Getting our girls

2009-12-02T04:27:00.000-08:00

Long time no post. Here are some recent pics. The girls are wonderful. These are from our Sept 2009 trip to Disney.

2009-06-02T20:42:00.001-07:00

2009-04-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Disney world! AGAIN!!
The girls and I took a quick trip with my friend Dianne. It was her first trip there and it was so fun to see it in that way. We had such a great time and it is always wonderful to spend time with Dianne. I just wish we lived near each other again!
Here are some of our pictures!

The girls in front of our hotel Disney's Port Orleans Riverside.
It was rainy that day but still beautiful.

We love seeing our friend Katie at Spoodles! Katie was on a mission trip in Haiti when I was there picking up Lilly for a month. We always make sure to stop in and see her. This time she had the neatest coloring books for the girls!
Thanks Katie!

All of us on the carousel in the Magic Kingdom!

The girls were in an impromptu dance contest. Lilly was one of the finalists! She is half the size of the other kids! Thats my little Dancing Queen.

We had fun on the teacups. Rory had a great time!

Recent Pics

2009-03-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

We are very into our cloth diapers these days. Lilly is potty training but she makes sure that her baby doll Megan gets her cloth diaper changed! The woman who makes all the girls soakers at Fancy Pants Fleece made a special soaker for Megan. It is so cute!

We had Christmas in March when we got all out Christmas packages from Grandma April and Grandpa Bob! We love what Lilly did with her bucket! How could she know that that is what all the Sherry's do with them?

Lilly and Melissa our Neighbor enjoyed building structures at the Port Jefferson Children's Maritime museum...Rory liked that the structures were made out of marshmallows!

Poppy sent the Girls this singing, hopping bunny for Easter! It Sings and hops all day!!

Not much is going on here. Brandon is on a business trip. The girls and I will be heading back to Florida in a few days to see Dianne and My family. I thought you might like to see some recent pictures of the girls!

Lilly's new dew!

2009-01-07T07:54:00.001-08:00

My friend Steph who own's snapaholics.com sent us a little extra surprise in our last order. Lilly and her daughter G are from the same Orphanage in Haiti. These are the cutest hair ballies. They are flip flops, flowers, hula girls and some other tropical things. So CUTE!
Thanks Steph!

Key West!

2009-01-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday key lime pie!

We were finally feeling up to venturing out last night! e went to Mallory Square and to a cute little outdoor cafe for Rory's Birthday. We had a very nice time. People told us not to take kids to Key West because there is nothing to do. I am not sure but maybe all these people do is go to bars? We are very excited as we have a whole list of things to do with the gils. Today we are going to take a ride on the Conch Train Which Lilly is so excited about! Tomorrow the Aquarium and maybe Hemmingway's house. Just walking around the beautiful old town is great. It is so peaceful here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AURORA GRACE!

2009-01-06T10:46:00.001-08:00

We are finally in Key west after 4 days of travel. All of us were very sick on the trip down. But we will be foraging out tonigh to see Old Town and have a Birthday Dinner for Rory and to celebrate yesterdays anniversary of Lilly finally being with us for good!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T15:58:00.001-08:00

I have been spreading the Christmas presents out over a few days. This is Brandon's big Present! Go Rangers!
Don't worry Poppy the girl's got their first Hawk's shirts too! Lilly likes that one best!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Lilly Loves her Uncle Randy!

Lilly at Macy's in there amazing toy area!

Rory snuggling on the train with poppy!

Hi!

We went to visit the kids I used to watch in Albany!
This is Gracie with Aurora Grace!

This is everyone! Top Left to Right Brian, Will and Erin. Middle L to R Grace Rory and Mary.
Bottom Lilly and Alexei!
I cannot get over how big they have gotten!
We had such a nice visit with them. I miss them so much.

Daddy and the girls need a rest after this past year!

We have had such a crazy year! It is looking like next year is starting off just as busy! We are leaving for Florida for a combo of work and trip related things on the 2nd and won't be home until Feb.! At least it is Florida in January! Here are a few pictures of the girls for Christmas. We are home bound this week as Rory has come down with the Chicken Pox.

Plese Vote today!

2008-11-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Remember....
If you are thinking of not voting...
If you are thinking the line is too long...
If you are thinking you are too busy...
If you are thinking your one vote will not matter...
Remember...
Just 300 years ago, you would have had no vote.
You would have had no say.
You were told what to do.
You were controlled by someone thousands of miles away.
You had no freedom.
Thankfully, a large group of men and women decided it did not have to be this
way. They made the sacrifice so we could choose who we wanted, what we wanted,
and have an influence over our country.
Regardless of party, regardless of political affiliation, lets join together
today as Americans and do the #1 right our Constitution gave us...the right to
vote.

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T07:35:00.001-07:00

The girls playing with Keith Urban

2008-10-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Our new baby!

2008-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is Stormy! She is our new baby kitty!
The girls are in heaven but I think Stormy is getting tired!

