Good news and no news...

Well the good news is that our dossier was approved. Woo Hoo! So now I'll send it to the state for the final stamp of approval and then it's off to Colombia! Still no word on the passports. I tried calling on Friday on the way to the game and the lines were so busy they wouldn't even let me hold. I tried calling after the basketball game and they were closed. For the weekend as well. They're so busy again they wouldn't take my call. Since I can't stay awake past 8:30 I don't know how I'm going to call late at night. And when they do, I'm worried they're going to say "And your flight number is....". Of course I don't have one and I'm a horrible liar. Also no word on the I171. Considering they only took our fingerprints a week ago, I think it's a little early to think they'd have it done. Especially considering the fact that the USCIS' website says they are processing applications from December 13. Yeah, that makes me feel good.

No word yet on a referral either. I truly don't think it will be in March. I think it's going to be in April. And then if it is next week I can be really surprised instead of being disappointed that it will be another month. Imagine that...I'm not stressing out about it! Ha! That's odd. I probably will stress out if we get our referral next week just because we don't have the I171 or the passports.

There seems to be some confusion on the part of the grandmas about the age and size of the baby. So just in case I've confused anyone else...I think the baby will be around four months old at the time of our referral. From other people's blogs that I read, the babies seem to be around 13 pounds at that time. Now keep in mind that this isn't always the case. The age nor the weight. We're just guessing. We'll know more when we actually get the referral. Then we'll find out if it's a boy or girl, the size, the medical history, and it's name. So then it will be much easier to shop for clothes! Although I'm really going to hate to take back one of these outfits they're just so cute!

Our weekend was really good. I cleaned and did laundry on Saturday and my parents came down after the basketball games. We went to church and came home to my mom's cooking! That's what I really wanted for my birthday. I feel sorry for people whose mother's can't cook because mine surely can. :) Even the meat that I don't eat smelled good. We played some games and looked at a house in the afternoon. Rob's parents came over for angel food cake and strawberries and whipped cream (our birthday cakes growing up) and then they all headed home. I know I am so lucky that my mom and dad are my mom and dad. I love you both!!!

Today I went out for dinner with Ashley and for supper with Rob, have had lots of calls and emails, got flowers from my husband...it was a pretty good day. And next year I'll have a baby here to help me celebrate! I do have a little story to tell! Usually I do the really dumb things. Like going the wrong way for MILES because I was pretty sure I was going east even though the signs said west. I finally have a story about Rob! :) Today I was on the phone with my niece Katie when my niece Kara beeped in. After Rob got home from work he asked what I'd been doing. I said that I did some yoga and then talked to Katie and then Kara. He said "What are the chances they'd BOTH call today?" and I said "At the same time!". So I kept talking and he got this really weird look on his face and said "I finally realized why they both called you!". Hello! It's my birthday! You sent me flowers! I'm going to be telling this story for a loonnnngggg time!

Critique on the dossier.

I didn't do too bad. Since my name is hyphenated, the verification of legal names was REALLY long. We had to list every possible variation of our names. I forgot to list my name with the actual hypen. For example, I listed Dana Jo She's-Loony but I didn't list Dana Jo She's Loony. Now who would think that would really matter? But I guess it does. So I have to redo that one. And then some of the notary stamps didn't show up on the fax. I'm not sure why I have to fax them again if that's the only problem but I do. So I have to color them in with pencil a little. Then once I get the approval I have to send them to the state to be apostilled. I was also told that I need to expedite the passports. But when I called it said they would only expedite them if I am traveling in the next 14 days. I might have to embellish a little.

We're going to have to make some decisions here soon. First of all we have way too much stuff in this little tiny house. The dining room is now the store room for baby stuff. Unfortunately the dining room is right in the middle of our house. Second we need to find daycare. Third I need to find a pediatrician. I know there is other stuff to do but I really need to get something done with those things.

I'll be glad when this week is over. Namely because an unpleasant week will be over. I also get to see my mom and dad and we're going to the state basketball tournament. Good luck Weston & Zach! It's too bad your teams had to play each other during the first round. My birthday is Monday and I still get excited about my birthday. AND we're even closer to our baby!

I do want to tell everyone who has emailed me this week and I haven't responded yet that I will, I promise. Day jobs, night jobs, and piano lessons get in the way of my email capabilities. And to those of who whose taxes I'm doing from home, I will get them done. Just not this week.

