Be The Change

Changing Blogs

2009-07-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Our new blog is:

twoanhs.blogspot.com

I have been working on it for awhile, a long while, lol.

We leave tomorrow to go and get Xavier, so we will be blogging our trip on our new blog.

The reason for the change was that a lot of family and friends wanted to follow our trip, and since most don't know about this blog, I wanted to start fresh.

Plus, I wanted something that is more about the boys and commemorates our family.

And as a special bonus, Sebastian said he may appear as a writer on this new blog as well (don't hold your breath lol).

Big News!

2009-07-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

We are sooooo grateful to a family who is in Vietnam right now for sending us PICTURES and VIDEO of our lil Xavier.

Here is what we found out about him:

* he can roll over

* makes great eye contact and follows people with his eyes and head

* loves to smile :)

* his hair-do resembles Bon Jovi circa 1985, in fact that is quickly becoming his new nickname!

* very tall, probably 6-12 month clothing

Here is a link to his pictures and video: click here. If you do not have the password please feel free to contact me for it!

What to do, what to do!

2009-07-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

Click Here to read a password protected post. Please feel free to email or message me for the password!

Looking More Like August

2009-07-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

Sadly, it is looking more like we will be traveling in August.

I am just so sad for our little boy, and so very worried about him.

I am angry that all though his condition will not progress, his chance of a full recovery is regressing. Back at the end of April we were told that for the best prognosis Xav needed surgery within two months, and now 2 months have come and gone and we wonder what this will mean for our precious little boy.

Still here....

2009-07-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

I know, I know, I know! I promised a post a day until travel, but then life (aka report cards) ensued. That and we had a little hiccup along the road to Xav that had me in a tailspin...

Last week Leslie, who is picking up her lil girl in Vietnam right now sent us pictures of Xavier, which we are so grateful for!

Then we found out about the hiccup (for details and a cute updated picture of Xavier, click here). It has all been worked out and we are just awaiting an update as to when we will be traveling, the earliest being the middle of the month.

We are so excited to go and get him, to have both our boys under one roof and to get Xavier the medical care he needs.

While we wait, here is what we have been up to:

* going back and forth from the cottage... thank goodness for the cottage, the beach and the kayak, it has definitely kept our sanity as the time creeps on, and our worries over Xavier's health grows.

* finished off the school year! Woohooo, hoping that this is the unofficial start of my mat leave and I will not be going back for another 14 months!

* obsessed over baby things, like which bottles to get for him (Gabe's bottles are plastic, BPA free, but they are not sold in Canada), and a sling (we definitely need one for travel, and because of Xav's hip, we are worried about the support it will give him).

And that is about it....

So I am not promising to get back on the everyday blogging bandwagon, that lasted all of 2 days, but I will try and keep you all updated!

Friends and Family Adoption Seminar

2009-06-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took Sebastian's parents to a fantastic seminar on adoption for family and friends.

I think the best part, and most informative, was the following handout:

Anyhow, we are up at the cottage. Tomorrow for my post of the day I will be posting pictures of our cottage!

Have a great Friday night!

Challenging myself to a post-a-day!

2009-06-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

As we impatiently wait for word as to when we can travel to get our little guy, I am busying myself with to-do lists and goals, such as losing 10 lbs before we get the call. I thought I would add one more challenge/goal to my list and that is one post per day until we travel!

We did it!

2009-06-03T03:36:00.000-07:00

According to the hospital's headquarters, Xavier is officially their patient!
Last night when I got the email I cried, then proceeded to do a whole slew of crazy dances in excitement.

Now we are just awaiting some paperwork on the Vietnam side to be done, and we can go get our little guy! It looks like that might be in a few weeks, but we should know better today.

Delusion is like a pain killer!

2009-06-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I spoke with someone at the hospital and explained how the paperwork they were now requesting doesn't exist, so they decided to have a teleconference with their board members to reassess their decision, and hopefully accept him.
I have tried calling the hospital, emailing people at the hospital, etc, with no results. So I have decided to go another route... delusion.
I have decided that the meeting probably took place already and they are just typing out the official letter (because the last 2 meetings they had on him were on a Thursday, so the meeting probably took place this past Thursday and because last time the letter took 3 days to get emailed from after the meeting), and I can expect it in my inbox any minute. And from that point on I believe things are going to move at the speed of light and we will be hopping on a plane on Friday with a few other families going to get their cute babies.
So my deluded self and I have big plans this week. I am getting report cards done, since, duh, I won't finish out the school year since I am hopping on a plane this Friday. I am also going to start going through all of Gabriel's baby clothes and start packing Xavier's bag. And then while I am at it, I might as well pack for myself and Sebastian, stock up on all of Gabriel's food and diapers etc. etc.

If you don't hear from me for awhile it is because we are in Vietnam, getting our little boy....or I am so disappointed and depressed that I am not on a plane and the meeting hasn't taken place yet, or worse they demanded more paperwork that doesn't exist. Most likely, it is the latter, because trust me, if we are going to get our little boy, I will be screaming it from the roof tops!

