I started writing this post last month and postponed it and forgot about it... so pretend that it was last month. :)

Happy New Year!!!

Today is the first day of the year 4047- the year of the boar. Last night Chris and I had a small get together with some close family and friends to try out some new traditions- kind of a dry run for years to come.

We bought dinner at a Chinese restaurant and brought it home... I am still fighting that horrible flu that is going around, so I wasn't up to making dim sum for multiple hours like I did last year. It turned out just fine anyway. The thing that I loved was that the people who showed up actually did their own research on Chinese New Year customs- like Shelly and Rob bringing a basket of oranges- 2 pairs (because it is good luck to bring an even number), and everyone wore red as a sign of happiness. Susan and Randy read up on the red envelope tradition, so I was presented with some little envelopes with money it in for Chris, me, and Olivia - I have no idea where they found them. Others wore red. My sister showed up with a beautiful painted banner that a man had printed up for her with symbols for good luck, prosperity and happines. Jeannine made really tasty crab rangoon dim sum. We had a very relaxing night- I did go a bit overboard with the decorations... that is kind of my thing when we have a party. You should see our luau decoration collection- 10 foot inflatable tiki god anyone? (Although that one was Chris' fault...)

My favorite thing about the party, is that it made Olivia seem just a little bit closer to us. I think a lot about her these days- I wonder when she will be born, when we get to pick her up, what her birthmother is like. That last one really has me wondering. Is it a young woman who is hoping her baby will be a boy, and who will be disappointed when she finds out it is a girl? It is someone who already has a child and this was an accident? Does she sit up at night and wonder what she will do when the child is born? You know you hear all of these horrible stories about people who try to get rid of their babies in a dumpster or hurt them (and much worse) and you just wonder why they couldn't just give the baby up to someone else. The greatest gift that one of these girls or women will give a daughter is to recognize that she can't take care of her and will have faith that there are people out there who will make sure she has a good life.

When we had to go to our adoption weekend event at WACAP we learned about "the triangle of grief" - the 3 parties in the process that feel pain. First of all, it is the child who will never know her birth family and will wonder about her background, the birth parents who know they cannot support a female child and will abandon her, hoping she will be taken care of by a family who will love her just as much as they will, and the adoptive parents who will wish they could have given life to this child and spared them the orphanage experience, and who will not have that biological link with the child. I know we will all be happy together but it is good to know that there are some baggage that we will all deal with. Who doesn't have that, you know?

So (and I really didn't intend for this to get super deep and sad- but there you go) Happy New Year everyone! Gong Xi Fa Cai !

Hey Megan, what's going on with the China program?


Thanks for asking Blogger... not much. A huge hub-bub over the new Chinese restrictions has ensued, with people arguing over who has the right to put these arbitrary restrictions, in place, are they fair? etc. Well it is not my place to say who makes the best parents, and China will not be calling me to ask how I feel about it, so there.

Where are you in the process right now Megan?

Well we are almost to the review room. That is where a rep from the CCAA will take our dossier, look it over and decide if we look good on paper. This is a bit of a nerve wracking time, because the new way they are doing things, is that if they stop to ask you to clarify some information, you get pulled out of line and it can cost you at least a month, to get things worked out and then put back in line again. So, we are biting our nails and are hoping that everything looks okay. Or I should say, I am biting my nails. Chris is playing lumines in front of his HDTV. :)

So Megan, what have you been doing?

Well, Chris and I got back from Hawaii, and we have a bunch of little trips here and there planned throughout the spring. I am going to Germany with my sister Molly in May for 10 days or so (no I don't speak German) , and Chris and I are going to Napa in April, and the group of girls I go to Vegas with are gearing up for a fun weekend in April. The outdoor patio construction is almost done - all we need is the place to put the BBQ. Chris is done with the book that you can pre-order on Amazon, and we are ready to start firing the boat up again. Yes- she made it through the crazy winter weather (quick knock on wood!).

Any progress on nursery themes/ decorations?

Why yes! Because Chris expressed an interest (yea!) on a specific nursery theme, we're going with that. We are doing an "under-the-sea" theme. Not over the top Disney type things, no Arial (sorry Alicia) decorations- but we're sticking to a pacific northwest rocky beach theme. So no tropical fish to be found, or white sand beaches. Maybe some Strongylocentrutus drobachensus, some Picnopodia helianthoides and a scuba diver that may or may not resemble my husband. We'll see...

So why am I still reading your blog, because nothing is really new, and you never post?

Well I am going to start posting more regularly and start a feature called "what did you get for Olivia?" showcasing her cute little wardrobe that I am crossing my fingers will fit her when she comes home. Sigh- comes home. :) She has been getting a monthly gift from my secret pal who is also in the April 06 DTC group- fun stuff! She got her first little Christmas gift this year. Her future husband, Ben Spiegelman, gave her a little white onesie that says "Got rice?" on the front and has a rice cooker on the butt. Cute! You'll just have to wait and see!

Chinese New Year is next weekend! Can't wait to learn some fun new traditions for many years to come.