INTRODUCING

MISS LULU

She's a Miniature Schnauzer. I went to the store to get Scruffy the Schnorkie last night and he was sold this past weekend. I spent too much time thinking about it apparently. That and he was just SO cute, who couldn't take him home. The mini aussie was still there, but he's going to be every bit of the 40 pounds max for the breed and look like he's about 60. So, little Miss Lulu got to come home to her "forever family." She's been a very good puppy for the last 21 hours. She's very much a snuggle bug and must have a bladder the size of a Rottweiller. She's had one accident in the house, none in her kennel and I swear takes her time when we go outside. We have spent 20 minutes outside and she won't pee. Tramp has been taking her with stride although we had one "snap your neck" incident when Lulu was trying to play and Tramp got too rough and mean. Other than that he just growls and either I tell him to stop or Lu just walks away. She's very laid back for almost 4 months old. She was born on January 16, 2008. You can see in the background of the picture Tramps blurr. I think he was trying to get out of the pic. He does NOT like to get his picture taken.

Weekly Quip

OK, this is a little late, but I thought it was funny and still applies.

$$$ Back

This information was passed on to me and I'm taking it as truth, so here you go.

They started sending the economic stimulus payments out yesterday.

Here are the schedules:

If you had your refund direct deposited (the payment will be deposited in the same account that your refund was)
Last two SSN digits:
Payment will be transmitted by:
00 through 20 May 2
21 through 75 May 9
76 through 99 May 16

If you got a paper check
Last two SSN digits:
Payments will be mailed by:
00 through 09 May 16
10 through 18 May 23
19 through 25 May 30
26 through 38 June 6
39 through 51 June 13
52 through 63 June 20
64 through 75 June 27
76 through 87 July 4
88 through 99 July 11

No more news

There was no more new news over the weekend except another posting on the US Embassy website that you can view here. It's not a very favorable post and some news reports have been swarming around stating all sorts of crap stemming from this post. Quotes from the director of the DIA stating how pissed he is and that there is no way VN will sign another agreement, etc. Most of it is just a twist of items stated in the letter written to make the story look really bad. Not that the whole situation isn't bad, but does the media really need to make the situation worse? Seriously, the US government is doing a fine job of that all on their own.

There were no referrals this week either. BIG SURPRISE. NOT! This whole thing SUCKS! I'm not going to make any decisions until closer to September 1st, but right now I'm pretty pissed. A friend of mine was called and told that the situation wasn't going to work out for her and that she should look at other options. I know that some other families were as well. My local coordinator has yet to call or email me, but she was out of the office Friday and is probably playing catch up and fielding MANY calls regarding the newest pile of crap thrown our way. I'm going to shoot her an email later and ask. I asked the program coordinator via email how I stood in this situation and haven't heard from her either. Not that I'm bashing either of them because there are tons of families in the same boat or worse than I and I'm sure everyone is hounding them today, but I just wish SOMEONE would get back with me. I did find out that my actual "log-in" date for my dossier was 04/22/08. Later than I thought, but at least it's there and hopefully I will get a referral.

In light of everything Friday I decided that since I wasn't going to have two-legged kids that I would just have fur-babies and went puppy shopping. No, I didn't buy one although I'm SO close to the cutest little "ankle biter" as Tim calls it. Tim actually liked the pup and the pup really liked him. Kisses and Nibbles all around. He's a Schnorkie. A Schnauzer-Yorkshire Terrier mix. I want to call him Scruffy because he is SO a Scruffy, but Tim thinks he needs a "BIG DOG" name since he's so tiny. He actually dreamt about names, but couldn't remember then the next morning. Maybe Mack/Mackey. Tim really wants a Mini Australian Shephard. I've posted pix of both the kinds of dogs not the exact dogs, so you get an idea. Scruffy looks more like the second pic in body, but is white and really fuzzy and the first pic in face. Tim called him button nose & eyes. The last pic is what Auggie would look like all grown up. Mini aussie's get about 40 pounds. Tim didn't want Auggie because he wouldn't look Tim in the face, but would me. Tim would rather buy from a breeder and really prefers a girl over a boy. I guess that is OK since he's only had girl dogs. My last two indoor dogs have been boys and the one before them was a girl, so it doesn't matter to me. We have one of each right now what's two more. LOL! Especially if I'm not going to have any two-legged kids. Fur-babies are just as awesome.

