An email I received tonight...

Back in Feb 2008 I was desperately trying to get a response to what happened to my I-600A. It had been sent in completed 6 months prior and I couldn't get anyone at Homeland Security to respond to me. In desperation, I sent off many emails to my local homeland security office in charge of adoptions inquiring desperately about why I hadn't received my 171-H yet. We were told we would most likely travel on trip one in March 2008 to meet our daughter and court would be shortly after on trip 2. If we didn't have that paper in the next month it could interefere with our court date. I was pretty anxious and a little desperate in Feb 2008 because after 6 months of not being able to get a response how could I in one month?

14 months later today, imagine my surprise when I opened my email to see this very short response I received with all my previous emails attached...

"Hopefully this has been resolved. If it has not, please provide me your number and the best time to reach you.
Thank you."

So sad...as if I just sat around for the past 14 months waiting for some unimportant response as if forgetting that this was in regards to a child and family's life that was stuck in limbo. And the worse part, my number was all over that email even under my name at the bottom and top. Clearly, my desperate pleas were not even read. Just a formal procedure to move around paperwork. So, here I would be again responding and then waiting to hear back from who? No name was even signed. So very, very sad! I shudder to think what if...what if I didn't get that paper?...what if noone had helped us? What would our lives have been like today without our sweet and precious Emily? It gives me chills to even consider...

Another big milestone for my big girl!

Oh sweet goodness! My little baby girl has been in big girl undies the past few weeks and has had no accidents the past 4 days in a row. We have been on the go...parks, carpooling to camps, grocery store runs, restaurants, swim lessons...she has used the potty successfully everywhere we have been. She is so proud of herself and loves wearing her big girl undies. It's amazing..it's like it just finally clicked and she wanted it. She has been using the toliet since last summer. She was interested of course because big brothers are on it so frequently so it just became built into our everyday routine, kind of like hand washing and she of course was still in diapers too and just this week it's like something changed. It's like she made up her mind that she wanted to wear her big girl undies all the time and that was it, no looking back. She's so funny about the big girl undies...just like mommy she says. She sleeps with her undies and loves to decide over which pair to choose each morning. She has favorites and it's hard when those are already been chosen for the week. She is such a girl. The boys never care which pair they are wearing but Emily loves to come down and show everyone which pair today. Yeah! I'm so happy for her! Yeah!! Of course at night time she is still in overnights not undies, and I will expect acccidents to come when she stops focusing on her body and moves onto other goals she sets for herself...but it's a great accomplishment and one I don't mind moving on from. Yeah for Emily!! Three cheers for my big girl!

Still hanging around

We are still here! Just been so busy with the end of the school year stuff!! Little miss smiley is still keeping me on my toes. She continues to grow and amaze us. Her little personality is not so little! She is full of smiles and sillyness. She likes girly stuff but is also my sporty tom girl..totally into climbing, riding her scooter and bugs! And she is fast too! Full on sprints, totally fluid in her movements, she is really hard to catch! She finished off the year at Mtn School with Bubba and I was so impressed how she was able to hike up the creek with the 3 and 4 year olds! She is going to have a blast next year in her own class! She's been asking me where her back pack is. Looks like I need to get her's ordered! She is right in there with other kids. We don't have regular girls to play with as much as we have lots of boys so Emily is very interested in girls esp. girls slightly older. She has a special little girl friend that we do see at school and she always asks to play with her. They are the same age and so cute together! Potty training is still going. She picked out big girl underwear and on the mornings she keeps her diapers dry then she gets to wear the underwear after nap. She is so proud of herself and loves her underwear. I frequently find all of them in her bed with her during naptime. She loves to go through them and pick out her favorite pairs...the pink ones, of course! She refers to herself as big girl and gets really upset if her brothers call her a baby and will yell back at them, "No, I'm big girl." Ah, where does the time go?

Life is good...just busy! Looking forward to the summer and all of the adventures that it entails! The kids are all signed up for swim lessons just as soon as Boy Wonder's school is out. I'm sure Emily will do great!