Referral timeframes

Just to give everyone an update on where we stand as far as when to expect a referral, the courts are still closed for the summer in Ethiopia, and not many referrals have been happening since June or so. They said that regular referrals should start happening again in September. Right now, there are still people waiting for one that have been waiting since October, 2007. We have been waiting since April, 2008, so it will probably still be awhile. I am thinking that around February 2009 is the most likely time for us to get a referral, and then the wait to travel is still anywhere from 10-15 weeks from then.
Just thought I'd update everyone and will post more when referrals start up again and we get a better idea!

Birthday/Anniversary Trip

What a sweet husband I have! For our 6-year anniversary and my 30th B-day, Eric suprised me with a trip to Algoma, WI this past weekend! We had a lot of fun, swam at kohler andrae state park, stayed at the Britannia (a bed and breakfast run by real brits), ate at Penguin city pizza (not quite sure where they got that name, but were told by a local that it's a good thing God gave us butts so we can open the door when carrying pizzas) :)

We also biked 14 miles on a trail in Algoma, and it was a VERY beautiful trail. On our way home, we swam at the beach in Two Rivers (well, we tried to swim but only lasted 15 min. since it was lake Michigan and was COLD!!!!). :)

Tomorrow it's back to work for us, but since it is my 30th b-day tomorrow, I bought tickets to American Players Theater, so we should have a pretty fun night watching a play in the woods.

TIRED OF WAITING...FEELING BLUE

Wow, can you believe we've made it to the half-way point in our wait for a referral? I thought the waiting would get easier each month, but to my surprise, it's getting harder and harder. Oh, and my earlier post about how I was excited to have the distraction of orientation at work to occupy my thoughts and help the wait go faster?? TOTALLY NOT WORKING!! :) If anything, working up there has had the opposite effect on me. I work around babies all day, so that's all I think about at work. Everyone at work is talking about the babies they are taking care of all day, about 4 or 5 nurses are starting to come back from maternity leaves, so people are talking about their babies, there are three or four pregnant people working on the floor right now, etc.... You get the picture. Every time I watch tv, there are commercials with babies in them, there are babies and pregnant women at the store, mall..I could go on forever. ;) A lot of people don't understand my waiting intolerance. They say, "Yeah, but you've only been waiting since Feb. right?" Sadly, no. In fact, Monday marks our 6 year anniversary of when we first started trying to get pregnant (it also happens to be our 6-year wedding anniversary). Granted, we were not trying fertility treatments yet at that time, and there was the 2004 year from hell when Eric got laid off twice, but it still feels like an eternity has passed. The major fertility treatments didn't start until a year ago, but we had tried EVERYTHING up until then. I am amazed at how much time has passed, and how Eric and I have managed to stay positive and know that our dream of a familiy would come true one day.
So, I'll quit my pouting for now. I can clearly wait a long time if I need to, so a few more months is not going to kill me. ;) I have been having a lot of dreams lately that we've gotten a referral for a baby boy, so I should translate my nervous energy into keeping a dream journal. Maybe some of them will come true........

Diabetic Shadow, Gracie's Pet Bird

Well, we found out a few weeks ago that Shadow has diabetes.

:(

He had been peeing and drinking all the time and loosing weight. We started him on insulin shots twice a day, and he will have to be on them for the rest of his life. I, meanwhile, am searching for gloves that I can wear while giving him the shots since he likes to bite me. :}

Also new in pet news, gracie has a new pet bird. It lives in the bush on the side of our house, and she always runs outside and smiles at the bush until the bird flies out. Then, she goes trotting after it like they're playing a game. It's pretty funny to watch. :)

MY WONDERFUL JOB

Lots of people have been asking me lately what it's like to work in the NICU. What do the babies look like, how old are they, etc.... Well, I found some stock photos online that give a good example of what some of the premature babies look like that I take care of. Many of the babies are born early (as early as 23-24 weeks sometimes) and are there for months. Handling them with all their tubes and lines can get pretty crazy. I've only been training up there for three weeks and am just starting to get the hang of things. Thankfully I will have a long orientation, and the nurses have been great about showing me diff. things to learn. The most frequent question I get asked is if I am enjoying my new job. I absolutely love it, and I am often overwhelmed by the preemie's cuteness. Especially when they gaze at you through the isolette. Who wouldn't want an adorable little face looking at them all day? :)

-Leah

Camping near Tomahawk

Here are some pics of our camping trip last weekend. The dogs had soo much fun. The awake pics of them are from on the way there, and the sleepy ones show them all tired on the way home because we made them swim three times that day so they'd sleep in the car. ;)

BABY STUFF!!!!!

OK, I admit it, I am addicted to garage sales and craigslist. :) I have found sooo many cool things for our baby that I just had to post some pics. The crib was FREE!!!!, the changing table we found the same day from someone on craigslist, and it just happens to be the same one that goes with the crib (Pali). The jogging stroller was practically new at a garage sale for $10, and the swing was $2!!!! I also found this great pack-n-play by Carters yesterday that has the very hungry catepillar design, along with stuffed catepillar, sun, strawberry, etc.. on the mobile. It also plays music, has a light and vibrates. I still have a barnyard crib bedding set from Lands End (I got for practically nothing when I worked there in 2001) and Eric's sister Brittany gave us TWO whole rubbermaid containers full of baby clothes!! Most are boy clothes, but if we were to get a girl there are also some unisex pieces in there. We also have another tote full of clothes from a garage sale that gave them to us for FREE!!!! I could not believe it. Now we just have to figure out a paint color for the nursery. Any suggestions???