Pumpkin Picking!

2008-10-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

We went pumpkin picking this week. It was really fun with the girls.

Pictures from Hawaii

2008-08-07T11:52:00.001-07:00

The Girls playing on the Lanai at the Navy Lodge in Pearl Harbor. The USS Utah is still in the water about 100 yards to the left of this picture.

The reasons I didn't want to come home!

Lilly was having a blast dancing at Dixie's Crab shack.

Lilly and Rory loved the Lei making at the Luau.

Lilly and I tried our hand at Hula but Lilly got nervous.

Long time

2008-06-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry i haven't updated in awhile. we went to Virginia in May and have been back and forth to the Dr ever since! The only one who has not come down with multiple illnesses is Brandon. We have been through 4 different antibiotics in this house in 3 weeks!

Everyone appears healthy now. We are going to Chicago next week and then we come home to prepare for our 3 weeks in Oahu!!! We are so excited to be taking the girls to Hawaii. There is so much we want to do!
Heidi

Haitian Schools

2008-05-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

We have just decided to sponsor a little girl from Haitian Roots. Haitian Roots is an organization started by an adoptive mom that I know. Actually the second person I talked to after finding Lilly! It is ran by finding sponsors for children in Haiti so that they can attend school. Haiti has no public school system. The children there have to pay to go to school. The also have to buy their own books and uniforms. This program matches you with a child and for only $250 a year you can pay for their school. It also may be the only decent meal the kids get all day.
When you are living on an average of $100 a month $250 a year is a ton of money. But in America it is less than adding cream cheese to your bagel everyday.
Anyway here is the website if anyone is interested. The country of Haiti gave us our Princess Lilly so I think it is only right to help the rest of the kids out.

http://www.haitianroots.com/index.php

Heidi

Pocket diapers

2008-05-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

I often get asked about our diapers people think it is gross or dirty or time consuming. I must admit that before I committed to this I had all these thought. Someone asked for a descriprion of what a pocket diaper was. I thought I would answer here.

A pocket diaper is a type of cloth diaper. This is mostly what we use. It has a outer PUL (waterproof but breathable) liner. Also an inside layer of Micro flees or suede cloth. There is a sot in it that you put stuffing into. They make liners for this. You stuff them and then put them on your child like a regular disposable diaper. When you change them, if it is just wet you take the liners out and place all of it in a pail or wetbag. If it is dirty you can scrape it off into the toilet or we have a diaper sprayer that attaches to the water source on the toilet. We just spray off the poop (sorry!) and then we take out the liner and place both in the pail or wetbag. I do a load of diapers every other day. I just throw it all in and do a cold rinse, then I wash with Biopac or charlies soap and maybe a spray of bio clean. Thats it they are clean and good as new. We did some searching for which diapers we liked best. I think a lot of this depends on your baby's shape and your own personal likes and dislikes. We now use all Green Acre Designs, Blueberry side snap pockets and berry Plush minkees.
It really is easy and very clean.
Heidi

a few more

2008-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

A few pics from WDW!

2008-04-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

I was tagged

2008-04-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

i am: usually in a bit over my head! But I get bored easy!

i think: that we need to pay more attention to the worls around us.

i know: that if people payed attention they would all be nicer.

i want: to open my store.

i have: the best family I could have ever wished for.

i wish: my husband had more free time

i hate: that there are so many children without families in the world.

i miss: my parents, sister, niece and nephew and the rest of me family, they are far away.

i fear: rodents

i feel : mostly happy.

i hear: traffic out front with rain splashing

i smell: nothing actually

i crave: A quiet night with my husband.

i search: for ways to be a better person.

i wonder: when Lilly will stop shouting so much

i regret: A lot

i love: my kids, my family

i ache: for all the babies without families out there

i care: about the world.

i always: like to sleep late.

i am not: happy with my weight.

i believe: in God, the Holy Trinity

i dance: every chance I get

i sing: always. Just watch Lilly!

i cry: at the "save the children" infomercials, when I am frustrated

i don’t always: clean up around here like I should

i fight: for what I believe

i write: on my blog

i win: I always win

i lose: what is losing?

i never: want to do anything that will harm my children

i confuse: my head and my heart

i listen: to country music

i can usually be found: On the computer, at WDW, doing laundry, those diapers don't wash themselves

i am scared: that I will never accomplish all the things in my life that I want to

i need: to travel

i am happy about: my friends and family, my life, all my adventures and opportunities

Updates!

2008-04-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

10 More days until we go to WDW!!!!
Lilly is very exited. We watch the WDW sing alongs all day it seems!
We can't wait to see Mickey!

THE RANGERS WON!!! Game 1 of the playoffs is over and Brandon got to go. They beat the Devils!!! Go Rangers!

Lastly we have settled on our favorite diapers finally (I think) Heehee!

Our winners are
Green Acre Designs! Awesome diapers!!!!
Baby Kangas! We love that they are snaps and easy to take the liners out of!!!
Blueberry snap Minky's SOOOO CUTE!!!
Tiny Tush, Good solid diaper!

