Long Time!

I can't believe it has been over two months since my last post... Way too much going on.. In a nut shell...

Has it been a year already??? I can't believe how big little man has gotten over the last year.. We went to Disney the last week in October and had a blast... We celebrated his first birthday and he loved all of the characters even squeezed Mickey, Minnie and Pluto's noses... So many memories and both sets of grandparents were there as well to witness all the fun.

When we got home little man and grandma got sick with the "piggy flu" Not fun but all is well now and every is on the mend...

Now to get ready for the holidays I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week already and then Christmas....

Hope everyone is doing well...

Guessing Game

See if you can guess where we will be going in 44 days!!!! Our airline tickets are booked, hotel reservations made and we already have our dining reservations.

I am so excited I can't wait... We had to postpone our trip last year because "little man" didn't want us to go without him and came a month early...

So we are taking him there for his first birthday.....

Too Long

Has it really been since the beginning of June that I last posted???

I have to admit... I am now on Fac*book and it comes right to my bbery so I don't hit the computer too much when I get home... If anyone knows how to post updates to bl*gger from a bbery let me know!!! :)

So much has been going on I don't even know where to start... Little man is growing like a weed and has been eating us out of house and home... So far the only thing that he really doesn't like are prunes (who can blame him)...

It will be a year ago on the 12th that we met Little Man's birth mom. Our lives have changed so much since he was born and I'm loving every minute of it! I can hardly believe that we will be celebrating his first birthday in a month!!! He isn't walking yet but it is only a matter of time. He is crawling all over and already walks with help or around furniture...


Hope you all enjoyed your summer vacations and had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
Here are a few pictures so that you can see how much he has grown over the summer...

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Sunday!

Happy Memorial Day!!!

It's a whirlwind of baseball, picnics and family gatherings in the Lem household this weekend :) I just hope that the weather cooperates...

Hope that you all have a great long weekend and take time to remember those that have given their lives so that we can live in the country that we do...

Not Too Much Going On

Well... If it would ever get nice and stay that way here in the lovely state of WI...

We really haven't had too much going on in our neck of the woods - We took Hunter to his first baseball game and he had a great time... These pictures were early on in the game...

This is how he felt at the end of the game... Considering they lost - it's how we all felt...




I can't believe how fast he is growing... I'm already buying 12 and 18 month old clothes and he isn't even 6 months yet :)


I'm still getting updates from my April Yah*o group so I'm keeping up on what is going on... We would have had our 2 year long in date on the 24th... As I thought about it passing I was really sad that we would not be realizing our dream of going to China - but I'm so thankful for the gift that God has given us...


Each day brings something new... Rolling over, holding his own bottle, baby talk, turning pages of the books when we read to him... Not to mention eating... Which he loves to do... So far oatmeal cereal and bananas are a hit, but he doesn't seem to mind everything else that we have given him...


He is also our little drool monster... It's like he's a faucet that you can't turn off... I'm guessing that he will be cutting some teeth pretty soon because he is constantly chewing and gumming things in his mouth... With that brings colds that he loves to pass onto mom and dad... So we were all down for the count the last couple two weeks... But I'm happy to report that we are on the mend thanks to some wonderful cough meds that the doctor gave me...



I'm also looking at upgrading our camera so any suggestions that you might have I'd appreciate it...

Play Ball!!!!

It is officially the start of spring!!!! Baseball is starting here today!!! Go Brew*rs!!!! We are getting ready to tailgate, play some corn hole, and eat lots and lots of food!!!

Hope you all have a great Friday!!!

Final Appointment

It's supposed to be wordless Wednesday but....

Today we had our final appointment with our domestic agency social worker. We signed the paperwork for her to submit to the court so that we can be named as the "official" parents to Hunter... I can't tell you what a huge relief this is... Now we just have to wait for the court date... Let's just hope that they don't drag it out for an extended period...

While she was here we also updated our home study paperwork (just in case we want to proceed with another domestic adoption). We talked about so many things - that by the time she left I was so happy to just hold and hug Hunter and be thankful that he has come into our lives :)

As I look thru all of my bloggerville friends sites and catch up... Many of them are getting referrals or are currently in China - I feel a sense of loss for pulling out of the China program with our China agency but I know that it was the best thing to do for our family. (to clarify if you didn't know... While we were waiting we pursued a concurrent domestic adoption with another agency and are now the parents to a wonderful little boy)

I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter!

