Our party and celebration of Avery!

Our little ladybug wasn't here with us for her 1st Birthday but we celebrated with friends and family! 

We had to celebrate the day she was born in some way even though she is half a world away! I didn't think I was going to decorate, but I was in such a good mood on Friday I found myself buying lanterns, and signs, and wanting to celebrate in a kinda big way. Celebrate our little girl. We will throw a huge bash when she is finally home with us, once she is settled.

We had Gary's parents, and his brother and his family, and a good friend of ours, Katie ("Auntie" Katie) over for cake and ice cream. We all sang Happy Birthday to her, and have it on videotape (will share later). We didn't expect gifts, but there were some. She got some cute outfits, and toys, and the book "Every Year on Your Birthday", signed by the author from Uncle Steve and Aunt Beth, and the boys.

It was a lot of fun, and we can't wait to have her here with us. We just sent out a care package to her today, with pictures of us, and a blanket for her, a stuffed animal for her, and some candy for the directors, and nannies of the Welfare Institute. It's exciting to know that she will see our faces soon!! We are hoping that this will help to familiarize her with us a little bit, at least what we look like.

We are so very thankful for the recent pictures we received on Friday. We are constantly looking at them!! She is a total sweetheart!! She has changed so much!! We know babies change a lot but she's our daughter, and to think all we've missed in the last year, and especially in the last month. She has toothers now, and her arm looks great (her special need is her upper right arm)!! I will explain more later on her special need.

So please enjoy the collage of photos from our celebration of her birth!!

Free picture collage generated with Smilebox

We got new pics today on her Birthday!!!

It's Avery's Birthday!! Gary and I were really busy today but when we were out to lunch, we got an email that had updated pictures of our little ladybug...she is so adorable!! What a treat for us on her Birthday!!

Enjoy!!

I'll post the party stuff tomorrow!!

Happy Birthday Avery!!!

Today is May 28th-Avery's Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Little Ladybug!!

Next month you'll be home with us or we'll be there to get you-fingers crossed!!

Have a fun day, hope you know that your Mommy & Daddy love you!!

Make your own scrapbooking design

Sheng Ri Kuai Le!

~Mommy & Daddy

Our Ladybug's 1st Birthday is tomorrow, May 28th!!!

Customize a free ecard

Our Avery turns 1 tomorrow, on May 28th. It is a very happy and sad day all together for many reasons. I am happy to celebrate her birth, and also we signed out LOA this week, so she is ours and we are hers, a forever family!!

We just received confirmation from Fed Ex that our LOA has been received in China, so they will start to make our travel plans now, so we are much closer to going to get her and bringing her home. I'm sad that she will be in China for her 1st Birthday, when she has parents here that love her, and want to celebrate with her so much. I know she is well taken care of by the nannies at the welfare institute, but a love of a family is different and I wish for her to feel that, and know that we will never leave her. I am so thankful that someone found her on that riverbank and brought her to this place. I am so grateful that someone picked her up and saved her life and set her on this journey.  I am overjoyed that we have chosen this journey and it has led us to her.

All the coincidences that have happened during this journey, all the signs, if that's what you want to call them...we were meant for eachother. We were meant to be her parents, and her our daughter. Although the journey has had many, many, ups and downs, and twists and turns, fate has brought us together to be a family.

Being that it is going to be her 1st Birthday, I've been thinking about her biological parents lately. Do they remember that it's her Birthday? Do they think about her? What were the reasons they gave her up? Was it her special need? Were there other circumstances that lead them to their decision? I hope they know that we are here for her, and will love and take care of her, and she will be surrounded by a big loving family for the rest of her life. All of those questions Avery will ask us one day, and how will we answer? We will tell her what we know, and everything about her journey to us when she is old enough to handle it and to understand. We will find the grace and the words to tell her, and comfort her when these questions arise.

When Avery was found there was a note in her pocket that her parents put her birthday, and her Chinese given name on. We hope they have saved it for us (for her), so she will have that tie to her biological parents.

A lot of questions have been on my mind lately. I think it comes with the territory. I had a dream the other night about the day we will receive Avery...surreal.

