ah, another batch of referrals... and this time we have some of our FTIA JUNE BUDDIES receiving information on their babies. This brings a HUGE smile to my face. It makes it real, that people we know are getting their referrals. The fact that CCAA referred from May 31st through June 6th... does not. But hey at least it is a whole week this time. The longer the wait is, the more I procrastinate and the more I feel like I am not prepared. There is so much I still need to do, but keep on telling myself, ah, I have time. Well the one thing I need to do, and do now, is get our appointment to be refingerprinted. They will be expiring soon, so will have to bite the bullet and get that done. I am crossing my fingers our other paper work does not expire... or this whole thing could get REALLY expensive. I also need to start getting "gifts" for our trips. So anyone that has BTDT and reads this, suggestions are welcomed. I have no idea what to buy.

Here are some pictures of my two biggest loves in my life. Bob and Paul. I know I don't tell Bob enough, but he is by far the best father/husband I could ever ask to have for Paul/me. He is amazing. He is right there doing all the hard work and he and Paul have such a wonderful relationship. I get so wrapped up in Paul, work and this adoption, I think I forget to tell my husband how much he means to me and how treasured he is. I honestly don't know what I would do without bob. He is my rock, my best friend, my love!!
~Until Next time~

Someone is Waiting
by Carolyn Martin

Somewhere, someone is waiting. Though I can't see your face I know your heart'
Cause God has knit us together
Even though we're far apart
And until you can be here safe in my arms
I will trust
That somewhere, someone is holding you close
And keeping you warm.
My thoughts, my prayers are for you Father, love her, protect her
I know you do
And until that perfect timing
When our hearts and eyes will meet
I will rest knowing that You are there I will trust
That somewhere, someone is holding you close
And keeping you warm.
If time could stand still
Our love would bridge the ocean
But know that until then
That even an ocean, can't keep me from you
Hold on, little one, hold on...
And until you can be here safe in my arms
I will trust
That somewhere, someone is holding you close
And keeping you warm.

I really don't know what my problem has been lately. I have been in my own little world and not wanting to Blog... I should as this is my journal to baby Kyra, but I get too depressed thinking of how I long for her to be home with us. I know we are on our downward swing now, but I would be lying to say this wait is not killing me. I try to tell myself I would be better understanding if we knew from the beginning how long the wait was. But who am I kidding, I would be no different then I am now. Living my life by waiting for the next batch of referrals to see how far they get, checking the rumor mill a zillion times a day.

The very exciting news, though, some of our FTIA friends will MOST DEFINITELY get their referrals in the next week. I can not wait to see their children's beautiful faces!

We did have a wonderful BLESSED EASTER. We were with our family and had a fabulous day. Paul played with his Belanich Cousins until he crashed sound asleep. He absolutely has a blast with them. He loved looking for Easter Eggs. Although, it took a while as he had to open each egg as he found them, and he was equally surprised as to what was in each and every egg. He would say "wow! I really love this, I really do..." Paul also became a pro at coloring Easter Eggs. He would drop an egg in the dye, and then would say "ah no, not again" when it was cracked. Unfortunately those pictures are on my parent's camera. Grandma Judy brought all the boys Easter Baskets. She also brought one for Baby Kyra. Needless to say I cried like a baby. She said she bought the basket last year, thinking that by this time we would for sure have her home. I have placed her basket in her room... waiting for her.

Some other exciting news: I am going to do some moonlighting for our homestudy agency. I have been job shadowing and it is safe to say: I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is such a wonderful feeling to help families through the adoption process. I remember the feeling I had the first time Heather, our homestudy social worker, came to our house. I was scared to death. But once I realized that she was there to help us, I calmed right down. I love the thought that I am going to help bring families together. The agency only does International adoption, so I am actually pretty well versed in the process.

Say a Prayer for our Neighbors tomorrow. Paul is going on his first sleep over (at a non family member's house). See, Bob got us tickets to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw concert. Thinking for sure one of our parents would be willing to take Paul over night. Little did we know that it happens to be the exact same day that my parents leave for Myrtle Beach (have a wonderful time Mom and Dad, bring a wind chime home for me) and that his Mom would be at a wedding in Cleveland. So our neighbors came to our rescue. Talk about being forever indebt to them! They have three girls that we spend a ton of time with. I know Paul is in good hands, but boy he can be a handful! I pray he behaves himself! He has a firetruck sleeping bag to sleep in. (Thank you Caleb for letting Paul borrow it!) He is very excited about tomorrow and keeps asking when he gets to go! Bob and I are very excited about tomorrow too. It has been a while since we have been out on an date. Last weekend our date night consisted of taking Paul to his first ever big screen movie, "The Wild". Paul did fabulous! The Lebanon theater is perfect for a child his age. We are going to get to Columbus in time for a nice dinner and then the plan is to go out after the concert. I can bet on the fact I will be too tired, and will be the party pooper. I will just want to get a good night sleep, and it will be so weird to do so without Paul coming to our bed at least once through the night.

Okay, I guess you can say once I got started I got on a roll.... I am going to end this now. Hope everyone is having a wonderful Spring... Kyra, we are coming to you soon baby... You are are so loved!

Until next time~

I can't believe how long it has been since the last post... time simply slips by. Needless to say it has been a busy couple of weeks. a few weekends ago we we went up to spend some time with my brother. We took Paul to Uncle Rob's fire station. It was quite interesting, Paul took it all in, however would not go near or in the fire trucks. He told us how much he loved the station but we really couldn't tell because of his lack of wanting to go near the trucks. Well the next morning he confirmed he loved the station... he woke up exclaiming "I loved the firetrucks, but I am too little to drive..." ah that's my boy! Last weekend we took Paul to the Aquarium in Newport Kentucky. We went with our neighbors and their kids. The kids had a great time. And they were quite cute holding hands while they walked through. Paul was in heaven. Paul just loved the sharks and still talking about them. This weekend Paul went to his first Easter Egg Hunt. All I can say about that is: it was FREEZING! However we did enjoy our time with "Aunt" Sara. "Aunt" Sara came down for the weekend, and Paul enjoys playing with her. And Bob and I enjoyed convincing Sara she could not live without an IPod. So we stayed up to all hours of the night listening and downloading good music!

Onward to adoption news...... I would love to say we have news, but we don't. We are at, however, the NINE month wait. Our agency is now saying the wait is 10-11 Months. I am thinking 12-13 months because that is just our luck. But I am going to look on the bright side... that just gives us more time to figure out the whole potty thing with Paul. Like that is going good... NOT.

Until next time~