Well, my 8:30 bedtime has come and gone so I better get off the computer. Have a great night, a great St. Patrick's Day, and a great everything else until I'm back!

We're back on schedule!

I'll backtrack and explain how my day ended up so off-kilter. Sunday after church we went to Freeman to the funeral of an Army soldier who died in an accident last week. Rob's close friend Scott was injured in the accident. We pray for his healing, both physically and emotionally. We then stopped in Parker at my friend Jen's to pick up some baby stuff from her sister. Off to Sioux Falls where we picked up Rob's sister and went SHOPPING! Well, Rob went to Shenanigans for a beer while Christy and I shopped. I really wanted to find something for our baby to wear when we meet him or her. I found the most gorgeous dress at Baby Gap. As you can expect, it was Baby Gap priced, too. But I loved it. If my child wouldn't wear the baptismal dress that I wore that my paternal grandfather wore that my dad's maternal grandmother made (did you get all that?), our daughter could easily wear this dress. We went in Old Navy and Penney's and didn't find anything. But, we found what we were looking for at The Children's Place. You've seen the pictures. They aren't "gorgeous" like the first dress. But they are so cute. AND everything I bought cost what the one dress cost at the Gap. I just need to find shoes. We went out for supper for our birthdays and went home and I fell asleep on the couch. Monday morning she was gone by the time we woke up. We got ready and went to Target and got that handy little gun you get when you register. Rob had so much fun with it when we got married that he ended up registering for Scotch Tape. Yes, we did get Scotch Tape for our wedding. So as we're going through the store, I got a phone call from Karen, our SW in SF. She said that she talked to Pam, the second social worker in MN and Pam said that she was right, the wait would be six to 12 months at the earliest. I asked how LouAnn could be so wrong about the information she gave me. She said the words "Los Pisingos", "Colombia", and "referral at the end of March possibly with travel two weeks later". Those do not correspond to a Guatemalan adoption. But Pam said that LouAnn was wrong. Karen said we could do a conference call on Tuesday to straighten everything out. So of course this took all the fun out of shopping for baby stuff. We just got some stuff for us and headed out to our INS appointment. They were open (thankfully) and I had to stand in this little tiny hallway with about five or six other people who were there to visit the INS. We were there a half hour early and it took us a full hour before we were done. Part of the problem was the fact that the time change caused their computer to crash and we had to do the fingerprints by hand. So then we got into the whole discussion about us going to MN and finding the office closed...I tried to suck up and sound as desperate as I could. I don't know if it worked or not. So all day I kept telling myself to refrain from freaking out about the time frame until I really knew what was going on. I had some things happen at work that took "refrain" totally out of the picture. So I spent a couple of hours bawling at work, at home, and again at work today. This morning then I did talk to LouAnn and Karen and found out that we ARE a month away. They are telling new applicants six to 12 months. We're still second on the list and LouAnn will tell Karen when the couple ahead of us gets their referral. She said they had two couples travel in February and one traveled yesterday. So I don't know if we'll get our referral in March or have to wait until April. But I feel much better knowing it won't be a year. Rob had conferences tonight and I did some taxes at Paul's office. My plan for working ten hours a week is going horribly awry. I'm averaging five. Oops. This was supposed to be spending money for Bogota. Anyway, I sent my dossier to Pam to review. LouAnn told me she'd have it done and back to me this week. I checked on the status of our passports. This isn't good news. It's been seven weeks for Rob and six for me. The Internet said to expect April 8 for Rob's and April 22 for mine. Expedited service is looking really good right now. When we applied they told us six to eight weeks. The Internet says that if we are scheduled to travel within the next 14 days or need to get a Visa I can call and get it expedited. So unless it shows up sometime soon I think I'll be making that phone call. Between waiting for the passports and our I171 (the form we get after the INS took our fingerprints) I'll drive myself (and the mailman) crazy!

Thank you for all of your well wishes. We've heard from so many of you and it truly touches our hearts. Old friends, new friends. You're all very special.

Aren't these just the cutest!?!?

I found my outfits! Yay! If only the rest of my day went that well. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to post about my day because I'm hoping by then I will feel better. Until then, this won't be a happy post. So enjoy the clothes and have a great day!!

Let's try this fingerprint thing one more time.

We have another appointment at the INS on Monday. Hopefully this one will go better than the last time. The weather is cooperating at least. We're going to SF tomorrow after church and taking Rob's sister out for her birthday. Then on Monday we're heading to Target. I've been reading "Baby Bargains so I sort of have an idea as to what I'm looking for. Then off to our appointment.

