Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas friends and family! I am doing much better than last year in at least one area...Christmas cards are done and in the mail. Woohoo. I feel like that's a huge accomplishment since last year I couldn't even get motivated to do that. Still no tree and trimmings at our house. It just seems pointless. It's just Paul and I and we won't even be home very much over the holiday.

I was thinking about Mary and Joseph recently, go figure, and what those 9 months must have been like for them. Knowing that they were going to parent God's child surely tripled the anticipation of the arrival of their baby. I can only imagine. In a way, aren't all children God's children? Isn't it our greatest privilege to raise our children as though they are his? I dunno, sometimes I think I am thinking too much.

Just to update you as to where we stand in this marathon known as our adoption...
Our I-600A, immigration paper work for our hypothetical child, expires in February so that's another 850ish to Homeland Security. We've been informed by our agency that China has increased the orphanage donation fee from 3,500 to 5,500 due to the weak American dollar. And the rumor mill is rife with talk of the wait increasing to 5 years. 5 FREAKIN' YEARS! I suppose the good news is we're at the 28 month mark and how much longer could it be? Well it could be another FREAKIN' 28months that's how long! We know it's a marathon, not a sprint. It's about stamina and endurance and not instant gratification. Knowing all of that doesn't make it any easier just so you know. In fact, I cannot think of one pithy, cliche that could adequately express what this feels like at this point.

Nevertheless...Merry Christmas to you all and all our best wishes for a happy and healthy new year...love ya, mean it.
Lisa

26 Months and holding...

Yesterday was our 26 month anniversary with the CCAA and they didn't even send a card! The nerve! :) There's nothing new to report. I suppose the old adage that no news is good news is only partially true in this case. We appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers as we continue to trust in Him. This is all in His hands.

Peace out!
Lisa and Paul

Hmmm

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 New Living Translation

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Folks, this one has nothing to do with our baby girl, but it has everything to do with her future and the future of this country. I don't think I've ever been more proud of being an American than I am tonight. Tonight race, color, and creed don't matter. Integrity, hope, and courage do and aren't those the best qualities in each of us? When Barack Obama lays out his vision for the nation tonight we'll catch a glimpse of the best in each of us. I'm optimistic that we can turn this misguided ship around, that we can correct the mistakes of the last 8 years and show the world that conservatives don't have a corner on the market for family values and patriotism. We can take this country back, all of us, Americans. It's ours. So, as Pollyanna as it sounds.. I believe him when he says: Yes, WE Can!

Rain, Rain...

You know the rest!

Day two of Tropical Storm Fay and still it's more an inconvenience than anything else. A little rain, a little wind and two vacation days. I hope that this posting finds all of you well.

So, as you already know we've had our home study rewritten to include twins or siblings and now it's all I can think about. Obsessive much? Two babies, one trip. Mind you I'm not getting my hopes up too much but c'mon... TWO BABIES!!! How cool would that be? Paul and I were having an what-if conversation on Sunday and we started talking baby names again. Of course our Emma Grace is not changing, but we were thinking about hypothetical Baby Two... Paul asked so innocently, "gosh, what would we name a second baby?" as if I hadn't already thought of that! ;-) So we chatted a bit and the name of HBT, is...drum roll... Baylor Holland! He or She can be their own law firm.. .Baylor Holland and Nehrig! Now before you go jumping to conclusions about how far gone I am about this second baby idea, please know that I know how unlikely this scenario is... but it's good to be optimistic. So, that's all the news on this front for now. We're back on the roller coaster and right now we're loving the ride. It's getting exciting again as we get closer and closer to meeting our daughter (or daughters).

Nehrig Home Study- Redux

The visit with our social worker went well. She posed some really interesting and thought-provoking questions for us to consider. We're going to rewrite our home study to include approval for a sibling group or twins. This doesn't change our status in China. What it does do, however, is create a greater casting net for us, if you will. Paul has been gung-ho on the idea of twins since the day we attended the initial seminar. It's such a rarity in Chinese adoptions, but it does happen and this rewrite would allow us to be able to do that. We're also considering the waiting child program, which was formerly known as Special Needs adoptions. Special needs are defined on almost an individiual basis and it's hard to pin down what that might mean. Our agency does allow you a checklist (sounds strange putting it that way) for couples to indicate which special needs they are the most comfortable with or prepared to handle. I'm not sure what we're up for but we're praying on it and asking for God's guidance. As crazy as it sounds to some, God spoke to me once about this adoption and I know he'll let me know what I'm supposed to do with this decision. People who have biological children don't get the luxury of deciding what they will or will not be up for... so I sort of think this decision is a real blessing and if we've been blessed aren't we supposed to share those blessings?

Nehrig Homestudy....take duex! :)

Today's the day, folks. Despite knowing that no social worker is going to give us a 'white glove' test on the baseboards and cabinets I have been cleaning (probably out of anxious energy more than anything else) like a whirling dervish(?). Our social worker is coming at 11, in less than 30 minutes, and Paul is still outside mowing the lawn. ARGH! I wish he was in and already showered. Oh well. C'est la vie.



As some of you may know I am considering getting involved in the distribution of Mona Vie, a fruit juice essentially. I'm still on the fence about this one. The plan makes sense but... there's always a but isn't there... I can't get two words out of my mind... PYRAMID SCHEME. So I'm still deliberating. The only reason I'm involved at all is that I have seen real improvement in my skin since I've been drinking the stuff. I'm thinking I'll join just to buy the stuff for myself at a discounted rate. I'm vascillating. I know. Oh well. Gotta get off of this thing and fluff a few pillows and stuff. More when the visit is over.