Clarification...sorta kinda...

2009-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry to leave you all hanging over the weekend (as I am sure all my loyal readers were :)
We went up to the cottage to get a little relaxation in...

So on Thursday we were told we would be recieving a letter by email explaining the hospital decision the next morning, by that afternoon we still had not heard, so I called. I finally got a call back around 4pm, saying that we needed more paperwork...so now we are working on getting that.

For a more detailed (aka uncensored) version of this story, read the password protected post here.

Still Waiting!

2009-05-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

I spoke with someone from the hospital today who just read me a written response, but wasn't able to clarify it for me...

So until I here back from someone with clarification, things are still up in the air!

There goes another night of sleep!

Hopefully we will have some news tomorrow (good news that is).

Update

2009-05-20T10:33:00.001-07:00

The hospital meeting is still tomorrow. We have luckily gotten the paperwork that the hospital was requesting.
I have called the hospital to find out what time the meeting is, so that I can start calling about an hour after that ;)
Basically every concern the hospital has voiced we have found a solution to, so it will be pretty devastating if he is turned down tomorrow.
Please keep Xavier in your thoughts and prayers!
I will post again tomorrow with the verdict!

Are you the praying or cross your fingers type?

2009-05-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

Either type will do really.

I have kept pretty quiet about Xavier, it is not your typical adoption process, and I guess I struggle with what should be shared, who is reading etc, but ultimately, I think we need all the positive thoughts/prayers/crossed fingers we can get this week.

Xavier has arthrogyposis, and he needs medical intervention immediately.

Along with our agency, we have presented his file to a hospital that specializes in pediatric orthopedics and has a very gracious program for international children, if they will accept him, he can come here on a medical visa to get the help he desperately needs now.

Xavier really does need the medical intervention now, not 4 months from now when we can bring him here as a Canadian citizen with an OHIP card.

It has been a struggle of almost a month trying to get him into this hospital.

There is certain paperwork they are requesting, and if we don't get it by Thursday (board meeting), then we have to wait until the end of June for them to make a decision.

Can you please keep Xavier in your prayers and thoughts? Specifically:

* that we can get the needed paperwork to present at the board meeting

* that they accept him as a patient immediately, and don't make us wait until he is officially adopted

At this point, all we have is everyone's positive thoughts, the rest is out of our hands.

I promise to keep you all updated this week!

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Best Mother's Day Present Ever From Xavier!
2009-05-10T07:38:00.000-07:00
Click Here



Drumroll please....
2009-05-09T03:44:00.000-07:00
I would like to announce that I am the proud mama of TWO (yep you heard that right) boys!!!!We got a referral for a little 4 month old boy!!!!!! His name will be Xavier Quang.
There is no greater mother's day gift!!!!
If you would like more details Click Here



Gabey Baby Boo!
2009-04-27T18:22:00.000-07:00
These were taken at the cottage a few weeks ago!
Already too 'cool' for his momma's hugs!






Pardon?????
2009-04-26T08:45:00.000-07:00
This is the first time I am password protecting a post... so who knows if I am doing this right. If you would like the password please email or message me.

Click Here


The Name Game
2009-04-05T08:23:00.000-07:00
We are talking baby names. We are pretty sure that if the baby is a boy, we will name him Xavier. Sebastian was really pushing for Seamus, but I had to put my foot down. As a teacher, I could just picture attendance that first day of school, where I call Seamus ItalianLastname, and a little Vietnamese boy raises his hand. The other boy name in the running is Silas, which I love. 


We are having a bit of a tougher time with a girl name. Sebastian loves Rachel, but it rhymes with Gabriel....does that mean that if we have more kids, their names will have to rhyme too? And will people think we did it on purpose? I, on the other hand, love Jacqueline, Marisa, Jillian, Chelsea and a whole slew of other girls names. Sebastian likes Marisa too, so that might be the front runner. Luckily we have quite awhile of undefined time to decide.


To help pass the time, I am reading a baby name book, one letter of the alphabet per week. So last week I read all of the 'A' girls names, this week I will read the Bs. 
26 letters x 2 genders= 52 weeks of waiting fun!


Great OHIP News (which should never have happened in the first place!)
2009-04-01T08:12:00.000-07:00
Just recieved the following email!

