Or something like that. But the bottom line is we've got the 100% green light and now we go through home study revision phase.
Here's our checklist:
* Passport (because ours got stolen last August...still bitter about that. I lost my first 2 stamps from ever being outside the country! UGH!)
* Letter to our prospective birth mother. I'm both nervous as anything and excited to write this letter. This is our opportunity to reach out to a brave woman in another country, to tell her why S. and I will do our best to give that child everything she can't, and why we are so humbled at her strength. It's our brief connection that transcends race, culture, and religion.
* More Government Forms to fill out and send in.
* Visit to the Agency.
* Then we wait...
Our emotions are so indescribable right now.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Our friends melt our hearts
We are finishing up the last of our pre-adoption home study visits today. Another mile marker hit in this amazing, frustrating, exciting, nerve-wracking process to bring our baby home.
Our wonderful social worker went through and read the responses from our references and I teared up...our hearts melted and even if it takes a long time to get our child, this whole process is worth it just hearing how special we are to these people.
We love you guys and are the luckiest people alive because we get to call you friends. Thank you.
Our wonderful social worker went through and read the responses from our references and I teared up...our hearts melted and even if it takes a long time to get our child, this whole process is worth it just hearing how special we are to these people.
We love you guys and are the luckiest people alive because we get to call you friends. Thank you.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Learning
Apart of our process to become parents is to take 10 hours of education classes on topics such as "All About International Adoption" and "Conspicuous Families."
Initially we weren't too thrilled, but realized that some of these courses were actually insightful and will even be super helpful.
For example, Conspicuous Families is all about getting us to think about how we will not only integrate a baby who doesn't look like us into our family, but how we will promote their heritage and even thwart evil and rude comments from outsiders.
This wasn't something we thought much of - but after this course it really has us thinking and we feel more ready for the future.
This blog will lead me to my next which is more of a vent, I guess...Or maybe a "How to handle Yourself around an adopted family" post - yeah, I think that's better since I'm all about educating and being educated. :)
Initially we weren't too thrilled, but realized that some of these courses were actually insightful and will even be super helpful.
For example, Conspicuous Families is all about getting us to think about how we will not only integrate a baby who doesn't look like us into our family, but how we will promote their heritage and even thwart evil and rude comments from outsiders.
This wasn't something we thought much of - but after this course it really has us thinking and we feel more ready for the future.
This blog will lead me to my next which is more of a vent, I guess...Or maybe a "How to handle Yourself around an adopted family" post - yeah, I think that's better since I'm all about educating and being educated. :)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Disney freak
It started out innocent enough, we had an annual pass and enjoyed meeting friends at the park from time to time. Then we thought it would be fun to get married there. People thought we were crazy Disney fans, but really we weren't. But then, as time passed, the addiction started. I found myself in the Disney store buying all sorts of chotzkies and collectibles. I couldn't stop.
We then reunited with a friend of mine from High School whose passion and love for Disney are just out of this world awesome. His house didn't frighten us - it inspired us and from there there was no turning back.
Last summer Disney became our gym. When we needed motivation to work out and walk, we'd rush home for dinner (and eat a healthy meal to boot), then we'd book it over to the park where we'd walk for miles and miles. We never took the tram, either. I think we were at the park at least 3-4 times a week. It was therapeutic and effective! That summer we lost about 30 pounds each!
So CA residents know not to go near Disney when it's Christmas and New Years, so sad to say the last time I played in the park was a few months ago. I miss it, I love it, I crave it.
I think it's time we started back up our amazing Disney workout and visited the mouse.
We then reunited with a friend of mine from High School whose passion and love for Disney are just out of this world awesome. His house didn't frighten us - it inspired us and from there there was no turning back.
Last summer Disney became our gym. When we needed motivation to work out and walk, we'd rush home for dinner (and eat a healthy meal to boot), then we'd book it over to the park where we'd walk for miles and miles. We never took the tram, either. I think we were at the park at least 3-4 times a week. It was therapeutic and effective! That summer we lost about 30 pounds each!
So CA residents know not to go near Disney when it's Christmas and New Years, so sad to say the last time I played in the park was a few months ago. I miss it, I love it, I crave it.
