OK I Was Wrong.....

I was wrong. There is nothing good about this wait. The newest "rumor" is saying that the wait will go to 24 months in 2007. What does that mean??? Those logged in 2007 are looking at a 2 year wait or what ??? I was wrong there is nothing good about this wait......

Some Good Things About the Wait......

What??? You are now convinced that I have lost my mind. What could possibly be good about the wait for our daughter??? Now don't get me wrong, I never said I liked the wait. I don't like it...Nope, not one tiny bit. But having said that, there are some good/pleasant things about the wait.

1. Secret Pal exchanges. Most DTC groups have this swap. Each month the same anonymous person sends you gifts for the little munchkin. There usually is a theme, such as bedtime, animals, books etc. My secret pal is awesome. She has sent lots of cute and thoughtful gifts for Sophie. Here is what she sent us this month.


2. "Meeting" fellow waiting parents and bloggers. ( I use the term blogger loosely when referring to myself, some of the family's blogs are very creative). I have met many different people on this journey, families from California, Florida, Canada, CT, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and other NC families. It is fun to see how we all deal with the wait, and how excited this "community" gets when referrals come out. I am going to add my favorites to visit this weekend.

3. Any other exchanges offered by your yahoo! DTC group. I did the book swap...Silly me, thought it was for grown-ups. I did it for one month and did receive some nice books for Sophie. I am also doing a hair bow swap. Fun and cute. I just signed up for a bib swap that starts next month. And if my FAMILY doesn't step it up with the quilt squares I may need to join a quilt square swap!



4. Referral day. This day can be a little tough. I am usually at my most impatient as the rumors circulate about referrals coming. But....it is so great to see all these new families and their babies! I stalk, I mean check the referral list from other sites. It is fun to see all these cute little Chinese faces!

5. Time to prepare. I know, I know...... I have had Hannah and Sophie's room finished since December!! But this little bit of time gives us the opportunity to save some $$$$ for our trip, and get our ducks in a row.

That is all I can come up with. I am trying to stay in a positive place. I realize that we will meet Sophie when we are supposed to meet her. This is a process, one that will not be rushed, no matter how impatient and how strong our desire to have our daughter home to us. For those of you who are reading this and waiting please feel free to add any other good things that you can come up with......I made need more next month!!

Need a Taxi ?

No news on Sophie :( We have been super busy with soccer, lacrosse and flag football. Good thing gas prices are coming down. I seem to spend most of my time in the car!! Ben and Hannah are doing well in school, the first 9 weeks is half over already! We had a super busy weekend with practices, games and birthday parties. Chris and I went to a fund raiser held by the Kights of Columbus for people with disabilities. We went with some friends and had a great time! They served NC barbecue and all the beer you could drink for $40 a couple! It is a lot of fun being Catholic :)

44 Questions....

OK Tracy here is my info

1. First name? Mary Ellen

2. Were you named after anyone? Yep. My Dad's favorite Aunt Mary

3.When did you last cry? Thursday....Super stressful day

4. Do you like your hand writing? Not really, it could be neater

5. What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? Sure :)

7. Do you have a journal ? No..Unless this blog counts

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes

9. Would you bungee jump? No way in #@%%

10. What is your favorite cereal? Frosted mini wheats

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?? Sometimes

12. Do you think your strong? Yes

13. What is your favorite ice cream? Chocolate chip cookie dough

14. Shoe size? 8

15. Red or pink?? Red

16. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My nose

17. Who do you miss most? My Grandma C. and Oma

18. What color pants and shoes are you wearing now? Jeans and brown sandals

19. What are you listening to right now?? My husband mowing the yard and my daughter Hannah talking,talking, talking

20. Where is the one place you would like to be right now? China with all 3 of my kids!

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Carolina Blue!

22. Favorite smell?? Clean kiddos right out of the tub!

23. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone? My sister

24. First thing you notice about someone you are attracted to? Eyes (Chris has beautiful green eyes)

25. Favorite drink? Diet Coke or a nice cold microbrewed beer

26. Favorite sport? Football

27. What is your favorite color? Blue

28. Hat size? I have no idea

29. Do you wear contacts? Nope

30. Favorite food? Asian food

31. Scary movie or happy ending? Happy ending

32. What color shirt are you wearing? White

33. Summer or Winter? Summer

34. Hugs or kisses? Hugs, cures most anything

35. Favorite dessert? Cannoli

36. What book are you reading? I'm reading 2, Creating a Life book and Secret girl for the online book club I joined.

37. What is on your mouse pad? Don't have one, I use a laptop

38. What did you watch last night on TV? Hannah and I watched the movie Hoot. It was very good :)

39. What is your favorite sound? My families laughter

40. The furthest you have been from home? Prague, Czech Republic

41. What is your special talent?? I am good at working with small children with special needs and I can knit a hat and scarf

42. Where were you born? Sunny Springfield, Massachusetts

43. Who sent this to you? Tracy over at Our Unforgotten Daughter

44. What day is it? Saturday, September 16, 2006

Leave a post and I will hop over to your blog and find out 44 things about you :)

Wait There Is More!!

In Need of a 12 Step Program

It seems that the TBG girls (Hannah and Mommy) may need to find a 12 step program to stop the shopping for Sophie. Yep, that Sophie. The little girl who lives in China, that we have no idea how old she is, or how much she weighs, or how tall she is or what she looks like!! As you look at the wardrobe we have gathered, I want ya'll to know that most, if not all of it was CHEAP!! Super end of season sales, "too good to leave" kind of things. The Christening gown was the first thing that we bought for Sophie (ok not on sale but not too expensive). Chris and I bought it when we were in San Francisco's China Town. Isn't it beautiful??! I only put pictures on of the clothes we have bought, we have a stroller, a car seat and 2 diaper bags, and we have only been DTC since March!! All this, and I decided this past Friday that I wasn't going to buy anything else new! I am going to go to the kids consignment shop in town and buy things there. This way if it is the wrong size when we are in China I can swap it or give it to someone else. I think I need to stop until we get our referral. But it helps a little bit. It helps us remember despite the long wait that Sophie is real. We really are going to go to China and bring her home. We really are going to have a little munchkin in our home again. The long wait is just that, long. But we know Sophie will be here with us soon, why else would we be buying her all this cute stuff?!?!?