Yesterday was full of a lot of official adoption errands and meant 5 hours out of the house. I'm sure I could have accomplished it faster alone, but with three kids in tow, I was traveling at the Mommy rate.

We did copies at kinko's, went to the post office, stopped by Eric's work for a signature, stopped in Taco Bell for a few drinks and a potty break, and went to Catholic Charities to drop off papers. So, we now have an I-600A somewhere on its way to USCIS!!! That's kind of a big deal. It mean that we're no longer just "talk"- we're really doing this thing!

Speaking of adoption, a number of the people I've gotten to know on the Yahoo Group I'm part of use the services of You Belong. Think Blogger for adopting families. So, I occasionally click through to stay updated on people's journeys. Well, on the main page of You Belong, today, is a link to a family in China picking up their daughter. They adopted from China 4 years ago and prayed for their daughter's best friend who was left behind in the orphanage in China. All these years they prayed for the family that would come and adopt her. They ended up being that family! So, now the best friends are sisters! Wow. God is amazing, isn't He? He sets the lonely in families. :-)

Yesterday was long. We had carpet installed ALL DAY. It was supposed to be broken up between Monday and Tuesday, according to the employee in charge of our account. But, she's not a carpet installer. So, the installers came at 8:15 and got to a certain point then said something to the effect of, "hey, we're making good progress, it looks like we'll be able to get it all done today". But one of the guys in the 2 man crew had a doctor's appointment at 1:00 and the other guy plugged on through alone. By 9:30pm it was all installed. Eric stayed home to assist in the moving of items from one room to the next and I kept the kids occupied and out of the carpet mess while also doing school with Grant and filling out a number of papers for our adoption. Tired. Tired. Tired. BUT!- it all got done in one day, which is the reward for such exhaustion. The carpet looks AMAZING and feels so soft underfoot. We replaced all of the really old carpet that was wearing through and completely compressed (we are assuming it was original and 10 years old), but left the "less old" (our guess is 2 years old) carpet in the living room and dining room. I said last night that I think the living room and dining room are jealous now. We picked a frieze carpet which is like a very short shag. Shag is new again and it is completely soft and fun. I really love it.

Apart from the carpet, the house is also feeling more like home now that we've hung pictures and paintings on the wall. Nothing distinguishes a home from a model house more than photographs of loved ones proudly displayed (okay, that, and the mounds of laundry). Oooo, wouldn't that be funny? To make a Realistic Model Home where kids toys were scattered and laundry was yet-to-be-folded and the kitchen held more than perfectly organized decorative jars of colored pasta and dried beans. Hee.

Today, I'm working on an Ancient Egypt project with Grant. He decided to do his report on the jewelry they wore. Five complete sentences in his best handwriting, a hand drawn picture of his topic, a 3D project, and a presentation in front of his class. Did you do presentations in first grade? I didn't. But, I think he's learned a lot from the process.

I'll also be going to Kinkos for copies of vital records and forms that we're sending along to our homestudy agency and USCIS. Yesterday, I made appointments for Eric and I to get physicals, requested new driver's licenses with the new address (the first step to getting a criminal clearance from our local police department is having a driver's license with this city listed), and made calls to get clearer information on filling out a few of the forms. We've barely begun, but I feel like we're making good progress considering the state of our house.

In looking for a family shot of the five of us for some adoption paperwork, I came across these cuties from Moving Day (the only really big snow day we've had all season- go figure!):

Making progress

Eric stayed home from work today and we put in a new kitchen faucet, and installed three light fixtures. I did the faucet nearly all by myself and he was the Light Man. There is still a stack of purchases in the garage waiting to be installed (mostly lights and faucets, although there are some bits of weather stripping and a shower head, as well). But, that is another day. Here are some lazy pictures I took on my laptop's camera of the new chandelier and kitchen gooseneck faucet. The faucet was a deal at Costco- last one left and it rang up for $50. Seriously. Can't. Beat. That.

Has anyone else noticed that I'm on a bit of a blogging binge? It's as though I'd been away for so long that I had forgotten what I liked writing about. I have re-found my voice. Ahhhh and Blogger is just so darn quick to use.