I think it's time we started back up our amazing Disney workout and visited the mouse.
News from the MAMA Campaign
While there may be things about the health bill I'm not in agreement with (and for the sake of staying neutral I'll end there with that statement) I did get this update email from the MAMA Campaign and wanted to share.
For more information on MAMA (Mothers and Midwives in Action) visit their website at http://www.mamacampaign.org
A Victory for Mothers and Babies!
Midwives and mothers, babies and families, are victors today! With the passage of the Senate health care reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on Sunday, March 21, and the signature of the President in the coming days, several provisions that will significantly benefit mothers and babies will now be the law of the land! These provisions will increase access to birth options for low-income women across the country, and will improve the quality of maternity care for all women in the years to come. The MAMA Campaign is proud to have had a role in improving conditions for midwives and mothers in this landmark legislation.
The following are now law:
MAMA Campaign’s “partial victory”: Senator Cantwell’s provision that will have the effect of requiring Medicaid reimbursement for licensed CPMs offering services in licensed birth centers
American Association of Birth Center’s provision that mandates Medicaid reimbursement of the birth center facility fee
Childbirth Connection’s provision requiring quality assessment and improvement measures specific to maternity care
American College of Nurse Midwives’ equitable reimbursement act for Certified Nurse Midwives
And: giving birth, having a cesarean section, or being the victim of domestic abuse will no longer be considered pre-existing conditions and used to deny insurance coverage to women!
What Happens Now With This Legislative Process?
Last night, the House of Representatives passed the Senate health care reform bill that contains the above provisions and the President will sign this bill into law in the coming days. The House also passed a companion reconciliation bill, popularly called a “side car" or "fix it”, to address the House’s concerns about the Senate bill. This companion bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. It is expected that debate will begin in the Senate on Tuesday, and that Republicans will introduce a number of amendments, with debate taking several days. The Senate will be considering this bill under the reconciliation process which requires a simple majority to pass, and Democrats appear confident that they have the votes to pass this bill in the Senate.
Thank You for Your Role in This Victory!
Thank you to each and every one of you who supported the MAMA Campaign and these provisions for women and families. Every letter that you wrote and every dollar that you gave made a difference! We look forward to working with you this year as the MAMA Campaign continues the effort to cover all CPM services in all settings in the Federal Medicaid program.
Moving Beyond Health Care Reform- MAMA Continues to Fight for CPMs
MAMA continues to be on the move for midwives and mothers in Washington, D.C! The MAMA Campaign Steering Committee met in Washington, D.C. two weeks ago, March 5th – 7th, to evaluate the campaign to date and to re-commit to working together to achieve our central goal: to amend the Social Security Act to require the reimbursement of all CPM services in the Federal Medicaid program. On March 5th, 8th & 9th, steering committee members met with 35 Congressional offices on behalf of midwives and mothers. It was clear in these visits that our policy gained significant support in 2009 in key offices and that this support can be leveraged as we move forward in 2010.
You will be hearing from us over the next weeks and months, asking for your input, your engagement and your support as MAMA continues to do our part to improve maternity care in the U.S. and to increase women’s access to Certified Professional Midwives.
Thank Your Legislators!
If your Senators and Congress Members voted for health care reform, including the provisions for women and families, please write to them to thank them. If your legislators voted against health care reform, please write to ask them to ensure in Federal legislation that women have access to Certified Professional Midwives, a high-quality, low-cost option. As always, your legislators need to hear from you on behalf of midwives and mothers!
Support Your MAMA
In celebration of the passage of our “partial victory” and in support of our on-going work to cover all CPM services in all settings in the Federal Medicaid program, please consider donating to the MAMA Campaign today!
If you have any questions, concerns or comments please contact the campaign at info@mamacampaign.org.
For more information on MAMA (Mothers and Midwives in Action) visit their website at http://www.mamacampaign.org
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Is it really almost April??
This year is flying, and a little too fast for my comfort. At least the semester is about 6 weeks away from being over. (Although I dread the up coming weeks filled with papers, project, and finals!)
