The Burt Clan

Happy Anniversary to Us!! (edited with new picture)

2009-11-13T07:40:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago today, I was preparing to walk down the aisle. In one way, it seems like it was just yesterday. In another way, it seems like we've always been together. We have had a rough ten years as far as trying to conceive/adopt is concerned. Other than that, it has been great! I think the next ten years will be a lot different than the first ten...hopefully there will be three of us soon!

Here are a few pictures of that big day ten years ago. (P.S. No change on the list...still at #12. Booo...hisssss!!!)

And here we are now. Taken tonight thanks to a self-timer and tripod!

Twenty-Three

2009-11-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

That is the number of days we have been SITTING at number TWELVE. I am tired of it. I want to be something other than TWELVE. TWENTY-THREE days?!?!?!?! It's so depressing and there is no explanation coming from our agency to explain WHY there has been no movement.

Torture....absolute TORTURE!!!!!

Blah!

2009-11-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

We are STILL number 12!!! I'm tired of that number and am ready to MOVE ON!!! Lately, I've been trying to not focus so much on the wait. I've been limiting my time on the adoption message boards. It makes a person crazy to check a message board 100 times a day and see absolutely no change. In the meantime, I've been getting back to doing some awesome coupon deals. Just this weekend, I went to Kroger as they are having a big Mega Sale. Here is what I got...

5 packs Trix Yogurt (6 per pack)

1 Dannon Lite and Fit (6 pack)

3 cans Hormel chili

1 Kotex

6 Birdseye steamers

6 Birdseye steamers in lite sauce

5 fruit snacks

16 boxes potatoes

2 Tylenol 8-hour (24 per pack)

2 Uncle Ben's rice

4 Dole Mandarin Oranges

1 Quilted Northern (12 pack double rolls)

9 Sobe Lifewater

2 Diet Coke 24pks

1 Sweet Baby Rays

2 Tuna

5 Snuggle

71 items

Total prior to coupons was $141 and after coupons I paid $37.40. I'm planning another round in a few days. Trying to stock up on things now. I'm sure in a few months we will be busy with other things and won't have time for so many coupon deals!

Number 12

2009-10-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I updated, but there hasn't been a lot of change either. We are now at number 12 on the "unofficial" waiting list. I was hoping things would really speed up once the courts had reopened, but there hasn't been the flood of referrals that some people were expecting. Last week there were 12 7 referrals given to 11 6 families. (woops...thanks Cami!) That means there was at least one set of siblings. We did not request a sibling group, so we will just be getting one. On the real list, I think we are probably somewhere in the fifties. That is just a guess though.

I am trying to talk myself into buying some baby things. In the beginning of the adoption process (in 2005 and 2006), I bought a lot of little girl clothes because our agency said we would be getting a baby girl from China and it would happen within a year. When the wait started getting longer and longer, I stopped buying things. It has been at least three years since I bought something specifically for our child. In some ways, I think I've been afraid I would jinx myself or something. Today I went to Walmart and as I was walking in, I told myself I was going to walk out with at least one baby item. I didn't care if it was just a cheap pacifier, but I wanted to walk out with one item. Of course, I did not put this on my shopping list so when I walked out, I had nothing baby related!

I think the wait is harder now that we are so close than it was when we were so much farther away. Every time the phone rings, my heart skips a beat and I get that "what if this is it??" feeling. I have no clue what I will do when I finally see "Children's Home Society" on the caller ID. I'll probably forget how to answer the phone or something. Our call could come at anytime even though we are not in the number one spot on the list. That's because we gave an age range up to 15 months. Most of the other waiters have said they would take up to a 12 month old. That could put us ahead of others if a child is relinquished that is between 12 and 15 months old.

In the meantime, we have finally started talking about names. We don't know if it will be a boy or a girl. We have thrown a few names around, but haven't found any yet that really strike us as being THE name. Any suggestions???

Garland and I went to Starved Rock State Park on Saturday. We didn't walk the trails, but went up to the lookout point and I got a few good pictures of the fall foliage. I think it would have been much prettier and more colorful last weekend.

Still 14

2009-10-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

I was hoping for a lot more referrals this week, but there hasn't been hardly any!!! The court reopening has been delayed two weeks due to mandatory training for court staff. I assume that this is why there hasn't been as many referrals as expected. So, we'll see what the next week or two brings.