Hello Everyone,I apologize for the mass email but I wanted to make sure to get this information out quickly to everyone who emailed Minister Caplan about the issue with OHIP coverage and international adoption.I am pleased to say that changes made to Regulation 552 are effective as of today - April 1, 2009.  The regulation impacts internationally adopted children for both their eligibility for OHIP coverage and their eligibility for an exemption to the 3-month waiting period.  These children will now be eligible for OHIP coverage while they are in the process of applying for Canadian citizenship.  Once adopted, they will be eligible for OHIP coverage as soon as they arrive in Ontario with their parents - without a three month waiting period.If anyone is currently caught in a three-month waiting period, I encourage you to contact ServiceOntario.  Adopted children can be considered exempt from the remainder of the waiting period if they are considered OHIP-eligible under the new regulation.  Our office has been assured that all ServiceOntario staff have received training in the regulation changes prior to today so this should be a seamless transition.
Additionally the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website will be updated with new fact sheets and questions and answers for the public pertaining to the Regulation 552 changes.  This information may be found at http://www.health.gov.on.ca.  For further information you can contact INFOline at 1 800 268-1154 or visit your local ServiceOntario – Health Card Services office for more information regarding the changes.On behalf of Minister Caplan I want to thank everyone for bringing this issue to our attention.  It was through your contact with this office that we were able to move quickly to correct the problem.  I know that this was an unnecessary and stressful situation for many of you and I truly thank you for your patience while we corrected the regulation.

Heather
_____________________________________ Heather Mack Chief of Staff The Honourable David Caplan, MPP Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
416.326.3985 heather.mack@ontario.ca


 


Our File Is...
2009-03-29T17:30:00.000-07:00
somewhere in the Ontario Ministry getting approved. 
When we had our last homestudy visit I hadn't realized it would take a bit to write up our report, but apparently it does. So it was done around the beginning of March and sent off to our agency. I was so impressed with how quickly our agency looked over our file and sent it off, like less than a week. 
We were told to expect the ministry to take 6-8 weeks to approve us, so now we are just waiting. 
In our homestudy we said that we are open to minor special needs, boy or girl, 0-12 months. Typically in Vietnam they are under a year, besides we don't want to change Gabriel's birthorder. 
It seems like most families in our agency request a gender and we have gone back and forth on this. We would be so happy with either, a boy would be fantastic because him and Gabe would be close in age, and a girl would be great because they are hard to come by in our families (Sebastian has a brother and only male cousins and all of my cousins have been having boys for the last 10 years or so). Typically for a girl it is a longer wait, but because we are open to special needs that might not be the case. After emailing with our director we decided to wait. She said basically when we are closer to the front of the line we can see how many people in front of us are requesting a girl or boy. Like I said, we would be so happy with either, it is more because I am a planner and would love to know farther in advance the gender. 
As well, because we are open to special needs (cleft lip/palate, club feet etc), it is really hard to predict the wait time. 
So on another note, I really am trying to blog often, but time flies by! It feels like just yesterday that I wrote my last post, and in reality it was like 10 days ago!



Fundraiser Update
2009-03-18T08:13:00.000-07:00
I haven't posted in awhile about the fundraiser, but it is going great. We are selling tickets and collecting some great prizes for the silent auction (spa gift certificates, photography session, jewellery etc.). 
Recently, our director has sent out an email asking for our help with a particular orphanage, so this is the orphanage that the money raised on April 24th will go to. 
Vung Tau 2 has recently been taken over by a new director, which is great news for the children living there. Prior to her arrival scabies and malnutrition were a constant problem, as well as lack of stimulation. Luckily our director is so amazing and would push for better care of the children that were proposed to our agency, but there was little she could do for the other children living there. 
The new director of Vung Tau 2 has written to Dorinda asking for help:
Now, official, I will manager that center as my center. One center with two places. To visit around center this morning. I lot things must to do. Seem, no thing are here now. But, frist I want deled all weeds, trash and new wall withanimal-picture color.Second : prepare WC and some small thingsLast, make new for wall , gate, table of center...Special, find solutions for babies with scabies. Too much !!!I would like TDH if you can help for here charity project or as donationabout 15.000 USD. We can do direct some things and put name : TDH help for this project....Pl tell me your idea. I want change here, step by step. Td



I'm banned from reading....
2009-03-16T19:01:00.000-07:00
So I am posting!
I cannot believe I am posting this...but this blog is due for a good post, and I am trying to keep atleast one New Year's Resolution. 
So prior to Monday at 5pm I had been working on reading Anna Karenina for quite awhile....but it was really dragging. So, I purchased Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. For the few days I just read a couple of pages here and there, but by Friday, I was obsessed. All day Friday I carried it around in purse and read whenever I had a chance. I finished the book by Saturday afternoon, and ran over to Rosie's for the sequel, I finished it yesterday, 24 hours later! Sebastian ever so kindly offered to pick me up the last two books in the series lastnight. I am half way through the third one...that is roughly 1500 pages of reading in 72 hours.
So....today, I started feeling dizzy, my eyesight was blurry, my arm was tingly and I had a massive migraine. I kinda panicked because when I googled the symptoms it said I was having a stroke. Sebastian came home and forced me to a doctor, where he then proceeded to squeal on me that I had done nothing but read...to a point where we were running out of clean socks. Doctor's orders: no more reading tonight, so I thought I would blog instead!


