Our 10 Month LID!
Yesterday 1/29/07 was our 10 Month LID Anniversary! I sure hope that we are at least halfway there. Come on CCAA, get those referrals out!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Happy Belated Birthday Dad!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!Yesterday was my Dad's birthday. Sorry I am a day late but I was without my computer for a few days. I just wanted to let my Dad know how much we love him and how much he means to us. Your the best!
Love Ya,
Michael and Kim
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Tagged Again!
I was tagged by Sara to pick the nearest book, go to page 123 and write down a few lines and then tag 3 people.
I picked Born in Our Hearts. It sits on my coffee table and reminds me everyday of Emma. I had just got this book right before they named our Feb. group (It's a sign!)
Anyway, on to page 123...
Miricles Do Happen!
Gathering the papers was not difficult, just time consuming, and in March 1996, we received our referral.The referral photo was very small, but the child was adorable and became mine in our heart almost immediately.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Why China #26
I got an email from my friend Melissa asking if it was okay to pass the torch to me in answering the question "Why China?" This question has been going around the blogs and I am #26 to answer the question. I have a feeling my answer is going to be long so kick back, grab a drink and read...
Why China? A very good question with a very long answer.
In order to do this I must rewind 10 years. Before Mike and I got married we had the talk about starting a family. Anyone who knows me knows how important family is to me and how much I wanted to be a mother one day. We both agreed that we were in no hurry but that children were in our hearts and our future. Well things happened much quicker than we anticipated and 5 months after we got married we found out that I was pregnant. We weren't trying but we were so excited that we were going to be parents. The happiness only lasted a few weeks as I miscarried at 8 weeks. I had an ectopic pregnancy. It was at that time that we started thinking more about having a baby. Over the next 5 years we went through 4 more miscarriages, the last one being another ectopic and resulting in me losing one of my tubes. All of the miscarriages were very hard on us but we still had hope of having a child. We decided to see a fertility specialist and went through all of the test and various treatments only to have one more miscarriage. It was at this time we felt that we couldn't put ourselves through anymore heartache.
During this time a good friend of mine at work was adopting from Ukraine. I had followed along with his journey and was so excited when he brought his sweet little girl home. This was the first time in years that I had a glimmer of hope that we could still be parents. In October of 2003 we went to a Welcome Home party for the family and were able to meet this precious little one that they had adopted. While Mike and I had talked about adopting I was never sure that we would. The very next day we left for a vacation to Gulf Shores. We spent much of the week talking about the adoption. It was then that we realized that it wasn't that important for us to have a child but that it was important for us to be able to love and raise a child. So in Jan. 2004 we went to a meeting to get some info about adopting from Ukraine. At that time we didn't really look at all our options. I'm not sure that I realized how many options there were. All I knew was that I was so touched by the stories that I heard and that this was where we were headed. We met many wonderful people along the way that I will treasure forever. Like anything we do the process became very slow (imagine that!) Our paperwork went to Ukraine in May and by August things had come to a hault. Finally in early December we got the letter that we had an appt at the NAC on Jan 12, 2005 (right at 1 year from when we had started). During that month we had things happen that made us feel like we should stop the process but how could we have waited this long and not go follow our dream? So on Jan. 10th we made the flight from Louisville, KY to Kiev, Ukraine. Two days later we went to the NAC to find our child. Once there we were told that there were no healthy children that day (we expected this so we pushed for them to show us something). Finally a file for a little girl almost 2 was placed in front of us. We were told she had a cleft palete and needed massage therapy for her shoulder. I knew we could handle this so we accepted and left the next night to go get our daughter. How amazing that felt knowing that we had a daughter! We got to the orphanage, talked with the director, and the little girl was brought into us. She was beautiful! We sat on the floor playing with her and checking her out. It was then that they showed us her shoulder and back and we found out she had spinal bifida and only 1 kidney. In a single moment our dreams were crushed. While we so wanted this little girl to be part of our family we felt we couldn't bring this her home knowing her life expectancy was so short. We weren't prepared for this. We waited another week for another appt at the NAC. During this week the director started changing the process and made it very hard to get another appointment. A week and a half later we finally got that appt but didn't feel comfortable with our options. We decided that it was in our best interest that we come home. To us this meant we would never be parents. Never in a million years would I have thought that this could happen. We arrived home and a week later I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant (now I know why I was so sick in Ukraine). For the first time I felt like this was going to happen, maybe this was God's plan for us. This must have been the reason we came home from Ukraine! Three weeks later we again miscarried.