I've been doing Weight Watchers since the middle of July. Garland has been doing it along with me too. I don't have before/during pictures of him yet, but here are a few of me. I've only lost 22 pounds so far. I have a lot more to lose! My jeans are starting to get kind of baggy, so I'm hoping to go try on some smaller ones this weekend.

Taken earlier this year

Taken last night

Fourteen!

2009-10-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we are now number fourteen!

Up to #16

2009-10-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Ethiopian courts should reopen in a few days. Everyone is hoping this will mean more referrals will be given too! This past week, we moved up to #16. I was really hoping to be at #15 by the end of the week, but there hasn't been any change since Wednesday. There are still a few hours left in the day though, so who knows what will happen. We are just excited to be getting this close finally!!!

I sent an email to our case specialist earlier this week. I asked her if she had a guess on when she thought we'd get our referral. She said she didn't really know when it would happen for sure but she said, "I will contact you immediately upon receiving the match of a child for you. In the meantime, hang in there and know that we should have some good news soon!"

Soon??? What does that mean??? Soon as in a few days or soon as in a few months??? This is torture really! I don't think we'll know how to act when we get the call. I'll be in such shock and disbelief!

#20

2009-09-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, we moved up another spot on the list to number 20!! We'll be in the teens very soon. It still seems so surreal. Today we went for our second round of immunizations. We got the second Hepatitis A and B vaccine. It was almost painless, but we'll see how our arms feel tomorrow. Last time, my arm felt like it would fall off, but I had two shots that day.

The Ethiopian courts are still closed, but should reopen by the first week in October. We're hoping for a huge batch of referrals to come when they reopen.

#21...and holding

2009-09-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted recently because there hasn't been much change. We are #21 on the unofficial list. We're trying to be patient while the court closure is on, and we're hoping that by my birthday in October, we'll start to see some movement again. We're sad to see summer go, but we're excited that we're getting closer and closer to this finally happening!

Back in the coupon groove

2009-08-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

I took a break from coupons for a few months, but when my stockpile started getting low, I decided I better get back into the game.

This past week was Super Double Coupons at Kmart. During Super Double week, Kmart will double coupons up to $2. So, a $2 coupon becomes a $4 coupon. Stack that with sale prices and you can really get some great bargains.

I made a total of eight trips to Kmart. Everything listed below I got for less than $17!!! Before coupons I would have paid: $262.83 plus tax. Also, when you bought 4 boxes of Rice Krispies, there was a rebate offer for a $5 Kmart gift card. If you figure that in, then I spent $12.

4 - Pert Shampoos -- $2.50 each
3 - Tag body sprays -- $3.50 each
2 - Tag deodorants -- $3.50 each
2 - Degree deodorants -- $3.99 each
1 - bag cottonballs -- $1.29
7 - Natural Source (Scrubbing Bubbles) bathroom cleaners -- $2.00 each
6 - Large Ajax dish soaps -- $1.99 each
10 - 32 count Chinet plates -- $4.49 each
1 - Coupon expandable folder -- $2.50 (on clearance)
1 - Olay Body Wash -- $3.50
8 - Secret Deodorant -- $3.99
4 - Skintimate Shaving Gels -- $2.79 each
5 - Scrubbing Bubbles gels -- $3.50 each
5 - 12 packs diet pepsi -- $3.67 each
8 - Boxes Ziplock Gallon Bags -- $2.00 each
1 - Scrub Free Bathroom cleaner -- $2.00
4 - Scott Paper Towels -- $1.99 each
6 - Boxes Rice Krispies -- $2.25 each
2 - Bags Baked Lays Chips -- $3.79 each
1 - Kotex -- $1.29
1 - 6-roll pack Charmin Mega Rolls -- $7.00
2 - Sally Hanson Nail polish -- $2.99
1 - 2 roll Giant Roll Bounty basic -- $2.99
1 - Ponds facial wipes -- $3.00
1 - Bounce dryer sheets -- $2.99

Here are a few pictures I took...these include five different stops at Kmart. There are three trips I didn't take pictures of. I should add that some of this will be going to the food pantry at church.

Before I made all those trips to Kmart, I invested in a set of shelves to use for our growing stockpile, and I have almost filled those shelves this week. (click to enlarge)

Three years ago today...

2009-08-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

...we were officially put on the waiting list with China. I remember being so excited three years ago and thinking we would travel within a year or so to get our little Sadie. My how things change.