Even though my month of little to no technology is almost over, I caved in yesterday and went on to my sites. To my amazement I logged on to fb and realized it really isn't that fun and nothing I should be wasting my free time on. Don't get me wrong, I love socializing with my friends, but I'd prefer face-to-face or even an individual text or email over the public displays of "I'm a better friend than all of you."
I've hopped on twice since yesterday and really to only post on a networking site that I co-chair.
I did, however, miss the crap out of this blog. So, I'm back.
S. and I had our first home study visit a couple weeks ago and couldn't be more excited about this process. In our discussions with our social worker, we had this really therapeutic talk about privacy. Long story short, she put some things into perspective that made me realize I needed to change about this blog and our lives.
So with that being said, we're pulling back on the information strings here at Thriving for Baby, and sticking to generalities. :)
Even though my month of little to no technology is almost over, I caved in yesterday and went on to my sites. To my amazement I logged on to fb and realized it really isn't that fun and nothing I should be wasting my free time on. Don't get me wrong, I love socializing with my friends, but I'd prefer face-to-face or even an individual text or email over the public displays of "I'm a better friend than all of you."
I've hopped on twice since yesterday and really to only post on a networking site that I co-chair.
I did, however, miss the crap out of this blog. So, I'm back.
S. and I had our first home study visit a couple weeks ago and couldn't be more excited about this process. In our discussions with our social worker, we had this really therapeutic talk about privacy. Long story short, she put some things into perspective that made me realize I needed to change about this blog and our lives.
So with that being said, we're pulling back on the information strings here at Thriving for Baby, and sticking to generalities. :)
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Week 1 of planning our meals
I felt like a broken record every time S. went shopping for groceries: "can you please plan meals out in advance so we don't waste money buying stuff we won't use and things we don't need?"
My pleas went unheard and every week we found ourselves throwing out produce and dairy and leftovers because we just weren't planning. Not to mention the gobs of money spent on eating out due to the fact that we got lazy.
After doc's bomb dropped on me a couple weeks ago, we decided we really needed to watch more of what went into our mouths. So I sat down and took matters into my own hands and I planned.
Last week I went through recipes on line using the search "healthy dinners" or "vegetarian recipes"(among the likes) and came up with a handful that piqued my interest. So I went through the lists and made a shopping list for the farmer's market and Henry's.
This is how our meals went:
Sunday, March 7: S. improvised and made this sweet potato and walnut ravioli that was yum!
(here's were I stepped in)
Monday, March 8: Szechuan Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry.
I took the recipe from vegetariantimes.com and made a few tweaks. I should have gone with my better judgment because this recipe felt like something my Wisconsin-born grandmother would prefer rather than my China-born friend. The veggies weren't crisp and juicy, rather soggy and wilted. However, the taste was good. Next time, I'll go with my instincts.
Tuesday, March 9: Chili Sin Carne (but not really because instead of veggie crumbles, I used ground turkey).
Again, this recipe came from vegetariantimes.com, but I decided to make some changes. First, I sub'd the veggie crumbles (what the hell is that anyway?) and used lean ground turkey. I also didn't add nearly as much water as they suggested (thank GOD, too, because mine was perfect!) and I used canned corn instead of frozen. This was a super yummy meal. Steven was floored and we brought the leftovers to the office where our new agent basically gobbled this up. So good.
Wednesday, March 10: Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Salsa Verde.
Also known as the night we sent ALL of our smoke detectors off, freaked out the animals, and realized that we shouldn't grill shrimp inside.
S. helped me a lot with this one because I wanted homemade tortillas and he's amazing at that. And because the smoke detectors were on full blast, I had to tend to the windows, fans, and making sure my animals didn't go psycho crazy. So he ended up grilling the shrimp. Everything else, though, was me and that avocado/tomatillo salsa verde rocked my socks.
Thursday, March 11: Eggplant Parmesan
S. didn't help one little bit with this one and I'm super proud of it. I made my own marinara sauce from scratch (that was probably the best I've ever done!) and I didn't use the skimpy grated mozzarella the recipe called for - no, I used the premium, whole milk mozzarella, which totally made a HUGE difference. Am I still patting myself on the back for this? Heck yes.
Friday, March 12: Our "one day out a week if we so chose to" night.
We ended up having steamed crab, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. YUM!