The next few months were so hard on us. Being around any kids was very hard and I became very withdrawn from those social situations. It was during this time that China came into play. My friend Beth had just returned home from Russia with her son and we had a dinner for them. While out at the dinner a group of women sat at a table next to us with the cutest little Chinese girl. I couldn't stop watching her. Now, I'm a very shy person, so it took a lot for me to go and talk to them. Jen had been home for 5 months from China and had used an agency in Lexington by the name of A Helping Hand. She gave me all the info and told me not to give up on my dream. I still wasn't ready to put my heart out there but I did look into it. The next week I got a call from my friend Cyndee (she had started the Ukraine process and switched to China) and she also told me not to give up and that I should think more about China. This always stayed in my mind but it wasn't until August 2005 when I got a card in the mail telling me about a seminar A Helping Hand was having that I took any steps. I had no clue as to how I got this as I had never contacted them. I attended the seminar which was incredible. When I walked in I was greeted by Jen, the lady I had met months before. She had found our address and had given it to AHH in hopes that we would come. I couldn't believe she had went to all of this trouble. Mike had a prior obligation for a friends wedding so he was unable to attend. They were going to have another seminar in Oct so I signed us up as I wanted Mike to experience it first hand.
Now people may think I'm crazy but I have always believed in signs (I just don't always follow them!) In the few weeks before we went to the seminar I had lots of signs. I hadn't watched Adoption Story in some time and when I turned it on there was a family adopting from China and using AHH! I kept turning on the TV only to see stories that delt with China. We got a new resident at the hospital and she was from China. Of course everywhere I went I saw little Chinese girls. The last straw was when I had the TV on and the sound went out. I looked up to see what was wrong and across the screen it said A Helping Hand! I don't know why it was there and at that point I didn't care, I felt that it was my sign! So this is what lead us to China.
Now, I want to apologize to everyone for the slow down, it must be my fault!!! All I know is that everything we have been through, all of the heartache and years gone by will all be worth it when Emma is placed in our arms.
**Sorry for this being so long but I really did try to condense it. BTW, thanks Melissa for passing the torch! Now it's my turn. Stay tuned....
The progression:So it's come down to this> Omega Mom>Letters from the Zoo> The Singing Bird>Elsie Elsewhere>Chicago Mama>Sopapilla>Are we There yet?>Hope Springs>Jiaozi>Figlet>Bionic Valentine>Hao Bao Bao>Mortimers Mom>Jazzie & Tahlia>Ruby In her Own Time> hey ho, hey ho>Love Made Real>The Moon is Always Female>Buttercup>Waiting for Sprout>Somewhere in China...> TBG Happenings >Our Unforgottten Daughter >Awaiting Ava >Waiting on Emma >Lane's Red Thread
Why China? A very good question with a very long answer.
In order to do this I must rewind 10 years. Before Mike and I got married we had the talk about starting a family. Anyone who knows me knows how important family is to me and how much I wanted to be a mother one day. We both agreed that we were in no hurry but that children were in our hearts and our future. Well things happened much quicker than we anticipated and 5 months after we got married we found out that I was pregnant. We weren't trying but we were so excited that we were going to be parents. The happiness only lasted a few weeks as I miscarried at 8 weeks. I had an ectopic pregnancy. It was at that time that we started thinking more about having a baby. Over the next 5 years we went through 4 more miscarriages, the last one being another ectopic and resulting in me losing one of my tubes. All of the miscarriages were very hard on us but we still had hope of having a child. We decided to see a fertility specialist and went through all of the test and various treatments only to have one more miscarriage. It was at this time we felt that we couldn't put ourselves through anymore heartache.