Look what I just found coming up in the yard :)

Is it a sign of weather to come????

Happy Friday

The countdown to opening day is on... The Brew*rs open their season next Friday and we are going to the game... I just hope that we have some really nice spring weather.... Is it too much to ask for sun and 50 degrees :)

With opening day that means Jeff's team will be starting their season soon... Can't wait to bring the newest fan to the games :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

mother nature's cruel joke

Well this weekend mother nature dumped 6 more inches of snow on us here in Wisconsin.... Can I just say how tired of snow I am... We just got rid of it and now it's back... Can I just have some warm weather!!!! Is that too much to ask????

Jeff is having his guy day party at our house this weekend and they were supposed to be outside for some boccie ball and hoops but that is all up in the air now.... Does anyone know how to get rid of snow fast... (I think the dogs were down in the basement playing with our weather device again)

I haven't been posting too much lately... Have been really busy with Hunter, work and life in general... Jeff got me the new bbery st*m for xmas and I love it so my latest addiction seems to to be facebo*k... If any of you are on it let me know and I'll send you a friend request...

To all of my bloggerville friends who have received their referrals - I am soooo happy for all of you... Although Jeff and I will no longer be on the China journey with you - we still share the adoption community in common and will be living our China dream thru you all.... :)

Hope you are all doing well... We are doing great and I can't believe how big Hunter is getting... I will keep the pictures coming as the camera is never too far away.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Spring!

Well it has finally warmed up here in Wisconsin. It has been raining here all day today and the snow is finally melted - it was actually in the 50's :)

We have been so busy with the little guy - I can't believe that he is already 4 months old... Time goes by so fast!!! We had his four month check up and the doctor is very happy with all of his measurements.... Did I mention that the clothes that I'm buying now for the summer are 12 / 18 months... He is getting so long the actual size is too small for him.

Thank you so much to our secret pal - who isn't so secret :) Just wanted to let you know that I received your package (I'll post pictures but just wanted to send a quick over due thank you)

Hope you are all well... Even though I'm not posting much I'm still reading and following along - I so happy for all of the women who have accepted referrals in the last month - it makes me happy knowing that you are all following your dreams to your daughters :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you all have a great day with your special Valentine....

Decision Made....

Well we did it...

We made the decision to put our China file on "suspension" with our agency in MI. After Jeff and I talked everything over we just have some serious reservations with the state the agency is in at this point and really wonder if they will even be around in two to three years...

It was very difficult to make that final decision, but we think that it is the best thing for us to do at this point. We will continue to update our home study, fingerprints and I-600 as they come due with our agency here in WI and if and when the CC*AA gets to us in review and have any questions on our dossier then we will reconsider paying the fees to them...

So with that said... I hope you all don't mind if I still follow your journeys and that you still visit us as I will continue to post things going on with us and Hunter...

Since we are headed in a different direction at least for now - It looks like I need to come up with a new look and header for our blog... Any suggestions????

Good morning

Just too cute for words....

This is what just greeted me when I walked into the room upon hearing a lot of talking :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Happy Monday!

It is a happy Monday.... I didn't have to work today and got to spend the entire day with Hunter and we are finally above the zero degree temperatures that we had last week!!! What more could I want :)

Well I called our agency today and spoke to our China contact... I didn't get very far with her but I was able to express my frustration with their new fee structure and how they are implementing it...

I told them that we were not going to be paying the $1000 by February 1st (what I really wanted to tell her was where they could shove the new fees but I didn't) and that I didn't see how they could expect families that were going to be in the program for a while because China has been so slow to pay the fees indefinitely... She didn't have a good response, but told me that we should write a letter to the director of the agency (like that will do any good!)

She told me that we could look into special needs to shorten our wait time... I reminded her that it wasn't an option for us because of their birth order requirement... When I asked her what happen if we paid the fees and they went out of business then what - again no good answer other than they are doing the fee structure so they don't go out of business - guess what I wanted to say at that point... :)

Jeff and I are going thru our agreement to see if what they are doing is legal - but I'm really not sure that there is much that can be done..

Thanks for letting me vent! Hope you all have a great week!

New direction???

I am very torn right now... We had to take part in a conference call this week with our agency in Michigan (that is our international agency)... To say the least I am very angry, disappointed, and confused about what we should do.

