2008 In Pictures

I wanted to do a year in pictures, as many of my Blog friends have featured on their sites......Well, I wanted to do it BEFORE 2008 ended...just ran out of time, this takes AWHILE...lol....

We spent New Year's Eve & New Year's Day at my brother's house. A nice relaxing time with them. Now, back to work & cleaning up around here.

So...I give you 2008 in pictures....

JANUARY
An introduction to snow. We picked one weekend in Jan to go to Atlanta...hoping for snow & we were well rewarded.


An afternoon at the Atlanta Children's Museum. We LOVED this place.


FEBRUARY
First Lost Tooth

A pretty Jami


MARCH
Easter

Flower Fields


Planting a Garden


APRIL
Happy 3rd Birthday Jami!!




MAY
Turning 6


Blueberry Picking



JUNE
Kindergarten Graduation

Dance Recital



JULY
Roasting Marshmellows

To The Beach


Rock Star


AUGUST
Trip to the Beach

First Day of School

Weekend in Atlanta


SEPTEMBER
Labor Day Beach Trip

Unexpected Haircut

Fun with Balloons


Princess Pottery Party


OCTOBER
Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Pumpkins!




NOVEMBER
Two More Teeth...GONE


Fall Festival

Holiday Parade


DECEMBER



HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Has it already been 6 Years??

Dec 31 will forever hold a special meaning for me, ever since Dec 31, 2002.

You see in Nov 2001 I had submitted my dossier to China for a little girl. The wait stretched out to a 13 month wait. Which, for the people waiting for babies from China today is a NOTHING wait, but, at the time, it was the start of the "Long" waits. Because Nov 2001 was a large month for applicants (the singles quota was going into effect on Dec 1 & agencies pushed as many singles as they could into those Nov batches), the referrals were coming from China in monthly batches, one week of referrals at a time. I had missed the previous batch of referrals by a day, so when word came that referrals were on their way, I knew mine would be in the batch.

Frantically following along on my various Yahoo adoption groups, I knew my dossier date was included & that my referral was imminent. My agency was in TX & I lived & worked in CA. Historically, referrals came out in the early afternoon. At that time, I was working between two offices. So, around noon PT, I called my agency rep, to see if she'd heard anything. She had not. So, I told her I was going to travel to my second office & would be out of cell range for about an hr. As fate had it, she received my referral 10 min later & had to wait to call me back.

As soon as I walked into the office, my receptionist called out that my agency was on the phone!! I ran to my office & heard the words that made me a mom:

- a girl
- born May 2002......so just 8 months old
- From Fuzhou, Jiangxi
- Then she spelled her name...L..I..N..D..(at that point I thought WAIT..I'm Naming her Lindsi, are they giving me the wrong name??....A...Lin Da.
- And here is the picture that I opened

Hmmmmmm...she honestly looked nothing like I thought she would. Sort of resembled a mini Mr Magoo to me. I even felt a little deflated.

However, the next day I received my FEDEX package & this picture. Immediately I saw her spirit.....I saw personality......I FELT that picture (& at times, I still see THIS baby in her face).....& from then on it was just a 6 week countdown until we traveled to China.


Here's my beautiful girl today.......


Can't believe it's been 6 years.....it has gone fast & yet, it feels like she's been a part of my life forever. Happy Referral Anniversary to my other Nov 2001 Waiters, otherwise known as the QBQs...Quick Before Quotas....

Finally....Christmas Morn

Opening Their Christmas stockings......



Jami's Big present from Santa...her talking baby & a cradle



I had to make a 4 day business trip to Vegas the week before Christmas & it felt like it put me behind by 8 days! Yes, the baking, shopping, wrapping, delivering all was completed BEFORE Christmas...but other things like cards, & blogging went on the back burner. The cards all went out, finally...so now I can catch up here.

We always have enjoyable Christmases. This year Lindsi really wanted to catch Santa at work. She's been thinking on this for awhile. She usually puts her Cochlear up at night, but several weeks ago asked me if it would be OK if she wore it to bed on Christmas Eve.....she doesn't have a hope of catching Santa if she can't hear. So, I told her Yes, she could wear it.

So, after the Christmas Eve rituals of church, putting out reindeer food, milk & cookies for Santa, the girls went off to bed. It was already pretty late (11 PM) because we had been at my parents visiting with my brother & his family who were over for the holidays. I went to bed too.

At about 1230, I got up to check on things & Lindsi was sitting wide eyed in the hall, waiting to hear Santa. I shooed off to bed & went back to bed myself. I got up again at 0230 & found the girls camped out for Santa...but sleeping. So Santa got the all clear but had to be excruciating quiet not to wake anyone. Around 0400, the girls came in to ask if I had heard Santa yet. I told them no, so they climbed into bed & then slept until 0730.

They are allowed to open their stockings as soon as they wake up. So, off they went to do that. Then they were pretty good about waiting until my parents came over at 1000 to tear into the rest of their Santa & Mommy gifts.

In the afternoon, we had a Prime Rib & Salmon dinner at my parents & our family Christmas with my parents, siblings & their families. I love just visiting with everyone.

Lindsi picked out this dress about 6 weeks ago when we were shopping for a Christmas dress. I told her she could have it for Christmas........Fancy Schmancy. I'm sure she'll make plenty of opportunities to wear it.


Lindsi picked out a few things for Jami this year. She knew Jami would like this one!!


An elderly man at church who ADORES the girls (it is very mutual in fact) was very generous to us this year. He bought Lindsi a bike & Jami got this electric keyboard. WOW!!!!!!!!


I actually had this for Jami last year & held it back. This year she's the perfect age for it & LOVES it. She has given everyone & just about everyTHING a very good exam since Christmas.
.

My Disney connected sister was able to snag Lindsi a bigger Cinderella dress (Lindsi's been wearing the same one since she was 2...& she still wears it!!!) & Jami was gifted with this beautiful Belle dress. Ahhhhh the magic that's Christmas....


I hope your holidays have been as wonderful.

Navigating the Adoption Road

First of all, I know that in terms of adoption angst / grief, I have had it pretty easy. For nearly 6 years it has been pretty much non existent in our house.

Both girls will tell you proudly that they are from China. We talk about how I met Lindsi at the hotel & she laughed & smiled the entire time. We talk about how I actually missed Jami's "Family Day" because of an airline delay & that when I got her, she screamed & cried & would hardly let me hold her for 3 days.

At 3, Jami is just coming to terms with some of her story. In her mind, there was no life "BEFORE" Jami. She has always been here...even though she will also tell you that I flew on a plane to get her in China. These days she references back to pictures she seen...Remember Mom...when I was in China with my Strawberry Shortcake Dress???"

Lindsi's never really talked much about China at all. Except to tell me that we should go back to China for another sister or two.

So, it was even more surprising to me when I went into the family room last night & Lindsi was looking through our China photo albumns & crying. She was looking at the various pictures & Chinese woman (the asst dir who brought her to me, her fostermom, & our Nanchang guide) & asking which one was her mother. She wanted to go to China right now & find her mother.

It's hard not having any information. The best you can do is love them through it & answer whatever questions come up. There is a lot going on in her head these days centered around adoption & who her birth parents are. She's very private, so I'm not sure, even if I ask, if she will talk much more about it.

We'll see.........