During this time a good friend of mine at work was adopting from Ukraine. I had followed along with his journey and was so excited when he brought his sweet little girl home. This was the first time in years that I had a glimmer of hope that we could still be parents. In October of 2003 we went to a Welcome Home party for the family and were able to meet this precious little one that they had adopted. While Mike and I had talked about adopting I was never sure that we would. The very next day we left for a vacation to Gulf Shores. We spent much of the week talking about the adoption. It was then that we realized that it wasn't that important for us to have a child but that it was important for us to be able to love and raise a child. So in Jan. 2004 we went to a meeting to get some info about adopting from Ukraine. At that time we didn't really look at all our options. I'm not sure that I realized how many options there were. All I knew was that I was so touched by the stories that I heard and that this was where we were headed. We met many wonderful people along the way that I will treasure forever. Like anything we do the process became very slow (imagine that!) Our paperwork went to Ukraine in May and by August things had come to a hault. Finally in early December we got the letter that we had an appt at the NAC on Jan 12, 2005 (right at 1 year from when we had started). During that month we had things happen that made us feel like we should stop the process but how could we have waited this long and not go follow our dream? So on Jan. 10th we made the flight from Louisville, KY to Kiev, Ukraine. Two days later we went to the NAC to find our child. Once there we were told that there were no healthy children that day (we expected this so we pushed for them to show us something). Finally a file for a little girl almost 2 was placed in front of us. We were told she had a cleft palete and needed massage therapy for her shoulder. I knew we could handle this so we accepted and left the next night to go get our daughter. How amazing that felt knowing that we had a daughter! We got to the orphanage, talked with the director, and the little girl was brought into us. She was beautiful! We sat on the floor playing with her and checking her out. It was then that they showed us her shoulder and back and we found out she had spinal bifida and only 1 kidney. In a single moment our dreams were crushed. While we so wanted this little girl to be part of our family we felt we couldn't bring this her home knowing her life expectancy was so short. We weren't prepared for this. We waited another week for another appt at the NAC. During this week the director started changing the process and made it very hard to get another appointment. A week and a half later we finally got that appt but didn't feel comfortable with our options. We decided that it was in our best interest that we come home. To us this meant we would never be parents. Never in a million years would I have thought that this could happen. We arrived home and a week later I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant (now I know why I was so sick in Ukraine). For the first time I felt like this was going to happen, maybe this was God's plan for us. This must have been the reason we came home from Ukraine! Three weeks later we again miscarried.
The next few months were so hard on us. Being around any kids was very hard and I became very withdrawn from those social situations. It was during this time that China came into play. My friend Beth had just returned home from Russia with her son and we had a dinner for them. While out at the dinner a group of women sat at a table next to us with the cutest little Chinese girl. I couldn't stop watching her. Now, I'm a very shy person, so it took a lot for me to go and talk to them. Jen had been home for 5 months from China and had used an agency in Lexington by the name of A Helping Hand. She gave me all the info and told me not to give up on my dream. I still wasn't ready to put my heart out there but I did look into it. The next week I got a call from my friend Cyndee (she had started the Ukraine process and switched to China) and she also told me not to give up and that I should think more about China. This always stayed in my mind but it wasn't until August 2005 when I got a card in the mail telling me about a seminar A Helping Hand was having that I took any steps. I had no clue as to how I got this as I had never contacted them. I attended the seminar which was incredible. When I walked in I was greeted by Jen, the lady I had met months before. She had found our address and had given it to AHH in hopes that we would come. I couldn't believe she had went to all of this trouble. Mike had a prior obligation for a friends wedding so he was unable to attend. They were going to have another seminar in Oct so I signed us up as I wanted Mike to experience it first hand.
Now people may think I'm crazy but I have always believed in signs (I just don't always follow them!) In the few weeks before we went to the seminar I had lots of signs. I hadn't watched Adoption Story in some time and when I turned it on there was a family adopting from China and using AHH! I kept turning on the TV only to see stories that delt with China. We got a new resident at the hospital and she was from China. Of course everywhere I went I saw little Chinese girls. The last straw was when I had the TV on and the sound went out. I looked up to see what was wrong and across the screen it said A Helping Hand! I don't know why it was there and at that point I didn't care, I felt that it was my sign! So this is what lead us to China.
Now, I want to apologize to everyone for the slow down, it must be my fault!!! All I know is that everything we have been through, all of the heartache and years gone by will all be worth it when Emma is placed in our arms.
**Sorry for this being so long but I really did try to condense it. BTW, thanks Melissa for passing the torch! Now it's my turn. Stay tuned....
