It's not here

It's now passed the day of our "homestudy to USCIS" and my date has been skipped. We have no idea what is going on, but it's looking like our homestudy did not make it to Atlanta. So, well...guess we've done 10 weeks of waiting in vain.

oh...my....gosh.....

Still waiting...

but hopefully for not much longer!!!

Today, someone I know who is a day ahead of me at the USCIS office with their paperwork got their 171h form!!! Hopefully this means tomorrow or Monday for my own.

Please...please...please...please!

Yes I was a band geek in high school

I had a good chat with a friend last night, who was also a band geek. We compared music we loved playing, fight songs, etc. :)

We both agreed that Russian Christmas Music was awesome. Chorale and Shaker Dance was fun but not as hard as Russina Christmas Music. Then, she had a fight song stuck on her mind (not Rocky Top or other Univ. of Tennessee fight songs), and I thought of "Washington and Lee Swing". Yes, that was it. LOL It was my high school fight song (which is how our whole conversation got started in the first place).

Well, the piece of music that I remember the most from high school is this one:

Helm Toccatta by David Holsinger

I played French Horn, and let me say...this has such a LOVELY horn part...lots of "high notes" lots of LOOOW notes. Rips. hard sequences. etc. Just...well...lovely. I remember the subtitle to this one was "Death by Trumpet".

So, there's my geeky high school band showing itself.

Would you believe me if I said, Still Waiting?!

well we are. Over 8 weeks now and quite honestly I've found that I'm checking the mailbox less. I'm not eating as much chocolate. Basically my mind now thinks it's never coming. LOL

In an effort to distract myself, I've read lots of books lately. You know, those mushy, fluffy, romance novels? It's been nice. Plus it gives me something to do while waiting on JM at swim lessons. Of course since I wait in the van with S, who is watching a movie, it qets quite warm. BTW, vehicles with DVD players are wonderful! It makes waiting in the van pass quickly, except for yesterday. S didn't want to watch Dumbo, he "raced" his matchbox car from the back of the front seat all the way to the back seat over and over again. I finally had to open the side doors as it was getting hotter and hotter in the van even with all the windows open.

I had taken some water for S, in a small water bottle. He told me "Water is yummy!" ahhh...I love that. Water is yummy. AT least I could understand him with this one. A few weeks ago I asked the kids where they wanted to eat dinner. S answered, "Jumpers!" Huh? What's Jumpers? I asked where it was. "It's way far far away." Okay, then I realized that to a 3 year old "way far far away" could be on the other side of town. I remember thinking, while growing up, that going "into the city to the mall" took forever and I needed a book to read to pass the time. It was a 30 minute drive. LOL So, I asked S what he ate at Jumpers, "SHICKEN!" Okay, another bad question as he only eats Chicken when we eat out, or Chicken means "something I liked and good" I'm not sure. I asked who he ate with (as he sometimes eats out breakfast with Dh and JM only). Well, it was all of us. No grandparents, which was helpful. So, Jumpers is "way far far away" serves "shicken" or at least something S really likes and he ate there with Mommy, Daddy, and JM. Okay. I couldn't figure it out.

Last week, I didn't want to cook. Surprise surprise. So, we were thinking of eating at this sub shop, and pulled into the parking lot beside it. We were discussing where to eat (did we really want the subs?). S says "JUMPERS! Eat at JUMPERS!!!" Dh, having no better luck on figuring out Jumpers, said, "Where is Jumpers?!" S says "right there!!!" and points. Where did he point? IHOP. OH my...I got it. "I Hop" or "I jump" which can easily translate in a 3 year old mind to "Jumpers." Glad to have figured that one out. LOL No, we didn't eat at Jumpers. We ate the subs. I think Jumpers would have been better.

trying to stay positive

Well, still no sign of the 171H. We have not gotten a reply to our fax sent a week ago either. Nothing from the USCIS office, and I'm not feeling too hopeful now. It's so hard to stay positive and upbeat when rumors fly about wait times extending longer and longer and you can not even get to DTC part. I am having a tough time being happy for others who are DTC (and started AFTER our 1st meeting with the homestudy agency). It's so hard. It's very reminiscent of infertility treatments...no knowing if you will even get to the END of anything and have a child in your life.