I think I may sell off the rest of our stash. I already sold most of what we started with for just about the same as we paid for it.
Heidi

here are some more recent pics of the girls

2008-04-02T11:15:00.001-07:00

These are of last week when my sister and Niece and Nephew came out to visit. We went to NYC and Alexei got to join us. It sure is nice being so close!

New headbands!

2008-04-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I got these from my friend Janet's fund raiser to bring her third daughter home from PAC! The girls love them.

If you want some yourself the site is

www.headbandsforhaiti.blogspot.com

They are only $3 a piece!

Heidi

Reviews so far of the dipes!

2008-03-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

I am brand new and I am trying out new Pockets. This is what I have tried this week. I Love this so far.

I LOVE KELLY'S CLOSET! They sent out my new order the same day when I sent her an email stating that I really needed them! She is GREAT!

The girls look so cute running around in them. We got all pocket diapers.
Here are my reviews

Fuzzy buns
works good, No leaks. Fit both girls well. The snaps are a little weird at first but not bad. Very thin looking on. Easy to deal with. I ordered 9 more of these.

Kanga baby

I like the front pocket. It seems a bit more secure. The rise in front is a little lower. No leaks here either! Very cute! The snaps were very confusing at first but once we figured it out were easy. I ordered 3 more.

Bum Genius

We love the Velcro! These are easy to stuff and to get on and off! They are low rise in back but they fit the girls. They fit Rory better. She has a little Bum and chunky legs. They were a little tight on her legs but they are easier to adjust. No leaks here either. I ordered 6 more.

Tiny Tush

We LOVE these
These also had no leaks. However Kelly's only had butter, red and black so we only ordered 3 more. We will order more pink when they come in. These seemed to have the most coverage. They were great on Lilly's teeny tiny legs and were easiest to get on. Not flimsy at all. A little thick. But they could hold a flood I think!

I did order 2 Thirsties as well. I am sure we will need more diapers eventually but this is what I am starting with. I am so happy I did this. The goal of the experiment was to find a brand I liked for each girl. Well I liked them all. So I got a few of each!

I have also ordered 4 Blueberries, so we can try out side snaps and 2 Rumparoos. They are really cute.

I Love them and so do the girls. They are so happy in them. We all love the soft cosy feel of the cloth diapers! I dread that I have to put them in disposables while I wash the CD's until the new diapers get here and we have enough to get by!

We are also seriously considering opening a natural baby store here on LI. We would sell Cloth Diapers, Organic baby clothes and toys, baby wearing items and mommy stuff. Also we would have classes on being more earth friendly. There is nothing of that sort that we can find out here. We really loved the one in Salem. We are going back to see Jen at Granola baby in a few weeks. We have found a spot here in Port Jeffs that would be perfect. Things are really happening here. I am really excited about it all!

Heidi

I guess it's good that I am trying out all these diapers! I can figure out what we want to sell!
Also

Cloth Diapers!

2008-03-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

This week we made the switch to cloth diapering.
This wasn't a quick switch. I have been researching for a long time! I feel so great about this though. I only bought a few to start but the girls LOVE being in them. They are so soft they feel like panties!

I ordered a bunch more yesterday and I hope they get here fast. I am washing as soon as they get soiled so they can wear them as often as possible!

Does anyone else here cloth diaper? What type do you use? I now have a mixture because I liked 4 different kinds! None of them leaked. In fact last night I had to put Rory in a disposable and Lilly in a Cloth and Rory's leaked! So much for that.
I wish I would have started doing this from the beginning. It really is great. It is not hard at all. The pocket diapers are so much like disposables except softer and so much cuter! I should take a picture. They have little pink bums now! Little pink Bubble bums!

Sorry I had to gush a bit.

Heidi

I have a new blog

2008-03-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

We are getting out more in NY and we are traveling a lot now. I wanted to start a blog that told of our travels and of how the girls are received at the various restaurants we visit. It is not always well! I thought this may help some other paying parents to avoid the bad people! As well as give them a heads up on the great establishments out there.
The new Address is www.2highchairsplease.blogspot.com
Heidi

Update

2008-02-02T20:17:00.000-08:00

I am in Chicago again! Sorry I have been so quiet lately. I am in Chicago now Picking up the girls. Brandon and I went on a little get away Cruise this past week. We get home on Monday and then I FINALLY get to settle into my New House on Long Island. The Movers Brought our Stuff From Storage 3 days before we left on Vacation! But soon we will be all settled in and will feel at home again!!! YEAH!!!
The rest with Brandon was Much needed and was so nice but it was COLD! We went on a California Baha Cruise and it was FREEZING! Well freezing for a Heidi vacation anyway. Oh well, we had a fun trip. We met some great people who we hope to keep in touch with and we got some much needed rest. We did miss the girls so much though.

1 year ago today!

