I am dying to put more information up about what has happened to us in the last 11 days, but we are waiting on China, as usual. Just know that our dreams and prayers have come true and been answered!! When we receive word back from China (probably in about 2-4 weeks) we will reveal everything and then I will release the entries that I've written but saved about how things transpired in the last almost 2 weeks. We are waiting on pre-acceptance, and then LOA, and then TA. LOA-Letter of acceptance. TA-Travel arrangements. 

We would like to thank everyone for all of their prayers, and support. I think we have more support out there than we ever knew. Through this process you feel very alone most of the time, but in the last 2 weeks we have felt all the love and support of all of our different families. We are not ones to put everything out there, and we keep a lot to ourselves all the time, but we are thankful to have our families support, and all the people that are involved in our lives. So if we don't say it enough-We love you all, and are thankful to all of you!!

 Thank you so much!!! More to come..

News...

We can't give out specifics. We are cautiously excited, and waiting some more. More to come soon.
Pray for us, and send us positive thoughts!!

Love to all-
~Alli & Gary

A little thank you...and the perfect little pink coat!!

Hayley, Gary's cousin, and my former dancer and assistant at the studio and our flower girl, who got married last Summer came to the house yesterday for a visit. It's been awhile since we've seen her and we were so glad to get caught up on her and Dan's life, and share our adoption updates, and show off the crib and nursery. She stayed for a couple hours and we had a great talk!

We love Hayley, she is a very caring and bright young woman! She brought the most adorable gift for Avery! This little pink and brown jacket! How cute is this! It's a 3T so she will definitely be able to wear it!

Thank you Hayley, we love it and can't wait to see Avery in it!!

Love ya!!

~Alli & Gary

Just putting this out there...

I have recently have been driving myself crazy waiting for the list. I try not to but it just seeps into my thoughts all the time. Any moment of down time at all, and that's the thought I have. I should try to distract myself and try not to think of it so much, but it's really hard not to...

I also lately find myself talking when I'm at home by myself. Now I am not religious, I am spiritual. I believe in God, and was brought up Catholic, and Gary is Methodist but we both are more spiritual than religious I would say. We are not in church every Sunday; we are the holiday church goers. I find that at other people's churches I enjoy going much more. An upbeat church, a modern church like the one my brother and his family attend in Indiana, I enjoy those services. Maybe because no one knows us, and I feel that worship for me is private...maybe. But I do find myself talking lately out loud, and hoping someone hears me. I don't feel I have to be in a church, or at a service on Sunday to be heard. I believe God is everywhere and if you want to talk to Him He's always there to listen...no matter what.

I know that we are in a lot of people's prayers for a quick resolve to this waiting we have endured for the past almost 3 years, and we appreciate it so much. I do a lot of times say a prayer before going to bed, and ask Him to watch over our families, and find us our Avery. I'm not sure why I'm putting this out there, but it's been on my mind lately along with everything else.  I'm sure God has picked our daughter and is just waiting for the right time to show her to us.

The right time seems to be here. Things are shaping up, and there are signs everywhere, every day. I think Avery is close. I think that's why I am driving myself nuts waiting for the list. I try to keep it in check, because the next list may not have her on it, and I don't want to be let down-big time!! But I guess that's part of the process too. We have both gained patience, and learned so much in last 3 years. But I feel it is now our time. I am ready, we are ready. I have never felt this way before, not on this level. So distracted, so easily able to leave my job at work, and concentrate on something else. He is preparing me for this change and showing me that it is time...

Does that sound weird, or wacky? I don't know, but my attitude, my feelings are different now. I have more confidence, and more assertiveness than I've ever had in a long time. Someone hopefully is coming soon I do believe...

Love to all
~Allison


Happy St. Patty's Day!!

Congratulations to our blogger friends the Raudenbush Family who are leaving very soon to go get their daughter Lydia in China!!!

Congratulations to our other friends the Watkins Family who passed court and are going to Ethiopia very soon to go get their son Alex!!

Happy Happy Days!!!

The ladybugs are back in the stores...