Big Crap Pile

THERE ARE TWO POSTS TODAY

You can view the entire statement on the US Embassy's site by clicking here, but the following is the most important excerpt.

On April 25, the Government of Vietnam announced that it will allow adoption to be completed in cases where prospective adoptive parents have been matched with a child and received an official referral prior to September 1, 2008. It further stated that in accordance with Vietnamese law, the DIA will suspend the acceptance of new dossiers on July 1, 2008. On September 1, 2008 any dossier that has not received a referral will be closed and returned to the Adoption Service Provider. In view of the processing time required in Vietnam from placement to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony, an adoption process begun now cannot be completed before the current Agreement expires.

What does this mean? Initially the thought was as long as your dossier was logged at the DIA by the September 1 deadline then your adoption would continue. Meaning you would get matched with a child and get to complete the adoption after the MOU expires. Now, unless you are matched with a child by the September 1 deadline your SOL. All the $$, time, hope and effort you have put into your adoption will be null and void. It is my understanding, based on the past, that if you do not receive your referral by the deadline your dossier will sit and wait until VN & US can come to an agreement and reopen adoptions then you have to update all your paperwork, resubmit and wait some more. THIS REALLY SUCKS!!! My agency is on the phone right now confirming since last week when they asked this was not what they were told on how things would work after September 1. Mind you, it's 10:20pm on a Friday in VN, so all they can go off of is what Thuy knows at this time. We probably won't know the absolute truth until Monday.

Here I was being pretty hopeful that I might get a referral in the next four months. Now, I HAVE TO or it could be all for not.

I hope you all have a better weekend than I anticipate having. I was looking forward to it and now I just want to sit in a dark hole and eat GALLONS of ice cream.

Interesting Website

For those of you who are parents or are going to be parents and travel with your children Baby's Away may be able to help lower your stress/bulk level.

I think this is a pretty inventive idea.

I have added this site to my LINKS THAT I VISIT section to the left.

Vaccines

The recommended vaccines for the trip to Vietnam are:

• Hepatitis-A
• Hepatitis-B
• Polio Booster
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella
• Tetanus/Diphtheria
• Typhoid
• Malaria

Most people born after 1957 were vaccinated for MMR and if you were born prior to 1957 you are immune and the polio shot I would venture to say quite a few people have probably had. I know I have and I was born in 1968. Everyone knows that a tetanus shot is good for 10 years, right? OK, and unless you are traveling to the southern regions of VN you don't have to worry about Malaria.

LUCKY ME.

I have to get Hep-A ,Hep-B, tetanus, possibly Malaria and Typhoid. YUCK!! I had the first round of Hepatitis shots a month ago and got the second round yesterday. My arms were very sore and I was bruised for a week after the first shots, so I'm curious to see if I will be bruised since I'm not as sore. I also got my tetanus shot since it's been literally a million years since I had one. The last two I'm not going to decide on until I have a referral. There is plenty of time between referral and travel to get both of those. The Typhoid is a shot or a pill that can cause nausea, abdominal cramps and skin rash. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT! I may rule it out and take my chances. I really don't think I'll need it. The Malaria is a series of pills and you are safe for 33 days after you take the last pill, so it has to be timed perfectly. It also causes nausea or dizziness. Thankfully unless my child comes from Kien Gang or Vin Long I won't have to take it and I only have one more Hep-B shot left which I need to have sometime in the next 4-6 months.

The list of OTC "drugs" is so long. It's amazing all the stuff you have to bring. VN has some of the same OTC drugs there, but I get the feeling they aren't as strong as what we have here. I don't think they are "called" Tylenol, but acetaminophen instead. Get my drift.

Since my mom is definitely going with me she's had to get the shots as well. I keep telling Tim if he's going to go that he needs to get the shots started, but if you only have time to get two of the three Hep-B shots you are 75% covered. It's still an unknown as to when I will get a referral.

We should be getting another update today or tomorrow and I will ask my number on each list again. I'm hoping that we will have another referral since we've gone a week without one, but I'm leaning towards we'll be getting our referral(s) about once a month. I'm SO hoping that I'm wrong and that Thuy, CHI rep in VN, has enough sweetness to encourage the orphanages that CHI work with to throw us some referrals even though they are pissed at the US. I'm also hoping that Katherine, who is traveling now, worked her magic while she was there.

