Day 51...

We're still waiting for LOA. Just had to put it in black & white for myself.

Today is a happy day...

I'm filled with joy this morning. This is a big day for two of my favorite people!

The first is my little sister. Have I mentioned she is pregnant with her first baby? Yay!! Today is her first OB appt. I remember how excited and nervous I was when I went in for that 1st appt. with Lily. Carrie, you're going to do great! You will, of course, be an awesome mamma. And your doctors will take great care of you. I'm excited to hear all about it later today! I love you sis!

The other person I'm thrilled for is my dear, dear friend Jess. She is adopting 3 gorgeous kids from Ethiopia (see my blog list below and click on "Jess' 3 from E" for more info on her cool journey.) Anyway, today is the BIG court appointment day when her kids will officially become part of the Vega Forever Family. Woo hoo! I love you Jess and I am so thrilled for you. You are the kind of mom that inspires me!

Day 48....

It seems that the average LOA has been taking 90 days to arrive. Technically, we're over the half-way point. I keep praying we get our news much earlier than that, but we'll see. I have to keep popping in and making a note of how long we've waited so far, to remind myself of reality. It feels like much longer.

A wonderful surprise....

When Landry was younger, I finally hit upon my favorite baby carrier. (This was after trying several different carriers!) It's a Mei Tai-style carrier, and it's made by Robyn at BabyHawk. Robyn's fabrics are amazing and her workmanship is impeccable. I had one (chocolate straps -- Hawaiian fabric) that I loved and used for Landry. I gave it away to a friend who had just adopted from China. I figured I had plenty of time to order another one...not thinking we would get our referral for at least 2 years! Well, Miss Laney Kate Rao made her appearance blissfully early and I found myself looking at heading to China BabyHawk-less.

My sweet friend, Kristin, told me, "I want to buy you a new baby carrier!" She is such a dear friend. I was thrilled and I just received it recently. It's awesome! Pink straps & cool funky polka-dot fabric. You'll see it on me when we're in China. :) Anyway, for those of you who are looking for a Mei Tai carrier, check out Robyn's website. I can't endorse her products enough. Incredibly comfortable, versatile and always well-made!

My little Landry got her first haircut today!

Here is a picture of the sisters -- both with new trims! (The sun was shining so Landry was struggling to look at the camera).

And I couldn't leave Colby out. His hair is always the same -- short & neat, but here he is last week at our local children's zoo. :)

I smiled this morning...

when I logged in to check my email. I realized I've never moved the email from our agency (the one giving us the first information on Laney & her pictures) to a different file. It's still in my inbox. It makes me smile every time I see it. I can't believe we're so blessed!

I also wanted to mention that I've added some banners to my blog. Both for One and Red. These organizations work to eradicate suffering in the world...poverty & AIDS specifically. I have supported both for some time now and I urge you to read over their information and think about how you might help. Our planet is hurting and God has put us here, at this time, for a reason. Let's do the most with what we have.
Reach out and give in whatever way you can.
If not us, then who?
If not now, when?
Spread the word.
Seek social justice.
Work for peace.
Touch others with Love.

I belong...

to this wonderful email loop of other CCAI families who are waiting to go and pick up their children. I've learned so much from the btdt families, and so much support and understanding from those who are waiting for the first time...like me.

Yesterday I posted to the group and this is what I said, "This is the hardest wait I've ever
had! I've had three birth children, and pregnancy was NEVER this tough! I really feel like my brain is split in half. I can't think straight. I can't concentrate. I can't focus on anything. I'm totally excited, completely nervous, utterly happy, irrevocably smitten, all-together READY TO BE ON A PLANE!"

Yep sweet Laney, that pretty much sums up what your mama is going through. Love you though ~ and you're SO worth it!

I'm really struggling today...

the wait is so hard. Some days seem easier than others. Today is crazy-hard. The kind of tough that makes your heart ache. But then I stare at her face and I remember. It's 3 in the morning in China right now. My sweet baby daughter is sleeping...and I just want to be there to hold her and rock her and love on her.

I'm praying that we are able to really enjoy our family vacation we're taking in a couple of weeks. I need to calm down and focus on enjoying each day we have as a family...even though we aren't all together yet. Hopefully, when we return mid-July, we'll be coming home to more news about when we'll be traveling.

Day 40 of the LOA/TA wait...

and still no word on when we'll be traveling. This waiting game is so hard! I can't wait to book those tickets and board that plane.

Read this today....

I thought it was powerful.

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world.
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

I was at Target today...

and I bought things for both of my little daughters. Landry was the VERY proud recipient of her first pack of "big girl" panties. She now owns 7 pairs of pink Elmo panties and I've never seen anyone grinning so wide. :) I was really wanting to wait for potty training until after Laney comes home. I just don't want to go through all of that work and then have Landry regress...but she seems adamant that she doesn't want to wear diapers anymore...SO, we're embarking on the adventure.

The other thing I picked up was a Bumbo seat for Laney. I know she is sitting up some on her own, but the seat looks like the perfect thing to help her gain balance and strength. It's soft but sturdy and Landry is enjoying sitting in it in the meantime. Everybody needs a Bumbo.

Sent off a 2nd care package this morning...

This one wasn't quite as elaborate as the 1st, but I did tuck in a few containers of Gerber Puffs (Cherry, Strawberry-Banana and Sweet Potato) for my sweet baby girl (I wanted to tuck in a canned ham and some scrambled eggs, but I didn't. LOL!!) ...and some fancy candies for her nannies. The main thing I included was two more disposable cameras. I'm really hoping we'll get all 3 of them back when we go to get Laney. I'm anxious for every picture I can get of her.