I headed to Watertown today to get the backing for the smaller quilt at Joann Fabrics and all of the Spring stuff is in...and oh the ladybugs!!!

It took all of my self control to just look and not buy something. I did good!, I didn't buy anything but what I went in for. But they had the cutest ladybug children's plates, and cups, and garden stakes, and children's backpacks etc.

Then I headed to Kohl's for a second, and in the children's dept. there were at least 6 little girls shirts all different colors with ladybugs on them, but again I didn't buy anything.

I do love the ladybugs, and it does mean something to us. So keep me out of the stores!!! But it does seem like there is more and more ladybug things around...


Happy almost Spring!!!!

~Allison

I cut out 130 squares today...

It is Sunday, and Sundays lately seem to be the day around here where we don't get out of our pajamas. We are so busy with the high school musical, and I'm doing choreography like mad for the studio and the company. Gary is so busy right now, that he really needs some time off. He only works like 3 other jobs besides his full time job. I think we both need to pare back a little and feel like we are able to breathe. Hopefully soon...

So I started to cut out squares today for Avery's smaller quilt while I wait on 2 more squares to finish the other quilt. I ended up cutting out 130 squares today. Each square is 4x4, and it is about the same size as her crib quilt we bought 2 years ago from Pottery Barn. It's a perfect size to use right off and it hopefully won't take as long to put together. Not everyone's fabric is in this one. Some we didn't have extra of, and a lot of the lady bug fabric I cut out multiples of...I think it looks great!!

We are still waiting on a list to come out. Always checking emails and on pins and needles until a list comes out. It's still waiting, but a different kind of waiting...

Other than that no real updates. We got our Federal fingerprints done, our second round of Hep. A & B vaccinations done. We need to buy a crib mattress and that's about it for now. Below is the picture of the smaller quilt laid out on her floor.

Enjoy!!!'
~Alli  :)

Here's the slideshow...

Customize a slideshow design

ENJOY!!!
~Alli & Gary

The crib assembly...

Gary assembled the crib in about 45 minutes...

We have a slideshow of all the pics we'll have to put up later. There was a lady bug in the room on the floor that afternoon while he put the crib together. So Avery was watching...

Check out the quilt blog...

There are some new posts of the progress on the quilt over on the other blog...check it out!!!

~Allison

Got some news today from the agency...

It was a lot to take in and it was the exact wording from China. But in short it looks like they are going to start speeding up the special needs program in China. That's really good news for us!!!!!!

They also extended the period of time that after we lock in a child that the paperwork has to get to China from 48 hours to 72 hours-that's good news also!!

The people that already have a log in date (LID) with the CCAA, and adopting special needs, they are looking to match these people soon because they have been in the system so long. So, what a time for us to switch to special needs, looks like we hit that just right!!!

On the down side, we don't know when the next list comes out and Pat our adoption agent is going on vacation from the 12-23 of March. So I'm hoping that someone will cover and keep up on the lists while she's gone...I would think so...I hope so. We don't want to miss a list!!

Gary and I think maybe they aren't expecting a list to come out during that time. They know how long all of us have been in process, and I would think they wouldn't want us to miss a list either.

But all in all really great news for us on maybe a speed up even more of the referral!!!

HOORAY!!! Finally a break in all of this waiting!!!!

We go get the crib tomorrow, and Gary is going to assemble it tomorrow afternoon. I'm was hoping to get some pictures of him putting it together, but I will be at work. Maybe I can get him to set up the tripod and take some while he's putting it together. It's a moment...and we would like some pictures to put up here!!

Have a great day!!!
~Allison

We bought a crib...

We did not plan on buying a crib, but we have been looking for awhile. We have been looking at ones in different price ranges and different styles, and we knew the measurements that were acceptable to put one in her room. Thank goodness for our iphones, you can look anything up online when you're anywhere gotta love that!!

We liked one at Pottery Barn kids, another one at Target, and yesterday we were craving mexican food from Moe's so we headed to Syracuse. I had mentioned we should stop into Babies R' Us to look at their baby furniture because they had a sale going on and we were going to be in Syracuse. So we did...