OHIP, so tell me how you really feel!
2009-03-10T10:10:00.000-07:00
I just want to preface this by saying I am typically a very calm, go with the flow, things will work themselves out kinda gal. I am not a worrier, a complainer or a drama queen...I don't think, Sebastian might say otherwise.
But this whole OHIP fiasco has me infuriated. I have personally written to any government or OHIP official whose email address I can get my hands on and have emailed others asking them to send emails.
The question of what we will do if OHIP doesn't change their policy or if we cannot find a private insurance has crossed my mind...but not will we still adopt. Although we have never seen a picture of our child and are pretty sure he or she has not even been born yet, we are deeply in love with our child already and there is no better way to describe it other than, he or she is already our child in our hearts.


OHIP and Our Children
2009-03-09T18:20:00.000-07:00
As many of you may remember, Sebastian and I are hoping to adopt a child with potential minor special needs from Vietnam, it has come to our attention that OHIP has changed their policy so that internationally adopted children must live in Ontario for 3 MONTHS before being covered by OHIP. 
Not only are we mad at what we feel is just another injustice for adopted children and families, but it saddens us because we have no idea how we might be able to afford the medical care our child might need for the first three months, to a point where it may limit the type of special needs we can accept. I am really trying to stay positive and am going to fight this, but at the same time I am so sad and really devastated for how this might effect our children. 
This is not a rumour! It has happened (I will attach a letter from someone it has happened to). Most adoption practitioners and agency directors are in touch with OHIP and the government over this, but I am asking everyone to email their MPP as well as a list of people I will provide in the email. I will also provide a sample letter you can send to them. 