Our agency is not closing but they are now going to impose additional fees that everyone in their adoption program (both domestic and international) will need to pay - they say the fees are to keep up with the continued costs... $1000 by February 1st, and then up to $500 on a quarterly basis going forward until the adoption is finalized...

Now you see why I'm torn... I was fine letting things ride along and just updating our finger prints, home study, and I-600 (all things that you have to pay for as well) as they expired, but I think these fees are just ridiculous considering you aren't getting anything for it other than being in the program..

I don't know what to do... That is a lot of money and with there being no end in sight in China - heck we aren't even out of the Review Room yet! I have a really hard time justifying staying in the program with them - especially when we had such a great experience with Hunter's agency and could use that money to go thru another domestic adoption with them...

When we started this entire process over three years I had dreams of going to China for our little girl. Now I just don't know what direction we are headed... I just thank God that Hunter and his birthmom came into our lives....

Sorry for the rambling but it's just disappointing and I can't imagine what other couples are going thru who don't have any other options..

Stay warm!!! It's -10 below here today with -35 below wind chills all the schools are closed for the second day in a row... Hunter and I are staying inside in our pj's :)

Happy New Year!

We just wanted to wish everyone a happy healthy new year!!!

With the holidays over things are starting to get back to "normal" only I don't know where all the time goes during the day or week! We are getting hit with more snow today - At this rate we will have more snow than we did last year!!! Which by the way was a record high!!! So to make it a little easier I'm playing some tropical music on the site :)

We took Hunter for his two month check up and he is growing like a little weed! He is over 12 pounds and just about 24 inches long already... If his hands are any indication on how big he is going to be Jeff and I are in trouble :) But from Jeff's standpoint "you can't teach height"

Hope you are all doing well... Not much else is going on here... I promise to post pictures of Hunter's room as soon as it is finished... One of Jeff's players is doing some art work on the walls Disn*y theme :) (like you couldn't guess that one)

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to post a quick hello and say Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

I hope that you all had a blessed Christmas this year... Our holiday was VERY special with the new little gift in our lives... It is so funny how kids change your lives for the better :)

Watching our nieces help Hunter open his presents this year was priceless and I can't wait to see him when he actually knows what is going on :) I hope that Santa was good to you all!

The Wait is Over

Jeff and I would like to introduce you all to our new son...

Hunter L*gan

Born at 3:15 am!

Weighed in at 6 lbs. 7 oz.

19 1/2 inches long

1 mo. check up

9 lbs. 2 oz.

22 3/4 inches long

(I can't wait to see the changes in him at his 2 month check up!)

Sorry to keep you all hanging for so long... But we ran into a road block on the first court date and it got delayed. After some nervous moments and a lot of calls/emails to the social workers and attorney the termination hearing happened and there is no going back now... We are officially Hunter's parents!

We are just so happy that everything is over and it will definitely be a wonderful Christmas in our house this year!

I can't begin to tell you how much he has changed our lives in the short two months that he has been with us... (I still can't believe that they let us take him home - I still pinch myself to make sure that it is real and that I'm not dreaming...)

If you had told me at this time last year that we would have a baby in our house by Christmas in '08 I would have laughed and said "ya right there is no way that China will speed up that fast". But when we found this agency and started talking to them we realized that it could happen. We just didn't think that it would be this fast!

We were very fortunate that they allowed us to use the home study and education credits that we had already done with our international agency... We just had to do some updates so that the study would comply with the domestic side.

I can't say enough wonderful things about Hunter's birth mom... She is a very special young lady who made some very courageous choices and has given Jeff and I the best gift that anyone could give us.

Since most domestic adoptions are open and it is the birth parent who chooses the adoptive parents, we did get to meet her and have had open conversations with her. We were able to get to the hospital shortly after Hunter was born so we have basically been there from the beginning.

As I sit here and type, I realized that I started this blog just over a year ago with the intention that it was going to document our journey to our daughter in China. Never in my dreams did I think that I was going to meet so many amazing people that would touch our lives the way you all have.

You never really know what God has in store for you and what path he may lead you down. But I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason and that that we all have a special purpose in life...