I had emailed our SW in SF about what to expect for the upcoming months and she forwarded on our email to the SW in MN. I think I've been unnaturally calm (for me) during this whole process. I can now say that I'm freaking out. Two weeks ago one of the MN SW told me to expect a month or so since things at Los Pisingos were moving really quick. Yesterday, the other SW from MN said to expect six to 12 months as things are moving very slow. WHAT!?!? Do they work in the same office? Do they talk to each other? This is the same SW that earlier last week made a comment about our Guatemalen adoption. Yeah...not a lot of faith in this one any more.

I have gotten nothing accomplished today. I had a headache until around noon. So I'm still in my pajamas. I think I need to take advantage of that because pretty soon I won't get to! :)

The last cat is out of the bag!

I finally got to tell my brother in Las Vegas tonight. So now I'm content. I really wanted my family to know first and it bothered me that I didn't connect with him last week before we told everyone else.

Rob was in the production of Oklahoma this weekend. They put in so many hours of practice and it showed. It was really good and he enjoyed taking part. My parents and some family friends came to the production yesterday and my mom brought Grandma presents. It's been a long time since we've had a baby in the family so I think she enjoyed shopping (which is something she doesn't usually like). She also brought two blankets that my grandma had made when she was still able; one pink and one blue. I really hope that my children will know my grandma. Although she isn't the spunky lady she once was, she's still my grandma and I can't wait for her to meet my kids.

I don't know if I should feel bad or not after reading some posts on my Colombian Connections Yahoo group. There are people who have been waiting TWO YEARS and don't have a referral yet. While I'm sure it must be very hard for them to wait, I'm so glad we haven't had to do that. It reminds me of when Rob was on active duty. I felt horrible for the families of other soldiers who went to the desert. But I wouldn't have traded places with them in a second. I do think Rob would have but for me, Fort Carson was a wonderful place. So please keep in mind all the parents who are waiting to meet their children and the kids who are waiting to meet their moms and dads.

A wonderful website...

A friend who has been in our shoes sent me a link to a wonderful website. To those of you who have never struggled with infertility, be thankful. To those of you who have, only you know the pain.

http://www.vocalicious.com/empty_arms/empty_arms_mod.html

The cat is out of the bag...

The past two days have been crazy. When I got to work yesterday, I called my employer. I thought he deserved to know before the rest of my coworkers. So after I told him, Rob & I sent out our emails. Mine was short and to the point (very typical of me I think!) and Rob's was really long! I even emailed him mine so he could just copy it. So I was really surprised when I got his. I tried to remember as many addresses as I could but I know I missed some so please don't be offended if you weren't on the list.

We've had many good wishes and for that we are truly grateful. We know our true friends and we are blessed to have you in our lives.

Already the house has more stuff. Diapers, onesies, bibs, blankets, that big round thingie...We're seriously going to need a different house. This isn't big enough for the two of us and all of our stuff let alone a baby and all that stuff.

Billy is going to stay with Rob's parents while we're gone so we're going to take him over to their house for some play dates so he can get used to the new environment before we leave.

We've been asked about daycare so I'm throwing out the question "Does anyone want to babysit?" :)

Would you like the good news or the bad news first?

We'll start with the bad. If you live around here, you know we had a little bit of snow this weekend. But we had our INS appointment on Monday in St Paul so we drove to the Cities on horrible roads, snow, ice...because we didn't dare change our appointment. We got to our friends, the Shantz's, on Sunday afternoon and really enjoyed our time with them. Monday morning, Jason & Rob went to school while Ann & I went shopping. I did pick up a few pieces of clothing at Once Upon A Child that can go with either a boy or a girl. I also got a play thingie from there and two books from Barnes & Noble. Then it was time to pick up Rob at Jason's school and head to St Paul. We got over there and the sign on the door said that they are closed on Mondays. Now why would they have scheduled us on Monday if they are closed on Monday?! So we frantically called our SW in Sioux Falls and couldn't reach her. We then frantically called our SW in Minneapolis who tried calling the INS. They said they would not have scheduled us on a day they were closed. I kept saying "I have proof! I'm looking at the document!". So after sitting there for a couple of hours, she finally said that we wouldn't be getting our fingerprints done that day but we could go to Sioux Falls on Wednesday. Like we really want to take ANOTHER day off. But we really have no choice. Wasn't it just last week that I said things were going too smoothly?