Re: New Directive from OHIP Head Office that denies OHIP coverage for 3 months for all internationally adopted childrenWe are Donna and Brad, a couple who adopted a baby girl, Thao, from Viet Nam. We went to Viet Nam and adopted our daughter on Dec. 29th, 2008. She was granted Canadian citizenship on January 7, 2009. On February 12th, Brad went to the Kitchener OHIP office to apply for Thao's OHIP number. We were shocked when she was refused a number and told that there was now a 3 month waiting period for internationally adopted children. We thought that there had been a mistake.Brad returned home and called the information line to obtain clarification about what exactly the policy was about granting coverage to internationally adopted children. The woman who he spoke with told him that a memo had been sent out from the Minister's office to all OHIP offices on January 27th, 2009 directing them to refuse coverage to children who were not Canadian citizens when they were adopted. Of course, Brad explained that that is impossible, that the process is that a child is adopted and then becomes a Canadian citizen. The woman checked with OHIP's head office and confirmed that the correct procedure is to deny OHIP coverage in our case. Brad asked why it was that the 2 other couples, who we met in Saigon and who had adopted children at the same time as we had, had gone to their OHIP offices in Toronto and Ottawa and had been immediately given OHIP numbers. She told him that their situations must be different from ours since they were granted OHIP numbers. When he assured her that they had adopted their children after us and had obtained their children's Canadian citizenship after Thao had obtained hers, she asked him if he could send her their information. He asked her if their coverage could be revoked if it was determined that their situations were the same as ours. She replied that, yes, their coverage could be revoked. Brad told her that he obviouslywasn't going to provide her with any information that could jeopardize their children's OHIP coverage.After many phone calls, emails, and meetings with OHIP officials, our local MPP, our social worker, other parents, lawyers, and adoption agency directors, we now know the following: we were not a clerical error. We were not a special case. We were not a mistake. Denial of coverage to internationally adopted children for 3 months is policy. This policy was not publicized so it is taking everyone involved in adoption, from agency directors, to social workers, to parents, by surprise. This policy is so new that it is being inconsistently applied from OHIP office to OHIP office so that on the same day in Ontario, one child might be granted OHIP coverage while somewhere else in the province another child in exactly the same circumstances is denied it. However, one thing is clear: while, as far as we know, our child was the first to be denied coverage, the numbers of children who are being denied is increasing every day throughout the entire province.The first thing that everyone who has adopted a child, or is going to adopt in the future, needs to know is that the Ministry of Health considers the granting of OHIP coverage to all internationally adopted children in the past to be a mistake. The Ministry has been contacted by many agency directors and social workers who have heard about our case, and, we surmise that as a result of the number of queries about the denial of coverage for our daughter, Sue Graham, a representative from the head office of the Ministry of Health contacted us to obtain more information about our case. What she told us exactly was that the Ministry considers that all adopted children, who did not have citizenship or valid immigration status on the date they were adopted, were given OHIP coverage by mistake. She clearly stated that the refusal to grant our daughter coverage until after a 3 month waiting period was the correct procedure. She told us that our file was being sent to her manager and would most likely be sent to her manager's manager.On Wednesday, March 4th, we received the official denial of the three month waiting period exemption for our daughter. The core of their argument is that "an adopted child must hold a citizenship or immigration status recognized under Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act on the date of adoption". Of course, as you know, this is impossible since you can't get citizenship until after you have actually adopted your child. This is definitely a change in policy and from what we understand is the result of the memo/directive (we haven't been able to get a copy) from Minister Caplan's office on Jan. 27, 2009, although, as we wrote, not all health offices have been enforcing it. As has been mentioned, two other couples who were in Saigon with us and returned after us, one to Ottawa and one to Toronto, got immediate coverage.So, where do things stand right now? Needless to say, we are incensed for Thao and for all internationally adopted children. We have retained a lawyer and have filed a formal appeal to the Ministry of Health. Our lawyer and other interested lawyers have studied the Health Insurance Act line by line to determine if the provincial government's position has any validity. In their view, there is not a requirement for citizenship on the date of adoption.We are also in touch with members of the media to make this public. We are sending this email to as many adoption agencies, social workers, and parents, as we can, as we become aware of them.We are sending this to you to ask you for your help in our fight against what is obviously an unjust and discriminatory policy. If you know of anyone who has been refused health care coverage for their child, please ask them to email us immediately (donna.brad@sympatico.ca ). As well, please email, Premier McGuinty, Minister of Health Caplan, your local MPP, and Sue Graham at OHIP (sue.graham@ontario.ca ). The person who sent us the letter informing us of Thao's denial of OHIP coverage did not provide an email address. However, her name is Susan Pinnery, A/Director, Registration and Claims Branch.
Finally, we believe that the provincial government thinks that the number of people affected by this policy is small and that we don't carry much weight. Therefore, please forward this on to your friends, relatives, and anyone else who is opposed to this policy.Cheers,Brad and Donna 
Sample Letter:
Dear Minister Caplan,
It has come to my attention that recently several families have been denied OHIP coverage for their newly internationally adopted children, having been told by both ServiceOntario staff and Ministry of Health staff that these children are required to have lived in Ontario for three months prior to obtaining coverage. This is extremely upsetting to me both as a resident of Ontario and as an adoptive parent. This new policy, implemented January 2009, is clearly discriminatory as it does not provide equal treatment to our adopted children as is provided to their born-in-Ontario counterparts. It is even more confusing that the Ontario government would choose to deny medical coverage to infants and children who have just come from institutional care in developing nations and therefore require immediate medical attention to ensure their well-being, now and in the future. This matter is urgent as every day, more and more children are being denied health care upon their arrival in Ontario. Ministry staff have quoted Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act as the reason for the denial of OHIP coverage, however to my knowledge this regulation has not changed and previous to January 27, 2009 internationally adopted children were able to receive health care immediately upon arriving home to Ontario with their adoptive parents. Our adopted children deserve to receive fair and equal treatment as compared to children who are born in Ontario. I respectfully request that action be taken immediately to remedy this situation and I look forward to hearing your response on this urgent matter.
Please take this matter seriously. You are endangering lives by not offering these children proper healthcare. My husband and I are interested in adopting a child with a minor special needs from Vietnam, but will not be able to do so if our child will require immediate surgery or intervention, because we simply won't be able to afford to. I am begging you to take action!Respectfully,Christine Morra 
And lastly names and emails of government officials this letter can be sent to:
David Caplan - the Minister of Health: dcaplan.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org 
Abid Malik - the Director of Policy for the Minister: Abid.Malik@ontario.ca 
Heather Mack - the Chief of Staff for the Minister: Heather.Mack@ontario.ca 
Ron Sapsford - the Deputy Minister: Ron.Sapsford@ontario.ca 
Ken Deene - Assistant Deputy Minister, Health System Accountability and Performance Division. ken.deane@ontario.ca 
Dawn Ogram - Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate and Direct Services. Dawn.Ogram@ontario.ca 



Should I stick with Blogger?
2009-03-06T10:51:00.000-08:00
Even though we are still at the beginning of the adoption process, I already see how a blog with the option of password protection might come in handy...
Over the last day or two I have looked into wordpress, but not sure I want to switch over. I also know a few people who use blogger and link their private posts from wordpress.
What do you guys think? Should I just switch over to wordpress while the blog is still new?  Or stick with blogger and just link to password protected wordpress posts?
Pros and Cons of both sites?

Thanks Everyone and Have a Terrific Weekend!


I Now Know Why 16 Year Old's Have Mercedes
2009-03-01T07:33:00.000-08:00
Being the cultured family that we are, we decided to take Gabriel to...The Pottery Barn Kids (did you honestly think we were going to say the ROM or AGO?).

Let me preface this by saying that everyday I show Gabriel the bunk bed set that I would love to buy if we have another boy. It is the only child in me that thinks it would be so awesome to share a room with a sibling...and sleep in bunk beds no less! (Let me preface the preface by saying that when we first bring our baby home, the baby will get the crib and Gabe will sleep on an extra single bed we have and we will put rails on it, we would not let Gabe, being maybe 3 at the time we get our child sleep on a top bunk). Our AP said that we should start preparing Gabriel for the new addition to our family....and I have chosen the PB catalogue as a way of doing that (as well as children's adoption books and showing him pictures of babies with our agency).