2008-01-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

It has been exactly one year since Brandon and I arrived in Haiti to pick up our precious Lilly. Life has never been the same since. She was 12 lbs of pure delight. Now she has doubled her size and NEVER stops moving. She is such a joy to everyone she comes into contact with. We are truly Blessed to have been given the gift of being her parents.
Little did we know that at that same time a half a world away our little family was becoming complete in Hunan Province, China with the birth of a gorgeous baby girl.
This is a day we will always celebrate as the biggest day in our lives.
Tonight we are going to celebrate at a Caribbean restaurant here on LI.
Oh what a difference a year makes!
Heidi

Rory Turns 1 on January 6, 2008

2008-01-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY! WE LOVE YOU!
We are so happy that we could share her first birthday with her. What a great time she had with that cake!

Pictures from the Holidays!

2008-01-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

We are finally in NY and I thought you might like some pictures of the girls from this past month. Here are the Beauty Queens!
Lilly trying on Grandma's Earings

The girls with Daddy at Rainforest Cafe

Aunt Kathy with the girl's

Lilly puttin on the ritz!

Why is Chicago so COLD!

Rory's new Pooh Ride on toy

Lilly thinks this is the best part

Madylin and Lilly at American Girl Place

Going Home from American Girl Place

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Girl's first trip to Michigan

2008-01-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

My Dad and I took the girl's to visit Papa anPad Grandma Dotty in Michigan during our trip to Chicago. The girls really had a great time meeting them. They spoiled them with chocolate pie! They loved it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! From the Smith's

2007-12-22T11:58:00.001-08:00

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/MWFAI71qF0I2w4f5BPkTamaH

Please click on the link above!
Have a happy holiday!
Heidi

Still in Chicago

2007-12-20T09:52:00.001-08:00

We are still at my Mom and Dads. I am looking forward to seeiong some old friends this weekend. Then it's Christmas and Brandon will finally be coming back to Chicago with Alexei! The girls are learning so much with the help of my family. Lilly has learned a bunch of new tricks from Poppy. She is having a blast with her cousins and thinks Rye rye is the funniest thing ever! Rory is standing now and can almost walk. I am hoping she waits until her Daddy is here to see her! We have an offer on the house in Utah so that is a good thing. Also we should be in the new house the first week of January.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Remember to be thankful for your Family and Friends everyday. They are the true gifts of the season!
Heidi

Chicago

2007-11-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

Well we made in to Chicago. It has been a busy week. The girls are starting to settle into life a Grandma's. I am almost finished Christmas shopping. It is amazing how much I shop here! Brandon and Randy headed to LI on Monday. It was sad to see them go without us. Brandon had to start work though and and Randy needs to find a job. It is nice staying in Hodgkins for Christmas. The town tree lighting is tonight! I will try and post some pictures tomorrow.
Heidi

Moving Day

2007-11-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Movers are here! We are almost ready to leave.

More pics

2007-11-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

These are from our Trip to NY and PA! It was great to see my Mom and spend time with her! We can't wait to get back to the East coast!

Here's Rory really really enjoying She crab soup!

Lilly was having fun with the crab crackers from our Lobster

Daddy and Lilly ready to eat! I am so excited that the girls will grow up near the ocean!

My Brandon, My Mom and the girls checking out the new kitchen

It's not a trip to the East without a visit to Wegman's

Lilly hitching a ride and checking out the sites at Sesame Place!

After all the planning Lilly was terrified of Elmo and all the character's! Also it was poring so we only stayed about 30 minutes after breakfast. Rory however couldn't get enough of the Character's. This is Elmo crying because Lilly wouldn't go sit by him. You can see my mom comforting her on the left. Rory went right over and was hanging out on his lap. Of course this was when my battery in the camera died so I don't have a picture!

She also loved Ernie!

And was esspecially thrilled with Zoe!

Bert was very interesting. I wonder what they were talking about?

Some pics from this past weekend

2007-11-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to Boca De Beppo for Lilly's Birthday (one of her celebrations!) She sure loves her aunt Amy!This is her before her big Party!

She loves her Princess Lilly purse from Snapaholics! Sisterly love! They hold hands in the car. In case you were wondering Rory can face forward because she weighs 20 1/2 LBS!!!!

Rory playing at the Herzog's

Rory Laughing at home in her excersaucer

Some Halloween pics

2007-11-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

We spent Halloween with the Herzog's. The kids were all so cute. Piglet and Roo were adorable and Isabelle was our favorite Princess (Aurora). Jade matched me as we were both cats. She was by far cuter though!

Lilly's Big Day!

2007-11-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

We had Lilly's birthday party last night. Some friends came over to help her celebrate. Thanks for celebrating with us! She had fun running around with all the big kids and seeing the Hunan girls that came home with Rory.

Rory

2007-11-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to mention for those who have expressed concern. Rory is doing fine. We won't have the Cat scan results back until next week. However she is OK. They just want to check the spot out. Sorry to scare anyone.
Heidi

Lilly is 2 years old!