So on to the good news....last Friday Karen told us that we were "in queue". Of course I had no idea what that means, but Erin said it was good news! We are on the list!! Yay!! So when I was on the phone with Karen yesterday I asked her what number we are on the list. She didn't know but said to talk to LouAnn. So I asked LouAnn and she said number 5 and that we should expect our referral at the end of April or middle of May. While we were in WalMart, LouAnn called back and said that she called Los Pisingos and they should have our application translated by next week and that we are actually NUMBER TWO on the list since one family got their referral and two of the families don't have their paperwork done. See, I knew it was a good thing that I'm obsessive and got that paperwork done! So she said while this isn't set in stone, we should expect a referral at the end of March or middle of April. Holy Smoke! That's a month away! After a few moments of being excited, it hit us. That's a month away! We have two stuffed animals and about five outfits! What will this child eat? Where will he/she sleep? We have nothing! We thought we had a little more time to get these things but I guess not. It's better to have it go quickly than to wait the 12-16 months (from the time our application was sent to the orphanage..which is NOW) like we originally thought it could be. So Target...here I come.

We decided to tell our families last night so that we could tell everyone else today. So I first called my parents and told them the story. Poor Rob heard it about six more times as I called my family members. He wanted to know if we could just record it and then say "please stay on the line if you have any questions". After we got back to Redfield, we stopped and told his grandma.

So today is the day for the world to know. It's been difficult lately keeping it a secret but I don't have to anymore.

A few side notes to this post:

1 ~ Congratulations to the wrestlers on bringing home the 8th place trophy from the state tournament this weekend. We are so proud of each of you. And also to the wrestlers from EPJ & Highmore. We may not be there anymore, but we cheered and prayed as if we were. TC, we knew you could do it.

2 ~ I lost my wallet last week. I really have no idea where it is. I had it on Monday at the dentist and didn't have it on Wednesday morning. I have looked in the freezer, the washer, the laundry baskets...everywhere. I know it's somewhere totally stupid but just haven't figured out that place yet. Unfortunately, my ID's are in there so I had to get a new driver's license in Aberdeen on Friday because I needed it yesterday. Little did I know.

3 ~ I somehow ended up on the wrong road yesterday on the way home. Rob was sleeping and I know I went through Hutchinson. I was on the phone with Erin when Rob woke up and said "Where are you?". I had no idea really but knew I hadn't turned anywhere so I must have been on the right road. Hmmm...what do you know. I wasn't! We ended up going through Litchfield and Grove City and then turned south to go through Cosmos and get back on track. I have no idea how that happened but it made me feel a whole lot better when my brother David said he's done it about four times.

4 ~ A dear man passed away on Friday. Mary and family, you are in our prayers.

More later after I spill the beans! :)

I'd just like to say...

I want my mom and dad to come home! :)

I'm not sure if time is moving fast or slow...

This week has gone by so fast. Every week does. Every day does. And I really haven't accomplished anything worth noting. Still not done with my laundry. And I've gained about two pounds. Casey's doughnuts really seem to be a problem for me. Anyway...so it seems like we should be receiving our acceptance information from the orphanage soon. That would be great, except our application hasn't been sent down to Colombia yet. Hello, people...we can't get on the list until they receive our application! I've been busy getting dossier info taken care of. When I was in Aberdeen on Tuesday I stopped to pick up my birth certificate and marriage license. I also talked to my doctor in SF (actually the nurse) to see if we had HIV tests done last year. We had blood drawn for everything else and test after test after test so I would have been very surprised had we not had HIV tests done. Sure enough we did. How depressing is it that we had so many tests done that I don't even know if we had an HIV test!? Anyway, the nurse said that I could send her the physical evaluation part of the dossier and they'd sign off on it. Rob knows a social worker and he's going to see if he'll do the psychological exam part. Paul is going to act as my "financial planner" and verify our net worth. He's also going to notarize Rob's request for a birth certificate and verify our legal names. We already have our fingerprints from the FBI. So we're pretty much good to go. Getting this dossier information hasn't been too hard at all. The whole process has been so easy. It makes me nervous.

Tuesday at my doctor's appointment, I had such a good conversation with the doctor during such an awkward (is that not a weird word?) moment. I won't name the doctor for fear that it could come back to bite him in the butt. He had a very strong opinion on mothers living off of welfare without making an effort to get a job, waiting to get married until after they are all done having kids so the government will pay for it, medical insurance not covering infertility treatment but yet the government passes on to the taxpayers the costs to support these mothers and their children (who don't deserve to be in those situations). So the whole exam went by really fast because we were too busy talking. Never thought I'd say that.