It is so surreal to think that in a month we will have little feet thumping around the house. The change of a lifetime!! We are so ready for this and we want to wish our little ladybug Happy Birthday!!! We can't wait to meet you, and hold you, and hug you, and kiss you, and become a family at last!!

Happy 1st Birthday Avery Lin Niu Xuan Newton!! We are going to celebrate your birth here tomorrow, with family and cake and ice cream. I hope you can feel the love where you are and we are thinking about you constantly...until the day we meet very SOON!!

Wo Ai Ni Avery!!
Mommy & Daddy

L.O.A-Yes, it's here and it's signed!!

We got word today that our LOA had come in-YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been 5 weeks...but it's the 24th (divisible by 3), they stamped it on the 21st (again, divisible by 3)-those 3's!!!

Pat called Gary at work, and he called me and said,
Gary: "Hey what time do you start work?"
Me:   "4:00".
Gary: "Wanna go to Syracuse?", "our LOA is here!!"
Me:   "Yes!!!!!!!!!!!"
Gary: "I'll be there in a few minutes."


So we went and signed the LOA, and got pictures of the moment. So happy, and she's officially ours...what a feeling!!

What a great week!! Signed the LOA, and Avery turns 1 on Friday!!

Hope you enjoy the pics!!    :)

Jiayin Designs...check this out

Kelly is a blog friend of ours, and she has been very helpful and supportive to us through out this journey. Kelly and her husband have been home a little while now from China with their beautiful daughter Lydia.

Please check go to their blog and check out Jiayin Designs, a beautiful jewelry business.

Again go to www.raudenbushfamily.blogspot.com, and check out the Jiayin Designs!!

The agency checked for us...

The adoption agency called yesterday to see when we could expect our LOA, and Frank said very soon. Well it's been 4 weeks, and 2 days...

Our patience is wearing very thin at this point, very thin. I know that once we receive the LOA we still have another wait, but we really just need some good news at this point. Plus, it really makes all of this really official once we sign the LOA-we need that!!

I am back on my workouts and going for 2 mile walks everyday, it helps me clear my head, and I would like to drop 10 pounds at least before we go to China. I'm sure I'll lose weight in China, because I'm not planning on eating too much I don't recognize, not with my historic stomach. Plus, it's going to be hot and humid when we go and we all know how well my system does with hot and humid. Will need to remember to stay extra hydrated.

Still getting together a gathering for Avery's birthday next Friday. Hoping people will come over to the house and share in some cake and ice cream.

I think I'll start the packing process this week, to give me something to do. Not that I don't have anything to do, just want to do the things lately that make me happy, and things for myself, and our family.

By the way, I got home last night from work and Gary surprised me with some pink jade earrings. I was totally floored. We had agreed not to buy gifts for our Anniversary, but he wanted to surprise me and he did!! They are pink jade hearts. Mothers usually wear the pink jade in China from what I've researched, so it was really nice. I'm married to the best man in the world!!

LOA hopefully coming soon!!

We had our travel meeting...

We had our official travel meeting last  night at our agency in Syracuse. We met some of the people we could be traveling with if all of our TA's come in around the same time. Really nice people. One of the women Gary and I recognized we think from 2 years ago at a Chinese New Year's party we went to, they were also a waiting family back then, There LID was in 2006, so was the other woman's we met last night, her LID was also in 2006. Our LID was 2007, but we were only about 6 months I think behind them. We are all special needs families, they were very nice and easy to talk to. One of the Mom's is married, her husband was on speaker phone from China, he's traveling on business. The other woman is a single Mom, and her sister will be traveling with her. We are going to Hengyang-Hunan Province. One family is going to Mongolia, and the other will be in Guangzhou the whole time they are there.

The meeting was held by Golda. She is the retired attorney that still works with the agency when the families travel. Golda has been to China 16 times, and travels all the time. She left for Prague today. It was a very informative meeting, and a lot of the stuff we had heard from people we know that have been to China, or read somewhere else. We are a little bummed that we will not be staying in Beijing though. We will only be there for a layover on our way to Hunan province. They put together a pre-trip (go a few days early and do a whole tour of Beijing), but they put it together as a 5-day pre-trip. That turns a trip that is 2 weeks to begin with pretty much a 3 weeks trip, and we don't want to do that. Plus the cost was another $1150.00 per person. I would have loved to have gone to the Great Wall, and Tianamen Square, and the Grand Palace, but the other things scheduled were really not things we needed to do. There was a tea service, a Kung Fu show, massages, and tour the Olympic venues...not really necessary for us to do. We really wished they had put together a 2 or 3 day pre-trip, that would have been a little ore doable.