I faxed in my notarized sworn statement and ordered my birth certificates on Tuesday. Today, the UPS man showed up! That was speedy. All that the State of CA did was xerox the original birth certificate (that looks exactly like the 28 year old one I have) onto a piece of current watermarked California stationary. I hope it isn't a problem that they xeroxed it crooked, and a part of a number is cut off. But, its here. So, we can now fill out and send off our I600A (and fees) with copies of birth certificates. I can see how it takes some people months and months to do all the forms etc. because it really takes discipline to get it done quickly. When the ball is in your court, its easy to put it off or take an extra day here or there to complete things. But, I'm thinking I'd like to speed through some of this stuff to get it out of our way so that we simply proceed to the Do Nothing and Wait stage.

PS. I just got a call from my sweetie- HE'S LANDED. Yay!

Its only 8:30 and has been busy around here already. I woke up around 6:30 but stayed in bed because it was warm and I was still tired after not making it to bed until 12:00.

Eric is on a business trip, so I have had a hard time getting the kids in bed before 9- just too much to do solo unless I start at 5:00. That meant I'd had a 15 hour day of non-stop kid related stuff. As exhausted as I was, I felt like I shouldn't go to bed because i finally had a minute to myself. And if that minute to myself meant that I could fold laundry without someone else unfolding at the same rate than I was staying up. So, I folded and watched some mindless TV (I had planned to watch Gilmore Girls but it wasn't recorded to the TV where all the laundry was...I'm, like, 4 weeks behind on watching GG!). Anyway, I came across Jay Leno who I never watch (I don't know why, but I prefer David Letterman's humor) but he had on Gordon Ramsey of cooking fame (also head of Hell's Kitchen). It was absolutely hilarious! They were making a pasta dish side by side and Jay was fumbling and Chef Ramsey was being quick and bossy and getting bleeped out left and right. The whole thing looked like a very carefully choreographed comedy bit. And not in a goofy way, just that it was soooo funny.

Anyway. Back to this morning. I finally got out of bed at 6:45 when all the kids came downstairs and greeted me bedside. I reached for the nightable and found no glasses. I am convinced I had them last night after I took out my contacts and I usually set them right near the alarm clock. NO GLASSES. I'm on my last pair of contacts and I can't find my glasses. I know what today will be dedicated to (A: search party). The only place I haven't looked is the trash I took out last night. But, again, I really think I had my glasses all the way up to going to sleep. And I without a doubt had them yesterday morning when I took Grant to school. So, while I'm down on the floor looking under the bed, Lael ends up with a red marker and colors on the carpet in the dining room. Resolve is already out at 7:00 and the shampoo attachment to the Kirby is out no later than 7:15. Before breakfast.

I am determined to have a great day regardless of the crazy start its had. The weather is supposed to be good again. And Eric is coming home one day early, so he'll be home tonight. I miss him.

Edited to add: Glasses found! They mysteriously showed up in the boys' room this afternoon. It was either Lael, or I laid them down for a moment while kissing them and checking on them one last time in the middle of the night. Lael is the more likely theory, as you might have guessed.

Photo post test

For Amy's sake, I thought I'd try posting a picture. Fairly random picture from the old house while we were still packing. BUT, Lael has the strangest mid-sneeze type face. I giggle when I see it.

Post over. Go about your business.

My kids are outside...without coats. Praise God for this much needed break in our winter!

Today, I'm trying desperately to get things accomplished.

I've got huge piles of laundry to sort and put away now that the boys are swapping dressers with me. I'll be using their long dresser, and they'll have my armoir. Bedroom layout here in the new house prevents us from continuing the way things were. A lot has changed, actually. We're keeping all toys in the playroom (bonus room), so the kids just have beds and dressers in their rooms. No longer do we have a coat/shoe closet near the entry, so everyone is keeping their shoes and coats in their closets. I imagine many people do this, as well, it is just an adjustment for us.

The Sears technician is also coming (supposedly, although they have *never* shown up on time) to fix our washer. That will help with the laundry room organization since we've stacked and unstacked the washer and dryer, and I'd really like to get them restacked so that the freed up space can be used for a pantry shelf. Whew.

I did get my birth certificate sworn statement notarized. Our bank does it as a free service, and they faxed it for me when I politely asked. So, no trip to/fees at Kinko's. Yay. We're on our way now! Hopefully, I'll get the birth record in about a week.

