Journal #71


HELLO!!! Since Marco's B-Day dinner which was a blast, we have been so busy. His best friendjust left after a wonderful week. Marco finished the room in entry #41 . Project Pink has made some progress. The new carpet was installed AGAIN. Tuesday the dressar and crib was delivered. Wednesday the carpetcleanercameas the new dressar marked the new carpet gving me a heart attack. The PINK changing table with bows as knobs is assembled. MONDAY- I am waiting for the crib mattress. Maybe if Marco is in a good mood he will install the new closet doors. I know I owe a few pictures. As soon as I download the B-day pics I will get some new photosup next week! Have a good weekend.

Journal #70

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Should I even start with the "What are we waiting for Monday?" stuff?

Let's see we have friends home, friends getting ready to go, NGO's are coming hot off the press, and other than that things are pretty quiet.

Monday- I am waiting home this morning for the delivery on the Project Pink furniture.

Today is Marco's 42nd Birthday. Friends are here from out of town, and more are to arrive Tuesday morning for his dinner party.

It smells like winter in Baltimore so it is time to close the pool, pack away the outdoor furniture, and toys.

Let me fake a smile and wish everyone a HAPPY MONDAY! Can't wait until Tuesay so Monday is BaBye!

ONLY HAVE TWO THINGS TWO SAY.... RHONDA AND BETHANY. OK I AM A LITTLE SLOW BUT SO HAPPY SO IF YOU HAVEN'T CHECKED IT OUT GET OVER TO NEXT STEP AND STILL WAITING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

Journal #68

Monday's "What are we waiting for..." Isn't really popular, huh?Then I must confess a truth...I still don't like Momday's. I have never liked Monday's. Please give me credit for trying. Other than waiting for the "call" or the "email" or maybe snail mail to inform us we can go to Russia, I am waiting for all of the families in the middle section of the blogroll to let us know when then have their court dates so we can follow their final journey to Russia. I must say both Lisa and Derek, and Jaime and Suzanne did an amazing job of keeping all us blogaholics included in their final moments. Wishing both families a safe trip home with thier angels. I will miss reading your posts at 3am. Bloggerworld is more exciting when there are families posting from abroad. We have had quite a few in the past 6 weeks so let's all hope for this pattern to continue.

On a sad note in the adoption arena....I am sure we all have people we chat with on FRUA. All clients of Adoption Placement Inc (API) received a very sad letter (posted on FRUA) informing them there agency is out of business. They are located in FL so if you know any families you may want to offer sympathy as many of them must be grieving not knowing what happened to all of their money and some received referral or went on trip one but have not returned for trip 2. AMREX Agency. Is there anyone out here with an AMREX affiliated agency?

Journal #67

I have to end the week with a HAPPY post. Yes, silly things make me really happy. I could simply start this entry Blah blah blahing about the carpet installation today. Oh the one that didn't happen because as they unrolled this lush plush stunning piece of oyster pearl carpet which will probably be ruined in a year it had striking black streaks all over. Now you understand why there is no carpet and the furniture delivery has been post-poned.

However, I am pleased to announce that I have kept PROJECT PINK very quiet as I wanted to keep it a secret until completion (but I can't). For 6 whole days I have not posted one of my favorite finds for the room. It was installed last Saturday. Have a great weekend! Look forward to MONDAY! (antique white, with clear, pink, and blue crystals) Here it is:

Journal #66

Bloggerland is a bit manic lately but I guess this is just part of the process! I barely remember my life before laurenandmarco.blogspot.com (that is how I get to to my blogroll to read all of your lives so I don't think about our life!) I remember the day Lisa (Elle) found me like a lost puppy. I remember missing Jen's post that she received a referral until two days later. I have seen quite a bit of newbie's join our little space. I remember being a newbie. Am I still a newbie? There is about 3 or 4 families who have started the process and the blogs about the same time. Overall being part of our circle has been fun, exciting, and fulfilling. At least we all share in each other's joy of coming and going, and coming and going. More importantly we pass the time together. What it is like not to have friends in this process?? I am glad I don't know. I must confess, sometimes I really want to whine. Most of the time I wouldn't dare think of it. Tonight I read a lot of online stuff. I felt a little emotional. The usual Russian Digest, and the FRUA chat boards. I think how lucky we are not to be one of the API families (article posted on FRUA) and a post on the Digest. It started with 7 families totalling about $141,000 are stuck. Then there is always AMREX stories. This makes me sad.