But I think of it this way. We are going to get Avery, she's the focus, she's the journey. So, we'll go get our girl, and tour in her province, and that really seems more important to us. To get a lot of her history, pictures from her province, souvenirs from her province, soak up that culture for her to have and look at, us to tell her about, and make her feel that she has a tie to her history, and we will do that in a big way for her. We will be in her province for about a week, then we will travel to Guangzhou after that and stay there for about a week to finish up the rest of the documents. 

We will meet and actually talk to Frank, our liaison in China through the agency a lot while we are there. It sounds like he checks in daily, and that was great to hear. Golda talked about New Life's (our agency) long history of China adoptions and how we should be treated while we are there, which is very good, and the relations that they have formed in China make us feel very pampered, and special. I guess they take extra special care of us-hope so!!

They talked about us not really needing to take "gifts" with us. They said China is changing, and with the tipping program they have set up for us, it isn't really needed. But I feel like we should take something with us. She did give us a long list of things they like, so I think we should take some gifts. This contradicted a lot of the families we know that got back recently, they did take gifts. She also said not to pack Avery a lot of clothes because we can buy them there, again, we should pack some clothes obviously, and diapers, and a few other things. She said not to pack toys, but I am going to pack some of the soft toys and books we've gotten over the years. We will need some things for stimulation and keeping her attention, especially on the plane rides etc. So, I'm going to talk to some of the people we know who have just recently gotten back, and some that will be back in a week or so, and see what they took, and go from there.

It was a good meeting. I was happy to meet the other families, and see our adoption agent Pat-she's great!!  We had to sign a bunch of papers and got them notarized right there on site.

Today is our 14th Wedding Anniversary. We are hoping maybe our LOA comes in today. We signed off on our first homestudy 3 years ago on our Anniversary. So maybe it will bring us good luck again!! It is the 18th, dividable by 3, Plus 1 plus 8 is 9 , also dividable by 3. Cross your fingers for us.

Our baby girl turns 1 next Friday on the 28th. Wish we could be there. We want to get our LOA so we can send out a care package to her!!!!

Oh this journey that we have been on for 3 years. So many ups and downs, and joys and concerns, frustrations and excitements!! 

We just want to go!!! Go get our little ladybug, and hold her and never let go!!!

We are coming Avery!! Soon!! Love you little girl, our ladybug, our sweet daughter!!!


Love, 
Mommy & Daddy

My new mantra for this journey...I love love love this little girl and this song!

We are totally in love with this little girl and I am in love with this song:







"Haven't Met You Yet", by Michael Bublé. It so fits this journey, and I play it all the time now!! We have our Avery's picture but haven't physically met her yet...the lyrics fit so well!!

"Haven't Met You Yet"
I'm not surprised, not everything lasts
I've broken my heart so many times, I stopped keeping track
Talk myself in, I talk myself out
I get all worked up, then I let myself down

I tried so very hard not to lose it
I came up with a million excuses
I thought, I thought of every possibility

And I know someday that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out
And I promise you, kid, that I give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

I might have to wait, I'll never give up
I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck
Wherever you are, whenever it's right
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life

And I know that we can be so amazing
And, baby, your love is gonna change me
And now I can see every possibility

And somehow I know that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work, so we can work to work it out
And I promise you, kid, I give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

They say all's fair
In love and war
But I won't need to fight it
We'll get it right and we'll be united

And I know that we can be so amazing
And being in your life is gonna change me
And now I can see every single possibility

And someday I know it'll all turn out
And I'll work to work it out
Promise you, kid, I'll give more than I get
Than I get, than I get, than I get

Oh, you know it'll all turn out
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out
And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get
Yeah, I just haven't met you yet

I just haven't met you yet
Oh, promise you, kid
To give so much more than I get

I said love, love, love, love
Love, love, love, love
(I just haven't met you yet)
Love, love, love, love
Love, love
I just haven't met you yet


Fits doesn't it? 
Can't wait to meet you Avery...and we promise you kid, we'll give so much more than we get!!  :)
We love you little ladybug!!!  :)

Okay, so rant over...a little zen now.