This warmer weather has meant one thing that I'm a bit nervous about. Ants. I have seen three in the house today. It may just be that the weather stripping needs replacement on the back door, but I have terrible creepy crawlies just thinking about a repeat of the Ant Wars from the old house (who here remembers the Ant Wars?) Help. I think I'll be getting some ant stakes very soon just to work on prevention before summer hits.

Paperchasing

Last Tuesday was our first appointment with the homestudy agency we've selected for our adoption. Amy watched the kids for me, and I met Eric downtown at the office of Catholic Charities on White Bridge Road for our noon time slot with Julie.

On the way there, I got a bit nervous. This was it. A real, true, official step toward our future daughter. We'd talked about it and prayed about it and planned, but all of a sudden it felt more real and my stomach was in knots. Kind of like standing over the bathroom counter waiting to see if there will be one line or two- that kind of exciting, yet unsure, knot in one's stomach.

And the drive there was even more reflective because I took the strip of road off 440 where West End becomes Harding. Before we had Grant, I worked at St. Thomas Hospital and Eric and I drove that way to work every morning. We carpooled, and he would drop me off and then head to his office. That route stopped when I left my job to stay home with our baby, nearly seven years ago. (That same "baby" just lost his second tooth on Saturday!) So I was thinking about the amazing passage of time, when I became a parent, and how those carpooling days with Eric seemed so long ago (and just like yesterday all wrapped into one). I was thinking about my three children, and a little girl, that may not yet be born, who resides an ocean away in a foreign land and will one day be our daughter. I felt compelled to pray for her birth parents who may be struggling, who may be feeling overwhelmed, or who may be wrestling with huge decisions. I had a lot whirling around in my head. It probably wouldn't have taken much to erupt in tears at that moment.

Once parked, Eric and I came in and we waited in the lobby by a plug-in fake fireplace. We chatted about very little (what was there to say, yet?). And then we were called back. Some introductory questions were asked, and we went over all of the forms and documents and fees that pertain to the home study that would be conducted by Catholic Charities. A home study is a written evaluation by a certified social worker that recommends the placement of a child in your care. Her opinion of us will come from police records, our autobiographies, interviews conducted with Eric and I, letters of recommendation from friends, and a home "inspection". We will also need to gather official records of birth, marriage, and finances, and health. There is certainly a reason that this portion of the adoption process is called the Paperchase. Also a verb, we are now "paperchasing".

At this point, our main priority is to gather the documents necessary for sending in the I600a, which is a petition to adopt a foreign orphan. Homeland security (or maybe its USCIS) will investigate us, fingerprint us, check our records, and (hopefully) give us approval. We need birth and marriage certificates to do this. My birth certificate is the same one I've used for everything so far. It is actually the one my mom requested a month after I was born. That piece of paper is nearly 28 years old! Needless to say, that after presenting it countless times to sign up for sports, to apply for passports, to register for college, and to obtain a marriage license, the embossed seal is hardly there at all. Worn flat with use and time, I guess. Homeland security needs a copy with the seal intact, which means I'm ordering a new copy. Thank goodness everyone in the Taiwan process just needs good copies. Some countries request originals of all documents. Timely and expensive. This expedited official "raised seal" copy of my birth record will cost roughly 70 dollars. $17 for the State of California, $19.99 for the vital records company that has a contract with California to provide speedier service, $30 for the Fed-Ex shipment. Due to budget constraints, and the falsifying of identities, the State of California is a difficult place to obtain records from. Their wait times are longer (less employees due to the budget problems) and they require a notarized sworn statement assuring that I am the person listed on the certificate. If I went the snail mail route, and requested the record myself directly through the State of California I could get the price down to $17, but I would have to allow SIX MONTHS for delivery. No joke.

Tomorrow, I plan to go to Kinko's and use their Notary Public (not Note of Republic, which I used to think it was as a child) and also have them fax the application to Express Vital Records. Hopefully, I'll get my proof of birth in 5-8 business days. Not six months.

And while we gather these documents/records for the homestudy agency and the I600A, we will simultaneously gather/fill out similar (if not the same) documents for our adoption agency that will work with Taiwan to place us with a child. The set of documents/photographs that is gathered to directly send to Taiwan is called our dossier. Once the dossier is complete, we will be officially waiting for a referral.