I am sure that some of you are wondering if we are going to stay in the China program. At this point we are in for the long wait. We just updated our paperwork, finger prints etc. so we don't really have to make any decisions until things start to expire again next year. In my heart I want to believe that things will speed up for everyone... I just don't think that they can continue to make people put their lives/dreams on hold because of government red tape. I hope that they will start to do what is right for the children and bring them to the loving homes that they all deserve.

Jeff and I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Try to stay warm out there in blogerville!!! This is what is posted on our local weather station - looks like we will be staying inside making cookies today!!!

***WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT***UNTIL 12PM TOMORROW FOR ALL OF SE WISCONSIN.
TODAY: Very windy, bitterly cold, with blowing snow and scatteredsnow showers developing towards the afternoon. Increasingcloudiness with little additional accumulation. Highs: 7 lakefront... 3 inland. Wind: W 20-30 MPH gusting over 40 MPH at times. Wind Chills: 15-35 below. (yes that does say 15 to 35 below - I want to know how you can go that far below ZERO!!!)

Snowy Saturday!

It's snowing outside - what a surprise~ It seems like that is all it has been doing lately other than being cold! I guess mother nature wants to beat the snow total that we had last year.

We are having a lazy Saturday morning - we are still in our pj's... The little guy is sitting on his little boppy while I type looking out the window at the snow... Too cute :) Over the last month he has changed and grown sooo much! When I was getting him dressed yesterday - I was putting him in an outfit that I swear he wore last week and it is too small! I'm just going to blame it on the dryer he can't be growing that fast :)

Tonight we are taking him for his first hockey game in Madison... So we will see how that goes - I'm guessing he will love it as he loves being around places that are noisy and bright... I've been trying to work on the sieve chant with him while he sits here...

Can I just say how much fun we have been having since this little bundle of joy came into our lives... I will post more about him and how he came into our lives after everything is finalized :)

Hope you all have great weekends!

Happy Holiday Season

Not much going on here except the long wait until the tpr hearing... It was put off from last week due to the lovely snow storm that we had here - so we wait and wait anxiously...

Side bar they received the birth father's paperwork so that is the bright side to look at this week!

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and are having fun getting ready for Christmas!!!

By the way don't forget that St. Nick comes tonight! Have the kids get their lists together and hang the stockings :)

Week 3 Begins

Sleep deprivation has set in for both Jeff and I... It is nice to see that he can sleep in the middle of the day!!! He definitely likes to eat - A LOT! He is also up to 21 inches as of his doctor appointment last week... (So Jeff might just get his little basketball player after all)

I'm almost ready to reveal Little Lem's nursery - it's a jungle theme.... The nursery used to be my "closet" so I have been displaced to another area of the house that used to be our guest bedroom... Let's put it this way - it is a good thing that we have a donation pick up next week. I've been doing a lot of purging! Since he was so early we have still been getting things situated around the house....

The rocker was delivered yesterday and Jeff put it all together last night... so it is now set up in the corner ready to be used... :)

Some of you have been asking for his name... I promise that I will update all of you once the termination hearing is completed... Right now we are considered foster parents and the birth parents can change their mind up until the court date so please say your prayers for all of us :)

Very Tardy Thanks to our 7th Diamond Pal

I am sorry for the very tardy post of thanks to our 7th Diamond Secret Pal... She has sent some very nice gifts for our Little "China" Lem.... Thanks for being so thoughtful to our little daughter...

Happy Halloween - just a few days late... :)

Introducing

We would officially like to introduce our son.... This picture was taken right after his bath shortly after the birth...

He came into the world last week Tuesday at 3:19 am weighing in at 6lbs 7oz 19 1/2 inches long.

Haven't had much time to post as Jeff and I are very sleep deprived... Does anyone know where the reset button is... As he likes to be wide awake from 3 am to 6 am... :)

I have to say - I can't believe that he is actually here and in my arms... I asked the nurses when he was being discharged if there was an owners manual that came with him - they laughed and said that we would be fine... The stand and sway kicked in right away :)

and oh by the way.... Well worth missing the trip to Disney... Just means that we will have to plan a trip in the future with the little one :)

And We Wait

We are now playing the waiting game.... We postponed our trip to Disney as the doctor highly recommended that we not travel because he thinks that she will go some time this week...

As I told our social worker a couple of weeks ago - if the baby came while we were in Disn*y it just meant that he wanted to come with...

