The "Baby Pool"

Nope, this is not like the kiddie pool you have nightmares about, where you just hope that everyone is wearing leakproof swim diapers! It's the good ole betting kind.

First, some history and then the game...

History -- a couple of pals in our adoption Yahoo group set up "Baby Pools" so that friends could guess on their kiddo's arrival. I laughed because it's common among my doggie friends to do "puppy pools" when they have a litter due (altho I'm not usually organized enough to do them). So then a doggie friend said "hey, where's the pool?!" So, here it is...

The Game -- you make guesses about Sarah and whoever is closest to correct wins a prize! Guess the following:

1. Sarah's date of birth (babies are typically 7-20ish months at referral)

2. Sarah's province of birth (see China map above)

3. Sarah's weight at her last medical exam (which was probably a month or two before referral)

For my dog friends - no, we are not guessing litter size; she will be a singleton! We're also not guessing sex since we requested a girl... even tho some pals from our agency were surprised last month to be referred a boy! they'd requested either sex, but come on, with a 95% chance of getting a girl they thought they were safe with pink and ruffles!

The Prize -- heck, what do you care? you're doing this for fun, not for the prize! but I promise, it will be something fun or yummy. once I figure out what it is...

How to Play -- just reply to this post. Have fun!

Debi

This chair won't be empty for long!

Here's Sarah's carseat -- isn't it cute? Right now, it's sitting in her room, but it won't be long before it's in the car with a baby strapped in!

After a LONG wait, our referral is getting closer by the minute. Our adoption agency, Great Wall China Adoptions, called today just to verify our phone # and to let us know that they expected referrals probably next Tuesday, Sept 4! So, by sometime that afternoon, hopefully we'll know who Sarah is! GWCA staff will call us to read the info over the telephone and then will email her photo.

I'll post photo and vitals as soon as we get them. So check back here for the latest!

Debi

more photos - the 4-legged kids!

Here are photos of some of the pooches. Sarah will have lots of dogs to play with! First photo is Willie, taken the last time he showed at Westminster (2006, I think?). As a gumpy old man as far as kids are concerned, he'll probably hide from Sarah a lot, at least until he learns her food-dropping potential.

And here's Gotcha the dalmatian with two of Willie's grandkids (Fiona & Fanny) when they were baby puppies. The puppies LOVE Gotcha! And Gotcha can't wait to have a little girl to play with.

Finally, a photo of Arthur, the Willie son we're just starting to special. He thinks being a showdog is pretty cool. When Sarah comes, we won't have much time to show ourselves, so will rely on friends to see to Arthur's career. happy viewing! Debi

Photos while we wait - Sarah's room

As I'm trying to figure out this blog-thing, I figured I'd share some photos. I'll start with the relevant ones -- Sarah's room. It's been ready for about 16+ months now, with little things added here and there since then. These photos are from several months ago, so they don't show the rocking horse (actually, a rocking butterfly), high chair, and cool carseat that are also crammed in. Basically, the room is at the "just add kid" stage.

The rocker isn't quite as plush as many, but it's an antique that I've always loved. Repainted and recovered, it fits right in. The books displayed above the closet are antique kids books I've collected over the years (mostly dog stories... surprise!).

Some moms-to-be get upset every time they walk by the empty room -- I just tell myself that I should enjoy looking at it while it's clean! I'm sure it won't be that way starting in a few months.

check out the little table and chairs -- they were mine from childhood! My own little Samsonite set -- it really lasted! Sarah will get my little rocker from childhood, too.

And here is her crib, made up with a red toile and cream bedding set.

Referral is getting close - finally!

Our LID (log-in date; the date our paperwork was registered in China and the date that drives the rest of the VERY slow march toward adoption) was 11-22-05. Yep, close to 2 yrs ago. Based on timelines way back then, we expected to get our referral around May, 2006. Fast-forward (or slow-forward...) to Aug, 2007.

Aug 2007 referrals included families whose LIDs went through 11-21-05, ONE DAY shy of our LID. :<. But the good news is that we know "our day" will be the September referrals, which will hopefully arrive right after Labor Day!

In about 2 weeks, we'll actually know who Sarah Elizabeth is! We'll get little photos, probably of her bundled up like the Michelin Man (or my personal favorite, the Pillsbury Dough Girl). We'll also get basic info about her age, size, Province she's from, and the Social Work Institute or foster family she's been with. Then we begin another "hurry up and wait" leg of this journey, while we wait for Travel Approval from China, gather items from packing list and figure out how to fit everything into 2 mid-sized suitcases. Oh, and try to finish all of those projects we said we'd finish "Before Sarah" (right.).

cheers! Debi

Testing 123

So I know nothing about blogs except that they exist... and they seem like a good way to chronicle our news, experiences, and the all-important cute baby photos as we head to China to adopt our baby girl! Here goes... Debi