2007-11-01T21:29:00.001-07:00

As of midnight tonight! So her Daddy bought her a new house!!!
Today was a long day. It started out with me taking the girls to Rory's Dr's apt at the U of U. The Dr. saw her spot on her forehead which I thought was just a birthmark and said that it wasn't. It was a concentration of blood, I honestly cannot remember what he called it, and he wanted to check it out more. Apparently these can sometimes be worse on the inside and cause pressure on her brain causing a seizure or worse it could cause calcium to form on her brain and effect her brain development. So he ordered all the new adopted baby bloodwork. A LOT OF BLOOD IS NEEDED! and a cat scan and ultrasound for another issue (mostly just to be safe). So Lilly, Rory and I spent 5 hours at Children's Primary today! Rory was a little trouper though. She hung in there when they drew 15 CC of blood and did the IV for her cat scan she barely fussed and then fell asleep for the Cat scan. Lilly was entertained by this amazing woman who is a child Life specialist. I had no idea these people existed but she was my angel! Brandon was working so it was just us girls and Lilly was restless. Anyway, we were waiting in the lab to have blood drawn and it had been about an hour. Then this woman Kim comes over and introduces herself and starts playing with Lilly.
She tells us who she is and says that they are there to help families and kids waiting for lab work or needing anything. She said that she is there to help with Lilly so I could focus on Rory and making sure she was comfortable. She said if I was not stressed over Lilly needing to be occupied I would be more relaxed for what Rory needed. She played with Lilly while I took Rory in to have the bllod drawn and then she then went to the Cat scan with us! She was with us a good 2 hours. She even went to find Dr's and the Radiologist for me to ask questions to. AMAZING! I would have never thought of this as a job at the hospital but after meeting Kim I think it is the best thing I have ever experienced. She was our Angel today!
So while we are at PCH for 5 hours...Brandon is unknown to me...Putting a bid on our new house. Going back and forth with counter offers and calling mortgage people and the people who will be buying our house if it doesn't sell first. All while calling the insurance people for me and not telling me all the other things he was doing. Oh yeah and WORKING!
So at the end of today Lilly turns 2 with a new play kitchen. Mommy and Daddy have a new house in NY! They accepted our offer!!!! The babies are asleep and we are exhausted! What a day today was! Being at Primary Children's is always an eye opener though. We are so blessed to have our healthy children and have the life we do. When you see the families who's babies are really sick and they are just making the best of everyday, it makes you realize how precious life is. It makes you want to go watch those babies sleeping safe in their own beds.

Leaving for the week

2007-10-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

We will be leaving in the morning to go to NY for the week. House hunting. I will leave you all with some long awaited pictures.

Rory all bundled up like Kenny from South Park (No I am not a fan!) This one is totally for Spero!

Rory loves to play with balls! She is a happy baby.

Smiley Smith

Lilly wearing my Uggs! I think she needs a pair.Lilly and Daddy at Elizabeth, Emily and Chucks BBQ!

LILLY IS REALLY REALLY OUR FOREVER!

2007-10-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Not like she wasn't before but the very last thing is finally here! She has an official US birth certificate stating that she is

Lillian Chrystelle Rain Smith

With us as her parents. It was just nice to see. Now we need to get Rory's!

Heidi

A little about me

2007-10-11T21:39:00.000-07:00

First I want everyone to vote for Aaron again! And pass it on!!! The link is in the last post.

OK, now about me. I stole this from a friends blog. I just thought it would be fun. Here goes...

Jobs I have had: past tense
1) Bridal Consultant
2) Nanny
3) Bank teller

Currently I am a Mama

Places I have lived:
1)Utah
2) Hawaii (for a short time)
3) Upstate NY
4) Chicago

I am currently moving to Long Island (closer to Alexei!!!)

Food I love:
1) Chocolate
2) Lobster
3) Almost all seafood
4) Turkey and swiss croissant
5) Eggplant Parmesan.

Places I would rather be:
1) Disney World or any Disney park
2) Chicago
3) Hawaii
4) A beach in the Caribbean
5) New England

Movies I love:
1) Goonies
2) The wedding singer
3) A walk to remember
4) St. Elmo's Fire

TV Shows I Watch:
1) Gilmore Girls
2) Monk
3) Pushing Daisies
4) House Hunters

Books I Love:
1) Any Murder Mystery
2) Disney Travel guides
3) A walk to remember
4)Love in the driest season

CNN Hero

2007-10-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is a man who is helping Haitian children. This is a topic close to my heart because Lilly could have had a much more healthy first 14 months had a parasite not threatened her life. Lilly, Brandon and I were Lucky. Lilly was taken to Marie and we found her. She was brought home, safe and healthy. How many of the other Haitian children have that opportunity? This man is trying to help as many as he can. Please go to

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/cnn.heroes/

Thank you
Heidi

Hi All,

The email below is from Aaron Jackson - a man who has donated
de-worming medications and hopefully multivitamins orphanages in Haiti. He was featured on a CNN show for his
charitable works and is now part of the CNN Hero Poll. As Aaron
points out, intestinal worms steal nutrients from their hosts –
sometimes as much as 20% of their already limited food intake! These
de-worming meds could mean the difference between living and dying to
some children. Please take a minute or two to vote for Aaron and then
to share news of his important work and this poll with others so that
Aaron can continue his efforts on behalf of the people of Haiti.