I'm really jealous of my parents being in warm Cancun while we suffer through this miserable weather. We had above zero temperatures today, though. I almost broke out the shorts.

I've been trying to find outfits for the baby to wear when we meet him/her. I just can't find anything that knocks my socks off. Shopping for clothes, I'd love for this child to be a girl. Paying for clothes, I'd love for this child to be a boy. There are just so many cute girls clothes out there. Of course I can't find anything for the baby to wear on that first day. Internet shopping just isn't cutting it. I'm on my way up to Groton tomorrow for regional wrestling so I'm going to stop at the mall and see what I can find. I know I don't know if it's a boy or girl but I just really want to find the perfect outfit. And I'm afraid that if I have to power shop after we get our referral, the mall in Aberdeen just won't have the right outfit.

Well, I better end this post for the night. Rob's at wrestling, Billy's lonely, and I'm tired. I've really struggled this week without Kramer. Billy isn't a snuggly kitty and I miss that so much. I dream about her at night which makes her be in my thoughts during the day. So then I dream about her at night again. I'm not sure why this week is harder than last week. It just is. I'm ready for this baby to get here so I can devote my attention to him or her. I can't wait! :)

The grandparents know!

We told our parents this weekend. Christy, too. I called my mom & dad on Saturday morning and talked about their upcoming trip to Mexico. My dad and I were discussing the weather and I asked what he thought about taking a trip to South America this summer. He talked about the weather (he is a farmer after all) and then asked where at in SA. I said Colombia. He talked about the weather in Colombia and finally I said "Dad did you hear why I said we're going to Colombia" and he said "no". I said "Rob and I are adopting a baby from there". And there was a big pause. And then he said "You are?" We talked and cried (well I did at least) for quite a while. My mom was at my aunt's house so when she came home, she got on the phone and I told her. By this time, it was after 10:30 and I was supposed to be leaving for the wrestling tournament at 11:00 and hadn't showered yet. So we didn't talk long. After the tournament, Rob and I went over to his mom & dad's. We talked for a while and then Rob told his mom "I got you a Valentine's present but I'm only going to give it to you if you can keep a secret". So he gave her a picture frame that said "Grandma and Grandpa's little something". I can't remember what it said and I even picked it out! We gave his dad a little Christmas ornament that said "Grandpa" and a bib that said "I love Grandpa" or something like that. I'm amazed that I can't remember what they say! And then Christy was home so we gave her a baby picture frame. And then we talked about it until 1:00. Way past my bedtime. Rob's dad ran in the bedroom and got something. As he came back out he said "I have the baby's first present!" It was a Green Bay Packers sweatsuit. I'm glad we told them but we still have a little bit of time before we tell everyone else. Hopefully the acceptance letter will come from the orphanage soon and then we'll know how long it will be.

In other good news, our good friends Angie & Wade had a little boy on Friday! I'm so excited to think that our babies will be the same age! So when we were in Target on Saturday, Rob was Mr. Shopper and picked out two outfits for Carter. He also bought a different stuffed animal because the one I bought was too girly. Neither of us is too into Pooh, but we bought a stuffed Pooh because he is so soft. Rob felt every stuffed animal there trying to find the softest one. We also bought a picture album so we can take with us. It's a baby one and the pictures go behind plastic. Then we'll be able to show the baby pictures of our family and Billy. At Target Rob kept finding shirts that were in the Toddler size that said "My dad is so cool" and I told him if he could find infant size he could get it. He searched furiously but to no avail. Thus, Mom must be the coolest! :)

Today has been rather lazy. I had to play for church and Rob got a fire call shortly after church started. We both got home about the same time. And we haven't done much since. I fell asleep for over two hours. I had to force myself to get off the couch and wake up. Otherwise I won't get any laundry done.

I'm going to get my paperwork started tonight for the dossier. At least our birth certificates and marriage license.

I'll leave you with two special moments from yesterday. My dad told me "You know, this baby isn't just your baby. This baby is for our entire family". And Rob's dad said "Now we really are grandparents". Both brought tears to my eyes. And my dad is right...not only have we been waiting for this baby for nine years, so have our families.

We received our dossier information!

Woo-Hoo, we're within six months! I received the email from LSS today. It was a pretty hectic day...lots of bills to be paid, checks to be paid for corn delivery last week, and a board meeting. So I'm peacefully relaxing at home. I'm supposed to be doing laundry.