Today lots of new referrals are flying in for families and it's so much fun to watch the referral photos going up on blogs! I'm just loving seeing these sweet children finding forever families...and watching families have their dreams come true!

33 days...

since we filed our LOI. While we're waiting for TA, I've been busy "working" on getting some things bought & packed for Miss Laney. I use the word working very loosely, since buying clothes for my girls is pure fun...no work. Here are just a couple of the outfits I've picked up for my sweet girl.

Update on Laney!

I was so excited. Today we had a surprise in the mail from Pam at CCAI. Another update on our daughter!

She is 14 months old...27" tall, 14.5 pounds. Teeny-tiny, but oh so cute!

She has 2 teeth on the bottom. I almost started crying when I realized she already has teeth! It says she can sit, crawl and stand. They describe her personality as extroverted, loving to smile & play. Her nanny describes her as a happy & lively baby. :)

She understands the meaning of what adults say. She also understands some simple instructions from adults, such as "pick up your bottle" and "nod your head," etc. She likes to play outside and likes all kinds of toys. Sometimes when she stays in her crib, she will mischievously crawl to a neighboring child's crib, reach in and sneek her toy away. LOL!

She is only receiving 5 bottles of milk & two bowls of cereal daily. No protein and not a lot of calories. We are so anxious to bring her home and get her on a better diet! I know we'll see her grow.

We can't wait to bring you home sweet girl! I love you!

I put zero stock in this...

but according to the Chinese lore, Laney was born in the Year of the Dog. Supposedly, people born in that year are honest, faithful, and loyal to those they love. They also have sharp tongues, tend to worry and are perfectionists....Wait a minute...who are we talking about here? That all sort of sounds like me. LOL!

Anyway, people born under this sign would make excellent teachers, activists or secret agents. Hmm..... somehow the thought of my tiny daughter being a "secret agent" cracks me up! LOL! I hope she goes with activist. :)

Today we have been waiting...

27 days for our TA. You calculate the wait from the date of LOI or LID (whichever comes latter.) In our case, our LOI was sent on 5/3, so today we're at 27 days waiting. Travel Approvals can come without much notice, but in general they seem to be running around 90 days. SO, we're about 1/3 of the way there. I'll be starting to get VERY anxious for that phone call when we see July drawing to a close. :)

In other news, we're leaving tomorrow for a weekend in Lincoln, NE ~ Troy's home town. I'm attending a Football 101 for Women (yes, it is hard to say that without laughing) at Memorial Stadium. I'm going with one of my best friends so it will be fun! I'm really looking forward to it. We get to meet some of the players, walk on the field, meet the coaches, etc. It's an all-day event on Friday and then the husbands will meet up with us at the stadium in the evening for a party.

Thursday will just be spent with our friends...enjoying seeing them and their kids. Then on Saturday, we'll all pile into the minivans (matching silver Honda Odysseys...it's like the Odyssey fleet... LOL! ) and we'll head over to Omaha to visit the zoo. It's supposed to be amazing! I'm anxious to see the desert exhibit.

A couple of thoughts...

First, it's only been one month since we first heard those amazing words, "We have a baby for you." I feel like Laney has always been on her way to us. I suppose she has. All of our children have been destined to be in our arms...by birth or adoption.

Second, I was able to drop by my great-aunt's house yesterday and show her the updated photos of Laney. My aunt is 85 this year...and more like a grandmother than an aunt. She is the dearest, sweetest thing. She wasn't completely "keen" on the idea of our adoption plans when she first heard them, but she is now fully on-board. She loved the updated photos and kept remarking over and over again how cute Laney is. I am so thankful my aunt is alive and well, and able to take part in the joy of this fourth baby.

Deciding on the perfect name...

We love the name Laney Kate. :) And of course, we think Laney's Chinese name is wonderful too. Jin Yu Rao. With a 10 letter last name, I don't want to saddle her with a name that will NEVER fit in any application form boxes. LOL! So, I think we've settled on:


Laney Kate Rao Schoeppner


(a little from us, a little from China...perfect)

Laney ~ means bright light
Kate ~ means pure
Rao ~ means beautiful & charming

All of those certainly sum up how we feel about our wonderful new baby! :)

So, I *just* posted yesterday...

and said I had finally gotten too anxious and emailed Pam at CCAI and asked about our pre-approval. She just called me a few minutes ago and our PA arrived today!! Yay!

One more step toward Laney! Now we're waiting for our LOA (letter-of-acceptance) and TA (travel-approval). Pam did say that even though she thinks we'll be traveling in August, it does depend on where our dossier is at the moment and how close it is to being in the match room. She said, "Think September, and then be all excited when it comes in August." That was tough to hear, but I know we won't step foot in China one day sooner than we are supposed to.

LID 3/23/07
Match 5/1/07
LOI 5/3/07
PA 5/25/07
LOA?
TA?
Gotcha Day?

Spoke with our agency...

today and Pam, our wonderful Waiting Child specialist at CCAI (We love you Pam!), told me that we probably won't be flying in July (although it's possible), but that August looks very likely. It's still a guessing game until we know for sure, but I'm going with her best guess. :)

August seems so much farther away than July, but I'm learning to take it one day at a time. We'll be in Ludington for family vacation from 6/26-7/16...so when we return, it will just be 2 weeks until August! See, it sounds closer already! LOL! Wouldn't seeing/holding Laney be a fabulous birthday (8/13) present for me this year?

I met with our pediatrician yesterday and I now have all the Rx and meds we could ever possibly need for Laney in China. Antibiotics, lice stuff, scabies stuff, eczema lotion, ors (oral rehydration solution --- fancy word for powdered pedialyte), diaper rash stuff, etc., etc., etc. We'll have a small pharmacy in our carry-on luggage. But better to take it and not use it, than get there and be stranded, eh?