Thank you!

Aaron Jackson
Planting Peace
www.plantingpeace.

org

CNN is conducting an on-line poll to select the viewer's favorite CNN
Hero. Each week viewers will be able to vote in one of six different
categories, with the winner in each category going to a second vote.
The viewer nominated Hero from the second vote will be awarded $25,000
towards their cause and will be honored at a live global telecast in
December with Anderson Cooper. This week is the "medical marvel' category!

PLEASE go on-line and vote and if you wouldn't mind, please, please,
please share this email with all of your friends, co-workers,
students, etc. The more exposure Planting Peace has, the more we will
be able to do in de-worming the world of this parasite that destroys
so much of the nutritional intake of already malnourished children.

Together WE can make a difference!
The link to cast your vote is www.cnn.com/hero

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank each of you again
for your generous contributions. Since the airing of the CNN Hero
segment, we have raised enough money for almost two million de-worming
treatments!

From the bottom of my heart I appreciate all of your giving, your
blessings and your letters of encouragement. Together we ARE going to
make a difference.

May peace be your step,
Aaron Jackson

Our Anniversary!

2007-10-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Brandon and my 4 year anniversary! It is hard to believe that 4 years ago we were in Saratoga dancing the night away at Longfellows! Next year we hope to celebrate there!
Four years we ago we could have never imagined the path our life would have taken. In the course of our Marriage we have been to Hawaii, Mexico, China, Haiti, and All across the USA. Were not finished yet though! Of course we always talked about adopting. But never would I have imagined the 2 amazing daughters that we have been blessed with. God truly had a plan for us. From the day 8 + years ago that we met at a Buffett concert to now, I couldn't be happier. I can honestly say that Brandon has fulfilled every one of my dreams! Now we just cannot wait to sell our house and move back to NY to have all three girls together.

Still getting the house ready

2007-10-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Hopefully the house will be on the market tomorrow! We have found a few houses in LI that we really like. One in particular. It has an apt. that comes with it that would be great for my cousin, who is living with us. It is also a block from a lake and next to a state park. It reminds me of a small town in Michigan! Please pray that our house here sells fast. We are planing on a house finding trip at the end of this month! We want to get moving!
The girls are doing great. Lilly is almost 2! We are planning on a pumpkin patch trip for her birthday. Rory is really feeling like a part of the family now. Even fighting for her toys with her sister. They are really sisters now!

Twins

2007-09-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

I know a lot of adoptive families read my blog and I wanted to bring something to their attention. There are twin girls at Lilly's orphanage that really need a home. They will be 7 years old the day after Lilly's turns 2. They are not at the orphanage yet, until they find a family. The girls mother passed away and their father is not involved at all in their life. They live with a family in their village that they are not related to. These people say they cannot afford to care for them anymore. I worry about what will happen to them if they do not find a family soon. Slavery and child prostitution is not a uncommon thing in Haiti. They are beautiful girls with big smiles. I pray that they can find a safe and loving home soon. If anyone has an interest in these girls of knows of anyone who could be interested please take a look at the PAC site for more information.
www.littleangelshaiti.org

Thanks
Heidi

Busy packing

2007-09-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been updating! We have been diligently trying to pack up the house to make it presentable for the real estate market! I never realized that you shouldn't live in your house when selling it! The girls are down to 1 basket of toys and a excersauser and a bouncy riding zebra thing that says YAHOO! and gallops. Lilly adores this thing! My little cowgirl! Now she just needs a pink cowboy hat and to start singing Kenny!
Not much else is happening this week. Oh yeah I turn 32 on Sunday. All my friends wanted to take me out. I however convinced them that it would be much more fun to come over and have wine and paint! I want to get this house sold fast! What can I say. I was thinking last night about how excited I am to get to have all our girls together. We all miss Alexei. Lilly kisses her picture when she sees it. Oh wait now we have no pictures. We are ghosts! No one lives here!!!!

We Are Moving!!!

2007-09-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Brandon was offered a management position at The Weather Service in Long Island. So we are moving back to NY! We should be there sometime in Nov./Dec. We will miss out Utah friends deeply. This is a great move for us however, this is 2 hours from Alexei lives. She will get to see her sister all the time! Brandon is closer to his reserve location for the NAVY and it will be easier to see both of our families.