So...we took Gabriel to PBK because we thought that he needed a little comfy chair, he keeps walking over to the stairs and sitting on them because it is the only thing that he can actually sit on without our help. Well his face when we sat him on that chair was precious! And then we showed him the bunk bed set and he remembered it from the picture and was so excited! And then he saw the pink kitchen set...and oh my, we had to tear him away from it! He had the pot, brought it over to the sink, tried to turn the taps on, then put the pot on the stove. It was so precious! Point of my post, and reason for my title, is that even after I saw the price tag, I probably would have bought it for him just to see that adorable look on his face every time he played with it! Luckily this was a whole family outing, and Sebastian, the man who spends over $100 dollars on cheese and dried sausage a week, was able to pull both Gabriel and I away...not without some tears on both our parts!

I will take pictures of him today in his new chair and post them!


They'll do that to ya!
2009-02-23T16:55:00.000-08:00
Reports cards that is!
You know report cards are due when I just spent the last 3 hours baking, anything to not do report cards!!! Although I am not really sure if it is still called baking when most of the cookie dough was eaten raw...Or when I had left over icing sugar and just decided to eat it with a spoon...And now my tummy is hurting far too much to work on report cards, oh well!!!
And not to change the subject, but I find it fairly disconcerting when I sit down to watch Regis and Kelly, which I PVR and then watch the first 15 minutes of everyday, is previously taped and they only chit chat for 2 minutes, I look forward to sitting down and watching the funny banter between Regis and Kelly. 
 
Sorry if anyone is let down by this post....it is pretty random, but since I am failing at the 'don't procrastinate' New Year's resolution, I figured I better make good at the blogging one!



25 Things....
2009-02-20T17:34:00.000-08:00
Over the past few weeks I have been tagged so many times and really enjoyed reading other people's '25 Things', but being the procrastinator that I am, I am just doing it now...
Consider yourself tagged! Cannot wait to read your 25 things!
1) I do have the best son in the world. Gabriel spoils me. He is 15 months and he cleans up his toys, sleeps 12 hours a night and 4 during the day!
2) I have very eclectic taste in music…I don’t have one favorite band, but just different songs I love.
3) I have amazing friends! And I have met them all differently. I don’t have one group of friends, just lots of individual friends.
4) I looooooovvvveeee coffee! In fact I am drinking it right now.
5) I collect Starbuck’s travel mugs. I have one for each season and from various places I have traveled to, or had people bring them back for me.
6) Sebastian has diagnosed me with only child syndrome… in other words he thinks I am a little quirky. I kind of have to agree with him.
7) I have a slight addiction to my PVR, I tape anything that looks even remotely interesting and save it for ‘a rainy day.’
8) I am a huge procrastinator…that is the one New Year’s Resolution that is not going well. In fact I should be working on report cards right now.
9) The one material thing I cannot live without is my laptop.
10) My truck is always a disaster. Spilled coffee, coffee cups, takeout containers, junk mail, you name it!
11) I love to read! I get so involved in what I am reading that tend to take on the mood of the main character.
12) Some of my best (and funniest) childhood memories are in New York.
13) I don’t play sports. My elementary school gym teacher told my parents I am so uncoordinated that they should take me to get tested…it gave me a bit of a complex. I really wish I was sporty!
14) Every single day, multiple times a day, I pray that God will keep our baby safe until he/she is in our arms. I pray that God will not let our baby suffer pain or loneliness and transfer it to me.
15) I have wanted to adopt a baby my whole life. This is all a dream come true for me, so it really bothers me when people are thinking we are doing something so ‘unselfish’ or ‘helping’ a child…this is our child and we are the lucky ones.
16) Ever since 9-11, the first thing I do every single morning is turn on a 24 hour news station to make sure that the world is still in one piece.
17) The last movie I saw in the theatre was “Knocked Up” before Gabriel was born.
18) I really think I need to get out of the primary grades, I miss teaching grade 5.
19) I love, love, love the beach…the sound, the smell, all of it!
20) I thrive on stress…I may complain about always being busy, but I would go stir crazy if I weren’t.
21) I have never watched a single episode of American Idol.
22) I had so much fun in high school, probably too much fun!
23) I am an optimist… I believe that the best thing possible will happen until it doesn’t.
24) I am not a morning person, I love my sleep but I never get to sleep early enough.
25) I honestly believe I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I am so grateful for the life I have and the people in it!
 
*I was informed last night that I actually lied about number 17, well not lied, but just forgot about Sex and The City: The Movie, perhaps because it was less like a movie and more like catching up with an old friend.



