A Natural Family

After some careful consideration, I am taking the blog private. Not to overly scare anyone but there have been reports of a family being denied an adoption by the Ethiopian government due to content on their blog. Mind you, the 'content' was expressly forbidden like posting a picture prior to being the legal guardian of the child. The family was also openly fundraising on the blog which the Ethiopian government is not wild about.

So, if you want to have access to the blog--please send me your current email address and I will add you as 'an invited reader.' It'll be like an exclusive (but free) club.

Even if we aren't friends in real life, but you have been keeping up with the adoption please let me know your address and I would be glad for you to continue reading.

Mostly, I just don't want to think about always censoring myself--especially my feelings about the adoption, adoption process, etc... So, for now, I think this is the best decision.

I plan to leave this up for a week while we visit CALIFORNIA! Then, I will do the whole invite readers-go private thing.

Happy Thursday. K

1. The update from WHFC this week had the next family on the list for a single child under 12 months with a date of 10/12/06. Our date is 1/16/07, so we are definitely getting closer. It is weird to really have no idea how many families might have a date between 10/12 and 1/16. So, we really don't know how much longer it will take, but it is nice to see the dates moving along and know that we are making some kind of progress toward becoming a family of three.



2. On 1/5/08, J and I, along w/some close friends, were treated to dinner at Sylvia's in Harlem. The food was delicious and the history of the restaurant is pretty awesome. You should eat there if you are ever in the NYC area. I will post pictures when I am at home.

3. Friday of this week (1/18/08), J and I are throwing a big 5th anniversary bash for ourselves! We spent the weekend talking about it, buying food, and strategizing about how to fit over 25 people in our apartment! I have also watched videos from our wedding recently. So funny and still pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

4. Tomorrow marks one year on the waiting list. ONE WHOLE YEAR. This is definitely longer than I have waited for anything. But, as of now, the wait is going pretty okay for me. I have some stuff to do before we get a referral. Hopefully, when that time comes, I will be ready! (I must admit, I have been thinking about what all I might do on Maternity leave w/Baby B.)

5. Over the past couple of weeks, I became addicted to a book series by Scott Westerfeld. It is a three book series about a futuristic world situation (but not too futuristic). The main character is a teenaged girl who thinks outside of the box (most of the time) and works to save the world. Yes, it is 'young fiction,' but the books Uglies, Pretties, and Specials were quite a fun three days.

6. Last, but certainly not least, we bought a Roomba with some Christmas money. Yes, a robot vacuum. We chose to go the cheap route and buy a factory refurbished one from buy.com. I have to say, he (I decided it is a male) is AWESOME. I love to sit on the couch with a piece of chocolate and watch a robot do the work that I would have been doing. It does a great job on our rugs, hardwood floors, and kitchen/bathroom tile floors. It goes under the couch, under the bed, and under the kitchen table. TOO COOL.

So, as of tomorrow, I will have been married for five years. No way. That is something for old people. That is almost out of newly wed range. Five big ones. I am happy to say that I still dig it. I am pretty sure he still digs me, and I like him a bit too. Of course, reality has set in. We used to be really good about always going away for our anniversary. Nothing big, but one night away. This year, on our anniversary, I will work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Justin will work from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Happy anniversary to us! This weekend we have stuff planned with other people Friday and Saturday nights! Oh well. We are thinking of throwing ourselves a fifth anniversary party in the next couple of weeks.

We had a good Christmas. We traveled to Michigan to visit with my family--some of whom flew all the way from South Korea. My cousins are fabulous, as are aunts and uncles. And, as you know, my immediate family is pretty alright too. We missed J's family. We did also see some of J's pseudo-family in West Virginia which is always a blast.

On the adoption front (yes, I know, get to it already):
The last weekly update email we got from the agency had three referrals where families waited only 15 months! That means that we could be looking at a referral as soon as mid-March. Now that it is getting close-ish to happening, I am not quite sure if I am ready... go figure! On to finish the masters thesis and get the house semi-organized. We also have to make sure all of our paperwork is up-to-date, as CIS fingerprints, I600-A, and Child Abuse Clearance Forms all expire after 12-18 months. Fun, fun.

Hope the holidays were happy for all...