Getting settled

2007-09-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

Everything here is getting back to a more normal routine. Lilly and Rory are getting used to being together. Now if we could just get them sleeping in the same room! Sleep is still varied. One night Rory will sleep through from 10 to 7, and the next night she is up every hour. We don't want them to wake each other but it is starting to drain our energy!
We were supposed to be on out Free dining Disney trip this week. It is sad thinking where we should be right now. However I am not too sure it would have went well for Rory. Stability is good for her right now. It does give me a chance to start planning another trip. I am planning a huge PAC reunion trip for next fall. I am very excited to see all those Haitian babies at Disneyworld! How cute will they be! I am also trying to figure out a way to go in February or April. I am having withdrawal symptoms!
And on a happy note, I am so thrilled to tell you that 2 children from PAC came home last week. Jeff and Jon both went home with their families.
Also this week Tamar and Tessa will be going home to Georgia with their family!
I am so happy for them.
WELCOME HOME GUYS!!!
Heidi

For those in the adoption comunity

2007-09-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

I feel that recently I have been hearing of a lot of people not wanting to adopt from Haiti because their families or they themselves are worried about travel etc. So anyway I posted this on RQ site (a china adoption site that has other countries on it now as well) There was a discussion about how you shouldn't adopt from Haiti because of various reasons stated above. This just breaks my heart.

I have to proudly state that I completely disagree with everything that has been said. I spent a total of 5 weeks in Haiti during the adoption process. I felt safe the whole time. Haiti is very poor and it is sad what you will see. However the people are AMAZING! We have been to the beach, to Church, to the shopping area and to the grocery store MANY times. As far as no trips back I have been twice and already am thinking of taking Lilly back to visit. I speak to the Orphanage director as well as other moms from the Orphanage that Lilly is from daily. We know if we adopt again it will be a haitian child and from the same orphanage. Another important thing to note is that Very often you can meet the birth parents. You will know more about your childs medical history and you can keep in contact with their birth family!
We had our baby home 8 months to the day I first called about her. Most people have a year to a year and a half wait to bring their child home. Yes, you do know who your child is most if not all of that time. However you will usually get your referral when or even before your dossier is turned in. So the wait is still half that of China if not a third of China's wait. Knowing your child and not being their every minute is torture for you in one respect. However there are no questions about how they are or what they are doing all day. Depending on the orphanage you choose to work with, it is possible to visit whenever you want. We have parents at our orphanage that visit once a month. And there are always new pictures and information about your child. You will see them grow. Lilly had NO adjustment issues when coming home. I spent a month their when I went to pick her up. Yes, that is longer than normal. However I think being with My DH and I and going to the Orphanage daily really made a difference in how she dealt with leaving. By the time we left I WAS HER MAMA and she was totally ready to go home. You can always ask questions about your child. Even if I called today and said when you had her did she do ..... they could tell me. In China we got nothing. Absolutely nothing! They handed us Rory and left. We figured it out, and after 3 days of screaming and greiving so much we were worried about her stability as well as our sanity. It did get better. But man I wish I could ask them questions over there!

If anyone has questions I am more than happy to answer then. Please don't rule out the children on Haiti because you heard that it is a scary. Inner cities are far more dangerous that a guest house in Haiti.place. Please feel free to look at my blog and read about our journey.

Heidi

Lilly's Big Day!!!

2007-09-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Lilly will officially become a United States citizen. We are completely thrilled that the final step in her adoption will be over tomorrow. From day 1, a year and a half ago there has never been any doubt in our hearts where she belonged. Tomorrow it will be complete! Her new US Birth certificate will read Lillian Chrystelle Rain. Thank you God for bringing the Lilly Monster into our lives! It will never be the same in our home. I don't know how we ever lived without attack kisses?
Heidi

At Home

2007-09-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

I thought I would give a little update on being home. Rory is doing great. After her serious grieving in Changsha, she seems to be a new person. She is quiet and Happy. Always smiling, unless she is hungry or dirty! She loves to babble and thinks everything is great. Brandon says she is like ut dog Molly. "Oh, a block MY FAVORITE! Yeah Mommy, MY FAVORITE! Look at shoe, MY FAVORITE! It is very fun to watch her explore.
Lilly is doing much better with her sister. She is very protective over her. I did have to step into a little tiff yesterday over who's wooden spoon it was. Lilly wanted both, go figure! But overall I think they will have a good relationship.
Now for a few new Lilly adventures. While cooking dinner yesterday (I know not a normal occurrence) I turned around and there is miss Lilly STANDING IN THE CAT"S WATER! New stride rites and all. She just looked at me like it was perfectly normal. About an hour later after Brandon woke up (he worked nights this week) we are in the kitchen talking about the day and we look in the Family room and there's Lilly stirring my drink with the remote control. Needless to say we need a new remote. This one is fried now! We are looking at little kitchens now for her birthday. She loves to cook, just like her dad!

Pictures from Chicago

2007-09-04T18:51:00.001-07:00

This is one happy sister. This picture is of Alexei meeting Rory for the first time. We were at O'hare and we had just found Alexei and April .This is Alexei with her sisters! FINALLY!

April (Brandon's mom) brought Alexei out to my Parents in Chicago. It was her first time meeting Lilly and Rory. Lilly really seems to have taken to her!

