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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:18 pm

Originally posted July 25, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

So, I’ve been thinking about my last post which a friend described as “apocalyptic.” I was just trying to express some of my emotion, but I realize it was pretty doom and gloom. It happens.

We still don’t have anymore information or insight into our situation. We are still waiting to find out which news we get – a Medical Eval and matched to a child or no match. Either way we still have to keep living each day. Sometimes I have wished things would stop progressing while we wait, but that can’t be. So what’s a girl to do? Redecorate. I have decided to infuse turquoise into my living room and dining room. Don’t worry, I took out all the yellow-gold. Now, we just have to paint the dining room and one wall of the living room. We can’t paint the whole living room because it has a 20 foot ceiling which makes for a lot of wall and a lot of work. Besides Scott’s not that tall; he would need a ladder which we don’t own.

Anyway, admist my busy redecorating, we have gotten lots of encouragement and prayer support from friends and family. It is comforting to know that we have a reliable support group. I just wanted everyone to know that we are listening and not so gloomy all the time, just for the last post.

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:17 pm

Originally posted July 23, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

The end is coming. Right now it’s pretty much a toss up, we will let you know which way it goes.

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:16 pm

Originally posted July 14, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

So, I was talking to a casual acquaintance yesterday, and they asked how the adoption was going. I mentioned that we hadn’t been matched and probably couldn’t be matched until the end of July. She commented, “Well, I’m sure they are busy getting ready for the Olympics.” I almost let it slide, but I couldn’t. I just said, “We are adopting from Vietnam.” I’m sure though that there is a Vietnamese team preparing for the Olympics.

I also have a message t-shirt (found on http://www.cafepress.com) to share some of my sentiments. Enjoy!

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:14 pm

Originally posted July 10, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

I think I have honed my skills at being glib, sarcastic, and deflecting pain. As we face this next obstacle in our adoption, I wish I could ignore what I am feeling, but I can’t. After a phone call with our case worker yesterday, we now know that we have to wait until the end of July to possibly get matched. (Our agency went through the whole month June and were unable to match any families. They are hoping they can match families at the end of July.) This may not sound so bad except that we only have the month of August to get all our paperwork in order before Vietnam closes to international adoption on September 1. I am not going to lie this stresses me out. I tried to put off the reality of September 1, but now it is more real than ever. I feel like this is our last chance to get matched because after July there is no time to wait just another month.

So what is the appropriate response? I don’t know. I only know what keeps running through my mind. Will we have to say goodbye to our baby without ever meeting him or her? Will our nursery be empty? Will we get matched in time? What will we do? Many people are hopeful, and I am grateful for that. I am just so tired from getting my hopes up and then having them dashed. I can’t hope wholeheartedly, but it does creep in at times. I am too scared that I will have to say goodbye. (Scott seems to be a little more resilient than I though he does share my questions.) So we need your prayers and support. I know that whether we end up with broken hearts or overjoyed hearts, we still have our friends and family to love and support us and whatever is next we will embrace it.

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:14 pm

Originally posted July 7, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

So, this past Thursday, our social worker was not as hopeful neither was she pessimistic. There are a lot of steps in the process of matching a family to a child. Some months this process takes longer than other months because of the steps in addition to any outside factors. These outside factors and steps seem to be working against us, but everyone involved is doing their best. We just have no clear picture of how much longer our wait will be, but it is becoming clearer that September 1 is only 8 weeks away. I think that deadline puts stress on us and the agency. I know it puts stress on me. I will definitely update when/if we hear something. Just keep praying for us. Thanks!

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:13 pm

Originally posted June 28, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

So the end of June is fast approaching, (it’s Monday) and we have no baby news. We have kept in contact with our social worker. Our social worker is still optimistic which we take as a good sign. She said in her most recent email, “I hope you will have good news soon!” That comment makes for her second use of an exclamation point. Throughout this process, there have been times our social worker has been unable to give us all the details, so I took this latest comment as we are getting closer but she just can’t tell us. Who knows? I could be wrong, but this is a person who uses her exclamation points sparingly which I can only assume also means wisely.

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:11 pm

Originally posted June 19, 2008 on our old Vox blog.
Previously, we asked for your help with Vietnam Child’s Right Campaign. I got another email from JCICS, so I’m letting you know.

The letter to Secretary Rice, advocating for a new MOU [Memo of Understanding] for Vietnam, is now circulating to all of the congressional offices and has been well received.

We are requesting you to e-mail or call your elected officials on Thursday, June 19th and Friday, June 20th in support of the campaign, if you have not done so. If you did, please help forward this e-mail to your families, friends, requesting them to visit http://www.jcics.org/Vietnam.htm for instructions on how to call or e-mail. This campaign has received overwhelming support so far, and we appreciate your help on such short notice. It is our hope that with even more phone calls and e-mails in the next two days, the letter to Secretary Rice will receive a large number of signatories.

Many of you have already participated, and we thank you for that. If you didn’t get a chance to participate before, now you can. Thanks!

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:10 pm

Originally posted June 12, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

First, I want to thank everyone who emailed your Senator. I called which was a weird experience because I didn’t know what to say. They basically told me to just read my statement, so then it was easy.

