Still Here....And Still Waiting

Haven't blogged for some time.
My plan is to resume full-force after the New Year.
My father is in a Sub-Acute Rehab Facility and happily surprising us every day with what he can do!
We are in month 20 of our wait for Renee, with probably months to go, but we're in it for the long haul.
Have a wonderful holiday.
Love,
Sue

I'm Back!

Haven't posted for a while. It's been so long, that mid summer has now turned to almost fall. The air is crisp and cool, it feels wonderful.

Here's an update on my father:
He's in what is called "acute rehab", which means he's in a nursing facility getting very agressive rehabilitation. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy every day. Last week, my dad took his first steps since this all happened. I was there to see it and cried!!! He can't talk yet, but is mouthing words.
Dad has a ways to go, but we are so thankful to our Lord for bring him this far.

Things have been rough over the last month and a half. Waiting for our referral in an every slowing process has not helped matters. But again, we continue to trust in our Lord for all our needs.

A Very Difficult Post

I've tried several times to post, but couldn't.
My Dad Martin, had a severe heart attack on Tuesday that stopped his heart.
I got the call on Tuesday while at work. Dad was just sitting in a chair
talking and then just slumped. Colleen called 911 and the EMS found him
in cardiac arrest. They with the help of the Lord were able to revive him
and get his heart beating again. He was rushed to St. Agnus hospital in Baltimore.
There they found one of his main arteries blocked and put in a stent.
He's been in intensive care since. The doctors have said that his heart is beating well, but could not predict how long he went without oxygen to his brain, so the first 72 hours would be critical to see if there was any damage.
Dad opened his eyes a little yesterday when I leaned over him and told him that I loved him, but that's about it.
We are praying so hard. My Dad is 81 years old and just a couple of months ago walked 6 miles for a marathon to support the Seeing Eye Dogs. So this is such a shock and my heart is just so full of sorrow and pain.
We are looking to our Lord for peace and comfort, but hope for prayers for my Dad to "wake up" from his sleep.
So, please, please say a prayer for my Dad Martin that he will wake up and come back to us.

"Be not anxious, but in all things with prayer and petitions, present your requests to the Lord, and the peace of God which transends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds throught Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7

First Things First, Happy Birthday To Me!!!!!!!!!!

I've been taking a lot of pictures lately, and have tons of things to blog about, so I'll be catching the blog up as soon as I can, but....first things first!!! Today is my birthday!!!! Yippeeeee!!

It's a bit cloudy today, with a good chance for thunderstorms. Would have loved to be at the beach, but this way I"ll get my housework done without guilt. Yes, even though it's my birthday, I'll be doing housework!!

John has to work today :-(, he tried to get the day off, but someone else was on vacation.

So...he was able to take yesterday off, which worked out perfectly!! I took the day off too!!

We started the day early at the beach, it was beautiful, John fished, I sat and read. I fished too!!

John caught a small fluke and threw it back. All in all it was a wonderful first part of the day.

For my birthday, John got us tickets to last nights Mets vs Nationals game at Shea stadium,

so when we got home we showered and changed, and got to Shea Stadium early. The Mets are building a new stadium "Citi Stadium" which will be ready in 2009. It's being constructed right next door to Shea, and construction has taken up a lot of the parking spaces, so we got to the stadium early and got a great spot.

Construction of the new Citi Stadium

Getting ready to take our seats

Well, the Mets lost :-(, 6 to 2. That's' OK, we had a blast!!!!
Tonight we'll go to dinner, hopefully for Sushi!! Yum

Sorry For Not Posting

Sorry for not posting over the last 2 months. Multitude of reasons.
Nothing bad though. Time does fly though, just not fast enough till we
"fly" to China. Thanks to those who have kept a watchful eye. I'll catch you up asap!!

Hope That Shark's Not Hungry!!