Saturday, March 13: Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries.
Now before I get to the dinner, let me start with lunch. We had been working in the garage trying to clean that sucker out and we both got super hungry. Enchilada House and Bonellos Pizza were on our "dude, we so should totally get that for lunch" menu. S. thought we were getting pizza until I went back inside and heard our fridge yelling at me to use food that was already in there.
So, I ended up making a thai-inspired chicken salad from my left over chicken and brown rice from Yard House (last weekend), snap peas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and carrots. With a little help from S. we made this peanut butter dressing that just made this salad killer! Steve was bummed about the no pizza at first, but ended up devouring the salad and we both felt SO much better knowing we didn't blow it.
Ok, so back to dinner, the original recipe I had was from Food Network and it was actually a Jerk Turkey Burger with Mango Slaw dish. We couldn't find this mango chutney that it called for, so I improvised. I kinda read through the recipe and decided to just push it aside and "wing it." I ended up seasoning the turkey meat with salt, pepper, minced onions, and balsamic vinegar. I then took carrots and a green apple and julienned them into a bowl. Then I chopped up some green cabbage and cut up a couple green onions and put them in the bowl. I added some mayo and some apple cider vinegar and mixed it up. That coleslaw kicked butt. Seriously.
I then asked S. to cut up my sweet potatoes to look like fries and I baked them. S.is a master griller so he cooked the burgers. I put the coleslaw on the burger and tada! M.'s Turkey Burger. (I'll actually think of how to write up the recipe later because most of it was just eyeballin' and guesstimates.)
.....
We just went through the fridge and already have dinners for the next week planned AND didn't have to throw anything out this week - saving us TONS of cash. Highly recommend this and really wish we had started this sooner.
My pleas went unheard and every week we found ourselves throwing out produce and dairy and leftovers because we just weren't planning. Not to mention the gobs of money spent on eating out due to the fact that we got lazy.
After doc's bomb dropped on me a couple weeks ago, we decided we really needed to watch more of what went into our mouths. So I sat down and took matters into my own hands and I planned.
Last week I went through recipes on line using the search "healthy dinners" or "vegetarian recipes"(among the likes) and came up with a handful that piqued my interest. So I went through the lists and made a shopping list for the farmer's market and Henry's.
This is how our meals went:
Sunday, March 7: S. improvised and made this sweet potato and walnut ravioli that was yum!
(here's were I stepped in)
Monday, March 8: Szechuan Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry.
I took the recipe from vegetariantimes.com and made a few tweaks. I should have gone with my better judgment because this recipe felt like something my Wisconsin-born grandmother would prefer rather than my China-born friend. The veggies weren't crisp and juicy, rather soggy and wilted. However, the taste was good. Next time, I'll go with my instincts.
Tuesday, March 9: Chili Sin Carne (but not really because instead of veggie crumbles, I used ground turkey).
Again, this recipe came from vegetariantimes.com, but I decided to make some changes. First, I sub'd the veggie crumbles (what the hell is that anyway?) and used lean ground turkey. I also didn't add nearly as much water as they suggested (thank GOD, too, because mine was perfect!) and I used canned corn instead of frozen. This was a super yummy meal. Steven was floored and we brought the leftovers to the office where our new agent basically gobbled this up. So good.
Wednesday, March 10: Chipotle Shrimp with Avocado Salsa Verde.
Also known as the night we sent ALL of our smoke detectors off, freaked out the animals, and realized that we shouldn't grill shrimp inside.
S. helped me a lot with this one because I wanted homemade tortillas and he's amazing at that. And because the smoke detectors were on full blast, I had to tend to the windows, fans, and making sure my animals didn't go psycho crazy. So he ended up grilling the shrimp. Everything else, though, was me and that avocado/tomatillo salsa verde rocked my socks.
Thursday, March 11: Eggplant Parmesan
S. didn't help one little bit with this one and I'm super proud of it. I made my own marinara sauce from scratch (that was probably the best I've ever done!) and I didn't use the skimpy grated mozzarella the recipe called for - no, I used the premium, whole milk mozzarella, which totally made a HUGE difference. Am I still patting myself on the back for this? Heck yes.