I saw someone post on a blog the other day that had a LID with China not too long after ours. They said their agency told them to plan on waiting another five years. I am so glad that we switched to Ethiopia when we did. We will forever be disappointed that the China process did not work out for us. We plan to pull our dossier once our Ethiopian adoption is finalized. But, we will forever be grateful for the opportunity to bring a baby home from Ethiopia...one of the poorest countries in the world with 4 to 6 million orphans.

Today, I am not sad. I am excited for what is to come! Once again, this Christmas we will say "This is the last Christmas without our little one" as I have said for the last four years, but this year....I truly believe that it WILL be the last one.

One Year Anniversary

2009-07-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today marks one year since we officially began the wait with Ethiopia. The past year has gone so fast. Having Apple here really made the wait seem easier since we had someone to help occupy our time.

A year ago we thought we would have a baby in 7-9 months. As usual though, the adoption process is very unpredictable. Several months ago, our agency announced that the wait was more like 12-18 months depending on where someone was on the waiting list. The reason for the extended wait times was not due to a lack of babies, but due to an increase in PAPs (potential adoptive parents). So, we settled in for the long haul. We're kind of professional waiters by this point!

I've wrote before about the waiting list and where we are on it. The list I am referring to is an unofficial list. It's not the full-blown list that our agency keeps. That list is a secret. They will not share what number we are on that list. Our agency has a message board online. Anyone who is adopting through CHSFS may view and post messages on that message board, but not every person who is waiting to adopt, chooses to join the message board. Those who do join are added to the unofficial list. Right now there are 97 people on the unofficial list, but according to our agency, there are actually 380 people waiting. Based on an Excel spreadsheet that estimates where someone is on the actual list, we are around #100.

Last week there was a ton of referrals given out by our agency....29 of them. That is huge in comparison to previous weeks. Today the agency announced that they are experiencing an increase in new referrals from Ethiopia. Many of those are for children from several new regions that our agency just started working with. What does that mean for us? On the unofficial list, we went from #35 to 26 in one week!!! That's a pretty big jump.

Where does that leave us? We are still hopeful to have a referral this year. I'm guessing November to December, but like usual, things change. It could be later or it could be sooner.

Someone asked if I was ready. The answer is YES and NO! I'm ready for this wait to be over. When we first started the process in 2005, I bought lots of girl clothes. As the China process got slower and slower, I stopped buying things. I haven't bought a single baby thing in three years I think. It seems very surreal to think that we will actually be getting a baby!!! I don't think we'll know what to do with ourselves when we finally get the call.

There is a Chris Rice song that I LOVE and it so appropriate for the adoption wait. It isn't talking about adoption, but just listen to the chorus of it. (Lyrics are below) The chorus starts at 55 seconds into it.

How far are You?
How close am I?
I know Your words are true when I don't feel them inside
Still I believe You'll never leave
So where are You now?

You're all I have
You're all I've known
Your breath is breathing in my soul
Still I am gasping, aching, asking,
Where are you now?

Cause I just want to be with You
I just want this waiting to be over
I just want to be with You
And it helps to know the Day is getting closer
But every minute takes and hour
Every inch feels like a mile
Till I won't have to imagine
And I finally get to see You smile!

My journey's here, but my heart is There
So I dream and wait, and keep the faith, while You prepare
Our destiny, till You come back for me
OH, please make it soon!

Fourth of July

2009-07-06T06:55:00.001-07:00

We had a great weekend even though the weather was cold and rainy for the most part. We had a family get together at my parents' house Friday night and Saturday night. Then Sunday we came back home and went to the fireworks with friends.

As always...you can click on pictures to enlarge them.

Granny

Garland

William (my cousin Jeannie's husband)

Josh (nephew)

Dad

Jake (nephew)

Eddie (my brother-in-law)

Jennifer (my sister)

Kim (my cousin)

Taryn (cousin Jeannie's daughter)

Mac (my Uncle...bet you can't tell he's actually a cowboy)

Jeannie (my cousin...Aunt Pat's daughter)

Aunt Pat (wife to Mac...the cowboy...and gangsta wanna-be)

Mom

The hummingbirds were insane at my parents' house.

Finally caught one standing still

Mom and dad's pond with willow fluff on it

The wasp was hungry too.

back row: Jennifer, Lucy (dog), Eddie
front row: Brian, Tanya, Tara, Lindsay, Jed, and Austin

Number 35!!