So...there we are. Still waiting. Still getting frustrated. Still trying to learn patience.

Parenting adventures

Okay, I'm not sure if we responded correctly or not to this parenting moment last night. S-, our youngest, is almost 4. We've been in the throes of potty-training for 2 years, and while I'm happy to say he's 100% day trained it is the night-time we're struggling with. Of course it could be the water we give him when we put him to bed, but he's a bed-wetter. He sleeps so deeply and soundly that he doesn't wake up when he's wet either (well most of the time). So, we just aren't forcing the issue, he'll do it eventually. He's in pull-ups or diapers for now at night. JM never had this problem, he night trained at the same time he day trained.

Last night, we forgot the pull-up. Around midnight we hear a noise from his room. I immediately remember the pull-up. OOps. Dh finds him in the bathroom trying to pee while half-asleep (he got my non-waking up ability). ;) His clothes were soaked (he didn't pull them down...poor thing was still asleep). The stool was soaked. His bed was wet of course. So, I find new clothes (and the pull-up). Dh cleans him up. We dress him. Then, we take him to bed with us. You should have seen the smile he gave us. Totally "cat that ate the canary" look. He was so happy to get to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed. It felt like we were rewarding him for wetting the bed. Were we? Possibly. I don't want to punish him for that though, since he IS trying. Hey, he woke up last night at least. ;) His bed was wet, so what else do we do?

Ah well. He was happy to snuggle with Mom and Dad last night (and kick us in the back, steal our pillows, turn in circles, kick off the covers then huddle as close as possible to us...).

I thought last night...wonder what action each of the "philosophies" in parenting would have responded with that situation? LOL And this, folks, is why I have insomnia. I start thinking of things like this and have trouble drifting off to sleep (or it could have been the little foot in my side).

Then, JM, our oldest. LOL On the way home from music camp this week he tells me something important. "I forgot how to do it. Wanna know what I forgot how to do? Mom, wanna know?" I didn't respond...he'd been talking non-stop and I knew no response was necessary. Even if I said, "No I don't want to know" he'd tell me anyway. 7 year olds are like that. After a silence of 1 minute (at the most), JM piped up, "I forgot how to do armpit farts." Yes, I guess that is important to a 7 year old.

Some math for you.

Our 1600A was received by the USCIS office on January 27. We were fingerprinted February 10. Homestudy was sent May 24th.

So...it's been (true for July 12, so add days yourself if it is past July 12).

166 days since USCIS received our 1600A
122 days since we were fingerprinted
49 days since home study was sent to USCIS.

236 days since we sent in our application to AWAA
189 days since AWAA approved us and we officially started the paperchase.
161 days since we started the home study with the home study agency

It took 113 days to complete the homestudy process, JUST the homestudy portion for our state.

Not that anyone is COUNTING or anything. *rolleyes*

So, hopefully that number, that 236 days since APPLYING with our adoption agency number, gives you an indication of WHY I'm so frustrated. BTW, if I had chosen to go ahead with the infertility treatments and I had gotten pg around then I would be DUE in 44 days. At the rate I'm going, I won't even be DTC yet. Much less have a LID. It's entirely possible that I will not have a LID either. *sigh* and if you go by MY pg and births, I would deliver at 39 weeks, so 37 more days to go. *stomping foot* It's NOT fair.

ps. I don't want to hear that my daughter will be the PERFECT one for me, and these delays mean she's not ready for me yet. I don't care. I'm frustrated. I'm not ready to hear that just yet. I need to whine, complain, and vent a little more first. ;)

You guessed it! Still waiting.

Yes, that darn form is STILL not here. *bleep* *bleep* *bleep* (afterall it's a censored child friendly blog since my oldest can actually read).

