Missing in Action

Yes, I know...we have been Missing in Action for the past couple of months. What a busy few months it has been!

First, Scott's wonderful sisters threw me an amazing baby shower. It was a great time! Scott and I were truly appreciate of everyone who came to the shower, sent gifts and well wishes, and just continues to support us through this journey! The baby's room is now done and ready for a baby!! Here's a pic of the nursery completed and of the wonderful women who were at the shower!





Just a couple of days after the shower, Scott and I went to Asheville, North Carolina for a little vacation. It was the perfect getaway! We rented a cabin that was so cozy and had it's own hot tub! We visited the Biltmore Mansion and that was amazing! We had so much fun White Water Rafting on the French Broad River, that we want to give it a try here in Richmond! And anyone who knows us well, knows that we love the Blue Ridge Parkway, so of course we had to explore the southern most portion of our beloved parkway! it was the perfect amount of fun and relaxation!
Here's a pic of us in the parkway!



And now I'm back to school and busy as ever! I was ready to start back to work. I like to be on a routine and I was far from a routine this summer! Give me another couple months and I'll be counting down to summer again! Maybe since I'm back in a routine, I'll be better about blogging!

It is coming together!

The baby's room is really coming together. Paint is on the walls, furniture is in, I even hung some shelves today (I love shelves that have build in levels!). I made (yes, made!) some valances for the windows this past weekend. The room is slowly taking shape. My next task is putting up a vinyl saying on the wall. I'm a little nervous about this one. I can come off, but it won't go back on if I mess up. There are just a couple more finishing touches and it will be done. My new goal is to have is 95% done by the time of my baby/adoption shower on August 1st. Scott's sisters are throwing me a shower, I am really excited about it :-) I'll be sure to post pics when it is 95% done!

FAQ #2

Q: How long foes it take? Won't you have to wait forever?

A: The average wait to adopt is about two years. According to surveys completed by Adoptive Families magazine, parents bring their children home within two years of turning in their paperwork. International adoptions have slowed down and domestic adoptions have sped up. With that in mind, the number are always changing.

Which brings the next question...

Q: Is it really possible to adopt an American newborn?

A: The large majority of adoptees are U.S. born. International adoptees just tend to attract more attention from the media. In any given year in the United States, about 100,000 children join their families through adoption. About 25% are placed at birth by their birthmother. About half are adopted from foster care. For the past 30 years more than 75% of adoptions are of U.S.-born children.

Source: Adoptive Families August 2009 issue

Step-by-step

We reached another milestone yesterday! We got the crib together. We don't have a mattress yet, but that will come! Here's pics with the room painted and the furniture in it.

Not quite the after...

So here is an in between pic of the room. That room took THREE coats of this yellow paint! I learned my lesson and should have primed the walls, but with tan wall who knew it was going to be too dark for yellow! It is brighter than I wanted, but I still like it. More pics to come soon!

Adoption FAQ

In the most recent issue of Adoptive Families, there was an interesting article about questions that people may ask and how to answer. Since announcing that were adopting, we have fielded a lot of questions. Some were in the article and some weren't. It has been our hope (and will continue to be our hope) that we can help educate people on adoption and so we thought it would be helpful to post a couple of these Q's and A's ever once in a while. Even if you don't have that question, the answer might interest you!

So here goes FAQ #1

Q: Is adoption expensive? How can you afford it?
A: The average cost of adoption in 2008 was $27,000. Grants and reimbursements can reduce the expense. The federal adoption tax credit ($12,500 for adoptions completed in 2009) can reduce out-of-pocket cost significantly, bringing adoption well into reach.

Source: The July/August 2009 issue of Adoptive Families

And the winner is....YELLOW!

Oyster Bisque, Daisy Spell, Vanilla Wafer, Capri Cream, Blonde Beauty, Moonshine, Cuddle, Lemon Cream, Yellow Bliss...who knew there were so many shades of yellow??? We have decided to tackle the baby's room this coming week. I know, I know, you're probably thinking is she for real this time? Yes, we are! We went to Lowes last night and picked up about 15 different paint swatches.

It is my job today to decide on one, so we can go get paint and start! Well, I have held them all up to the furniture, bedding, blankets, etc. and they all look good (I did eliminate a couple). Then I need to find some curtains and recover the loud striped chair in the room. Do I find fabric first or match fabric with the paint color?? I'll probably end up matching to whatever we paint!

I have posted some "before" pics. Stay tuned to see what shade we went with and the "after" pics!