Then I read a few of our friends blogs that can make you tear with happiness (need I mention names of the ones' in Russia) and I feel happy, and then I read Kay's blog and Rhonda's blog and want to pray to every god that exists for them to bring their children home. Ok, I have said it before, maybe Zoloft would be a good consideration but I may have failed to mention I do not take any medications. What can one do? I smile and I want to cry. I am on pins and needles for all of those in the middle of the blogroll waiting for a courtdate. At the same time, the ZONE stinks. This is by far another one of those stages in the process (like the paper work) where you wish you could run around for a notary or even a doctor's appointment. When everything is said and done I think I will look back on this part as close to the worst. It is beginning to drive me a bit crazy...the wondering, the worrying, and the anxiety of healthy or not, what will she look like, when will we get there, how will we leave her, blah blah blah. I have to remind myself I am the girl who refuses to get emotional until we meet our child. Yeah Right! No sympathy please. Just one question...this is normal right?

Journal #65

The Zone- Today marks the first day of "The Zone." We have officially entered the 30 day window of expecting to get our travel dates for our first trip. We entered the 30 day window of getting our referral. As last post explained, we will be traveling blind. All we know is a little girl in Kazan.

The 2 families (both have returned as of now) who received their referral in August are preparing to go back in the next couple weeks for their "TWINS." YES, both families received TWINS. As soon as one of them completes their court date we will be on a plane.

Tidbit- Early (meaning I was still sleeping), I answered the phone from a lady saying she has a shipment for us of a dressar and crib. CRIB, it took me a moment to process since I have never had a CRIB. In my sleepiness I forgot I was expecting the crib. The furniture is here 2 weeks early, the carpet is not installed so it had to be moved to this Friday so the furniture can be delivered Monday. Wow, hopefully we can travel early too! My wish was to be in Russia on my B-day (Oct. 18) but I am sure it will happen at the last possible moment like the 28th because we have a wedding for Marco's best friend. Need I also include, Marco is in the wedding. I have tried not to think about it. I just cross my fingers. I mean there are 365 days in a year. They have been engaged for two years. We have had the date for the wedding before we even started this process...what are the chances for it fall on the same day? My luck...it will be at the same day!

Feelings: Nervous. I don't think I would categorize myself as a "nervous" person. As we entered the ZONE today, I feel different. Very excited, a little too anxious, and NERVOUS. I am trying to prepare myself to be like a babysitter (in this role I have so much confidence). This will make the 6-8 days in region a bit easier on me as I will be alone. I don't want to worry about rules, boundaries, and structure as I read others' do during their 10 day wait. For all of you "Mom's" out there what should I bring for the 10 day wait period for a 1.5-2 yr old to play. Bath toys, games, DVD's. I NEED SPECIFICS....someone guide me please!

Journal #64

Is it only my luck to type a blog entry, click publish post, and blogger says some gateway 507 which disconnected me!

Anyway, I will do it again.

Blind or referral? I found it a bit disturbing to read how people are selecting an agency on the basis of getting a referral (meaning pics). Scary, almost all of the agencies I had spoken to before I knew the little I know now, all offered pictures. 3 out of 4 have the worst reputations in the business. None of them are accredited agencies. This may not be a good way to make an important decision. In addition, I have to assume these people have not read all of the posts about "losing our referral" and the fact you are not even suppose to get a photo. However, we all know some people do but it is becoming less and less common. For anyone new to the process I hope you find the following a bit enlightening:

When we started this process I remember thinking the idea of travelling blind was just impossible for me to digest. Now I think it is a gift. Blind travel is a blessing in disguise. It avoids the possibility of attaching to a photo of a child who you may never meet, except, or be available by the time you go to Russia. This isn't to say you may receive a photo that is a dream come true but as a comfort to those like myself who will travel blind there are a lot of possible pro's. This goes for Kaz adoptions too!

Journal #63

Sunday Fluff-A few details finished off the Balerina Slippers nicely? My caffeine addiction led to the birth of a Giraffe last night.

Added a new friend to the the blog roll. Maria and Jeff are headed to Moscow soon! They happen to live ten minutes from us and using the same agency. We had a great time! Hopefully we will find each other in Moscow!

Journal #62

I guess it is legal because now I have been tagged for a third time...thank you Dawn. I will cave in to peer pressure...CHECK OUT THE EDIT TO NOTIFY THE FOUR BLOGGERS WHO HAVE NOW BEEN TAGGED (scroll down!!!!

4 places I have worked: The Limited (when I was 16-quit when asked to vacuum), Sunglow (fired when I was in college for letting ALL of my friends tan for free), Bankers' First (1st job out of college), and Baltimore Property Ventures (which I have grown for the past 16 years)

4 places I have lived: My parents house, college, my first house, and lastly our home (boring, huh?)