Lisa

WOOOHOOO! We've got another home study update...

While we were away our social worker contacted us and is ready to set a date for our home study update. This will be the second time we've done that. A homestudy is good for one calendar year. I'm hoping against all hope that this will be the last time and as we approach 23 months this month that we're closing in on the date of our referral. I can't help but get excited despite my general personality type which is to NOT get too excited about much. I have deep fantasies about traveling to China in December or January but I know most likely that it will be later in '09 before we travel. A girl can dream right? :)

Now for something completely different... we are back from Cedar Key (our own little paradise) and boy was it just what we needed. For the past 6 years my relentless husband has tried to get me out on a kayak or canoe in the middle of the GULF!! I have resisted pretty successfully until this year. I gave in. On Saturday morning at 0800 hours (how's that for militaristic?) we set out across the Gulf of Mexico to explore the outer islands. We paddled and paddled and paddled and I only hyperventilated once or twice. It was so peaceful and so quiet that I am truly glad I did it. There's something really soul soothing about being out there on the water, just you and the birds, dolphin (which we did not see) and the sea turtles (which we did see). We canoed around the entire Atsenie Otie Key and back again in about 2 hours. It was amazing. I'd say I paddled my ass off but my ass had nothing to do with it! My left arm and shoulder however, that's another story. Can you say advil? Despite my initial trepidation we are seriously considering getting our own kayak. I KNOW! IT'S CRAZY! But it is good exercise and it is an awful lot of fun!

So that's the news you can use from our little part of the world... to be sure I'll update again after our home study update. I'm really looking forward to that. :)
Peace and Blessings,

Lisa

V-A-C-Ation...

It's June 29th... for many of you that means absolutely nothing, but for Paul and me it means we're sooooo very close to our 4th of July traditional vacation in Cedar Key. This time of year is what sustains us throughout the rest of the year. In the middle of FCAT season, or the middle of a particularly hairy week at work we'll look at each other, sigh and say... Ahh... Cedar Key. We get to do nothing at all, which for me isn't all that hard, but for Paul is darn near impossible. He is who the phrase "works like a dog" was invented for. What started out as a way for us to carve out some "US" time, as an attempt to establish some of our own traditions away from our parents, has become a blissful, priceless escape. It's peaceful. It's private. It's just for us. We still have a few family members who have a hard time understanding why we continue this trip. I don't understand this at all. We love this place so much that we book the next year's stay when we arrive!
So to those of you who we will not see on the 4th of July, which by the way is everyone, Happy 4th of July! May your hamburgers be done to your liking, your watermelon cold and seedless, your fireworks fabulous! We're off to lolling around in our pajamas all day if we choose, early morning and late afternoon walks around the island, devouring stacks of neglected reading material, bird watching, and fireworks enjoyed from the comfort of our bed over the gulf of Mexico. Yeah, it's hard to believe that we wouldn't want to give this up. NOT... :) Happy 4th of July!

Almost 22 months...

What's the longest gestational period of any mammal? I think it's the elephant and I think it's something like I orignally said 15 months but the elephant does in fact carry it's young for 24 months. SO I have not been paper pregnant longer than an elephant BUT almost and doesn't that count for something? :) Lisa and Paul

LID anniversary # 19

It's hard to believe it's been 19 months since we were logged in to the CCAA. Amazing about how time flies, but I'd be lying if I said it's flown by and we've hardly noticed because we have. Each month without word, each update that suggests the wait is extending by months every month, every time we have to say to some well wisher, "no, we haven't heard anything yet" and each time we smile and encourage them that it's ok and reassure them that we're ok with it has been excruciatingly difficult.



I'd be lying if I said that every day of the last 19 months I've been 100% certain that God's timing was perfect and that every thing happens, or doesn't, for a reason, because I haven't been. This truly is the most difficult thing I've ever done. While I will never know what it's like to carry a child, and wait the 9 months for his/her birth I certainly do understand waiting, preparation, and the emotional highs and lows of expecting.



But, I do remain faithful and I do have LOTS of conversations with God. I do have assurance that this is in fact happening for reasons that I may never understand, but He does and that's comforting.



So... Father God, bless our daughter, that she be born healthy. Bless her mother, that she know peace and serenity in her decision. Bless all whose hands are in this process, that they have efficiency and expediency of task and Bless our family, as they wait with us, expectantly, patiently and lovingly. Amen.



Lisa

Welcome to our blog...

Welcome to our blog home! We've waited a long time to start this because frankly, we've been waiting a long time for our daughter. On March 16 we will have been waiting officially for 19 months. All projections and speculation point to a 22 to 24 month wait from the time of dossier log in. So we're extremely hopeful that we'll receive word about our daughter by Christmas.

We plan on using this blog as a means to communicate with our friends and family. There are lots of other sites out there that specialize in hosting adoptive families but honestly we're low budget folks. :)

As many of you already know we've been preparing our hearts and our home for this child for many years now. Paul and I have taken a faith walk on this as we feel truly led by God. We believe that our daughter is in China. It's always been a matter of going to get her. We know that the details are in God's plan for us and our child and we trust that it His hand will continue to guide us and provide for us.

So, please join us on this journey. Drop in. Leave a note. We're glad you're here and we're glad to share.

In His name,
Paul and Lisa Nehrig