So after about 40 emails sent and thinking abut this situation for a day and a half I have decided to go to the travel meeting. I knew that this is what would probably happen, but it just took a few hours to get there. I needed to vent to a few people, Gary, my Mom,and here on the blog, and on facebook. I knew in my heart of hearts that my parents and students would understand why I was canceling, and they do.

I sent out an email to all of my 40 dancers and parents that I teach on Mondays and explained the situation, and had them respond back after so I knew they got the email. The responses have been positive and overwhelming!!! They all understand as I really knew they would, but I'm a worrier, and can't help it.

I've created this job for myself with my husband, and we have the greatest dancers and parents in the world. They have all been through this journey with us for the past 3 years. All the ups and downs, the happy times and low times. So I always feel extreme guilt when canceling classes, even when I'm sick, and even when the weather in the middle of winter is horrible. I hate disappointing people. The other end of that is making up classes makes for a really hectic couple of weeks. Our lives right now are so hectic anyways and adding onto that just makes me cringe. But with the help of my assistants and parents being so understanding it looks like I will be going to the travel meeting.-HOORAY!!!

So thanks for listening to my rant. I guess it wasn't needed. But yet again our agency has screwed up. On the cover letter that went to the USCIS for our I-600 update, that states we  are now adopting a special needs baby, they must have copied and pasted from someone else's letter. The date says November 16, 2009 at the top (it is May 2010) , it has our names at the top, but in the paragraph that says we are adopting a special needs baby it has our daughter's name and 2 other people stated as the parents-not us...UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!  Do people not proof read anymore?!  This isn't even the first time they have done this, it happened on another document and also in some emails. So it was not a stellar week for our agency this week. Gary wrote them an email, explaining that this reflects badly on their agency, and is just unacceptable. I would think with all the thigs they have done wrong with us, we are the one set of parents they would make extra sure they dot their i's and cross their t's-guess not!!

All in all, I'm going to the meeting with Gary, so I'm happy about that. We are having our M&M date tonight-Moe's and Movies. We are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary on Tuesday and it's 13 days until Avery's b-day!! So there are the positives. Oh, and I slept a little better last night. Went to bed at 9:00, got up at 4:45-not bad!!

Thanks for listening to my rant!!  :) Have a good day!!

Where we are...

I am in need of a little venting today so this is the place where I am going to do it.

Received an email from our adoption agency yesterday and they are wanting to set up the travel meeting. The travel meeting is where they tell you about what you will be doing when in China, where you will be going, you get to meet the other people you are traveling with, they talk about what to and what not to take. It's a big deal!!But the day they want to have the travel meeting is on a Monday evening at 5:30. Next Monday...not even a week's notice.

 I sent them an email back, asking for other options because I cannot take another Monday off of work. Last week was our Spring Company Show, and took that week off for dress rehearsals, plus there are never any classes on Memorial Day-another Monday. I cannot take another Monday off, and still feel confident that my Monday classes will be ready for the Recital in 4 weeks. My schedule is planned for the entire year back in September. Any days, or weeks, or anything I am going to take off are planned in the schedule back in September. If I am sick and have to cancel I have to make up those classes, and 4 weeks left is not enough time to make up classes. Monday is also the biggest day at the studio with the most kids, so it does take awhile for the classes to be made up. I am the only teacher at my studio, and I like it that way. My assistants are my older kids, and they are not old enough to be left at the studio to teach classes by themselves with so many kids in them, plus if something should happen or someone get hurt when I'm not there-that would just be a mess and not worth it.

