More progress...

This is just a post to say go to the quilt blog for the latest progress on the quilt this weekend. The first 16 new squares sewn together are there...

I have 2 open spots in the quilt right now. I don't know if I'm expecting more squares or not...can't remember. If not we have a ton of fabric left over and I'll just fill it in.

I am going to be making a toddler size quilt also with the leftovers, that we can take to China with us.

I love working on this, it's quiet time which I desperately need on the weekends.

~Alli :)

Okay so here's the latest update...

I actually have a next 3 months checklist for myself and Gary. It includes the adoption stuff plus where the studio needs to be in case we get a referral in the next 3-6 months. I have quite a bit crossed and checked off, and Gary has been working really hard on the paperwork, and all the confusing updates etc. But for those who like an update here is where we are...







The checklist:
1.Decide on adoption special needs and fill out application-√
2.Get the paperwork from New Life and check on what's new to be updates for paperwork-√
3.Get State fingerprints done again-√
4.Send out fee for the Federal fingerprints to be done a 3rd time-√
5.Call & Meet our pediatrician Dr. O.-√
6.Get Hep. A & B vaccinations started-√
7.Get a handle on all the rest of the fees, and donation, and travel expenses-√-WHEW!! A big one!!!


So what we have left:
1.Send the rest of the packet & fees out to New Life officially
2.Get homestudy update-MAYBE WON"T NEED
3.Get financial statement for my Business updated-GONNA DO BUT MAYBE WON"T NEED
4.Get financial statement for Gary's job updated-GONNA DO BUT MAYBE WON"T NEED
5.Call and have Dr. Khan's office accept us for new physicals if needed-MAYBE WON"T NEED
6.Get letter from the county about background checks
7.Get 2nd round of vaccinations on March 10th

I guess we've done pretty well to have all of this done pretty much in a month. That's pretty fast considering that we are having some things come up again for renewal and we're just getting it done to be  on the safe side. That way once we do get a referral we won't have anything on our side holding us up. We'll just be waiting on China-we're used to that!

We're coming up on 32 months next Wednesday. I swear I don't know where the months go, and lately where the weeks go. We are so busy with this, the musical at SJ, the studio, and getting ready for the Spring Show, and the June Recital.

I do find that my mind is in such a different place lately. I have never had it be so hard to get choreography done. I am having the year from h$#@ as far as that's concerned. I think I am just focused on other things right now. And really, I think I deserve to be anxious and focused on something different. My life seems to be taken over by my job, and choreography, it's definitely time for something new in our lives-we need the change, and the permanent change of focus!! Can't wait!!

So there we are. I have started back into my workout full on again. It helps with the stress and frustration of my job lately, plus working on the quilt gives me some de-stress time also. I've really enjoyed working on that lately.

That's all for now!
Take care and love to all,
~Allison :)

Check out the quilt blog!!

We've updated the quilt bog...finally!! Gary re-did the look of it, and put some of the actual squares in the header. We have also put up the progress of the quilt, and the pages from the scrapbook have also been updated!!

Check it out!!

~Love to all
~Allison

The next 12...

Here are my next 12, I'm not going to attach them to the other 24 just yet. I'm going to leave some unattached in case we want to switch them around, So my total is 84 squares done...

Plus I think I'm done for the night...back to work tomorrow, vacation is over...

24 more done...

A total of 72 squares so far-YAY!!

All 48 squares all connected...

Here is the first 4 rows-48 squares all connected!!

Some more progress!!!!!

Here are the next 24 squares...

My progress today...24 pieces connected!

Some more work done on the quilt...

I have the first 2 rows all connected...not too shabby I think!
Just imagine them in a long 2 rows all connected without the break up of the pictures...

It really is going to look pretty cool when it is all connected up together. I think I'm impressing my husband!







Enjoy!
~Alli

The quilt has been started!!!

Mom and I got all the squares out earlier this week, and put them on the nursery floor, and got them ironed and and as close to being a long the same measurements as I could get. When you have over 100 people sending squares there's always interpretations of the measurements. But I say it will add charm to the quilt. I am not a quilter, but I do understand the basics of sewing and I'm pretty sure I can figure this out and with some help we should be able to do this...

Today I actually put them in some sort of design. I made to paper template on the computer, and sat on the floor of the nursery and tried to put them in some sort of random design. I like what I have now, the quilt looks brighter now. The colors are dispersed more...

So, here's some photos of the quilt just in pieces on the nursery floor. Then tonight I did try to sew my first 4 squares together. Had to take it apart twice to make sure my seam was going to be even and straight but I did get it!!