Angela tagged me. 7 things about me...this should be interesting. :)

7 things I would like to do before I die:

* See my children fulfill all their potential and become awesome parents
* Go to Australia and New Zealand
* Go to Hawaii
* Go snowskiing in Colorado or Utah or Montana
* Be completely debt free, including the house, building wealth so I can give it away
* Become a succesful photographer and well liked by my clients
* Retire early with Dh and fulfill HIS dream of visiting every majorleague ballpark in one baseball season.

7 things I cannot do:

* Enjoy watching a major league game of any sort (football, baseball, basketball, etc.) I just can not get into them. Give me a book, and I will sit happily after my 30 minutes of interest have gone away. ;) Or I'll do the running back and forth to the concession stands.
* I can not eat fish, except when pregnant with my first child. Blech.
* I can not keep the house clean, I mean the entire house all at one time. I get distracted too easily to get it all clean in one day.
* I can not say no to chocolate, in just about any form.
* I can not live without lists.
* I can not add, subtract, multiply, or divide. Well, I can do easy things, but semi-complicated things I make mistakes without a calculator. It's a true joke between me and all those who know me, see what I can do below though.
* I can not go to bed without kissing my kids, or send them to bed without hugs. Well, okay, I can but I don't like it as much.

7 things I can do:

* Take a photo on full manual mode, understanding what I'm doing, and knowing the results I'm going for. :)
* I can derive functions, differentiate equations, and integrate equations. I understand them. I can even prove the theroems that go with them. I can prove that 1+1=2. just don't ask me to add, subtract, multiply or divide. ;)
* I can eat a whole bag of chocolate without them knowing (after all if they KNEW about it, they'd get some).
* I can make my "friends" either REALLY skinny or REALLY fat in photos. I can bulge out their eyes (like the cat in Shrek 2). I can smooth out wrinkles. I can give them lots of acne. I love Photoshop. Does anyone have a photo of the person doing the 1600A application processing? bwwwaaa haa haa.
* I can answer the most inane trivia questions, especially Disney related ones. Okay, I enjoy Trivial Pursuit and have lots of useless tidbits stored in my brain. However, those tidbits never seem to be the questions I get asked...those tidbits are always what my opponents are asked. Not fair I tell ya.
* I can make lists upon lists, even lists that organize my lists. Does this make me Type A personality? LOL
* I can play piano and french horn (although not at the same time).

7 things that attracted me to my husband:

* His looks.
* His personality.
* The way he treated me. I love that he opens doors for me.
* His drive
* His determination.
* His love for God, his family, and his friends.
* The fact that he indulges me

7 things I say most often:

* Just a minute.
* Turn that down, I can't hear myself think!
* 10 more minutes on the playstation then you get off
* Hush. Shhh. Be quiet. Stop talking. (it's amazing how much little boys can TALK all day long about nothing, or making noises, or just anything especially while I'm on the phone with a client.
* What do you want for dinner?
* mmmrph...sleep more....mmmpssh. (every morning when Dh or the kids are trying to get me up, and I do get up eventually with much grumbling, get in the shower and then I'm awake).
* Love you. (followed by a quick kiss and hug)

7 books I love:
Just 7? Only 7? Not sure I can.
* I'm lumping Historical Romance Novels in one book. I love to read them, even the sappy pure fluff ones.
* Gone with the Wind (it was ever so much better than the movie, and I love the movie), and I even liked Scarlet (the sequel written by someone else)
* Alice in Wonderland, Charlotte's Web
* Harry Potter (the entire series)
* Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Emma, Pride and Prejudice,
* Little Women (well the entire series)
* A Wrinkle in Time (and the rest of the Madeline L'Engle series that follows this)

(can I keep going? please? I've not even covered half of the books I love)

7 movies I love:
* Gone with the Wind
* Dirty Dancing
* Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink (I always watch them together)
* Schindler's List
* Pretty Woman
* National Treasure
* The Princess Bride

Okay, so do I now tag blogging people myself? Oooh...this will need to go to my friends. Watch them all run and hide now. LOL