I guess the attorney's office at our agency sets this meeting up, and the attorney who is doing the meeting is leaving next Tuesday and will be gone until the middle of June. Ya mean to tell me she didn't know before yesterday that she would be gone for almost 6 weeks-ya right!! The time they even set it for was ridiculous because we live an hour away from our agency, and Gary would have to leave work early to even get there in time. This attorney just set the day and time and had no consideration to the actual people who will be traveling. In this process of waiting and waiting, there have been few meetings that you look forward to, but, this one is one you DO look forward to. Then they don't consider everyone involved-BS!! I guess there are 3 couples (us included), that will be traveling together. We aren't the only couple that has a problem with this date and time. Another couple the husband is out of town on business and won't be back either. They've said that as long as one person from the couple is there that is fine-so NOT the point!! They also said we could set up a private meeting but have to pay $350.00 to do so-I DON"T THINK SO!!!!!!!!!!!

Gary called them yesterday and gave them a piece of his mind-I had to go to work. This situation is just UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our adoption agent said they had nothing to do with the time and day of the meeting, they had no control over it. I'm mad, and pissed off, and a lot of other things.

I can't believe I won't be able to meet the other parents traveling with us before the next time we meet- at the airport. I can't believe that these people-the attorney's and whoever don't take into consideration the people involved and their schedules. Not everyone has a 9-5 job, not everyone has someone that can cover for them. I may own my own business, but I am down to the wire on days left, and I need the Recital to look as good as usual-ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I don't know what we're going to do at this point. We'll see...

I am terribly irritable this week. We are still waiting on the LOA. It's been 3 weeks. I just want to go get our little girl. I am tired from not sleeping well lately-up at 2:00AM for over a week now. my mind is just too busy with all that there is to do, and won't shut off at night-typical!!

I know other people would say, "Well you're not going to get a lot sleep when she gets here-get used to it!"-I don't get a lot of sleep anyways!! That just chocks up there with a lot of the other things not to say to adoptive parents that have been waiting for over 3 years. It's right up there with, "It will be worth the wait"-really?!

I am looking forward to my day off tomorrow. I now have my Fridays (and Saturdays and Sundays) off due to no more Company rehearsals. Gary and I are having an M&M date this weekend for our anniversary on Tuesday (married 14 years on the 18th) M&M date=Mexican food at Moe's and the movies!!-Yippee & Yum!!

Trying to figure out what I want to do for Avery's 1st Birthday on the 28th of this month. Our little girl will be a year old in 15 days!! I'm not sure people will understand why I want to celebrate it without her here-but we need to do something!! A cake and gifts for her that we can open when she gets home. Maybe some chinese food and family who want to come. We'll do another one when she's here and do it up right!!

I am a bit overwhelmed at the to do lists right now, but on some of it, it is the unknown that has me up nights I think...

Me going to the travel meeting would have probably set my mind at ease a little but there's no chance of that now-whatever!!

There's my rant...

On the upside I got the sweetest note (and dancer mug) last night from one of my Junior dancers-so sweet and how she thinks of me as her 2nd Mom and it was just very special. Plus, another one of our Junior dancers got Gary, Avery, and myself the book, "I love you like Crazy Cakes"-so sweet also. Made my night so much better last night...

Would love to hear from some people, the blog has been quiet lately, need some words!!  :)

Pictures of my first Mother's Day as a Mom...but no Avery here yet...missed her tremendously!!

Here are some pics of some gifts I got for Mother's Day. My flowers, the lady bug pill box, and the earrings from Gary.

Gary has bought me my own camera, one that I can handle. He has his big heavy professional camera, that I don't understand how to use. I wanted one for China to take pictures, my own pictures, and a small one. He has taught me lately how to download them and do everything. We always leave that stuff up to him, but I wanted to start to learn myself...

My camera is a Canon Power Shot A3100-red for China!!  :)

Happy Mother's Day to me!!

Okay so I know that's a little self centered but I have been waiting for my first official Mother's Day forever. Even though Avery isn't here with us yet, we are still parents, and I am a Mommy!!

Had a great day!! My husband surprised me with genuine jade earrings for my first Mother's Day-so great!! He is the best husband in the world! I got a couple cards in the mail this week from my Mom, and a cousin, and some friends. Our dance company gave me a Mother's Day card they all signed at the show last night! I received some beautiful flowers at the show last night and the cutest little lady bug pill box from one of my dancers also, very cute! Today on Mothers' Day also, I received a surprise bouquet of flowers from Hayley & Dan, cousins on Gary's side, and they were both dancers on our Company and Hayley was in our wedding, and was an assistant of mine at the studio for years. I guess the florist tried to drop them off yesterday but we had already left for the State Office Building for our show, so they dropped them off today at the house-so nice!! They are so thoughtful!