Love to all

~Alli  :)

Enjoy!!

The quilt in pieces on the floor...

My first 4 squares sewn together...


















And actually my 2nd set of 4 squares sewn together...
I did sew both sets together and it looks alright. More pics tomorrow!!

We met our pediatrician!

On Tuesday Gary and I had an appointment with the pediatrician that we were interested in to be the doctor for Avery. The doctor that would look at her file when we had one to look at, and the doctor for her once we brought her home from China. She is Dr. O and we were extremely impressed with her.

I didn't really think I was nervous going in to meet her but I guess I was. This whole experience of finding a pediatrician when you are adopting and don't have other children was daunting to me. How do you go about this and what are the questions you ask? Would people be receptive to our situation? How easy or hard would this process be? It was fairly easy...

We did a lot of asking questions of friends we knew, and family. I asked a lot of the parents I know at the dance studio, and other adoptive families we know. I asked who their pediatrician was and if they wouldn't mind giving us their opinions, and any other recommendations. People were so helpful, and receptive, and so willing to help us out, it was great and we are so thankful!!

I sent an email to the pediatrician's group and we also sent a specific letter to that doctor, and also 2 other letters to two other doctor's groups and just waited to see who would respond. We also had some friends mention us at their appointments, and a couple friends that we know are nurses and they mentioned us to her also. Plus, Gary's brother's family goes to this pediatrician's office also, so they've seen the name before. One of our friends was actually going in to have Dr. O look at their adoptive child's medical file for review. So she had definitely heard from us and of us before Tuesday.

I ended up that Dr. O called us and of course we weren't home, and I called her back and explained our situation, and she was really nice and professional on the phone, I liked her from the start. I set up a meeting with her to go through the special needs list that our agency sends to us and wanted her opinion of the "needs" and what to look out for and what she's seen come through her office etc. We had already decided (Gary & myself) what we would accept and not accept for the needs list but I wanted to go through it with a pediatrician that was knowledgeable about International adoption, and of course knowledgeable in all the medical terms etc.

Dr. O was great. Very down to earth, very easy to talk to, very informative, just put us at ease. I didn't think I was nervous, but I was. My face was red (I get a red face when I'm nervous, and it gets splotchy-always has ) and Gary says I was very talkative, and he couldn't get a word in at all. Very unusual for me to be that way but I guess it's good to know that I will be that forth coming when it comes to our family. I think this step was another step of this finally becoming "real", a pediatrician-GREAT!!!

Dr. O will work with our short time frame of 24-48 hours before a referral has to be fully locked in. She said to call her right away, and told us the week in April that she will be out of office. She will be Avery's doctor when we get back from China, and will prepare us before we go to China. It was a great meeting and we were over the moon excited afterward. As we walked out of the office I said to Gary, "I like her a lot, and wow, we have a pediatrician!"

Weird how in this process you have a pediatrician first then your child. But another to do to cross off our list. Vaccinations started-check! Fingerprints re-done on the State level-check! Paperwork sent to New life on the I600 extension-check! More and more gets checked off the list!!!

We should be sending out the final paperwork for the switchover by the end of this week! Then we just wait for a list-WOW!!!!!!! & Hope that we have a child on it!!-CHILLS!!

Love to everyone~
~Alli  :)

Happy Year of the Tiger!

Tigers in Chinese Culture

In China, 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. The tiger is associated with the earth, and there are five types of tiger signs, depending on year of birth: water, wood, fire, earth and metal. 2010 is a metal Tiger Year. Metal Tigers are assertive, competitive and sharp.

History 

Throughout history, tigers have held important associations in Chinese culture. The meaning of the tiger in Chinese culture is usually power, force, luck and strength.

Tigers within Chinese Myth 

Tigers were important figures in Chinese Myth. The tiger was often depicted as an agent of Chinese martial arts. Some branches of Chinese martial arts base many of their movements 

and poses on the tiger.

Tigers were also traditionally considered masters of the forest or protectors of the mountains. In ancient times, people thought that the pattern of stripes along the tiger's forehead resembled the Chinese character for 'king', so the tiger was known as the king of all animals. Tigers are still considered ancestral gods within Chinese culture today.


So, Happy Chinese New Year!! May your Year of the Tiger be full of luck, love and prosperity!!
~Alli  :)

3 years ago today...

Three years ago today was the day we had the meeting over the phone with our adoption agency. The meeting in Syracuse got canceled due to the weather so we did it over the phone that evening. So this is day we decide on China is where our daughter would come from.