John and I spent a fun weekend in Maryland, visiting my Dad and Colleen.
We drove down Friday night and arrived about Midnight. We stayed at a Marriott SpringHill Suites about 15 minutes from where Dad and Colleen live. It was perfect, beautifully furnished and immaculately clean.
When we woke up early Saturday morning, I looked out the window of our hotel room and noticed across the street in the mall.....OutDoor World (Bass Pro Shop). This is absolute heaven for anyone who loves to hunt, boat, fish.... John heard that... did I say fish??? My husband is a true beliver of the old adage, "A bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work", only my husband will tell you there is no such thing a bad day fishing, ever!!!!
When John saw OutDoor World his eyes got as big and round as saucers and he grinned from ear to ear. I knew exactly where we were going immediately after breakfast :-).
The picture above was taken there, and luckily the Shark wasn't hungry!!!

On Saturday afternoon, Dad and Colleen took us to "Dimitri's" a wonderful Greek, Italian restaurant. It was explained to me that the family that owns the restarant is Greek and the chef is Italian. John and I shared an awesome Greek salad followed by Beef Gyro's (not Veal). Deeeelicious!! I was real bad and then had a Peanut Butter and Chocolate Ice cream dessert. John had Baklava. Boy were we full.
On top of that, Collen took pictures and I got the giggles (maybe outright guffaws is a better word), when my father kept saying "Feta" everytime we would ask him to say cheese:-). I think they were glad to see this rowdy crew leave!!!


On Sunday we went to church with Dad and Colleen, and then had a belated Mother's Day barbque. Colleens family came and we had a great time.
Before you knew it it was time to head back up to New York.
The drive up took 6 hours, 2 hours longer than usual due to lot's of traffic in Delaware and New Jersey. We pulled in last night about 11 PM.

Hopefully Dad and Colleen will be heading up here to visit early this summer.
I'll post more pictures when I get them.

Some Scriptures That Have Helped Me

As you can see from the title of our blog, "Our Journey of Hope", hope is the mainstay of what John and I are holding on to in what has become a really loooooong journey, much longer than we ever anticipated. John and I are Christians and although I don't quote scripture often, I have collected many scriptures over the last year and a half that have touched me and have helped me cope along the way.

My dream is to share them all with everyone at Renee's dedication ceremony.
Well last month, when referrals only arrived for 2 days worth of log in dates, I couldn't help it, but the despair creeped in. I didn't blog for a long while, because I just felt so "blah", I guess depressed is a better word! I just couldn't bring myself to write about what I was feeling.
During that time, I receive in the mail, a small card from my good friend Dee (who also happens to be the wife of our Pastor). On the front of the card was the following scripture:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope..." Romans 15:13

Inside the card, Dee wrote another scripture that she said helped her through a difficult time in her life, when it was unclear whether she would be able to carry her last pregnancy to term.

"Lord when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer." Psalm 94:19

Oh how these scriptures helped "quiet and renew" me. Yes, as I've said before, there are days that I get very frustrated. The longing for my daughter just dosen't go away. But I am just keeping my eyes fixed on the Lord and doing my best day by day to keep the hope flowing.
Thanks Dee!!!

The CCAA Site Has Been Updated!

The CCAA must be back from vacation, as their site is now updated.

Thank you Rumour Queen for posting it first on your site.
I pray for my April 06 friends that the review date changes very soon as well!

Getting Closer Step By Step

Although the CCAA website still hasn't been updated yet, we know that referrals have gone out as of last week up to the LID of 11/1/05. We're finally through October!! Phew!!!!!!
If you visit the Rumour Queen's web site, you can find a link to the blogs of those who have received their referrals. Lot's of adorable babies!!!!!!
What does this mean to us?? Well, now there is only 142 LID's till 3/22/06.
How long will it take for the CCAA to get there? That's hard to say.
Right now it's at least an 18 month from LID wait. So the earliest we could receive Renee's referral would be September, but, if things continue at the same slow pace, that they have been, then we may not receive Renee's referral till 2008.
Yes the wait is long, it's frustrating, upsetting, etc, etc. but the bottom line is that we are in this for the long haul, no matter how long it takes. At the end of our journey will be our daughter Renee, so no matter how long the journey takes, she will be worth the wait!!!

Thank You Secret Pal!!!!!

