Photo Updates

I just remembered that I said I would post a new picture of the Little Bee's room. I am attaching one here. I also made a little sign for the playhouse aka Gnome Home (as suggested by Stacey). Baba and Grandpa made her a cradle. Our friend Kim made her the hair clippies. They are so detailed! She's going to be one lucky little girl! Enjoy the pics!

~mama

Last Day of November...

Today is the last day of November and I was excited to know that the judge would return tomorrow...except I just found out that she is back today and has our papers! Maybe we will have a court date on our schedule in the next few weeks! We still hope that it will be in January. A social worker saw the Little Bee yesterday and said that she is doing very good. She also said that the doctor is very happy with her development. It is a good day! Yay! So happy to hear some news about our darling girl!

~mama

10 to 30? Say it Ain't So.

There are rumors about the 10 day wait being changed to a 30 day wait starting next year. I hope this isn't true. I don't know who this would benefit. I really hope this is a rumor that never comes true. Please keep your fingers crossed. I really want my girl to be here before her 2nd birthday. a little girl deserves a party...but most of all she deserves a family that loves her.

~mama

It won't be forever

Adoption is hard and we have been doing this for just a week short of two years (wow!). We've had our ups and downs and a lot of waiting and a lot asking what we are doing this for again? In Russia I had to pinch myself a few times and remind myself that not only were we in RUSSIA but we were going to meet a child that might be our child FOREVER. It really is surreal. Now we are home waiting to see her again, sometimes I am with heavy heart and I know I will miss her on Christmas but I just have to remember this (look to your left) to know that I will wait forever if I have to.
~mama

Thanksgiving for Two (last one!?)

Dear Little B,

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone without you by our side. I am thankful that this will be the last one. Today we thought about you and talked about you and looked at your photographs with your huge family. I ate some sweet potatoes and thought that you would probably like them. I wonder what you did today? I hope that you played with Little R (but mostly I hope that he has found a forever family) and maybe did the sweeping game or got to sing songs. Your cousin Tori is here for the holiday and will spend tonight here with Uncle Lee. I think that the two of you will one day be close friends. We miss you little one and we can't wait to have you home.

~mama

Giving Thanks

I think the thing that I want to give thanks for the most this year can be summarized by this quote:

"Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life. No matter what."

Friends and Family,
Thank you for loving me and being there for me always.

~mama

Adoption Anyone?

Hi!

A special request has gone out to adoption bloggers about this little girl that needs a home! She is BEAUTIFUL!! If you have been thinking about adopting and are able to take care of a child with some special needs please go to this link http://reecesrainbow.org/28060/tera. She seems like an amazingly sweet girl who just needs a loving forever family.

~mama

Here's the information I have from a friend (aside from the link above)

Please spread the word about this little girl from Russia. She was born with bladder exstrophy and lumbar hernia. Her parents rejected her at birth because of her condition, and she spent all of her life in the orphanage. Lumbar hernia was removed after birth, and Natasha walks perfectly well. She is listed on Reece’s Rainbow foundation: http://reecesrainbow.org/28060/tera. I am a volunteer helping Russian orphans and I know Natasha personally.
She is a beautiful and a soulful young lady. The words that can describe her are “fragile” and “delicate”. The first desire you might experience when you meet her for the first time is to protect her, to shelter her from all the harshness of typical life in orphanage. She is quiet and soft-spoken but possesses internal strength and a sense of purpose in life.. When she was asked where she wishes her database pictures to be taken, she wanted it to be done in front of flowerbed, but she was afraid to step on ants living under flowers, which she always observes on her walks. Her favorite toy is a stuffed black kitten; she loves it dearly and carries it everywhere she goes. She loves animals and hopes someday to own a real kitten.
Natasha just underwent a very complex surgery in Moscow. Her recovery is steady, doctors give a good prognosis. She is listed in Krasnoyarsk district but is residing in one of the Moscow orphanages for now since she is scheduled to undergo another minor surgery in a month and a half. Authorities of Krasnoyarsk promise cooperation in her adoption process in Moscow. Natasha is available for adoption in USA trough HAPS New Jersey International Adoption Agency: http://haps.org/russia.html. Link to her page in Russian database: http://www.usynovite.ru/child/?id=148q5. I have more medical information, plenty of pictures and even a video of Natasha. Please write to sobachka02@yahoo.com
Natasha is waiting for her parents. She trusts us to help

Hey Bee

Looking at your picture with Daddy. You are so cute! We love you!