Anyway, I thought you might be dying for an update on my swimsuit dilemma. I actually ordered a tankini, but it was the wrong size. I tried to exchange it, but it is on backorder until July 11. I took this as sign that God wants me to wear a bikini. Don’t worry; it’s a modest one.

So, onto the Bugaboo…the Bugaboo is a stroller, and I have wanted the Bugaboo Bee since it came out last year. The only problem is that it is more than Scott would ever spend on a stroller, so I started to search Craigslist. Last weekend, I was in Austin for a shopping trip to the San Marcos Outlet Mall with my mom and sister-in-law. I had found a Bugaboo Bee in Austin a couple weeks before, but I searched last Friday and found an even cheaper one. My mom and sister-in-law told me to contact the seller if I really wanted it, so I did. My mom, sister-in-law, and I ended up meeting the seller at a mall in Austin, and later my dad joined us because he had to pick up my mom. I wondered what they thought about my posse that  came with me to look at the stroller. Anyway, I bought the stroller, but it didn’t come with a couple holder. I had been advised by other mothers to get one with a cup holder, but Bugaboo sells them separately. Even without a cup holder, it’s still cool. Here’s what our new stroller looks like (not the actual picture but it is the real color).

As we were about to walk away, the couple asked, “So where’s the baby?” I said, “In Vietnam, my husband and I are adopting.” I think it startled them for a second. I said, “You were expecting to see an expecting mother, a more visibly expecting one.” The wife said, “You are an expecting mother,” and the husband said, “We just thought a traditional one.” They asked some questions about where we were in the process, and then we parted ways. I was really appreciative of their reactions.

We’re still waiting to find out who gets to use it, but we will let you when we hear something. So far our social worker as a more positive outlook on our situation, she used an exclamation point in her most recent email. I was shocked!

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 4:08 pm

Originally posted June 2, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

We want to ask you to call your elected officials on today June 2, 3, or 4Thursday in support of the letter the Congressional Coalition on Adoption is delivering to Secretary Rice . Please follow up your call with an email or fax.

We need your help to ensure the success of the Vietnam Child’s Right Campaign. The support from adoptive families and your friends, colleagues and extended families is crucial for this important initiative, as the welfare of so many Vietnamese children is at stake.

Here are the directions:

a. Call both of your U.S. Senators and your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Cornyn, John- (R – TX)    Class II
517 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2934
Web Form: cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con…

Hutchison, Kay Bailey- (R – TX)     Class I
284 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5922
Web Form: hutchison.senate.gov/contact.html

·      You can find your Representatives’ phone numbers and email address at www.house.gov

To search for this look in the top left hand corner of the web page. You need to your zip code and the last four digits of the mailing code.

b. Include the following in your calls and emails.
·     “I/we urge the Senator/Congressperson to join the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Co-Chairs and sign their letter to Secretary Condoleezza Rice in support of the recommendations found in Joint Council’s A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam.”

·     If they have not heard about the Campaign, ask them to contact the Congressional Coalition for Adoption Institute at 202-544-8500 or Joint Council on International Children’s Services at 703-535-8045.

Send an email to everyone you called.

·   The e-mail is important, but the phone call should be placed first.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this! I hope you are able to participate. Also, for those of you who don’t know, Scott and I are hoping to be matched to a child in either June or July. We’ll keep you updated. Thanks again!

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By Annie, August 30, 2008 3:58 pm

Originally posted May 30, 2008 on our old Vox blog.

So yesterday, I had another conversation in the teacher workroom. (I am thankful that there are only three more days of school). The topic of a co-workers baby shower came up and having babies. I said, “I’m having a baby,” to which came the reply, “It’s not from your body, so it doesn’t count.” Now, this comment was supposedly a joke; even if it is a joke, it is inappropriate. The comment has been ringing in my head.

Then today we got an update from our agency about a new step in the process. We haven’t had a chance to talk to our case worker about this change. The change does have to do with how the US is processing paperwork, so it shouldn’t effect our referral. Still I wonder, will there ever be an end? Will something always come up? Another obstacle/hoop to go through? (depending on your point of view).

Also today was my co-worker’s baby shower. I don’t think I like going to baby showers right now. Several people mentioned that I was next and to think of all the free stuff I would get. I just shrugged and half-smiled because I knew other people in the room had different opinions (not from my body). Anyway, it was just too much for me to deal with. I am happy that my co-worker is getting to end of her pregnancy, but at the same time I am frustrated that more things keep coming up for Scott and I to go through. When is enough enough?

So, I decided to go for a run when I got home from work to relieve some of the stress. I checked the weather and decided it wasn’t too hot and took Shiner with me. He looked like this when we got home.

Shiner after a run

I think he got a little hot. While we were running, I was listening to my iPod, and an old song came on “Redeemer” by Nicole C. Mullens. I listened to this song several times and even sang aloud outside. I decided my neighbors could handle it. Anyway, I thought the song was a helpful reminder of the big picture – that no I’m not in control and I can’t change things, but there is someone in control – God.