Baby Book Ideas

Ok - thought I'd share something on this blog for ease.  Emailing pictures this large will likely blow up email accounts.  Some folks are getting to the "photo album" stage - that precious time when you get to send a photo album to your child waiting to know all about YOU!  Here are a few pics we took of our album. 
Tips:
1.) Think of showing things for the social worker to talk to your child about - we have pictures of an airplane, our van, and even a car seat -- all things these kiddos may not have ever seen before. - Can easily find this stuff off the internet if you don't have a good picture.
2.) Do close-ups so they can REALLY see your face
3.) If you want to send two albums - a great idea is to send a baby cloth album for the child to carry around with him or her - we put ours in a baggie with one of my shirts (with my perfume on it) for abut 2-3 weeks before we sent it off....hopefully she can get used to my scent, her brain will recall that smell when we meet... let the bonding begin!
4.) For us, we used textures for her to touch and feel butterfly and flower stickers. 
5.) We sent some stickers along for her to put on some of the pages - if she wants.
6.) We made copies of HER referral picture and put those also in the book - especially the ones where we added HER to our family.
7.) Make sure to include family pets – it helps for them to get used to dogs, etc. – they are not used to having pets.

Enjoy this little project -- it is a very happy time.  - I hope blogger doesn't blow up with this many pictures :)
Love, Renae.


Baby Album - small and just pictures of her family.

For the other albumn, it has more details .... hope this works  - my IT skills are not the best :)  Hopefully the social worker has been able to go over this album with Lauren many times so she's used to seeing where she will live, her room, etc.  -- and even be a little prepared for a ride in an aiplane.

Hope this helps in sharing ideas for all those at this stage of the adoption.  Enjoy.

My Fitness Pal

Ok - I know this isn't adoption-related - but so excited to share something with all of you.  For those of you following this blog - you know I've been working on dieting and healthy eating like never before for about 9 months now -- and lost 45 lbs.  I felt great and got rid of a bunch of BIG clothes - my mom altered some of my favorite pants and things were going great! Until.... vacation.  Actually, it was spring break - when we went to Hilton Head - and had tons of seafood - which is very fattening.  Anyway -- since spring break and the months in between I've been soooo stressed ... I've eaten my way through life... and gained about 18 lbs back.....UGH  I know 18 lbs isn't too bad - especially given all the sweets I've been clinging to in my stress!  But all that has changed.......

A coworker of mine has lost 35 lbs using an iphone app called My Fitness Pal.  It is the NEATEST thing.  It's like a diary - but you can pull down foods that are already in their database .... like salads from restaurants, etc.... It keeps track of your daily calories and what you have left to eat for that day, in order to lose the weight you want to lose.  You can also record exercise.  And the part I love the most is when it says.... "If you continue to eat like today by _____ (X date) you will weight _____ (X)".  It's all projected out for you and for me.....is sooooo motivating.  You also enter your daily weight in a progress area ....and all the projections update too...... It's like a guarantee of weight loss by this certain time.... IF you do the things you've logged TODAY and every day thereafter.... you enter in each day .... so it really takes those "weekly plans" and breaks them down into days...almost moment by moment encouragement.  And it also summarizes your day at the end in "notes to you" .....all the things you did right that day... positive things like "your exercise burned ___ (x) calories".   

It is really neat.  My friend - who is barely overweight.... lost 35 pounds doing this and is at an alltime low body weight for her --- she really looks awesome.... and we know that the smaller you are, the harder it is to lose.  I generally lose weight really fast when I'm focused on it ....so here's to hoping most of the 18 is gone soon!!! When I'm brave one day .... I'll do before and after pictures :)

No news still on passport - still waiting and praying -- seeing a perfect window still available before VISA expires. :)  Off to Holiday World AGAIN tomorrow -- can you believe it??  We are nuts!  Looking forward to one last summer celebration before school starts.  Joshua is bringing a friend - Donovan who has never been there and LOVES roller coasters and water slides.  Brad is taking the day off work! It's going to be a great day! Pictures to come -- with smiling boys' faces....don't look for any pictures of me - remember, I'll be in a bathing suit :)