Back to the dossier...we have to get another copy of birth certificates & marriage license, social worker's report stating that we're mentally fit to care for a child, a physician's statement stating that we're physically capable to care for a child, employer statements that we're employed, we have to state that our names are actually our names...I think that's it...and then have it all notarized. Good think Marcy is a notary! Then we have to send it all to the state to prove that Marcy is really a notary. We also have to include a copy of our homestudy, which is done and notarized.

These things all expire within six months, that's how I know we'll be there within six months. I'm really hoping it's quicker than that but that would still be August. We only started the process on July 30 so we have no right to complain about August.

So that's our big news of the day. Rob's home now so we're going to play a game. It's either cards, Backup, or cribbage. Lately it's been Backup. We're going to have to take some games with us to Colombia. Otherwise we'll go through withdrawal!

I-600 A update...

We received our appointment to be fingerprinted. February 21 in Sioux Falls. When I sent in our required documents and the money requesting to be fingerprinted, I sent this nice letter telling them where we wanted to be fingerprinted and which days we are unavailable. Never in the letter did I say the words "Sioux Falls". It generally takes about three months to get everything taken care of when the fingerprints are done in Sioux Falls. However, if we could go to the office in St Paul, it would take about a month. Three months from February 21 is May 21. I had sort of hoped to be close to leaving for Colombia by then. So I'm a little frustrated. I'm going to call tomorrow and see if we can get it changed. Cross your fingers...

Today is Super Bowl Sunday. We're going over to friends' house to watch the game. While I was always a Bears fan growing up, Peyton Manning has sort of grown on me. So I guess I'm rooting for the Colts. If the Chargers aren't there, I guess it really doesn't matter anyway.

I woke up this morning with a sore neck and it's been killing me all day. I've taken more aspirin today than in the past year and it just isn't helping. Needless to say, I'll be going to the chiropractor tomorrow.

February is a big birthday month in our family. So I'm going to do all my shout-outs today. Otherwise, I'll be about a month late. My family knows that so it really wouldn't be a surprise. I realized about a week ago that it's way past January 9 and I totally missed Denita's birthday. Sorry, man. So anyway...

Happy Birthday to:

Allan on the 1st
Sandy on the 3rd
Emily today (the 4th)
Dick & David on the 5th
Caitlin on the 7th
Brianna on the 20th
Pam on the 24th

Hope you all have great birthdays!!

Kramer loved getting in the dishwasher, taking a bath (seriously) and playing with toilet paper.

Oh the sadness of losing a pet.

Yes, we have lost another pet. I took Kramer in to the vet yesterday to have her fixed and have her declawed. I dropped her off and then headed to Watertown. At 8:52 a.m. the vet called and said "I have some bad news". You know me and my weird thinking, the first thought that went through my head was that Kramer was really a boy and not a girl and he opened her up for nothing. Wrong. He said that he had given her the anesthetic and she had a reaction to it and stopped breathing and they did everything they could but they could not revive her. I said "What?" And he repeated it. This is all while I'm driving. So as I slowly lost control of myself, I pulled over and bawled my head off. How could this be happening? Didn't I just go through this three months ago? I called Rob and poor Dawn answered the phone. I could barely speak but she understood me enough to get Rob. I ended up calling the vet a couple of times and also another vet that we'd seen previously. The receptionist at the vet's office said they'd been playing with her up until they gave her the medicine and she just was gone. I asked them to take off her collar and cut some hair and put it in a bag. The bell on her collar is enough to break me down. I feel like I just handed her over to him to put her down. I walked in and he was there so instead of kissing her and telling her that I love her, I talked to the vet and handed her over. At least I held Bob as she died. I wasn't there for Kramer and I feel horrible. I'm just heartbroken. I don't understand why God would bring her into our lives for two months. I know that life isn't fair but this just is not fair. Why can people have kids and abuse them and have more and people can have pets and neglect them and nothing happens to them and we can't seem to have either? Poor Billy. Even though she annoyed him to no end, he misses her. He isn't a vocal cat. But he walked around the house tonight and cried. We've decided not to get another cat for quite some time. Maybe even until after Billy is gone. Rob's dad bought a baby blanket and they wrapped her in it and placed her in a box. After I got home from Watertown, we picked her up and drove to Aberdeen and met my parents. We ate with them and then they took her home. The ground is frozen so we can't bury her yet. They'll keep her safe until spring.