Friday, March 12: Our "one day out a week if we so chose to" night.
We ended up having steamed crab, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. YUM!
Saturday, March 13: Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries.
Now before I get to the dinner, let me start with lunch. We had been working in the garage trying to clean that sucker out and we both got super hungry. Enchilada House and Bonellos Pizza were on our "dude, we so should totally get that for lunch" menu. S. thought we were getting pizza until I went back inside and heard our fridge yelling at me to use food that was already in there.
So, I ended up making a thai-inspired chicken salad from my left over chicken and brown rice from Yard House (last weekend), snap peas, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and carrots. With a little help from S. we made this peanut butter dressing that just made this salad killer! Steve was bummed about the no pizza at first, but ended up devouring the salad and we both felt SO much better knowing we didn't blow it.
Ok, so back to dinner, the original recipe I had was from Food Network and it was actually a Jerk Turkey Burger with Mango Slaw dish. We couldn't find this mango chutney that it called for, so I improvised. I kinda read through the recipe and decided to just push it aside and "wing it." I ended up seasoning the turkey meat with salt, pepper, minced onions, and balsamic vinegar. I then took carrots and a green apple and julienned them into a bowl. Then I chopped up some green cabbage and cut up a couple green onions and put them in the bowl. I added some mayo and some apple cider vinegar and mixed it up. That coleslaw kicked butt. Seriously.
I then asked S. to cut up my sweet potatoes to look like fries and I baked them. S.is a master griller so he cooked the burgers. I put the coleslaw on the burger and tada! M.'s Turkey Burger. (I'll actually think of how to write up the recipe later because most of it was just eyeballin' and guesstimates.)
.....
We just went through the fridge and already have dinners for the next week planned AND didn't have to throw anything out this week - saving us TONS of cash. Highly recommend this and really wish we had started this sooner.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Unplugging from the technology leashes...
Within the past 3 months life has gone from a calm 70 mph to insane autobahn speeds of 160 mph. A lot of it stems from good things like a severe influx of business and our adoption, but these 5 classes I'm taking this semester are seriously harder than I anticipated. If I am gone for one class period I feel lost and behind.
At any rate, S. and I found ourselves overwhelmed and stressed to the max. Our relationship hasn't been 100% and we're feeling the effects.
Our whole goal in life is to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle that will positively impact our children and we needed to figure out how to wrangle our whirlwind life back to calm serenity before we completely lost it.
After a lot of thought, I realized that I was too "plugged in": I visited a few sites MULTIPLE times a day, which compromised my productivity at work and at school. So I asked S. to change my passwords (so I wouldn't be tempted to have a 'quick look') and am now on a month long (or perhaps longer if I wish) break. That being said, I already have found way more time during the day then I know what to do with. Homework here I come.
In addition, we realized we were unwinding at the end of the day with copious amounts of TV. We were using so much of our brain during the day that TV felt good as it offered a chance to completely veg. But one show turned into two, turned into 5. And before we knew it, we were up until 11:30-12 and not waking up at a decent time. It was a vicious cycle.
So, we have severely limited our TV and put ourselves on a strict bedtime policy. The past few night have been amazing. We were in bed by 10p and awoke naturally between 7-7:30a. We have also decided to let the sun wake us so we have been keeping the blinds cracked. It has been awesome and refreshing.
And this leads me to my blog - this will be my last active post for a month or so, as I really need this disconnect. I know many of you are actively following this to see what's going on with the adoption, so don't fret. This is actually a great time for a break because we're in a waiting period with not much going on.
Can't wait to come back with news and a refreshed soul. Much love and happiness.
At any rate, S. and I found ourselves overwhelmed and stressed to the max. Our relationship hasn't been 100% and we're feeling the effects.
Our whole goal in life is to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle that will positively impact our children and we needed to figure out how to wrangle our whirlwind life back to calm serenity before we completely lost it.
After a lot of thought, I realized that I was too "plugged in": I visited a few sites MULTIPLE times a day, which compromised my productivity at work and at school. So I asked S. to change my passwords (so I wouldn't be tempted to have a 'quick look') and am now on a month long (or perhaps longer if I wish) break. That being said, I already have found way more time during the day then I know what to do with. Homework here I come.