Weekly Quip

SMILE!!!! It's hump day.

How was the weather?

This weekend was really nice. YEE HAW!! It was a nice change of pace from the rain that we have been seeing. The mornings were about 47 degrees with it warming up to low 70's. Unfortunately there was also wind like crazy. I went on a 47 mile bike ride Saturday AM and the wind was hell. I hate wind whether running or biking and I SWEAR that this ride was all uphill at the same time. BTW, I don't like hills that much either, so uphill against the wind really sucks running or biking. By the time the bike ride was over I was really hurting and thought that the 5k race I had planned for Sunday was not going to go well. Little did I know it would go fairly well. I missed 3rd place in my age group by 8 seconds. I thought my time would have been good enough for 3rd, but 4th out of 46 in my age group, 118th out of 555 overall, 36th out of 339 females isn't too bad. I just hope it carries over to the 4 mile race I have this coming Sunday.

This weeks weather is going to be warm. High 40-50's overnights and mid-60's to low 70's during the days. Slight chance of rain today and maybe one more time this week. I'm really excited for spring weather and spring clothes, but spring here seems to last about 2 weeks before it's 90 with 100% humidity. That, I am not ready for, so I'm praying for spring weather until July. LOL! Wishful thinking, I know.

ADOPTION NEWS:
I did find out today that my dossier is most definitely at the DIA and has been for over a week now. I was contacted on April 7th and told that my dossier was being translated or so I thought. It actually had been translated and was going to the DIA that week. YEA! NOW, if only the US agencies, mine included, can keep getting referrals despite the current bad feelings the orphanages have with the US.

Weekly Quip

Remember when Mom said, "Never take candy from a stranger"

I think this is who she was talking about.

One Boring Weekend

Yes it was. I went trail running for the first time since March 7th and it didn't go well. I was having a real hard time breathing on just 4½ miles, so I decided to end the run before I got into too much trouble. The funny occurrence was the trail race for horses on the same trails we were running. I passed a group of three women on their horses and one woman remarked that she thought they were the only crazy ones to be out in the weather. It was about 35 degrees with 30 mph wind gusts. I passed another group of riders who all asked me if I lost my horse. They seemed very sincere when asking, so I said I was running and one gentleman told me that I should get myself a horse, it was easier. This is a first for me. Kind of funny actually.

The rest of the weekend was rest and relaxation. It actually snowed Saturday afternoon, so yard work was out of the question. There was no accumulation, but it was coming down fairly heavy. It briefly snowed again Sunday morning, but the afternoon turned sunny and not too chilly. With the R&R Tim and I ran some errands both days. YIPPEE!! Told you, one boring weekend.

What's Up?

Well, we did get two more referrals this week. A 13 month old girl and an 8½ year old boy. YEA! That's two weeks in a row and three of the last four weeks that CHI has received referrals. YEA! Of course, this might be the last HIP HIP HOORAY for a while. I think with this latest change to the "system" by the USCIS (immigration) they, the US, has finally pissed off the orphanages in Vietnam for the last time. The orphanages, they are who give out referrals, are pretty much going to hold off referring ANY US adoption agency children. They may give out a few here and there, but for the most part the orphanages are finding that working with non-US adoption agencies is easier. So much for my hope to receive a referral in four months.

No big plans for the weekend. Running, biking and relaxing. Maybe I'll spend a couple of minutes in the yard if it doesn't snow.

Have a good weekend.

On the Adoption front

My dossier made it to Vietnam and is now in the process of being translated. Once it's translated it will be logged in at the DIA (Dept. of Internat'l Adoption) and sit rather impatiently waiting for a referral. I have NO idea when that will come and no one can really predict. Once I get the referral my dossier and my child's dossier will make their way through the "steps" and then I will get my travel notice. Travel has been coming at about 6 months after referral, so hopefully the referral will come in the next 4 months. No more than that PLEASE!!

I am #13, at last count, on the special needs list? OK, sounds great, but the number doesn't really mean much since if a family after me is open to more they will get a referral before me IF the child has different special needs than I said I would consider. There were 2 referrals last week however, we don't know if the children were healthy or had some special needs. Tomorrow we should get another update and I'm hoping that there will be more referrals. Cross your fingers everyone.