Rob and a friend from school were talking about Kramer yesterday and he confided in her about the adoption. I'm glad he has someone to talk to because he doesn't like to bring his work problems home. And she's someone I really like so I don't have a problem with him telling her. We talked about it on the way to Aberdeen yesterday. We're ready to start telling people. As soon as we get our acceptance to the orphanage, we'll share the news. By then, we'll know how long it will be before we're PARENTS!

We took our pictures yesterday morning and our heads were cut off in a couple of them. So we're going to have to do them again in the morning and then see if someone in Watertown can get them developed at WalMart so one of the plant operators can bring them back tomorrow night. My goal was to have these applications to the orphanages by Februrary 1. Obviously that isn't going to happen. But we'll still be close. The ironic thing about yesterday is that Rob wore his suit to school and I had on my new outfit so we looked pretty snazzy. Rob kept getting asked whose funeral he was going to. Little did we know.

I thought I was the queen of Internet research. I've been topped. My friend Maria found our blog. I have no idea how she did it, but she did. She's good. Now two people have found it. I can't even find it! I can't wait for our family and friends to read this journey and post comments. I also can't wait to get to Colombia and be able to tell everyone what we're doing.

Well, I guess it's time to go. I didn't get anything accomplished yesterday so I better wipe my tears and get busy. Thanks for reading.

I bought my first baby item!

Over the past nine years, I've never let myself buy anything for a baby. I broke down yesterday and bought a stuffed rabbit. It felt so good! Rob says it's girly because it has some pink on it. I don't think so. Even if it does, our kid is getting the stuffed rabbit with pink on it. You know that feeling when you think/hope you're pregnant and you go to the store to buy a pregnancy test? The anticipation and nervousness you feel? That's how I felt yesterday. And I guess in a sense, while I'm not pregnant, I sort of am. Except my pregnancy is without weight gain, stretch marks, and labor pains. But I am counting down the days until our baby is here.

We're waiting to hear back about our I-600A. We took our passport pictures this week (of course I hate mine), Rob applied for his passport, and I'll apply for mine in Watertown on Tuesday. I also took pictures of our house and we're still waiting to take pictures of us. It has to be done by Monday night so I can get them developed in Watertown on Tuesday. Good news, though...I bought a skirt that fits! Yay! I was in Penney's on Saturday and they were having a big sale. I found the skirt and jacket that match my one pair of pants that fits. The skirt was $7.50 and the jacket (regularly $60) was $15! Woo-Hoo! I am such a bargain shopper! Of course, then I went to Target and spent $160. We hadn't been to Aberdeen forever so I had lots to buy. To make up for the amount of money I knew I was spending, I bought Target brand toilet paper, soap...It better be good. I even bought my own hair color so I can stop spending over $100 to go to a salon. I'm not sure how this is going to turn out so I'm going to do it quick while Rob's gone. Cross your fingers.

NO ARREST RECORD!

If you could see the smile on my face!! I tried to take a picture of the actual words "no arrest record" but the glare from the paper was awful. I called Karen, our SW, but she wasn't available. We're ready to go on the next step. I talked to our attorney friend, Paul. He said we should still go forward with the pardon just to get it off of there. I will, but no it isn't a dire need. We have more important things to work on now! :)

Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayers!

The Suspense!!!!

I called the FBI on Wednesday to see what the status was. She said they were mailed out on Monday but wouldn't give me the status. Of course I had to go home and get the mail. And there was none. BUT, it was shortly before 11:00, so I thought maybe the mailman was late. I had to run to town in the afternoon and there was mail, but no fingerprints. So today comes along and I had a board meeting. It about killed me to sit there all morning KNOWING the fingerprints were in my mailbox and I couldn't go get them. So after the board meeting I stopped at my house to get the mail. My heart leaped when I saw the mailbox wasn't quite closed. My heart fell when I realized it was only a memory card I ordered from EBay. So the trivia question of the day is "How long does it take mail to travel from West Virginia to South Dakota?" I know the answer is at least three days. It better be here tomorrow or I may lose it!

I have a friend!!!!!!!!

I know that probably seems odd to many of you, but I met someone ~ Erin ~ who is from ND and has adopted two boys from Colombia. She has been a wealth of information for me. PLUS, she's an attorney so we're trying to get this minor consumption issue worked out. Cara and I have bonded so much during this process and our friendship has grown tremendously. We have something in common that we'll never have with most of our other friends. But some of her experiences from the Ukraine are totally different from what we'll have to do with Colombia. So that's why I'm so excited to have met someone who knows EXACTLY what I'm going through.