In addition, we realized we were unwinding at the end of the day with copious amounts of TV. We were using so much of our brain during the day that TV felt good as it offered a chance to completely veg. But one show turned into two, turned into 5. And before we knew it, we were up until 11:30-12 and not waking up at a decent time. It was a vicious cycle.
So, we have severely limited our TV and put ourselves on a strict bedtime policy. The past few night have been amazing. We were in bed by 10p and awoke naturally between 7-7:30a. We have also decided to let the sun wake us so we have been keeping the blinds cracked. It has been awesome and refreshing.
And this leads me to my blog - this will be my last active post for a month or so, as I really need this disconnect. I know many of you are actively following this to see what's going on with the adoption, so don't fret. This is actually a great time for a break because we're in a waiting period with not much going on.
Can't wait to come back with news and a refreshed soul. Much love and happiness.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Smacked in the face by the truth
S. and I, as many of you know, went on a mainstream diet back in June of last year. It was great, we lost a lot of weight, learned portion control and re-tuned our bodies to crave healthy things instead of french fries and cheeseburgers. We felt so good that we came off it early and did pretty well for the next month and change. Then the holidays hit and our schedules changed drastically - leaving us little time to prepare meals and snacks.
We fell.
We both have gained weight back - depending on the day I'm anywhere from 8-13 lbs heavier.
Then we go to our family doctor for our physical in mid February. We get our blood work done and S. passes everything with flying colors. Mine not so great. I have high bad cholesterol and apparently they tested my blood and I get a paper back saying "mixed hyperlipidemia." He wants to see if we can manage this with simple dietary changes: little to no red meat, use cheeses sparingly (or omit if possible), watch milk intake - only fat free (eww), and eat certain fish sparingly. He also mentioned eating more oatmeal in the morning.
Doc says we both are in desperate need to shed some weight. He wants S. to lose about 30 more pounds and for me to lose about 15-20. So he wants us to be active for 20-40 min 5-6 times per week and to make sure that there's a puddle under us (sweating a lot).
He also advised us on some personal life changes to try to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for a baby. The advice he gave wasn't remarkable, it wasn't something you've never heard, but it made sense and came right at a time we needed it. Basically he said to start getting these healthy eating, exercising, and living habits down pat now. We should also get healthier sleeping habits down to prepare ourselves for an early riser.
We've slowly started changing. I wish I could say we perked up and are doing everything to a T. We've started eating oatmeal (almost) every morning. It's yum! And I've cut wayyyyyy down on my red meat intake, which is really hard for a gal like me whose family raised her on meat and potatoes.
I'm glad that we had our physical because it really smacked us in the face with the need to make changes NOW rather than later.
We fell.
We both have gained weight back - depending on the day I'm anywhere from 8-13 lbs heavier.
Then we go to our family doctor for our physical in mid February. We get our blood work done and S. passes everything with flying colors. Mine not so great. I have high bad cholesterol and apparently they tested my blood and I get a paper back saying "mixed hyperlipidemia." He wants to see if we can manage this with simple dietary changes: little to no red meat, use cheeses sparingly (or omit if possible), watch milk intake - only fat free (eww), and eat certain fish sparingly. He also mentioned eating more oatmeal in the morning.
Doc says we both are in desperate need to shed some weight. He wants S. to lose about 30 more pounds and for me to lose about 15-20. So he wants us to be active for 20-40 min 5-6 times per week and to make sure that there's a puddle under us (sweating a lot).
He also advised us on some personal life changes to try to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for a baby. The advice he gave wasn't remarkable, it wasn't something you've never heard, but it made sense and came right at a time we needed it. Basically he said to start getting these healthy eating, exercising, and living habits down pat now. We should also get healthier sleeping habits down to prepare ourselves for an early riser.
We've slowly started changing. I wish I could say we perked up and are doing everything to a T. We've started eating oatmeal (almost) every morning. It's yum! And I've cut wayyyyyy down on my red meat intake, which is really hard for a gal like me whose family raised her on meat and potatoes.
I'm glad that we had our physical because it really smacked us in the face with the need to make changes NOW rather than later.
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