The progression:So it's come down to this> Omega Mom>Letters from the Zoo> The Singing Bird>Elsie Elsewhere>Chicago Mama>Sopapilla>Are we There yet?>Hope Springs>Jiaozi>Figlet>Bionic Valentine>Hao Bao Bao>Mortimers Mom>Jazzie & Tahlia>Ruby In her Own Time> hey ho, hey ho>Love Made Real>The Moon is Always Female>Buttercup>Waiting for Sprout>Somewhere in China...> TBG Happenings >Our Unforgottten Daughter >Awaiting Ava >Waiting on Emma >Lane's Red Thread
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Happy Birthday Steve!
Happy Birthday Steve!
Hey Steve, how old are you today?!! Don't worry I won't tell! For those of you don't my family well Steve is my brother-in-law. I have known Steve since I was in the first grade. His family lived down the street and I was friends with his little sister. Of course back in the 70's when big hair was in I was scared to death of Steve. I would have never thought that I would ever be related to him (sure glad he cut that hair!). Anyway, I just wanted to send out a big birthday wish to Steve! Hope it's a wonderful day!
Happy Birthday Galya!
Happy Birthday Galya!Today is a shared special day as it is Steve and Galya's birthday. If you having been following our blog, Galya is our good friend from Kiev, Ukraine. We were lucky to get to spend her 29th birthday with her when we were in Kiev. She is a wonderful friend to us and we miss her very much. Happy Birthday Galya, you are in our thoughts and prayers. We love you!!
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Happy Birthday Courtney!!
Happy 15th Birthday Courtney!!!
We just wanted you to know how proud we are of you and just want you to know how much we love you! Hope you have a wonderful birthday. I just wish you wouldn't grow up so quickly!!!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Updated Home Study!
Today Mike and I both had the day off work. I just love having a Monday off. Mike's work was closed and I took a vacation day. We had such a wonderful and relaxing weekend. Last night, Amber, our home study advocate, called us to finish up our updated home study. We set up the appointment for her to come do the home visit today. We were glad Amber was the one to come out. She has been taking care of us since we started the Ukraine process in January of 2004. Heck, we consider her family now. We had a wonderful visit with her and got everything completed. We joked with her that we should go ahead and set up our visit for next year since everything is so slow (I REALLY hope that we don't have to update AGAIN!!). Now we just have to go to INS on Wednesday to get refingerprinted. One more thing to check off the list!
Thanks Amber for being so good to us!
Thanks Amber for being so good to us!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
A Big Thank You To Sara!
I want to send out a BIG THANK YOU to Sara for doing a makeover on my blog. I changed over to the google blog and started playing around and messed up my entire blog. I got ahold of Sara and she whipped this right up for me! One day I'm going to learn how to do something with this blog. Thank heavens for Connie and Sara who actually know what they are doing!!! You're the best!!
Friday, January 12, 2007
2 Years Ago Today!
2 years ago today Mike and I were in Kiev, Ukraine at the adoption center. It is a trip that will stay with me forever. In January of 2004 we decided to adopt from Ukraine. We spent the next few months doing our homestudy and getting our dossier together. In May our paperwork was sent to Ukraine. In late summer things slowed down so we waited and waited (sound familiar!). The first week of December we found out that we had an appointment in Kiev at the adoption center on January 12, 2005. We left on Jan. 10th and arrived in Kiev on Jan. 11th. On Jan. 12th we went to the adoption center in search of our child. We were shown very sick children of all ages and were told that there was no healthy children available today. We expected to be told this so we looked more. We were offered twin boys only to find out that they were "lost in the system" and then offered a little 2 year old girl. Her name was Olena and she had a cleft palate and needed massage therapy to her shoulder. We decided to go see her. We had to wait 24 hours to get approval to go so the next night we left at 3am on a 4 hour trip to her hometown. When we arrived at the orphanage we met with the director and then Olena was brought in to us. I can picture her in my mind now. She was tiny, about the size of a 6 month old. She was absolutely beautiful! We sat on the floor playing with her and she sat holding Mike's pinky. At that moment we couldn't believe we had a daughter! It was then that we checked her mouth and shoulder. The palate was one I knew could be repaired and I felt very grateful that it wasn't severe. Then came time to check the shoulder. I saw no problem with the shoulder but then was shown her back. It was that moment we saw that she had spinal bifida. Of course the staff didn't understand this. We were then told about her only having one kidney. I felt my world close in on me. I knew that I couldn't bring home this beautiful little girl that had already won my heart. How could I bring her home knowing she wouldn't live? Walking out of that orphanage without her was one of the hardest things Mike and I have ever done. I have never felt so lonely and afraid at the same time. We spent the next week and a half waiting for another appointment at the AC. During this time we made wonderful friendships that will last a lifetime. Galya is so dear to us and we miss her so much. She taught us so much and welcomed us into her family. She took us to spend many days at the children's hospital. The kids there are forever in my heart. I wish I could have brought them all home but they were not adoptable. These children had been abandoned in the streets. The police brought them to the hospital where they stay as long as a year in a hospital room with no toys, no books, no nothing, before being sent to an orphanage where they will most likely never be adopted. A week and a half later we finally got our second chance to go back to the AC but once again we left empty handed. There was no gaurantee that we would get another appointment and at that point we decided to come home. All of our hopes and dreams of becoming parents came to an end. I could go on and on about our trip. I do want you to know that even though things didn't work out for us I will always treasure our time in Ukraine. If you would like to hear more you can read our story at Caringbridge.org/ky/krameraddition . I hope you enjoy the photos below.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Happy Birthday Stevie!
