Keep your fingers crossed

The good news of Friday was that I think my doctor from California signed the paper that we needed and it was faxed to our home study office. This is very good news! Of course, I can't be quite certain of it so that's a little frustrating. Here's the details:

I've been politely stalking my doctor's office all week via phone about this paper which I had faxed to them. Apparently we have different ideas about what the word "urgent" means...

On Friday I talked to one receptionist and asked her about the paperwork. She said, "Oh yes. It's been signed." I asked her if it had been faxed to the social worker's office yet. She said, "Is that what we were supposed to do?" I made irritated faces into my cell phone, but continued to be polite and explain that yes it needed to be faxed to the social worker's office and if they still had the cover letter that I sent with it that it had the phone number on it. She said yes it did and she'd go fax it right away.

Yay!!! That made us very very happy. Andrew and I hugged and had a happy little moment. I tried to call the home study office, but they close at noon on Friday's which has caused me no end of grief (to my way of thinking) because it seems like everything happens late Friday afternoon. So, I wasn't able to follow up and see if it had reall been faxed. I sent our worker an email because before she has responded to me lots of times during her off hours, which is not required (hence the "off hours"), but which I love. Unfortunately, not this time.

Then, alas, :) I realized that I hadn't told the receptionist (again) that the paper needed to be copied onto letterhead. It said so on the cover letter, but it was pretty obvious they didn't really read that. I called back and was speaking to a different receptionist and when I explain what I needed she said that she'd "check into it and call if she had any questions". I grudgingly agreed. She never called so I'm guessing/hoping that she was able to figure it out.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but it really was not a complicated request. Technically, and it said so in my cover letter, that it needed to be copied onto office letterhead BEFORE the doctor filled it out and signed it. It doesn't sound like they did that and I'm hoping it won't be a problem. The good news is that he signed it so even if there are some details that still need to be worked out he should sign it again.

I don't think at this point we can have our home study done by Christmas, but I'm hoping we can at least have our interviews done by then. I'm really hoping that they can interview my friend who has to be interviewed in person by Thursday!! Otherwise she's leaving until after Christmas and we won't even be able to start until then!!

So here are our goals (always subject to revision revision revision)

My friend interviewed by 12/10
3 Interviews for us by 12/18
Homestudy done by early January
Dossier done by end of January

I think our dossier goal is probably a little...okay, a lot...unrealistic because we have to turn in government paperwork, be invited to be fingerprinted, and then get that paperwork back. I think it could easily be the end of February before we have that back, but let's all pray for speedy dossier-work!

Book Review To-Be

I LOVE to read. Always have. Always will. Some of my best memories of childhood involve books. We always had a ton of them around and my mom had to invent the rule for me that I wasn't allowed to check out more books from the library than I could carry by myself.

My dad used to take the four of us girls to the mall (to give my mom a break) and the highlight of the trip was the bookstore. We were all allowed to buy a book and on the way home Dad would juryrig the lights so that the ceiling light closest to him would go out, but the one in the back would stay on and we would all read all the way home.

I remember the first book I read while relaxing in the bathtub (Trixie Belden, anyone?) and some books just instantly bring up my childhood (Little House on the Prarie, Island of the Blue Dolphin, Babysitter's Club, and I could seriously go on and on). My mom used to help me pick out books and I moved to adult mysteries by 6th grade (Mary Higgins Clark, Robin Cook and more). I still love to read and in the bathtub to relax away the evenings, but I don't get to do it quite as often anymore.

Since having kids I've become a parenting book junkie. Really. I love to read parenting books and see what people have to say and compare it to my own methods. I'll read just about anyone. There are definitely people that I prefer to read and agree with and people who make me taste bile when I read. As one would expect, these days my tastes are running more and more to adoption literature. 

Being concise is not my strong point, sorry...

So, here was an entire post to tell you that I'm going to start sharing my opinion on various books that I'm reading.

Good Tidings

No word from the doctor yet. Stupid head. Enough of that. I'm thinking good thoughts today because we got news about Little Miss today. And a happy surprise. :) See, that's a happy face.

So, we have the privilege of sending Little Miss a "Welcome Album" and that's when they'll tell her about her new family. I made ours on Shutterfly and we got it in the mail today and let me just say: IT IS FREAKING AWESOME! Seriously. It looks amazing. It looks way better than I thought it was going. It really looks like a book. It's beautifully printed. It just looks great. I am so happy with it. I'm so happy we get to send it to her to introduce us. She should have it by Ethiopian Christmas so that's great.

Next, we got an email from Holt about our Little Miss. No pictures, but I love to read about her. I love to imagine her growing and learning. Of course, I always imagine her doing these things in MY house. All things in time though.

Let's hear about Little Miss (as of October at 17 months):

• She's getting bigger. She now weighs 22 pounds and is 28 inches tall. She's still a little thing, but wait until Peanut introduces her to chocolate.... :)
• She is walking steadily and physically active
• She is starting to use a spoon to feed herself
• She clings to her caretakers
• She likes to scribble and is refining her fine motor skills
• She can find and name body parts on herself and others
• She is using two or more words in sentences and is learning new words weekly
• She can follow two step directions and do simple tasks and errands
• Understands feelings and tantrums sometimes when displeased :) (don't we all sweetheart?!)

These are the best parts. When the caregivers were asked to describe her personality this is what they said:

• "She is funny, active, and alert."
• "She has good relationships with her caregivers."
• "She is such an adorable and playful child."

That's our girl!!