is an awesome God he reigns all day today!  The social worker we are working with is awesome and monkey boy didn't bark at her, he did want to keep playing with her though.  He was SO good during the entire visit, just great!
On a side note, we received our tourist passports today, we can officially leave this country and travel the world!  It's awesome as we are trying to make plans to go places for the holidays.  Would that be smart, with all the tourist threats in Europe right now? 
Since I've been sick for nearly 5 weeks now, I decided that tonight I would take a benadryl and see if maybe it's an allergy that i have.  I'm just allergic to Europe...hehe!!   I'm just hoping for some relief!
The car seat shipped today, so we should have it next week!

Nite Nite!

Icky day...but good day!

Oh the poor nose today, been running, sneezing and bringing a lot of nasty along with it...lol.  Since I have this nosey stuff today, I opted not to go to the gym and worked out at home doing the Jillian Michael's 30 day shred.  I did level one and was it a workout!  I do more sweating in those 20 minutes than i do in an hour and a half at the actual gym...SAD!  
This morning I contacted the social worker for the home study and since I have so many questions, she's going to stop by in the morning and we're going to go through everything and sign the contract also.  It's exciting!
I also bought a car seat for our baby, it's a Britax Boulevard 70 CS, really nice, expensive, but we shouldn't have to buy another as our child grows...this one is supposed to be good up to 70 pounds.  So in the long run, yes we paid a lot now, but probably save a few hundred in the future?  I think we have all the basics now so I shouldn't have to buy anything until I have our baby in our arms.  Good thing i don't live by a babies r us or carters...i couldn't resist those stores!
I actually braved getting gas in my car all by myself, the first time i did it here, the pump stopped pumping and since then, I've been afraid to go by myself and get it.  Well today, my hubby didn't want to get it for me and I needed some...so off i went :).  It all worked out and pumped the tank full...YAH!!!!
Tomorrow's a busy day, we have the social worker in the morning, a change of command in the afternoon and hubby says he's taking me for dinner, but i really doubt he will.   

Nite Nite!

Great day!

Today I received the email I've been hoping for, for the past 3 days, the email in which we can start our home study with a different agency.  My patience just wasn't getting through waiting on the other agency to send an email back to us, we waited almost a month.  I feel at such peace about switching and feel it will be something good. 
I'm going to start working the paperwork tomorrow and gathering the required documents so we can get moving with the process.  I'm SO excited!
I started reading Like Dandelion Dust, it's such a great book so far.  I'm like addicted to it because I can't put it down, I'm reading the book much faster than I've read any other book, must mean i like it :)
I asked my friend to join me in going to a craft store we saw a few weeks ago.  It was a great thing we went because I found the ceramics that I paint and absolutely thrilled that i will be getting back into it while I'm here.  I should have brought all my other ceramics on this move, but i wasn't sure if we'd have the space for it all :(  Wish i could request them to be shipped here...lol. 
Going to go read for a few hours before i head to bed.  Just wanted to write down how exciting my day was.

Nite Nite!