Three years today Gary & decided to change our lives, and what a journey it has been...we are coming to the end of this waiting and Avery will be here soon!!

3 years-WOW!!

Happy Chinese New Year!!
I will post more about 2010, "The Year of the Tiger".

We meet with our pediatrician today at 4:30. I still need to write down questions for her.

Oh, my Mom and I started the quilt today. We have 106 squares right now and will probably end up with 112-116 total by the end of the week. It took 3 hours to cut all the squares to size and my Mom ironed all of them. We laid them out on the floor of nursery-photos to come. I have to fix some of the squares that are too small or weren't cut straight when they were given to us or...more to do later this week. It looks neat all spread out on her floor. It will be a queen/king size quilt for sure. A good one that Mommy & Daddy & Avery can all snuggle up with...can't wait!!

More to come later, just a quick update.

Love to all,
Allison

Third times the charm...

We are off today to go get our fingerprints re-done for the 3rd time today in Watertown. They say the 3rd times the charm...I hope so!! Plus our LID is the 3rd, and the number 3 seems to pop up a lot throughout this journey-hmm...a sign maybe?

I think she will be here soon, we just have to get all of the gobblety gook out of the way first. Gary was going through all the confusing paperwork last night. Ya know where the one paper says to do it this way, but another one totally contradicts it, so you sit there and wonder and try to remember how we did it last time, because this is the 3rd time we're doing all of this.



So, today we need to call Pat our adoption agent and get a few things cleared up, and more paperwork can go out this week-YAY!!!!

Getting there...

Wish us luck!!
~Love to all
~Alli & Gary

We have a pediatrician!!

Yes, that is correct we now have a pediatrician. After many friends mentioning us at their recent visits, and an email, and a letter we finally have a pediatrician.She called us last Thursday and I talked to her last Friday. This news made me so happy-us very happy!!

She is the pediatrician at this particular doctor's office that deals with all the International adoptions that come through their practice. She has helped with Korean, Ethiopia, and Russian adoptions before and is very familiar with reviewing the medical documents that come with International adoptions. We have heard absolute raves about her and was so happy to hear from her.

She will work with our time restraints, and we actually are meeting with her on the 15th to go through the special needs list from a doctor'a point of view, and give us her opinion of the list and what she has seen come through the office, and some that we may have reservations about etc.-very exciting! We are very anxious to meet her.

Other than that we get our first vaccinations on Wednesday. We should be sending out our requests for fingerprints again, and the possibility of the fee being waived. Also, the letter for the extension of our I-600A approval for the 2nd time too. Both of these letters should go out this week-hopefully!!

We are receiving more squares as the weeks go on, and next week is the week my Mom and I are going to start assembling the squares for her quilt.

So slowly but surely we are getting there. Seems like we need about 34 hours in a day and then we would probably have more done.

Anyone interested in helping to assemble the quilt just say so.
All help is appreciated and needed.

Love to all~

~Alli  :)

What's today's date?

Yes,
It is the 3rd of the month AGAIN!!!!! Happy LIDversary to us yet again. I'm not sure they are so happy anymore, but I think they are getting better. 31 months ago our dossier was entered into the big piles of dossiers in China-31 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-ARGH!!

I have no more updates right now except that we have received 2 more quilt squares from people we invited to take part last week. They got them done really fast. One is from a friend of ours, Robin Starling(Castleman) and her family. Gary went to school with her. The other is from my cousin Mark and his wife Lisa's family from Indiana. They look great and actually kinda have the same color schemes. They arrived in the mail on the same day too! You forget how exciting it is to get those in the mail when it has been so long.

Mom and I are going to start assembling the squares over February Break. I bet we get a lot done too!!

We are still waiting on our packet from New Life. We have our shots next week, and that's where we are...still all good though.

I want to get this going so we will have privileges to the lists!!!

The CCAA did have an update but they have only gotten through 2 more days in April 2006. I had heard in gossips, and online that April 2006 was a huge dossier month and it could take a full year to get through it...really?

Also, we did get an email from our adoption agent and finally you are hearing what's been whispered for so long. Anyone that puts in a dossier to China now will wait at LEAST 4 years, possibly longer. Finally they said it...we knew it and they finally said it.

Our new and exciting journey to Avery continues...although we knew this all along was going to be our path to her. We can go back and count the number of signs along the way, and now we know we are headed in the right direction.

Love to all~
~Alli :)

PS~
I know a lot of you read the blog because you tell me you do. Please leave a hello or something when you do. You have no idea when you're in this process how much a hello or small note to us makes a huge difference in our day!!  :)  Thanks!!