4 Favorite TV Shows: Law & Order, Law & Order CI, Law and Order SVU ( Does that count as 1 or 3 ?) Nancy Grace, The Apprentice, and Anderson Cooper 360 ( by the way just started watching TV about 1 year ago)

4 Favorite Foods: Pizza, Chocolate, Sushi, and Lamanju (Turkish Pizza)

4 Favorite Places to Travel: Istanbul, Turkey (favorite Country), Lake Tahoe (favorite Place in the US), Aruba & St.Lucia (favorite Islands)

4 Places I Rather Be: Let the four places I have lived vouch for this one...There is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

4 People who NEED to be tagged: I will have to go check it out since everyone is a tagaholic this week!

EDIT: Here are 4 blogs who need to be tagged (as Promised) http://frwl-fromdad.blogspot.com/ (Stef, welcome to bloggerland & nice to see your first post. Hope Steve feels better quickly), http://hargisadoption.blogspot.com/ (sorry I know you just came home from Russia), http://child-of-mine.blogspot.com/(Bound to happen, I am not quite sure how you missed the radar!), http://comeundone.typepad.com/, )Deep apologies, I read your blog often but I do not know your name but if you tell me I will delete this and ADD your name. You, too, not sure how you have skated by without being tagged)

This was difficult so support me! I am not quite sure if ANY will respond so I expect ALL of you who have tagged ME to go over to all of these blogs to ANNOUNCE they have been tagged and what is expected of them. Should I name of all of you lovlies you have tagged me?

QUESTION:

RE: Tagging

Is it legal to be tagged TWICE in 24 hours?

Journal #61

FLUFFY STUFF-This is my first painting FREEHAND- no pencil sketching. Not great but working on it. It needs a few more hours.



(Liquid Beadz- these are 2 purses- need to paint handles)


(This is #2 in the purse/handbag collection)


(Ballerina Slippers is in Progress)

Journal #60

Friday is here and so many awesome things have happened this week. All of the families in Russia have really included us in their journey in such incredible detail. Will all of us be able to keep up with Lisa and Suzanne? I think about how wonderful it is to be able to keep in such close contact with their blogger friends (us) and wonder and HOPE I can do the same. Dawn and Joe recieve their I-171. Just when you are feeling blue and nothing is happening...abbracadabbra! The Hargis Family should be on their way home from Russia.

Back to FLUFFY stuff...I have figured that eveyone's blog is entertaining and informative in a different way. For example: Elle organizes us all together with contacts and blogs, Jen is the PLANNER. From Lists, to Lists, to Itineraries? and myself...I am the "Fluffer." When you want to pass time I usually have something of no apparent use to say. Usually not about adoption and primarily about my new little hobby of Arts & Crafts. I don't want to let anyone down so I will post a bunch of "fluffy" stuff that I have been working on the past week. It is a lot and Blogger kind of stinks so be patient with my the next few entries of photos.

First I will do the "TAGGED" thing THANKS MELISSA for tagging me! To the "newer" bloggers thanks for coming up with activities to help pass time too! Please keep posting the "what you are waiting for...? Other than waiting for Rhonda to leave for Russia I need to wait for all of your things until October! We did receive a call from our agency yesterday with a request for an expected updated document requested by Russia so we can get our referral. They did inform us we are on schedule to be in Russia in October so I just cross my fingers!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Journal #59

Good Morning Everyone! I feel like I have been gone for quite awhile since so many wonderful things have happened (all of the families in Russia)! Also a new Blogger friend, The Hargis Family, just left for Russia a few days ago. They accepted their referral so I was able to move their blog to "Waiting for 2nd Trip" so Congrats!

We ended up in AC for a couple days before NYC and just returned.

It is September so I feel we have come along way this summer. It has been really wonderful watching so many come and go and get their buddles of joy.

Feeling apart of all of these journey's has past time, contributed so many lessons to learn for our journey, and most of all given the confidence of knowing we will get their too!

I was thinking to organize our trip by figuring out all of the places we can NOT miss in Moscow so I am soooo thankful to Jen. Thank you so much for creating such a great itinerary. I didn't know about most of those places but we will just print it and do it!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Journal #58

We are leaving for NYC in the morning. I don't think I will be allowed to bring my laptop but we will see in the morning. I guess by the time I return... Pickle will have a name, the proud parents will officially be "mama and papa," and all of us we will have to find out who will be the next lucky ones' to be on their way to Russia.

What are we all wishing for Monday to bring? Hope everyone has a great weekend!