I made a lasagna dinner for my parents and brother, and Gary's parents for Mother's Day. It was nice to have both sets of parents together and just visit. We got our Mom's each a picture frame that says Grandma & Me, and some children's books that are about Grandmas, and some bamboo plants. It was all about Avery and the Grandmas.

I just got done going through and sort of putting away the goodies from last weeks baby shower. I was listening to the lullaby music Gary and I downloaded on her new panda player. The music is great, it's all instrumental, and all rock songs by U2, Coldplay, Rolling Stones, and others. They even had some Bob Marley!. Very soothing, and very cool!

It was a great day, but I am missing our girl. Cannot wait to go get her. Hoping for the LOA this week. If the 3's hold up it should be this week sometime. It is the start of the 3rd week waiting for it-fingers crossed!!

Hope you all had a fantastic Mother's Day!!

Avery we are coming soon to bring you home. Can't wait to hold you...our little lady bug!!

Look what Avery's Daddy's got for her...

This arrived yesterday...isn't it cute!! It is for Avery's room, to play music. It holds an ipod. You tap the ears of the panda to control the volume, and the mouth lights up when you tap the ears-so adorable!! It's just perfect being a Panda-fits right in!

Gary is everything Mac, and everything gadgets-we use them all though I'm not complaining!!

He's a proud Papa!!

He also made the little t-shirt for Avery too, that says Hunan Girl!

We got everything home and up in her room-WOW!!

We got everything home and everything in her room. This is what it looks like right now. I need to put it all away but I don't want to be hurried about it, so I'm waiting a few days when I will have some free time and  can enjoy it!!

The onesies are ones that Gary made up, we have our own heat press, so we made these up special for Avery!!

The cookie bouquet was from our Sister in Law Liz and her two daughters, Jess and Jodi-the cookies are Yummy!!!

It is also the 3rd of the month again. So, it's been now 34 months. But I don't pay attention to the 3rd of the month much anymore, now that we have her, and we have her pictures!! Those 3's still keep showing up in a lot of events and such, but we need to get our LOA now!! Can't wait to get that and then just wait for the travel date!! If everything holds true, we will get the LOA next week, it will be the 3rd week of waiting for it. It took 3 weeks for the PA-so we'll see!!

What a lovely day...

We had our first baby shower on Saturday. Hosted by my cousin Heather and her sisters, Casie, Denise, Krystle, and Tiffani. It was so nice, and I was totally overwhelmed when we got there. I took one look at the cake that said, Congratulations Allison, Gary & Avery and lost it...and then a few moments later I lost it again, I was very emotional and totally overwhelmed, and happy, and every emotion I have had in the last 3 years all welled up at once, and I think a big feeling of relief was also a lot of it too!

The shower was the Scofield side and the Creighton side combined (my side). About 36 + people were there. Gary was there too as you can see in the pictures. He will be at every shower as he should, he is the Daddy. Who ever thought that baby showers were only for the Mother anyways? It is very special to share these experiences together.

It was so nice to see everyone and talk to everyone, and show off our girl. I enjoyed every minute of answering questions and explaining her special need, and just talking about her...our Avery. We are a proud set of parents and love to boast about our girl!!

There was good food, great conversations, family and friends. Our Sister in Law Liz, and our 2 nieces Jessica and Jodi from Indiana showed up on our front porch Friday morning as a surprise!! I was up and at 6:50AM someone knocked on our front porch door, and I had no idea they were coming! What a nice surprise! They made a quick trip (my brother Tom too) up for the shower. It was so nice to be able to have them here for such a special occasion!!

Here are some pictures from the shower. We were overwhelmed by the gifts, she has such a wardrobe now, blankets, and bibs, and such nice things. We appreciate everyones generosity so much!!  We even got her new wheels-the stroller!!!

So take a look at the pictures!!!

Thank you again Heather, Denise, Casie, Krystle,  & Tiffani!!