Thoughts...

So lately the time frame of the waiting has really been setting in. As many times as we hear people say, "It'll be worth the wait", or "it'll go fast", it really doesn't make it any easier. We appreciate the kind words and believe us we know that she will be worth the wait...but that doesn't mean that the waiting isn't hard. Sometimes you feel like people don't want to discuss the adoption because it is so far away. But, what they don't know is that it is far away for them but it's on our minds everyday.

I believe people should start a family when they feel they are ready. For Gary and myself that time is now. It may not be when other people thought it should be, or that we were never serious about having children. I think Gary & I knew that when the time came for us to start a family we wouldn't do it the traditional way. Even in all those years of trying to conceive the traditional way, adoption was never out of the question. With the number of children I have taught over the years and the number of those kids Gary has had an impact on also, it seems fitting that we are going to adopt and save a life of a child in need.

I always wonder about that connection a Mother has to her child when you carry them for 9 months, will that have an impact on us. What about the love I feel for a child that I haven't met yet...I've met her in my mind. What about the 18+ months it will take to get to her, that must be the same as carrying her on some level. As a woman who is in her 30's you do not feel as competent when surrounded by other family members or people that have children. You are treated differently all the time, as if you were still in your 20's and haven't experienced life yet. That is so untrue, I think that when you are faced with disappointments, and hardships, and successes, that also makes you competent at life.

I can't wait to be a Mom, and I know Gary can't wait to be a Dad. So what's wrong with starting later than other people...nothing. It doesn't mean we aren't serious about a family. And just because Avery is still 12+ months away from us doesn't mean we shouldn't start the nursery, or buy her things, and pick out a crib set and be able to enjoy this wait...this long wait. Even though we can't see her yet doesn't mean she's not around us on some level, we get signs all the time. Even though the signs may not mean anything to anyone else doesn't mean they are to be dismissed, it just means they are meant for us and no one else.

So there are my thoughts as of late. I can't vent to anyone but Gary about all of this, so I'm going to start writing my thoughts here, hoping to encourage more people to leave comments and thoughts. We need the support some days, or even just a hello.

Have a good day!!!

~Alli

Happy 6 month wait to us...

The 3rd of January was our official date of 6 months of waiting. In February we will be in this a year from the start of all the paperwork. It takes a LONG TIME...trying to look further ahead to keep my sanity.

We are getting a lot of invites to Chinese New Year get-togethers...exciting!!! Some are local, one is from our adoption agency and there is a BIG celebration at one of the high schools in Syracuse...should be FUN!!!

We have kept all of Avery's gifts out, I don't want to put them away just yet. I like to go through them every once in awhile.

We have been doing some remodeling. Started with the kitchen, it has a new floor, and painting, and wainscoting on the walls, new lighting and we're going to put new doors in the kitchen also. Plus trimming out the beams and all of the rest of the trim...and eventually re-staining the cupboards. It looks like a totally different place. Gary & Ron did a fantastic job on the floor. Gary did all the wainscoting himself and it looks really good. The color of the wainscoting is called chianti, and the upper part of the walls is a cottage white. Next I think is Avery's room. We also have plans for the upstairs bathroom, flooring in our bedroom, flooring and painting in the downstairs bathroom, painting and tile in the breezeway, and painting in one the living rooms too. Big list!!

We have found our crib set, pottery barn kids jut came out with a set that has little lady bugs on it, and it is green and white and they have mixed pink in with it also-PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!

Just got a bunch of scrapbooking materials in the mail to start Avery's lifebook-really excited about that!!!!

I guess that's all for now, can't wait until our wait time gets in the double digits!!!

Love to you all!!!
~Alli

Merry Christmas Avery Lin!!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. We certainly did. We have celebrated 3 Christmas's so far, our own(Gary & myself), The Scofield's and the Newton's. Boy!! did Avery make out really well, she's not even here yet but she was thought of.

Mommy & Daddy (Mama & Baba) got her books, clothes(12months and up) a Asian looking shirt and dress, a winter hat w/ a pom pom on top, a Christmas tee w/ little asian girls on it, a purple dress, a zip up pink sweatshirt, a pretty onesie, and a ladybug onesie, ladybug socks, ladybug pj's, and little cat pj's. All the sizes are bigger and the prices were cheap-had to do it!! She also got some learning toys from Mommy & Daddy ones that we can take with us to China, ones that pack well. She got her rocking panda, and an oversized soft stacking rings toy(I love this one), we'll put up a picture of this pile of presents.