We are still moving things around in the house and have been working on the room... The crib came the other day and Jeff put it together... Made it sink in that this was really going to happen :)

I'll keep you posted when we hear anything... In the meantime, our bag is packed just in case we get the call and the car seat is in the car waiting for the new arrival..

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

What A Day!

The title line says it all!!!! Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions and not even being on Space Mountain or Everest!!!

This morning at 10:30 am I got a call from our social worker for the birth mom saying that she was on her way to the hospital for the second time in the last day & a half (yes you can re read what I typed)... (Can you say not ready yet.... baby room isn't done, crib isn't here yet, shower doesn't happen for another two weeks.... Supposed to leave for Disney on Friday!!!) YIKES!!!! :)

She was having contractions that were about 5 minutes apart this morning.. This was after last night being at the hospital getting a shot to stop the contractions that were 4 to 5 min apart being told that she is 2 cm dilated, stop taking the meds that she was on for contractions and them sending her home.. (oh by the way was told she is now 37 weeks, baby has dropped and that they didn't think that they would try and stop the contractions if they came anymore)

Question here..... Do I leave work go home pack a suitcase, get some baby things together and head out or do I stay put and wait for the sw to call me back with some updates on if they are admitting her or not...

Well I stayed at work.... wasn't very productive even though I have a ton to get done if I'm going to be out a month earlier than planned.... Didn't get a call back from the sw until this afternoon... I guess they gave her a shot for the pain and sent her home... Doc didn't come in so no update on if she is dilated anymore....

Can you say anxious! Came home tonight and have been on a tear around the house.... Cleaning, getting packed (just in case), making lists so I don't forget anything, running out to get some baby things because of course I have nothing for a little boy (nothing that a little retail therapy didn't help)... and still on pins and needles (and rambling on in my post tonight) sorry for the blabbing but just needed to vent a little :)

Any suggestions on what I should bring to the hospital??? We will be given the baby pretty soon after the birth and if there is a room available at the hospital we will be staying there as well..

Have a great night everyone!!! My phone will be on just in case the sw gets another call and I have to run out the door :)

Hugs!

Going to Disney

We are getting ready for our Disney trip... Thinking about it this morning and this will be our last trip there as a twosome... We don't leave until Friday which is fine because we have so much to do before we leave..... ie finish the baby room, work stuff because if mama goes early that changes the work plan that we have laid out, clean the house, rake all the leaves outside...

If you are going to be in the Disney let me know... :)

Going shopping today... So if you have any suggestions on what must have baby items I need send them my way :)

Details...

Okay I've made you all wait long enough...

It is true Jeff and I have a little one on the way and by the looks of the countdown clock coming in 35 days... That is if the birthmom holds out until her due date...

While we waited and waited for China we decided to look into some other options and we found a wonderful agency for a domestic adoption... We completed our profile in August and just met the birthmom about 4 weeks ago... Talk about fast!!! Our heads are still spinning!!!

I can't believe that in the middle of November we are going to be parents to a baby boy!

So since we found out we have been shopping (credit cards are getting a workout), trying to get the room ready not to mention get the rest of the house in order...

And oh by the way we leave for Disney next week!!! Yikes Just hope that she doesn't go into labor while we are gone... :)

So any suggestions that you want to offer up - I'm all ears... My head is spinning try to decide what car seat, stroller, crib, monitor etc... I get dizzy when I'm at B*bies*R*Us and Targ*t looking at everything...

Ready or not we are going to be parents in a month!

On a side note we are staying in the China program... At least for now.... They have to speed up right?????

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Announcement!!!

From the music I think that you can tell that Jeff and I have an announcement to make... If you look in our side bar there is a little count down clock see if you can guess what we are doing... :)

We couldn't officially say anything until all family members were notified...

Hello Blog World

Sorry that I have been MIA for such a long time... I didn't realize that it had been over a month since I last posted... Our server/email at home officially died and Jeff put an order in for a new one... (I don't know what that all means all I know is that I haven't had access to my email/blog/yahoo for over a month at home and feel very out of the loop - and I can't check any of those at work since the block the sites)..

We have had a lot going on here in our family since I last posted... I promise to fill you all in but just can't announce anything just yet.... Maybe the suspense will get you to come back :)

Hope you are all doing well.... I have so much catching up to do with all your blogs can't wait to read what is going on in your world!!!