What? There is math involved in adopting?
2009-02-14T08:06:00.000-08:00
So I really have nothing exciting to write about... it is Valentine's Day, we should be up at the cottage, but Sebastian has a deadline, so I am sitting here in my pajamas watching a weeks worth of General Hospital (yep, I PVR it and spend Gabriel's naptimes on the weekend watching it).
My only adoption related thought is that if my statistics university professor (who passed me only because I begged) could see me now! I spend my spare time doing statistical equations in my head (if we are number _ on the waiting list and there are roughly ___ adoptions per month or year, then we will probably get our referral in ____), and then I get disappointed with my answer so I begin to fudge the numbers a bit, like holding on to the hope that there will be more referrals this year and I keep redoing the math until I am happy with the outcome. 
Hope all of you Ontarionians (is that what we are called?) have a great Family Day on Monday!



My thoughts on the Grammy's
2009-02-08T18:16:00.001-08:00
So I was reading Anna Karenina (it sounded like a good idea to get into a good long book to pass the time while Sebastian was away, but still on page 30, spent most of my week on YouTube, shopping, eating fattening foods etc.) when I thought "Hey, the Grammy's are on, lets see what the latest fashions are and hear some Grammy-worthy music!"
And then....I saw Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers singing and it all went down hill from there!
 
1) Finally Chris Martin is not wearing that black jacket! Coldplay looks so nice and colourful!
2)Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers? Really? And I have to say that if I were like 12, I would pick the Jonas Brother that was sporting the white scarf!
3) I realize Travis Barker was in that place accident...but he wasn't looking his greatest!
4) Do you think I could pull off that fruit bowl number that Katy Perry is wearing? I am thinking it would be pretty impressive to wear it to the fundraiser in April!
5) I typically love Kanye West's style, but that mullet has got to go!
5) The song with Kanye West, Beyonce's husband et al would have been terrific, but I have a fear of strobe lights (apparently they can cause seizures, you can just imagine how much fun my club days were with that fear) and had to keep my eyes closed. And God bless MIA for having the courage to wear that outfit on the day she is due!

Alright I am turning this off, it is burning my eyes and I fear I am sending too much negative energy out into the world!



Today is Cheer Up Day!
2009-02-08T07:58:00.000-08:00
Lastnight I got a phone call from my BFF (Best Friend Forever, for those not down with the lingo, lol).  She is in need of some major cheering up.... so what do Gabey and I have planned for her today? Shopping and eating! I am looking up the most chocalatey dessert I can find (I am breaking out my Williams and Sonoma cake mix and icing that I have been saving for almost 3 years...hope it hasn't expired!).
Auntie Rosie (well Gabe's Auntie Rosie, but the name has caught on and we all call her that now) we love you and are so excited to spend the day with you!



Life of a Mom
2009-02-06T12:51:00.000-08:00
So where is my husband right now? In Las Vegas, all expenses paid, nice hotel, eating at great restaurants..yada, yada, yada!
And where am I right now? Well I have been off of work all week because I had pneumonia and then Gabe was sick. Oh and while Sebastian dines on Surf and Turf , I am bummed out because I ate the last Pop Tart for lunch and now have no idea what I will eat for dinner!
 
But would I trade being here for Vegas? Absolutly not (especially because The Way We Were is going to be on tv tonight)! My favourite thing in the world to do is cuddle on the couch with my little boy!
Although I have made it clear that next weekend is payback and I am sleeping in until atleast 8am!

But I do need to get back to work on Monday...being at home all week has made me slightly obsessive over the adoption, to a point where I have narrowed down our choices for a double stroller to two and have picked out furniture if we get a baby boy for the room the boys will share!



Inspirational
2009-02-04T16:51:00.000-08:00
Found this beautiful poem on a blog of a family who just adopted from Vietnam. It is so beautiful and I know will definitly come in handy down the road when the waiting gets tough (which may happen sooner then later since I ended up looking at double strollers today on my way home from work!).
 
Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate…
and the Master so gently said, “Wait.”

“Wait? you say wait?” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I’m claiming your Word.

My future and all to which I relate
hangs in the balance and you tell me to Wait?
I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign.
Or even a ‘no’, to which I’ll resign.

You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry;
I’m weary of asking! I need a reply.”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
as my Master replied again, “Wait.”
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
and grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting… for what?”

He seemed then to knee, and His eyes met with mine…
and He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.
I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You’d have what you want, but you wouldn’t know Me.

You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint.
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint. 
You’d not learn to see through clouds of despair,
you’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there.

You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
when darkness and silence are all you can see.
You’d never experience the fullness of love
when the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
the faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

You’d never know should your pain quickly flee,
what it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
but oh, the loss if I lost what I’m doing in you.

So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
that the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.

And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still WAIT.”
-Author Unknown



Photos
2009-02-02T11:29:00.000-08:00
 This photo was taken apple picking (Fall 2008)
 Here is our latest one of Gabriel, laughing as usual!


I know when I read blogs I love to see pictures of the people I am reading about. I hope as I get better at writing in my blog, I will get better at posting pictures too!