Here's a summary of the process to adopt from Taiwan:
1. decide to adopt (done! June 2006)
2. homestudy (begun Feb. 2007)
3. file I600A with US government
4. gather all documents for dossier and officially apply to placing agency's program with Taiwan (once officially approved by Taiwan, we'll be on the waiting list for a child)
5. wait for referral of a child (estimated to take approx. 9-12 months from time of approval by Taiwan)
6. wait for Taiwan court process to declare us parents (3-6 months)
7. travel to Taiwan for Gotcha Day! (in country stay of 5-7 days)

More than likely, we are looking at 18 months- 2 years from this point until we have our newest daughter home with us.

Ha Burfdaay to yew!

This morning, out of nowhere, Lael was singing the Happy Birthday song. Chunks of the song were missing, and some words were slurry, but she had it down enough that I knew exactly what she *meant* to say. Very sweet.

Well, it made me think about all that we missed during the past 2 1/2 months of the House Saga. It's not the first time I've thought about it, but it still makes me a bit sad. I'm sure I'll get over it soon.

We saw the new house for the first time on Thanksgiving weekend. My dad and Colin and his girlfriend, Tristen, were here for the holiday and came with us on the little house shopping excursion. (which I'm quite glad for, actually, because now my Daddy and my brother have seen our new place- before it was our place, even) But, all of that means that we have been crazy since then! Since Thanksgiving, we have been furiously primping in preparation for potential buyers (touch up paint, steaming carpets, organizing, fixing this, patching that, and endless tidying and straightening), then there was the packing, and the fixing of things after the buyer's inspection, and then the moving and the unpacking, and the fixing around here.

I think those closest to us understand, and I hope there are no hurt feelings, but we've missed some stuff. Christmas and New Years whizzed by without much reflection or preparation apart from the actual days spent in Texas. We still have a few Christmas gifts we haven't given!

Then there are birthdays. Kris, Travis, Becky, Angie, Luke, Halle, Paul, the whole Bonham clan: Shane and Erika and little Ethan, Jackson, and.... our not-so-baby Lael.

Our youngest is TWO and we barely got to celebrate. We had a few friends over, bought a cake, opened a few gifts, and then had to shoo everyone away because the house was going to be shown and we needed to skidaddle (is that how you spell that word?). Like a drive-by birthday. It was all the time and energy we had during that time, and I'm just glad that she wasn't old enough to feel slighted. Ha Burfdaay to yew, Lael. Ha Burfdaay to yew.

Am I wrong?

I thought the term was a "chest of drawers" when talking about a dresser. We need a new upright dresser for the boys due to the different room layout (they were previously using a long, short dresser). So, I'm checking out new furniture and also looking for hidden gems amongst the used furniture on craigslist. With the "for sale" listings, I found a "wanted" listing:

Looking for a dresser in good shape, not a chesterdrawers but a dresser

Chesterdrawers, huh? :)

I've been browsing overstock.com, amazon, ebay, craigslist and various other sites. We have a lot of purchases we want to price out for this house to determine when things will get done. Over time we'll replace all of the faucets and all of the light fixtures, I'm pretty sure. There is a whole heap of shiny gold/brass in this place and it just isn't "me". If there is anyone who'd like some gold/brass freebies....come and get 'em! Switch/outlet plates and knobs, too.

So far, we've: changed out the shower fixtures in our bathroom, replaced our ceiling fan, swapped out the master bedroom switch with a Lutron dimmer/ fan speed control, had an electrician out to fix some "dead" outlets (yay home warranty!), bought a new stainless steel dishwasher, had the wobbly banister temporarily stabilized (the more cosmetic/permanent fix to come), got estimates for a number of jobs around here, and installed new oil-rubbed bronze knobs/locks on all exterior doors (for safety and the convenience of having them all keyed the same- although they look great, too). Additionally, we have cleaned the house top to bottom and done a decent job of unpacking for being here only a week. A week? Gosh, time flies!

Pictures. I'm sure you want pictures. I haven't got anything apart from some hasty shots I took on our second showing of the house before we'd moved in (Dec. 2006). Terrible low light shots, but its something, right? None of the downstairs, but here is the preview of the living/dining/kitchen space. Very open floor plan.

Happy Home

We're in the new house. Completely exhausted. Every minute devoted to restoring order through unpacking and cleaning. I'd post more, but you understand, surely. Pictures and details to come. We are so blessed.