Three months today since we first saw your adorable face!

~mama

Letter for Little Bee

Dear Little Bee. I miss you so much my brain has stopped working.

love,
mama

14

I just found out the Russian holidays will go through January 14th. Killing me.

~mama

Stupid Waiting

I certainly wouldn't call them "dark days" because I do see a wonderful sparkling light at the end of this long long long tunnel (please see my ticker...we are so close to 2 years), but I do catch myself feeling horribly sad sometimes. I miss her so much...it's tough. It's hard to feel so close to something that is just out of reach. I want her so bad. I can't wait to bust her out. I hope that the caregivers are showing her the photos that we left for her so she just might...maybe...remember us when we return...

Hold on tight girl...we're coming for you soon!

~mama

Growing Growing...

Yesterday our little sweetheart turned 21 months old!! I hope she had a wonderful day. Rainy, cold and cloudy at her home. I can't wait to get her to the sunshine state!!

love you.

~mama

Grrrrrrrrr!

I was hoping we could at least get on the books for a court date while the judge was out in November. Apparently everything comes to a screeching halt...so no can freakin' do.

To The Bee

Good morning pretty baby!!

Donations are in the House!

We are now at $365 of our $500 goal! Wooott!!! Did I say that you guys rock? Well ya do!

~mama

A Vacation to Recover from the REALLY Long Vacation (and other annoying things)

So there are what seems like a 1000 holidays in Russia and the judges take them all off along with the summer...yes, pretty much the whole summer. Come to find out our judge is also going to be gone the WHOLE month of November...and let's not forget the winter holidays between December 31 and January 8th. Did I mention that they only see international adoption cases on Thursdays? As you can see this really limits our court date options. It looks like we won't be back until January. We predicted this, but naturally behind the scenes my heart was hoping for a court date in December. I'm not sure if they will even schedule a court date while the judge is out. I am still waiting on answers to a small stack of questions.

On a positive note I was greeted via email this morning with some wonderful pictures of our little sweetheart just waking up in her crib. She's beautiful! She's so cute in her crib...she looks like a little jailbird waiting for mama and daddy to come bust her out of the big house. They also sent a few pictures of her from last January all dressed up for the New Year's celebration. Love this girl.

Here's to having her home soon...

~mama

Finishing Touches

We're almost done getting the nursery in order. It's looking really good. It's really bright and colorful. I hope she doesn't get overstimulated! I will post some pictures of it soon. Off to bed now. I always look forward to a new week starting...fingers-crossed that we get some news THIS week!

~mama

Kids are For Families

When the mister and I had been together only a short time we both talked about what a wonderful thing adoption is and that we would maybe like one day to expand our family through adoption. I never knew it would actually happen and let me say it's a wonderful thing! For one thing...kids are for families NOT for orphanages and foster homes. Kids deserve to be individuals, not just another one to feed, diaper, medicate. They need hugs, love, someone to hold them, rock them, kiss their ouchies and smile at them when they wake up in the morning...someone to hold them while they read a book...someone that thinks they outshine the moon and the stars (and let me say that the mister showed me the moon last night...and it is pretty darn bright). Every child should be the smartest, cutest, most creative human on the planet to someone somewhere. I want all these things, not just for our Little Bee, but for all of the kids that need homes, that need forever families- for the kids in foster care, for the kids all over the world in orphanages, for the other little babies in B's baby home (especially you Roman!). I'm not saying this today so that you will run out today and apply to adopt a child (but why don't you?). I'm saying this so that you will do something today to make a difference in a child's life. Hug a child! Donate to a charity! Volunteer! November is National Adoption Awareness Month...have I made you aware?

Loving the Bee,

Mama

P.S. If adoption has impacted you in any way please share your message this November and spread the awareness!!

Two Stray Cats

Two Stray Cats wins the cuteness of the week award with this new lovey blanket. This fabric is adorable!! I pretty much love it lots. Don't forget...her slogan is "Where Every Creation Helps a Critter." 10% of her sales help animals in need! A great blanket? Helping animals in need? Win win. Spread the love and check out Two Stray Cats on Etsy!

~mama

Nothingness

Another day of nothingness. It's almost 10:00 pm in Russia. I guess I can scratch this day off.

sigh.