Sorry for the absence.

2:50 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 3 Comments »
I guess sometimes I just don't feel like writing. This space between now and when school ended has been filled with work, social events, and laziness... As many of you know I am quite the connoisseur of lazy. I consider it an art form that requires discipline and practice. The ability to say, 'I will not clean the bathroom now,' or 'We will eat out again today,' does not just come naturally. (okay, well it might come kind of naturally... :)) Plus, one must have the right gear--a comfy couch, old lounge-ish pants, a good movie or book. AND, all of this (attitude and gear) must align at the right time in order for pure laziness to commence.

So, I think the lazy period is coming to a close and the 'back to work' period is on the rise. This weekend involved cleaning the house, emptying the fish tank (yes, our dear Lamont passed on), as well as visiting friends. I have grand plans to get back to the library in July and work on my paper.

Also, the whole family is coming in August (even gma suzie) to play with Justin and me.

On the baby front: Referrals are still coming slowly to our agency. I am pretty content with the thought that we won't know anything until next Spring. I am beginning to give myself permission to feel like I really do have a baby on the way. I make sure to walk through the baby aisles whenever we are at the store and think about what our baby might need. I might even get back to working on the quilt... Once this baby comes, we will have him or her for the rest of our lives. So, why not enjoy these last several months just the two of us?

Holding Strong.

10:12 AM Posted In , Edit This 3 Comments »


So, this weekend will be our 5 month waiting anniversary (6/16/07). Here is a little update. (Sorry this post is really nothing cool--no profound thoughts, no big updates. I guess this one is mostly for family or anyone bored enough at work to care to read!)

*Our social worker has assured us that even if we move (due to job opportunities) before the baby arrives, it will not affect our place on the waiting list. We will just have to complete more paperwork.

*Even though I have thought about it, I will not post monthly picutres of my belly. It is not growing (unless we eat a big meal).

*I had a few interesting conversations about the adoption at work this week. I am still working on responding to awkward questions about how much the adoption costs. (Yes, I am much more brave on the blogosphere.) I think pretty much everyone at work knows about the adoption now.

*I have been debating a 'pregnant on paper' or 'adopting' t-shirt. Some days I think they are pretty cool, some days I think they are pretty lame. Maybe if I could make one myself, it would look less lame than the ones I have found online. (The one you see to your right is an example of 'lame.' The one at the top of the post is not as lame, but I definitely wouldn't get it in pink.) What do you guys think?

*A 78 year old woman hit my car with her car (with me in it) at the grocery store parking lot yesterday. It made me feel flustered and anxious, but otherwise did not cause very much damage. She was a very lovely woman who even called me later in the day to see how I was doing. I might like to have coffee with her sometime... after the car gets fixed :)

*I have been thinking a lot about Brooke's journey lately. She is in Ethiopia now getting ready to bring home Sophia. I think they were supposed to have their Embassy appointment on Tuesday.

*There was this interesting article in the NYTimes a couple of days ago about Ethiopian adoptions. Check it out.

*My big project that I have been working on at work won 3rd place in our Performance Improvement Competition! It is pretty cool b/c my little project was competing against big projects run by people who have ph.d's and are doing big research studies.

*The latest news from our agency is that people who are currently getting referrals of infants have waited 12 months. Most likely the earliest we will get news of our baby will be Mid-January.

*We are watching Maren on Friday evening. It should be fun!

Nitty Gritty: round two

9:53 PM Posted In Edit This 1 Comment »

It crossed my mind after I wrote the 'Nitty Gritty' post that you all may wonder what adjustments we have made in order to fund our adoption. So, in the spirit of openness, I would love to share those.

1. We received a gift of money a couple of years ago from J's grandmother after she sold her home. This was a gift given to all of her grandchildren to be used for whatever purposes. (THANKS, Charlotte!) Our purpose is adoption! This is currently accruing interest in a CD, and without this the funding would have been much more complicated for us. Started with about $10,000.

2. We had some student loan money left over a year ago (before we stopped needing to take out student loans). Yes, I realize that this is something we will pay back with interest, but... I am glad that the money was there for us to pay the initial home study fees. $3,000.

3. We came up with a budget for our current income that is allowing us to put away money every month. The plan is to put that in a high interest ING-type savings account. We, the famous movie-goers, no longer see very many movies in theaters. We don't eat out as much, don't go into NYC as much, and don't pay our electric bill... no, no... we do pay the electric bill! We just don't run the a/c! $400/mo.

4. We work extra jobs. I babysit for some friends of ours who usually wouldn't pay me. Now they just give us some 'adoption money' every so often! J has taken on extra classes at Kaplan Test Prep and has taught a couple of classes at Rutgers as a Part-Time Lecturer. $15/hr, $23/hr, and $2,500/class.

5. We applied for a couple of adoption grants, but have not received any favorable determinations as of yet. -$30 (application fees).

6. We have rented out a room in our apartment to a couple of friends (on different occasions) who were between apartments. The money from them goes into the fund! ~$1500 total.

7. We received a bangin' tax return this year, all of which will go to the fund. $2700.

Things adoptive parents don't have to buy:
* Maternity Clothes
* Newborn stuff
* Breast Pumps
* Pre-natal Dr.'s visit co-pays

Things this adoptive parent worries about:
* No paid maternity leave which is hard for me because I am the primary wage earner right now (although J rivals me some months!) and I had always envisioned myself staying home, at least for a while. The Family Leave Act gives me 12 weeks, but my employer doesn't have to pay for any of it. So, I am saving up vacation time, which kind of stinks b/c it makes holidays hard this year. Still praying about that one...