Trip to the doctor

Hi all -
As we prepare for ALL the finishing touches of this adoption - we made a trip to the travel clinic.  We've been there before with our travels to Kenya - so we know the drill.  Don't drink the water, no ice, wash hands, take Malaria pills, do you need shots (yellow fever, typhoid, tetnus, whooping cough, polio, and on, and on, and on).   Soooo, these visits can get expensive.  Well, this time, we had many of these things from our Kenya trip -- some of these last for several years.  But Typhoid - didn't need...but apparently do now for India.  So get this.... I elected the oral meds instead of the shot (I really don't like shots).  Oral meds are cheaper and apparently last longer and are more effective at prevention of typhoid.  The only kicker is.... have to take 3 weeks before travel... so I agreed... which means, we KNOW we won't be traveling for at least 3 weeks.  This puts our timeframe real close to VISA expiration - but it's still possible and our agency is saying don't worry about the VISA expiration - she thinks we will travel before that.  We still haven't heard about the passport - but we're sure as of now they don't have it yet -- our agency did say that travel is usually 2-3 weeks from the call with approval, unless you want to go sooner (like within 7 to 10 days of approval).  With school starting soon, we are fine with the 3 weeks at this point to get past that first week of school..... and that's assuming the passport arrives still this week ..... so I guess the 3 weeks for the meds will be fine.  I think it was just one small way of me saying, I'm going to choose this... when I feel so "out of control". 

I know God's wants my reliance on Him - and I'm clinging to that notion the best I know how.  I just need to take my mind away from the waiting right now.... and work has been very busy, so that helps pass the days. Just waiting and trusting on God's timing.  We just might end up celebrating our anniversary in India this year :)
  

Update on NDBox Adoption email

Got good news.... I think, for now.... apparently, the US Embassy periodically checks on cases that are "old" to ensure the family is still in the process and make sure the family hasn't be denied for an adoption or some other issue occurred that would require them to "close out" a file.  Since our file is taking so long, I guess it hit the timeframe where the email was generated. 

Honestly, I think I read this so quickly, I thought it was related to our passport paperwork -- but this is actually the VISA unit.  (which I guess are separate).  JOH rep shared this is nothing to worry about, that she's had several families with this email come through.  I do think this will certainly prompt Lisa to check into our file when she returns from vacation on Monday....praying this is a blessing after all. 

But this causes me to wonder... is there other news that "we are not going to like" - the message Brad got during his prayer time, recall.  Brad's prayer life is rich and vibrant -- and has led our family down some amazing paths .... times of waiting, and times of "going"..... so I trust in his relationship with the Lord and will wait patiently for the next news.  I treasure each of your prayers!

In a panic ....calling all prayer warriors

Hey gals -- I have some preliminary news .... and I'm not sure it's good.... please pray.

I woke up this morning to an email from NDBox Adoptions -- for those of you that have went through the process, you know this email must be from the US Embassy in New Delhi. This is how they communicate the Article 5 with PAPs.  Well this email said, "We are following up regarding the adoption case of Anjali. We issued the Article 5 letter on July 13, 2011. As we have not heard from you since the issuance of Article 5 letter, we are writing to inquire about the status of this adoption."  My first thought before reading the email was...yea, we got her passport - but that was when I just saw the NDBox adoption.... when I actually read the email.... it was panic.  Here are the challenges:

1.) Our head leader at our agency is on vacation - until Monday.
2.) I'm not sure if her assistant has authority to talk to Bal Asha or work on this today - seems some activities are reserved for the leader's handling.
3.) Our travel VISA expires in September -- so I am just sick with worry that something will happen with bad timing and we won't be able to get Lauren soon.
4.) Did our paperwork get lost in the shuffle?
5.) Is this perhaps a mix up on their part - and it can be easily resolved?

Ladies, please pray this gets resolved quickly -- and perhaps we get priority processing when paperwork is found.  When I shared this with Brad this morning his exact words were this, "I prayed about this during my quiet time last week and God told me we would get news soon, but we wouldn't like it".... of course my response was why didn't you tell me God told you this....and of course began crying...... his response, "and get you in a tizzy for who knows how long until we heard news???? (my husband does know me well)   We don't like this news, but this could actually be good for us, because we now may get it resolved completely. God is at work in this, so I'm confident it will work out."    He is so good, so calm, so patient...... and quite frankly, I'm just not.  I think early on in this process .... like perhaps 1 year to 18 months ago, I was patient, calm, and good....but seriously the last 4-6 months have been tough.  I am soooo ready to have Lauren home and life with her begin. 

At this point, I've given up on having her home before school starts for Joshua.... it just doesn't seem possible at this point.  I know with God anything is possible .... but I'm just not sure it's in the plans, so I submit to the process and timing....and just pray it's before our VISA expires.  Calling all prayer warriors -- you service is needed :)

p.s. - if you are wondering about Joshua - he's doing great at Grandmas -- busy with activities, having fun.... I don't think missing us ...yet :)  Brad and I are missing him like crazy, but enjoying our time together.