RECAP: The special needs that I requested: cleft lip, cleft palate, extra digits, club foot, premature and malnourished. These are actually pretty standard special needs for Vietnam and all, with the exception of the last two, surgically correctable and simple surgeries at that. The last two aren't that bad once the child gets past the first few months of life. Usually a child is categorized as premature and malnourished at birth or abandonment and it doesn't necessarily mean they still are when I pick them up.

Weekly Quip

A preview of Tim and I when we get old

Dancing Pictures

Pole Dancing Queens

Stacie, the girl in green, couldn't join in the pole dancing fun because she has messed up both her wrists. She was an excellent cheerleader, photographer, videographer and beverage filler upper.

Natalie the instructor (just had a baby 2 months ago)

Mary

Jean

Gretchen

Anne

Me
The Broken Toe

Unfortunately I cannot add the video at this time. Apparently the cheapest/cheesiest camcorder I could find is exactly that. It disconnect my Internet connection and won't load its "auto-load" program. Of course, customer service is only available from 8-4:30p M-F and I'm at work. NICE!!!!

What did I do this weekend?

1. Tim and I looked at houses. 10 of them and didn't find "the one."
2. A group of friends and I went pole dancing. Yes, we actually made it down there this time and had a great time. I'll post pictures and hopefully video by tomorrow. FYI - I broke my toe dancing.
3. I ran 14 miles Saturday morning on the broken toe and over many hills. I wasn't feeling too good by the end.
4. I worked in my yard for 6 hours on Saturday and 5 hours on Sunday. With the exception of one flower bed (that I want to get rid of) it looks pretty good.
5. Tim and I watched the two NCAA basketball games.
6. I got a chance to relax a bit Sunday evening.

I hope everyone else had great weekends as well.

Official yet Unofficial

There was a letter posted on a website Tuesday stating that the USCIS (INS) was now going to do DNA tests on children who are abandoned effective immediately. No agency had even heard of this "new" policy until it was plastered on this site. My agency contacted the USCIS in Vietnam and spoke with the officer in charge who confirmed it was true however, they have yet to make an official statement regarding it. The "new" policy only applies to children who have been relinquished by their parent(s) to the custody of the government and are available for international adoption. In other words, if a child is found on the steps of an orphanage the DNA testing would not apply unless in the course of the police investigation they find the parent(s) and the proper papers signed. The government has to prove that the people giving up the child are in fact the true birth parents. OK, I understand that and I kind of agree with it. The part that I do not agree with is the INSTANT change in policies effective immediately. That's just crap in my opinion. Phase these changes in! It's only prolonging the amount of time a child remains in an orphanage instead of in the care of his/her forever family where their development will be much better and not further delayed.

I also do not agree with this site and their apparent disregard for the welfare of the children of Vietnam and the families currently in the process of adopting those children. The people who run this site are APs (adoptive parents) or PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) who were or have been issued NOIDs (US denied their child entry in US) and have either completed or are in process of turning over the NOID. They are out for themselves doing anything they can to get these children home. Hey, I can understand their need to do this, but I don't think they realize the ramifications of what they are doing. There are hurting the adoption process and the relations between the US and VN.

I wrote them an email telling them how I thought they were being selfish and unethical. I sympathized with their plight, but didn't agree with the tactics they were using and urged them to think before they leap and that they should only post 100% confirmed and official statements. OK, it wasn't very diplomatic, but it wasn't a bitch out email either. I didn't get a response from them, however they posted this on their site:

Update 4/2/08
-A bit about BringOurChildrenHome.org
We serve as a source of factual information for the PAP community. We only post information which has been verified, comes from trusted sources, and have permission to post. We do not speculate, we do not assume, nor will we try to interpret something. Should USCIS and ASPs begin to provide timely and detailed information to this community, then there will no longer be a pressing need for our website. We encourage all changes in that direction.
-We encourage each of you to continue to contact your senators on a regular basis so that these issues remain on the front burner in Washington DC and solutions can be created.

NOTE: ASP (Adoption Service Provider)

Weekly Quip

The Ultimate Office Prank -April Fool's



Just in case you were looking for ideas.