We saw one that we liked, then turned the corner and there it was. The one we loved!!! It is a lifetime crib, so a 3 in 1 crib. It will convert to a daybed, and a full size bed. So it will fit Avery no matter how old she is when we get her. We are very very excited!!! Of course we didn't have the Element with us yesterday, so we're picking it up on Tuesday. We're going to get our Federal fingerprints re-done again (3rd time) in Syracuse on Tuesday so we will pick it up then.

It was a big surprise to us that we found a crib. The price was in the middle of everything we had looked at...so it was really reasonable!!!

We are going to Indiana for Easter and will pick up the high chair we like when we go out there in April. We've looked at the wooden ones out there (Amish made) for the last year and a half, so now it's time to get it! Another exciting Avery purchase!

I am finishing up sewing most of the quilt squares this weekend. Probably all but 2, and my Mom and whoever would like to help will be tying the quilt, and putting the back of it on. I am also going to start a smaller version of the quilt, that we can pack in the suitcase for China (much smaller).

Expecting a new list to be out w/ in the next week and a half-a guesstimation. Avery may not be on that list but I'm hoping she might be...but at least it's something to look forward to.

We are so excited about being in the special needs program and to think and feel that she is so very close. I'm trying not to be too excited because as stated before she may not be on this new  list or the next couple of lists. It's just still a waiting game and I don't want to be let down if she's not there.

I do believe that we will choose the child that is meant for us. The child that was by some means beyond our control sent to us, and that we'll know it as soon as we see her.

There is a child destined to be our Avery Lin, and that connection has already been made in our hearts and our minds...we just need to see her picture...



A red thread to China was cast today
From us to a child so far away.
This thread symbolizes an attachment of hearts
That distance alone can't keep us apart.

Her mother and I are caught in a chase
That time alone will bring us to face
This loving young child we want so much to greet
With love in our hearts before we did meet.

This tiny, thin thread may stretch, tangle or fray
But our love for her grows stronger each day.
Through the test of time it won't break or sever
She'll be part of us forever and ever.

With oceans between us, the distance is spanned
By a love that is greather than man could have planned.
For God in His mercy loved her and us
And decided our family would be a great plus.

So for now we'll just love her and pray every day
That God keeps her and loves her for us till we may
Travel to China, that land of great past,
To the side of our daughter, to hold her at last.




An invisible red thread
connects those who are
destined to meet
regardless of time,
place or circumstance.
The thread may
stretch or tangle
but it will never break.


Have a great weekend!
~Allison

We are officially in the special needs program...

Just heard from our adoption agent...literally just seconds ago. They have received all of our paperwork and we are officially in the special needs program.

Today is a good day!!!

Waiting for a list...

Avery here we come!!

~Allison :)

Happy LIDversary to us again...

It is our 32 month LIDversary today...

All the paperwork, and fees and everything are being sent out today!!! We will be officially in special needs by Friday!!





Just waiting for a new list to come out-HOW EXCITING!!!


Take a deep breath, make a wish and smile, Avery is coming soon!!

~Allison

CCAA News...still a snail's pace...

CCAA has finished reviewing adoption documents registered before April 30, 2008.
CCAA has made placements for families whose documents were registered before April 11, 2006.


They only got through 8 days of dossiers in 2 months...can you say SLOW!!! My last update on this was January 5th.


Thank goodness we are switching to special needs!!!!!


~Allison

Sending out paperwork...

We are officially sending out all the paperwork and fees tomorrow!!! This will mean we will officially be in the special needs program by the end of this week, beginning of next week!!

This is exciting!!! It's about time...we had to get some things in order and get a handle on all the fees for the rest of the adoption, and the extensions, and the re-do of paperwork, but it's all done!! 

And...we're finally here!!!

Cross your fingers a new list comes out soon!!

We go for our Federal fingerprints for the 3rd time next Tuesday. Plus, can you believe it we have to set up our 2nd set of Hep A & B vaccinations already, it's been a month. 

It also is not lost on us that we are sending all the paperwork on the 3rd of the month-our 32 month LIDversary.

By 36 we should have a referral!!

Have a great day!!

~Allison