Do we have an awesome secret pal or what??? For those who don't know what that means... I have a secret pal who every month sends me the most awesome gifts. Each month is a different theme that has been predetermined by the Yahoo "Marching Pandas" group I belong to. All of us are either DTC (Dossier To China) in March of 2006, or we are LID (Log In Date) in March of 2006. I happened to be both DTC (3/6/06) as well as LID (3/22/06)in March of 06. I've been part of the secret pal swap now since last year, and I have an awesome secret pal, who always out does herself!!
See above at the awesome gifts she has sent me this month. The theme was lady bugs and pandas. Note first on top are lady bug and panda bibs. Between the bibs is the most beautiful skirt for Renee. I giggle every time I hold it up, thinking how wonderful it will be to one day dress Renee in it. Below are a stuffed lady bug, stuffed panda, lady bug toy, and a mesh bag with lady bug suction cups that you use in the bathtub to hold all of Renee's bath toys. Way too cool!! Wait but there's more!!! There's a silverware set in the green plastic package with the panda on it, and I didn't notice this at first, but inside is a child size pair of chop sticks, wow wee!!!! There's also a panda wash cloth and last but never least, my secret pal always sends me a beautiful home made card. This one has lady bugs on it (of course).
I am so lucky. I look forward to the day that my secret pal reveals herself to me. I hope to remain in touch with her for years to come as we finally receive our daughters and can one day tell them about how we met and the wonderful gifts we shared.

Oh Boy!!!!!

Well I said I'd update where we are in regards to when we'll receive Renee's referral. Things have continued to slow down in China. Last month, well actually the beginning of this month (I'm loosing count) the CCAA only referred 2 days worth of referrals. I cried when I saw that. It seemed that for every month that passes, we have been getting no where fast.
I will say, that we both are totally at peace write now about the entire adoption (that's the subject of another post, so stay tuned :)).

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him: and he shall bring it to pass"
Psalm 37: 4-5

Spring is Here in NY, Finally!!

April has been an absolutely horrible weather month, here in NY. We had maybe one or two spring days early in the month, then it stayed cold and rainy, not to mention the "Nor' Easter" that came through about 2 weeks ago. My continued prayers go out to those in New York, Conneticut and New Jersey who are still trying to recover from the flooding.
About a week ago, I believe spring finally arrived. The temperature finally reached 60 degrees and above. With that, the trees and flowers started to bud and bloom.
When I see our Wheeping Cherry tree blossom, then I know spring is finally here.
The sad thing is, that I thought Renee would be here to see this with us this year, but that was not to be, we are still waiting, and probably will for months to come.
I'll talk more about that in future posts.
At any rate, we are so glad that spring is finally here!!!!

Hi, I'm Back!!

I have lot's to post, I have to try to remember it all. so here we go!!

Thank You Karen!

I am so lucky!! I also feel so bad that I haven't posted!!
Thursday, March 22nd, was our 1 Year Log In Date Anniversary .
On that day, I had a busy day scheduled at work. My partner and colleague Karen and I were presenting all day educational sessions to the nurses where we work. We had been working on this project for the last 2 months, and were finally seeing it to fruition!!
Well when I arrived at work that Thursday morning, Karen handed me the above package!
If you'll notice the Lindt chocolates attached!! They were (operative word being were) lady bugs and bugs in general, and were delicious. No, I didn't eat them all myself, John helped :-)!
Inside the package was a lady bug wind sock!!!! that you see above. As soon as John get's a new flag pole (the last one cracked in the wind several months ago) this wonderful wind sock will be flowing in the breeze in front of our home!! Thank you so much Karen. You don't realize how much you have helped me over the last several months. You've kept me sane!!!!!!
Also, a special thank you to Karen's son Bobby, who created the page on the package with the cute picture of the lady bug. You are awesome buddy!!!!!

Would You Believe It's Almost One Whole Year!?!

Take note of the little lady bug above that has been slowly making it's way through the tulips:-).
In 3 days it will be our 1 year LID anniversary. How surreal that feels. I remember counting one month, two months, three.... wow now it's going to be 12 months since we were logged in.
On the bright side we are definitely through the review room, hurray!!! On the not so bright side....how much longer do we have to wait ? The average wait is now up to about 17 months from LID and still climbing. How do I feel about that?? Sometimes I get so angry I want to scream. Sometimes just a few tears make their way down my cheeks when no one is looking.
Both John and I are trying so hard to be patient. We know that the Lord is in control and that everything will work out for His glory. With that being said, that dosen't mean we both are not longing so much for the day we bring our daughter home. And sometimes that longing just takes my breath completely away.
Another frustrating thing, is that we need to reapply for immigration approval, as it will probably expire before we receive Renee's referral. That means another $685.00, not to mention a home study update which includes another set of physicals, PPD's, financial forms.
Oh, and another set of finger prints.
Well, it's time to get to bed, as I hit the ground running at 5:30am, so good night and I'll be back soon!

