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10 Weeks, but the nursery is FINALLY ready!!

Before the turkey dinner

Finally, the "After" pictures--no more boxes!!
Picture above crib
Picture over dresser/changing table

Everybody at work on Thanksgiving Day!!
Even Daddy got in on the act!!
Grandma and Aunt Lisa taking a breather
The crib all put together
Beautiful Laura Ashley crib bedding

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! We had a really nice weekend. After Thanksgiving dinner, everybody pitched in to put the nursery furniture together--finally (it's been sitting on the floor in boxes for over a month now). It was a great way to spend turkey day!! Next year we can tell Haylie we put her bed together on Thanksgiving Day--hah!! My mom, sisters, me, my sisters boyfriend Pete, and yes even Rich all worked together to get the crib and dresser put together. I really love it--it turned out just the way I had hoped it would. Now we just need little Haylie to move in--it's all ready for her, and so are we. Well actually, the room is only HALF finished. One half is the beautiful nursery you see above, the other half is still Daddy's office that we will start moving into the other bedroom this week.

Today makes 10 weeks since we were in Novokuznetzk, not that we are counting or anything. We are praying that we get the word sometime this week about the court date. I know I've been sounding like a broken record, but its really getting down to crunch time now for us. If it goes much longer we will be there over the holidays, and the US Embassy shuts down between Christmas and New Years, so we would have to sit in Moscow after the court date, waiting til it reopened. Or, the other scenerio is that it could be after the holidays, and Rich (who has been off on sabbatical all fall) has to go back to work the first week of January. Soooo, needless to say, we really are anxious to hear something this week. We are really trying to be optimistic, but know the reality is that this could take longer than we want it too. I know it will all happen in God's time, but have to keep telling myself that constantly.

9 weeks waiting!!

Well, it's been a long 9 weeks since we were in Russia and now waiting for a court date. I must check my email and cell phone 20 times a day to see if we have gotten a call about the court date. Since I never got a reply to my email, I finally broke down yesterday and called our Adoption Ark coordinator to see if she'd heard anything. She also said we are waiting on the "release letter". Seems it was supposedly sent from the region to Moscow, then has to be sent back to Kemerovo before the judge will appoint a court date. Evidently the Russian mail system leaves a lot to be desired, and can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks to receive. She told me legally, the judge had up to 2 months!! to set the date, after they get the release letter. I about died, this was the first I had heard of this. She did say that that USUALLY didn't happen, and most of the time they set the date quickly after getting the letter. Funny thing is, our letter and the couple we went with, Stacy and Dave, letters went in at the same time. Luckily for them, theirs is already back and they are going next week to get little Alexander. Everyone please say prayers for us that we will get our date soon and be able to go get Haylie.

Hope everybody has a wonderful Turkey day. We had so hoped to be getting packed to go by Thanksgiving, but guess it's just not meant to be. But I just try to remember that next Thanksgiving, we will most assuredly have something most wonderful to be thankful for (not that we don't already!!) because Haylie will be with us to celebrate. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Surprise Baby Shower!!!

My sister Lisa and the beautiful table

Friends and family lined up for the goodies

What an adorable cake!!!

My wonderful mother and sisters and my mom's best friend Betty went together and gave me a surprise baby shower for Haylie on Saturday. It was the best baby shower ever!! It was soooo nice and I had such a good time. They had invited lots of old friends, many of whom I used to work with but hadn't seen in a long time, as well as some sweet family who live in Indiana. Also, several of my dear friends from work and church came. It was so nice to see all these dear people I hadn't seen in a while, and of course the shower made it even nicer!! We got so many nice gifts. Haylie will certainly be the best dressed little girl around--I can't wait to try all the outfits on her.

I want to thank my dear mom and sisters, Marcia and Lisa, and Betty for all the hard work. I absolutely loved it--it couldn't have been nicer. I really was surprised, but I must admit I got a little suspicious that something was going on when Lisa told me to "wear something nice, like dress pants" to go to a movie. That was what I thought we were going to be doing, and guess she didn't want me showing up at the shower in my old sweatpants (which by the way would have been a great possibility.) Thanks too to Bobbi Jo, my dear friend from work who I see everyday, for all your help and for keeping it all a secret--she never let on once that anything was going on.


PS Look closely at the cake and you can see a great picture of my girl (I know I'm not supposed to post pictures, but I'm gonna live dangerously--it's only cake!!)

Look at the "Time Waiting" Ticker

Hah, I just noticed on the Lilypie Time Ticker above that we have been waiting for Haylie for exactly 9 months and 1 day today!!! I think it's hilarious. I sent the signed contract into Adoption Ark to get the whole thing rolling on February 14, 2007. If I'd been pregnant with her, it would be time for her to be born....guess by the time we actually get her and the adoption finalized she will be "overdue". I've heard people call international adoption a "paper pregnancy"--well, guess we are right on track!!

Waiting 8 Weeks

Well, it's been 8 weeks now since our first trip to Russia. We got the news earlier this week that the couple we traveled with, Dave and Stacy have gotten their court date for November 29. I am soooooo happy for them. I've kind of been waiting with baited breath all week for a phone call from Adoption Ark for our court date too, since they got theirs. I finally couldn't stand it any longer and emailed our coordinator in Chicago. All she had to say was that we were still waiting on a "release letter" to get a date and that she would let me know if she heard anything. Not what I wanted to hear obviously. This waiting gets harder every day!!! I keep reading on the web message boards about others getting their court dates--seems like about 5 families got their dates last week. I try not to be jealous, but can't help wish it was us too. There has also been several posts about people loosing their referral right before their second trip, and so now I'm worried to death that something will happen and we won't be able to get our Haylie. We certainly don't have the best luck in the world, and I'm really scared our bad luck will come through in this matter and something will happen that we won't get Haylie.

Oh, well I'll get off of the pity potty and show you our first official baby gift. The sweet doctor I work with bought this for us way back when we first started the process, and planned to give it to me at a shower. But she was so excited, and said she couldn't wait for the shower, so went ahead and gave it to me. It is so adorable, I can't wait to see Haylie riding the rocking horse. It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but there is also a little blanket, bottle, pacifier, shirt, teddy bear, and a bib with "Haylie" embroidered on it. I just LOVE it!!