TDH Charity Gala
2009-01-25T07:43:00.000-08:00
As we go through this adoption process, I have felt such gratitude that we have this wonderful opportunity. I truly feel that our child is out there (whether already born or not), just waiting for us to come and get him/her and I pray everyday that whatever loneliness or pain that he/she must endure until we can get there, be transferred to me. 
What does haunt me though is that not every child living in the orphanages of Vietnam will find their forever family, maybe because of a disability, maybe because they are considered too old to be adopted. This thought led me to hosting a charity gala and to do whatever I can to help those children. 
Toronto TDH Charity Gala
Date: Friday April 24th, 2009
Where: Le Jardin Conference & Event Centre (Banquet Hall), 8440 Highway 27, Woodbridge, ON 
Time: 6:30 pm for cocktails; 7:30 pm for dinner 
Price: adults $75, children $55 (covers 4 course meal and deluxe open bar)
Evening includes entertainment, silent auction and raffle
Additional information on this event can be found at www.tdh.ca
On the right hand side of my blog is a button to make donations or pay for tickets. 
For inquiries or tickets:
Christine 
torontotdhfundraiser@gmail.com
http://christine-bethechange.blogspot.com/




Adoption Update
2009-01-22T18:27:00.000-08:00
I know I have broken my New Year's Resolution, but it is not too late. I am going to really try and blog this time!
So I have exciting news. We are getting closer to our baby!
Ontario mandates that prospective adoptive parents take a course called PRIDE, which is 27 hours of training in being a resource parent (adoptive, foster etc.). We are officially done that!!! One of the greatest parts of it were all of the great friends we made! 
Yesterday we had our last homestudy appointment. We have a few more things to hand in to her, because we weren't expecting this to be our last appointment. And she is going to start writing it up, and then we are ready to send it all to our agency.
As excited as I am to have gotten this far, this part was probably the easiest emotionally. We felt like we had control over the situation. We were participating in the training and the homestudy. But once all of the paperwork is sent to Ontario and Vietnam, then we are just waiting, and have no control over the rest of the process.


New Year's Resolutions
2009-01-04T17:07:00.000-08:00
1) "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today." Thomas Jefferson
2) Be self-fulfilled.
3) Be healthier.
4) Blog (minimum 3xweek).
5) Get a hobby.


Back At Work
2008-11-16T17:40:00.000-08:00
So tomorrow will be starting my third week back at work, and honestly...it feels like I have been back FOREVER!!! It is so hard to leave Gabe! And being a working mom is tough! I am exhausted. 
Luckily this weekend we escaped up to the cottage, where I did not bring a stitch of work up with me (even though I am now super behind)and we had a nice family weekend.


Home Study #1
2008-11-06T16:24:00.000-08:00
So yesterday was our first homestudy meeting. I really like our adoption practioner, didn't feel like we were being tested or grilled, just a nice conversation. Mostly it was just her explaining forms that we need to get filled out (references, medicals etc). At our next meeting we will start getting into more detailed conversation.
It will be such a long journey to our child, but this first homestudy meeting just means that we are one step closer!



Adoption Process
2008-10-31T07:39:00.000-07:00
Anyone in the adoption world knows that timelines are...flexible to put it positively... So as we go along I will update everyone on dates and what stage we are on now!

1) Decide on a country and an agency...DONE
2) Homestudy
3) Ontario Approval...
4) Prepare and Sumbit Dossier
5) Dossier is translated into Vietnamese
6) Wait
7) Get a Referral For Our Child
8) Accept Our Referral
9) Ontario Ministry Approval
10) Vietnam's International Adoption Office Reviews Case
11) Vietnam's Department of Justice Reviews Case
12) Orphanage Prepares All Necessary Documents
13) Department of Justice Approves Our Child
14) The International Adoption Office Approves Our Child
15) We Get Our Letter to Travel!
16) Vietnam's People's Comittee Makes The Final Decision on Adoption
17) We Travel and Attend The Giving and Recieving Ceremony



What I Want To Write About...
2008-10-29T18:10:00.000-07:00
Want to hear something funny? The reason why I haven't posted since my first is that I have so many things I want to write about and can't decide which I should write about first. So what have I decided to write about in this post? A list of what I want to write about!
* the adoption timeline
* what is up in our adoption process right now
* going back to work and leaving Gabriel
* Halloween
* something extremly exciting that I am working on right now
*some great links
So now you know what is coming up (if anyone is out there, lol), and I can keep track of what I want to write about.


Hi!
2008-10-26T18:22:00.001-07:00
Hi Everyone!
I am a wife to a great guy and a mom to a terrific little boy! I created this blog to help us record this great journey we are on of building our family, and our next stop is adopting a baby from Vietnam. We are in the beginning of the process.... so we will be here awhile, but we are okay with that.
In this blog I will be writing about our adoption journey, but to fill the time in between news, I will also be writing about our daily lives.
I look forward to using this blog as a way to keep our family and friends up to date and hopefully to let others see into our world and the beautiful, but tumoltuous world of adoption.
Christine