I know It's Been Awhile!

It's been a rough couple of weeks. After John's Mom's funeral, I just started to feel really, really stressed. That culminated to chest pain that landed me in the hospital at the end of February. We thank God that everything was fine, but that was a wake up call to us both to try to make sure we live healthily, and to try to handle stress better.
We received the paperwork yesterday to reapply to the USCIS for approval as ours will probably expire before we receive Renee's referral.
Good news!! March is completely out of the review room.
More to come.....

So Sad But Thankfully Rejoicing

This past Wednesday, on Valentine's Day, my dear mother-in-law Joy, died to this world and went to be with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. She had been ill for the last couple of years, but the last year had really been tough on her. She died peacefully with my husband at her side.
Our family is in mourning for this remarkable woman, that includes her husband, 3 children, 8 grand-children and 6 great-grand-children! We mourn that we have lost her, but we are joyful as we also know that she is in heaven with our Lord for all eternity. Although Joy had suffered greatly, you could always count on her for a sweet smile and a kind word. She is greatly missed.
Love you Mom,
Sue

Are We Still In Or Are We Out??????????

Note above, that the CCAA has finished the review of dossiers logged in before March 22, 2006.
What is our log in date............ MARCH 22, 2006!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, the question remains.....Is our dossier still being reviewed by the CCAA, or are we out of review????????????????????

Well, if you read the second paragraph, "The CCAA has finished the placement of children whose adoption documents (dossiers) were registered with our office before October, 13, 2005"

What this means is that families with LID's of

up to and including!!!! October 13, 2005 have received their referrals.
So.......based upon that, one might infer that March 22, 2006 is included in those dossiers that have been reviewed by the CCAA.
What does it mean to us to be out of the review room????? We can't describe how happy that makes us, as the next step is the matching room. It means that there were no questions about our dossier, and we're that much closer to meeting Renee (even if it may be months away).
Congratulations to all the families who have just received their referrals. We are so happy for you.
Last but definitely not least!! our friends from church, Dave and Barbara, are in China NOW!!
to meet their daughter Maya, they should see her for the first time on Monday the 5th of Februarly, only 2 days away!!!!!! Our prayers and good wishes are with them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks and Praise To God!!

Have You Seen Any Ladybugs Lately??????

Those of us who are involved in the China adoption process, know the significance of Ladybugs.
The story goes... after the sighting of many Ladybugs, baby referrals were soon to follow and very abundant in number. So......I too have gotten onto the Ladybug bandwagon.
I looked around the house, and noticed some new and some old Ladybugs hanging around :-)

This is a flower pot that I've had for years.

This is a crystal Ladybug I bought recently.

This is a rug that we saw at National Liquidators on Christmas Eve, and I just had to have it!!! It's on the floor in Renee's room.

This is Renee's first bath towel!!! Isn't it cute?? It was given to me by my work partner Karen. Thanks Karen, I love it!!!!!

During my Christmas shopping, I saw this little Ladybug pocket book in Kohl's. Had to have it :-). See the book "10 Little Ladybugs"? My coordinator at work, Mary, gave that to me for Christmas, thanks Mary!!!!

Happy 10 Month LID Anniversary!

Today is the 10th anniversary of our dossier being logged in, in China (at the CCAA).
On one hand it does feel like time has flown by, on the other hand, it also feels like time has ticked by slowly, second by second.
Right now the wait for a referral has increased to at least 16 months from LID (log in date). So, that means that we still have 6+ months to wait. Oh boy!!!!! The Lord is definitely teaching me patience.

Wow, What A Week!

After watching the CCAA website almost hour by hour, it was finally updated on Tuesday night. Congratulations to everyone who received their referrals!! How we look forward to that day!! The CCAA is up to September 27, 2005, and we are March 22, 2006. That means there is approximately 177 days between these 2 dates. Oh boy!!!