HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE !!! enjoy your day

Happy Sunday
Tomorrow is Daves birthday. He has wanted to take a family picture for some time now but it is difficult to get the three of us together to have picture time. Today we were able to do that- so look back soon for the finished product... Dave has to get us beautified (photoshopped) first. Tonight we are going to Old Mission Tavern for birthday dinner. YUMM!!

A sign from the Lady-bug!?
Last night I was looking at a beautiful book from a charitable organization called Love without Bounderies. the websight is www.lovewithoutboundaries.com The book features families and their adopted Chinese children, stories, pictures,etc. Anyway, while I was looking at this book dreaming of our someday referral, a lady-bug landed on the page I was reading. Now, if you don't know the lady-bug story it goes like this... a lady-bug is the Chinese adoption sign of good luck and when you see one it means a referral is coming. I know our referral is still a long way off, so what could I make of this sign.? I counted the spots on the lady-bug and (after 3 countings) came up with 17 each time. Now, I am not a superstitious person but I am willing to consider crazy things like a lady-bug landing on a book I'm looking at relating to Chinese adoption. As a result, I have decided to add a counter to the blog with 17 months as a hopeful time frame. Pray and keep your fingers (and toes) crossed.
Love to all

Last friday we made a roadtrip to Grand Rapids for re-fingerprinting. Did you know that fingerprints expire?! Explain that one to me!! The immigration employee told me that the records are destroyed every 15 months. Yeh right! The FBI destroying their own records, sure but citizen identification records -I don't think so. Anyway, the re-printing is complete and we will likely be doing it again in another 15 months. The wait continues.
Because of the excessive wait times we are exploring doing a special needs adoption if that would be possible. It would mean starting over with another agency because our agency does not have a special needs program with most countries. We would hope to do an interim adoption and maintain our dossier with China.
Stay warm- the temp here is in the single digits expected to last several days with lots of snow on the way.
all my best,
Kari

Happy New Year
We enter 2008 with hopeful hearts and many prayers that a miracle will happen and we wil be blessed with a daughter or two. We will be busy preparing a bedroom for Jessi and continuing to organize and make our home what we envision it to be. I have been involved in a couple of yahoo groups for adoptive families. One group is for those whose paperwork was logged in at CCAA Oct. 06 and the other group is a quilt making group called One-hundred good wishes quilt (OHGWQ) group. Members of that group are in various stages of Chinese Adoption and are making a quilt of 100 squares. Fabric swaps for squares are themed and usually have about 10-25 individuals per swap. A 10x10 piece of fabric and wish for the adoptee are sent. They are called "squishes" ( a square and a wish). I now have enough to start my quilt and will be hoping to complete it this year. I have so many wonderful wishes and beautiful fabric squares I may post some of them in the future.
I now have my own cross country skis and Dave and I hope to get some exercise and enjoy the beautiful northern Michigan winter. With 200 acres of conservancy land accross the street and our own 4 1/2 acres we really have no excuse to get out.
Speckman Photography is doing well and keeping Dave very busy. We have benefitted with a few very sophisticated candles from a new company he is shooting for: Black and Light( www.blackandlightco.com ). New clients are in the works for 2008 and we feel blessed that Dave is doing so well with the business after less than 2 years. Chek out his web page at www.speckmanphoto.com .
Kaitlin is happy and continuing to work at Poppycocks restaurant downtown TC and attending college at Northern Michigan college.
We hope all is well with you and your families and we wish all of you many blessing and Peace for the new year.
Dave and Kari

Today we refiled our I-600A application. This is our pre-approval for Immigration to be able to adopt a foreign child. It has an expiration of 15 months so must be renewed before January 18th.

Good News,
Our paperwork (Dossier) is officially out of review at the CCAA. We are good to go and just have to wait and keep our immigration approval current.
Blessings,
Kari

good morning,
We are enjoying a windy and potentially snowy day here in northern Michigan. Very thank-ful we all have 4-wheel drive!
I have started a timeline of our progress to China. Its a little bit confusing because it actually reads most recent first. So start at the bottom of the list and work up. I guess my brain must work backwards, after-all I do read a magazine from back to front. Oh-well.

Wow, It has been a long time since the last posting. Fourteen months and counting since our log in date (LID) to the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA). That means that our paperwork made it to China on October 1, 2006. At that time the wait for a referral was about 14 months. For those who received referrals this month (Dec. 07) the wait was 24 months. The CCAA has slowed to a crawl the number of days referred every month and doing the rough math, we may have another 3-4 years to wait. Meanwhile our immigration approval will expire in January and we are currently in the process of renewing that approval, officially called the I-600A. Our social worker updated our home study last month (in our new house- more on that to follow). We get one free renewel so we will get that in this month. I will update progress as it comes.

Meanwhile, much has been happening here in Michigan, We sold our house in Maple City, baught a house in Williamsburg, MI- just ease of Traverse City, Dave and I now have a shorter dirve to work and live on a sunny farm - with a big red barn! We have 4.5 acres with a beautiful countryside view and lakes on either side of us. Our new house is large enough for a growing (hopefully) family with plenty of room for visiting family and friends- so please come.
More to come...

well hello,
Its been awhile since my last posting. Time continues to tick by slowly. Our dossier was logged into the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) on Oct. 1, 2006. This is known as the log-in-date (LID). From now until referral we will not hear anything... Except that the wait may continue to lengthen-- hopefully not. Our current wait is 16- 17 months from LID for a referral. This currently puts us into Feb. 08. We will continue to be patient and pray for no further delays.

Just a quick update to let everyone know where in the adoption process we are. Our paperwork is in China. It was logged into the China center for adoption on Oct. 1, 2006. The current wait from log-in date is 14-15 months. Sadly, that is up from the 8-10 month wait estimated back in January 2006. This means we should recieve a referral by the end of next year and travel to China in February 2008. The wait continues. Please keep us in your prayers.
God bless and a Happy New Year to all.

Well everyone, remember Anabelle? She is the cat Kaitlin got before Dave and I got married. She eventually went to live on the farm of one of my coworkers. About 2 weeks ago that coworker asked if we wanted her back. Her long fur was terribly matted and it was decided that she couldn't live on the farm anymore. so... we got her back and she has made several overnight trips to the vet. First, she needed vacinations, then she needed a shaving, (think Dr. Evils cat Mr.Bigglesworth). Next, she was discovered to be suffering a Urinary tract infection, put on an anti-biotic, and then found to be severely allergic to said anti-biotic. Dehydrated, lethargic, not eating, and covered with sores on her back we didn't think she would make it. One more overnight trip to the vet, her anti-biotic changed, she now seems to be a new cat. She is eating and adventuring around the house. We are mostly keeping her isolated from the dogs at this time. So far she is doing well. Will keep you updated.

I'm still trying to figure out how to use this sight and link it up with other sites of those adopting from China. ... more to come - I hope
Kari

starting our journey