I got Gary a book called Daddy hugs, and another book if you open it one way it says Mama, if you open it the other way it says Papa. Gary got me 2 willow tree angels, one with the mother holding the baby, and one with the couple holding their baby. I also got a cd of adoption songs, and a cd of Chinese lullabies. The guidebook to start her life book. Gary got buddhas, chinese fortune sticks, and Gary got me little panda finger puppets, the pandas have little asian shirts on-very cute.

At the Scofield family Christmas Grandma Margaret (Lao Lao) and Grandpa John (Lao Ye) got her a soft ladybug learning toy, it's really neat it's like a back pack that open up and has a story book and a mirror in it. Grandma & Grandpa Scofield also got her her first Teddy Bear. Cousins Jessica & Jodi got her a lady bug bank, and put some money in it for her, and an angel ornament. Aunt Liz made a reversible diaper tote, it has ladybugs in pink on one side, and ladybugs in green on the other, it's pretty cool. Aunt Liz, Uncle Tom, Jessica & Jodi made a tied fleece blanket for all of us to enjoy, it's really warm. We'll put up a picture of this pile too.

Then at the Newton Christmas Avery made herself known. Right before we started opening gifts a lady bug flew into the room and Beth put her on the Christmas tree. Weird how that keeps happening. Grandma Judy (Nai Nai) and Grandpa Ron (Ye Ye) gave her a beautiful pink blanket that Grandma Judy crocheted, she also got a neat ladybug board book, and the three of us got a Chinese Santa that Grandma Judy painted. Uncle Steve and Aunt Beth and cousins Noah & Owen got Avery her own stocking, with her name on it, and it was filled with things for her; books, a little cup, little pink and purple striped socks, chinese bracelets, and the 2007 coin collection from the Mint. They also got her a plate to match her cup, which also matches the stocking, it has a dancer on skates on it, and more books to read to her, a little chinese tea set, that I think Uncle Steve got when he went to China for work a couple years ago. Steve and Beth also got us some really nice luggage to take when we go to China, it's red and it's big and sturdy exactly what we need. We'll put a picture up of all of this too.

So for not being here yet she sure was thought of a lot. We appreciate everyone thinking of her at our 1st Christmas in the adoption process.

We think she may be 2 months conceived that's our guess anyway. We are hoping that China will speed up in January before they slow down for the Olympics. But then we hope they speed up after the Olympics. We hope by next Christmas we will be really close to holding her.

We've received some more quilt squares, Gary needs to take the pictures still.

Also, we are asking people to do a second square if they want to. We are still waiting on some and are going to actually send out the postcards in January as reminders.

Hope you all had a nice Christmas filled with family and love.

Love to you all,

Alli & Gary

China Christmas Tree

Here are a couple pictures of our China Tree.









You can see the lady bugs, and the mini take out boxes that have the chinese charcters for double happiness, Avery's name, and all of the other red and gold ornaments, and her rocking panda...waiting for her.

Tell us what you think!!!

Merry Christmas-Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan!!

~Alli & Gary

Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan or Merry Christmas!!

Wow, that's a mouthful-Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan!! Would be hard to fit that on a card. That's probably why the chinese characters are used instead.

Well, our China tree is done. I want Gary to take a picture...we're getting around to it. It's really neat. It has mini red chinese take out boxes on it that have gold chinese characters for double happiness on them, along with plain red mini take out boxes. There are lady bugs and a couple of ornaments that have chinese writing on them. There are 2 ornaments that say MaMa and BaBa written in chinese, and her name is on the tree. A lady bug just flew onto the computer screen as I said that-WEIRD!! There are red and gold stars and red and gold ornaments, red ribbons going down on the sides(red thread-get it), and a star on top that is red on one side and gold on the other. It's really neat...we like it a lot!! If you're around please stop by and see our tree!!

We also have bought Avery a few things for Christmas, the big thing is a rocking panda. Not a rocking horse...a panda!!! Fitting I thought. I was going to hide it and put it under the tree on Christmas morning to surprise Gary, but I I was so excited about it I couldn't hold it in any longer, and told him. Good thing I did because it had to be put together. He's better at that than I am. It looks cute next to the China tree. We'll put a picture of that up here too.

We have a few other things for her, we'll talk about those after Christmas. We still haven't started putting our Christmas cards together yet. We are way behind on that this year...this weekend hopefully.

We wish you all a Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan-Merry Christmas!!!

The pictures should be coming soon!!!

Love to all,
~Alli & Gary