2009-06-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

On the "unofficial waiting list" we started at about #92. When printed out, that put us on page four of the list. I'm so excited to say that we are now on Page ONE! At the very bottom of page one...but page one none the less! During the summer, we won't see much movement as the Ethiopian courts close down for almost two months. Once the courts re-open, then referrals should start coming again and we will see our number decrease and we will move closer and closer to the top of the page. Eek!

In the meantime, we'll enjoy our summer relaxing in the pool.

Here are a few pictures I took earlier this spring that I LOVE. Be sure to click on them to enlarge to see the details. I impressed myself.

Summer time....or is it?

2009-06-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already June 13th. We have only been in the pool three times I think. The weather just doesn't seem to want to warm up this year. We have a solar heater for the pool, but it doesn't do much good if the sun never shines! I was in the pool a little bit ago and it is up to 78 degrees. Still not quite as warm as I want it!

This past Monday we took Apple to the airport for her flight home. It was very hard to say goodbye, and we sure do miss her. It has been a strange week without her here. It just feels weird. Every time I went somewhere this week, I felt like I was forgetting something, but I think it was just because Apple wasn't there! The flight from Bloomington to Bangkok was very long. She boarded the plane around 10:00 a.m. Monday morning and called me around 2:00 Tuesday afternoon saying she had made it to Bangkok and was with her mom in the airport. We have talked on-line several times this week. She had a bit of a cold when she left. She attempted to go to school on Thursday, but the school turned her away because they were afraid she may have Swine Flu. She had to stay home for a week. I think she was actually a little disappointed because she was ready to see all her friends again.

I had a career change recently. I quit working at the school about a week before the actual end of the year. I have gone back to babysitting at home. It's been pretty fun with two 3-year olds around. I hear lots of little funny stories and phrases. Just yesterday, we were getting ready to go outside to play. M and E were putting on their Crocs. Here is how the conversation went:

E: M!! Look at my new shoes! Do you like my new shoes??
M: E! Those are not new shoes! They are brand old!!!

I guess if something is brand new...then it can be brand old too.

In adoption news...we have moved up a few more slots to number 37. The "unofficial referral estimate" based on an Excel document that another potential adopter has created, estimates that we MIGHT get our referral between November 11th and December 24th. This is just a GUESS based on a few formulas in a spreadsheet. Those are the "most likely" dates. If things progress a little slower (or if there are fewer referrals given out each month) then it shows the latest we will get a referral would be in February. At any rate...we're starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel!!

Speaking of adoption. We started this process December 2005. That means we have been at this for 1290 days or 3 years, 6 months, and 12 days. The thought of getting a referral in the next six to eight months seems like a dream!! Once we accept a referral, we can expect to travel 3-4 months after that. Our trip to Ethiopia will be about seven days long.

Update

2009-05-29T14:29:00.001-07:00

We're now at #39 on the waiting list. Baby steps.....but at least we are taking steps!

Adoption update

2009-05-07T16:54:00.001-07:00

We're up to #42 on the waiting list. According to the Magic 8 Ball aka an Excel spreadsheet with a series of formulas...our predicted referral date is between October 26, 2009 and February 10, 2009. Of course, I'm hoping for sooner rather than later, but after almost four years of waiting, we know nothing is really predictible!

Spring has sprung!!!

2009-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that the weather is finally warming up. Last weekend, we had a family get together at my mom and dad's. My brother and his family, and my sister and her family, and us, and Granny all went down to spend the weekend.

We had fun playing with the kids and watching them have an Easter Egg hunt (a week late).

Here are some of the pictures from the weekend.

Number 49!!!

2009-04-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we are now at number 49 on the waiting list for Ethiopia!!! We were at 58 back at the beginning of February, so we are at least seeing progress! I anticipate a referral around Thanksgiving at the rate things are going now. We thought initially that it would be this summer, but nothing ever goes as we think it should in international adoption!

Back from Gulf Shores

2009-03-28T07:38:00.001-07:00

We are back home after two long days of travel. We were fortunate to miss the tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama. There was a lot of damage when we came through McGee, MS.

We had so much fun on our trip and it was very relaxing. We will definitely miss Gulf Shores!!

Here are some of my favorite pictures that I took from the trip.

Day one -- Traveling to Gulf Shores

2009-03-20T17:02:00.001-07:00

DSC_0189
Originally uploaded by DaBurts99

Gingerbread House -- a few months too late

2009-03-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

At Christmas, one of the teachers I work with gave me a Gingerbread house kit. Apple said she was going to put it together, but it sat for two months on top of the freezer. The other day I told her that I was throwing it away if she didn't put it together that afternoon. So, she got started right away.