Thank you so much to those of you who have written letters of recommendation for Rob. They literally brought tears to my eyes. And it isn't because I'm an emotional person! :) They were very heartfelt and I appreciate them very much.

We hope to have our fingerprints back from the FBI this week. I talked to a man from the board of P&P and really had my hopes dashed. He said it could takes months to have this resolved. We thought that Rob could apply for an exceptional pardon since it has been more than five years. This would eliminate us from having to publish a notice in the Aberdeen paper to see if anyone has any objections to Rob receiving the pardon. But I found out that Governor Rounds does not approve exceptional pardons. So we have to publish this three weeks in a row and then wait ten days after the last publication. So that puts us in the middle of February. Then we'll have to send the application, letters from friends, a letter from the Brown County State's Attorney all to the board of P&P. They will then put it on the schedule. So if we go with this time frame, Rob would get on in March. He then has to tell the two person board why he wants a pardon. If they recommend it, he has to go before the five person board. If they recommend it, the pardon would go to the governor. The man I talked to said it could sit on the governor's desk for months before a decision is made. Well guess what....I started bawling. This is just so disheartening. If we would have known about this last summer, we would have taken care of it then. But I just didn't see that it would be an issue. So I called our trusty friend Paul, also an attorney. He had told Rob there is something that could be done on a local level. Rob had called the Brown County SA back in November and he didn't know what to do. So Paul is going to call the BCSA and see if they can take care of it. I keep telling Paul he owes me for stuff I've done for him for work. Paul, I will owe you CASES of protein powder and beer if you fix this! :)

Erin gave me lots of good information. They adopted from Los Pisingos. LP tends to place young babies (three months or so as opposed to five months) and will allow you to adopt three kids. Sometimes you can only adopt two total from the orphanages. She knows someone who got their referral six weeks after submitting their dossier! I'll go anytime. It doesn't matter to me. I'd rather have it be sooner than later. But I really want to be home in August for my niece, Katie's, wedding. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but I hope we don't have to even think about it. I asked Erin about not letting anyone see the baby and she didn't think it would be an issue. So that makes me feel better.

We had the dining out last night. Sure enough, the dress didn't fit. Not even close. I think the zipper was about three inches from closing. Rob didn't get home from the wrestling tournament in Miller in time, so we didn't take pictures, anyway. I'd spent close to an hour using the timer on the camera to find a good spot. PLUS, I spent about two hours sewing a red thing to tuck in Rob's shirt pocket for the dining out. Red is their "color" and everyone had to have on something red. Socks, suspenders, pocket thing (sorry I can't think of the name even though I know it's something I SHOULD know). If they don't wear red, they have to put quarters into the kitty. It's a guard thing. Anyway, someone had given me an old bridesmaid's dress to use for Halloween. I cut the inside of the dress just in case I ever need to use it. And pinned it and stuffed it in the pocket, repinned and stuffed in the pocket, got my sewing machine out of the closet and set up, repinned and restuffed and finally got this cute little red pocket protector like thing. I must say...I'm good. I think it would have been easier if I'd used a ruler or something. I just guessed. Hence all the repinning. Back to the diet...I'm one of those people that expects to lose five pounds in the first two days. I've been drinking shakes since Tuesday. I have not cheated. And I haven't lost a pound. This is why I fall off the wagon. I expect immediate results. BUT, I think my pants weren't so tight. I've been doing Gilad's exercise's. I'm pretty sore, too. I love doing "The Firm". But I don't have an hour to exercise. Of course yesterday, I did Gilad for a half an hour and yoga for a half an hour. Man, that yoga is relaxing. I need to get back to my acupuncture. You wouldn't have to read my babbling. Well, maybe you would. I would just be more calm as I was typing this! :)

Well, I have to go. I didn't get much sleep last night. Kramer's alarm clock goes off almost precisely every night at 2:30. Either she's being pesky or she wants to touch my face. With her feet or her face. Lips included. Needless to say, it's a little distracting to have cat lips on you. PLUS, it was so smoky at the dining out that she was in hair-licking heaven. I finally had to pull the sheet around my face like a hood. She even tried to get in there. I had to hold on tight. Rob went to guards. I missed church. And my parents are coming to pick me up to go visit my niece Hailey for Christmas.

Have a great day....