Happy Birthday Stevie!
Today my niece is turning 6! I can't believe she is that big! I just wanted to wish her a very happy birthday and let her know how much Michael and I love her!
Hope you have a wonderful day!
(This is a picture of her partying on New Years Eve)
Sunday, January 07, 2007
I was putting away things in Emma's room and I remembered I never showed you what my Mom got Emma for Christmas. My Mom thought it was so cute and had to buy it. I guess we will have to wait and see how cute she thinks it is the first time Emma can't take Mom and Dad anymore and calls Nana begging her to come get her. Thanks Mom, we loved it!
Friday, January 05, 2007
Can You Believe I Bought This?
I just realized that I didn't post any Christmas pictures so I will have to put a few on here but this was one of my favorites. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I have always been a huge UK fan. How could I have ever married a Louisville fan?!! Over the years I have dragged Mike to many UK games and even made him wear Kentucky stuff. Anyway, when I was shopping for him this year I bought him this Louisville pullover and found this little shirt for Emma. I can't believe I bought her something Louisville but you can see it made Mike happy. He took it everywhere we went Christmas to show everyone what I had bought.
My day turned around!
In the mist of my bad tooth day we had a delivery that seemed to really perk me up! It wasthe final gift from our March Secret Pal. I was so excited to get it and finally find out who has been sending me (us) all of these wonderful gifts. Who could this wonderful person be?...
Drumroll please... Our wonderful and amazing pal is Chrissie! I couldn't believe it! Months ago I helped fill in setting up the book swap for Chrissie and have been following along her journey ever since. Not once did I ever think that she was my secret pal!
Chrissie sent me this wonderful Corolle doll for Emma. I love it! I have thought about ordering it many times but hadn't! She is so sweet and just the perfect size for Emma to carry around. Thank you so much Chrissie for this wonderful and thoughtful gift!
I want to thank Chrissie so much for putting so much love and thoughtfulness into each and every gift you have sent us. I am so excited to finally get to thank you! I have been following your journey and have been so excited about the wonderful news of your pregnancy and even more excited to hear it is a girl!! I know your journey is changing but I want you to know how much you have touched our life and journey to Emma!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
I had a bad day!
Not a good day!
I went to the dentist and had 2 wisdom teeth pulled and two cavities filled.
Hope to be up and running again tomorrow!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
It's official
The site has been changed so it is official that the referrals went up to Sept. 27th. Well, I guess we'll wait until next month to see where we stand. How long will it take to get through SIX more months of referrals??
The Stork has flown!
The stork has finally arrived! I want to congratulate all of those who received their referrals this month. The stork delivered referrals that were logged in from 9/8-9/27. It's a little movement but I sure wish it had been more. We are 6 months and 2 days down the line. I sure hope things speed up or there won't be any traveling this year. Tuesday, January 02, 2007
A Very Special Birthday Wish!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!Today is a very special day. It is my Mom's birthday. On this very special day I want to send a special birthday wish to Mom and let her know how much she is loved. The three of us girls are so lucky to have her in our lives. She has been here with us for everything, the good and the bad. We are so forturnate to have her here close to us each and everyday. Mom, thank you for being our Mom and our best friend. We love you! We hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Monday, January 01, 2007
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