She worked for 45 minutes to put it together and place each piece of candy in just the right spot.

Since it's no longer Christmas though, she decided that the best place for the finished product would be outside. She thought the squirrels might like it.

I think the squirrels were pretty happy about their feast. It took two days for it to completely disappear.

Swagbucks -- Search and Win!!!

2009-02-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

For about a year now, I have been reading about different ways to make money on-line. Now, I'm not talking about making a LOT of money...just little ways to earn money or gift cards here and there. One of the programs I had read a lot about was Swagbucks.

Swagbucks is a search engine that runs off of Google. You can either search from the the Swagbucks web page, or you can install a simple toolbar that will allow you to search from it. I joined Swagbucks about a month and a half ago. Each day, I use it to do a few searches until I win. Typically, you win once a day and it usually happens around the same time each day. I normally win one swagbuck a day, but on occasion have earned five or ten on one search.

The Swagbucks you earn are similar to money. You can exchange them for gift cards or other items on the Swagbucks web page. Here are a few examples of things you can get:

45 Swagbucks = $5 Amazon giftcard
115 swagbucks = $10 Barnes and Noble giftcard
320 swagbucks = $25 Macy's giftcard

There are other ways to win though! If you have plans to make an on-line purchase, check first to see if the store you are going to shop at is listed in the Shopping section of Swagbucks. If they are and you use their link, you will generally earn one swagbuck per $5 purchase. Some stores listed on their site are: Macy's, Walmart, Hallmark, Shoebuy, Overstock, and many others.

Since I joined a little over a month ago, I have earned more than enough for two $5 gift cards to Amazon.com. We do most of our Christmas shopping on Amazon, so I am going to save all my points and redeem them later in the year to use for Christmas gifts. If I earned 90+ bucks in a little over month, by December, I should have enough for at least $100 in Amazon gift cards. Just for using this a few times a day!

Update just for Dawn

2009-02-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I updated the blog, so I am updating it for my loyal readers....or maybe reader. ha!

We are still having a great time with Apple. She is over halfway through her stay here in America and is doing well. She achieved a 4.0 GPA in the first semester and made the high honor roll at Olympia High School. She has a little harder classes this semester but is still holding the 4.0 as of now.

We had a Super Bowl party last weekend with a few friends and family. Everyone was excited to wear their 3d glasses for the movie preview.

We are all excited that we are in the last month of so of Winter. I don't think I've ever been so tired of snow as I have been this year. The five snow days we had off of school were nice, but I'm over it now and am ready for spring!!! Yesterday the weather was wonderful and got up into the 60s, which we haven't seen for months. We have barely seen the 30s for the past few months! We drove over to Champaign for the day to meet friends for lunch and do a little shopping. The geese were aware that it was warmer too as there were hundreds of them flying North!

On the adoption front, we are making slow but steady progress in the Ethiopia wait. We started out on July 15, 2008 in the 92nd position on the waiting list. We have moved up to number 58. It's good to see progress at least. We are still hopeful to have a referral by sometime this summer or fall.

Kmart Super Doubles!

2009-01-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

Kmart is having another "Super Double" event. They will double coupons up to $2 face value. So, a $1 coupon becomes $2. $2 coupon becomes $4.00. They will not give overage, but they will double up to the purchase price if the doubled coupon is worth more than the price.

Here is what I got today.

3 - 3 lb bags of Good Life Cat Food --- $3.99 each -- $2.00 coupon doubled to $3.99
4 Gillette Shampoo/Body Wash -- $3.99 each -- $2.00 coupon doubled to $3.99
1 Gillette Body Wash -- $3.99 -- $2.00 coupon doubled to $3.99
3 Revlon Nail Clippers -- $1.79 each -- $1.00 coupon doubled to $1.79
4 Kotex Liners -- $1.29 each -- $0.75 coupon doubled to $1.29
1 Suave Deodorant -- $1.66 -- $0.75 coupon doubled to $1.50
1 Tylenol Rapid Release -- $4.49 -- $2.00 coupon doubled to $4.00
1 Revlon Nail Hardener -- $3.49 on clearance -- $2.00 doubled to $3.49
1 Revlon Top Coat -- $2.49 on clearance -- $2.00 coupon doubled to $2.49
2 St. Joseph Aspirin -- $2.39 each (buy one get one half off) $1.00 coupon doubled

My total was $2.03!!!! Prior to coupons it was about $75.00!