I am a bit tired after 32 hours of travel but I assure you I was very happy to be sitting in my Dad's big chair with my babies.
Rory may be a mommy's girl but these two are all about their daddy!

We took Rory to Bucks for the first time! She sure likes bread. My parents friends own Buck's pit stop and it is a very important place for Brandon and I. It is among many other things where we got engaged.

The morning of the Baptism it sure was great to have a big sister around!

Our family with Pastor Bob at the girls Baptism.

Pictures from China

2007-09-04T17:57:00.001-07:00

This is Rory landing at LAX!
Rory in her first crib in Changsha, Hunan Rory in the pool at the Dolton with Daddy.
Isn't that the cutest thing ever!

Rory sleeping on the bus after we got her.
I think all the crying wore her out!

Us with the director from PingJiang CWI. She had an ear infection and was so upset that we were kidnapping her!

The new dads with their girls

Me trying to comfort a sick and scared Aurora Grace.
She wanted no part of it.

This is Aurora Grace's first felony! We are so proud of her. She was a US citizen for approximatly 2 minutes! We are leaving customs at LAX and wanted a picture to remember it by. After we took this the customs officer said that he would let us keep the picture/camera but to not ever take another picture in there. OOPS!

We made it home!

2007-08-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

We are finally home with our girls! We had a great visit at home. Alexei and Brandon's Mom flew in and all of my family got to meet the girls. The girls were baptized on Sunday and it was a beautiful service. I will post pictures soon but our computer is not working soI am borrowing my cousins right now.
The girls are doing fine. Aurora seems to be adjusting to her home. Lilly is having an interesting time dealing with the split attention from mommy. She goes between caring for Rory (patting her head and Kissing her) to trying to sit on her and taking her pasi.ffier out of her mouth and plopping it into hers. She has never had a pasifier before so it isn't as if she needs one. I am sure it will be fine. I am trying to unpack and get the house in order too so forgive me for not posting much this week.
Heidi

We made it to Chicago

2007-08-24T06:36:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Chicago after 32 hours of travel! Lilly was a little mad at us at first but after a day she is doing wonderful now. She is very protective over her baby Rory. She likes to pat her head and hug her when she cries. Alexei met us here on Wednesday and we are finally all together as a family. It is such an amazing feeling.

Heidi

Were coming home!

2007-08-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

We leave tonight for America! We will post more about our trip once we are home.

We are at the White Swan

2007-08-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

This is the first time we have been able to post. We leave to go back home tommorrow! Rory has been with us a week now. She is so pretty. She has had a rough time getting adjusted to us. But now she seems fine. She is happy and laughs alot. We have shopped a ton. Lots of presents for everyone. Here are some pictures of the beauty queen!

Rory's 1st Pizza

My pretty hat

I finally get to wear my pretty dress

Daddy kissing Rory

Happy baby

New Daddies

Mommy and Rory

Last post in the USA!

2007-08-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

We leave tomorrow morning for Vegas! We meet up with our travel group on Tuesday at LAX and it is on to CHINA!!!! I just wanted to thank everyone on here for all their support. We will be touring Beijing for a few days then on to Changsha! We get the girls on Monday in Changsha so late Sunday night I guess. 1 more week until we get our babies!!!! We are all packed and quite excited! I will try to post as ofter as possible. I can't believe it is finally here. Only 1 more week without our Rory. I am still nervous about leaving Lilly. I know she will be fine, but I am worried about Brandon and I. A whole 2 weeks without the Lilly Monster! What are we gonna do with ourselves. I know we will miss her but in two and a half weeks we will all be together as a family! Brandon and I and Lilly, Rory and Alexei!
Heidi

Hair post

2007-08-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

So tonight my friend Dianne came up to see us and say goodbye. I started to tell her the hair drama and we decided that if it was blond, or at least lighter, I would feel better. We ran out to tell Brandon and with my cousin watching Lilly (she was sleeping) we all went to Sally's (1st time for us!) . Do you know how to lighten your blond hair that you dyed twice to make it red? Apparently you HAVE to bleach it! This was sounding frightening to Dianne and I. We were at Sally's an hour deciding what to do. We decided to go ahead with the bleach (not your kitchen kind) idea but we learned you have to cover the whole head really fast or my hair will be spotted. YIKES, this is getting more terrifying by the minute! So we get home and it is decided that Brandon and Dianne will each dye a side of my hair so it goes on faster. It takes at least 15 minutes for them to apply this stuff. I was watching the clock while wiping bleach off my eye brow and out of my ears! I have to say I was a bit nervous!
20 minutes later they are both yelling "It is turning color we have to save your hair! Hurry get over to the sink!" So Brandon washes my hair out and it looks a bit orange, but we condition it and then I go dry it. It is actually cute. It is still red but streaky blond and strawberry blondish red. It looks really good. Definitely lighter and not so shocking. I look more like me!!!!
I am much happier and I only lost a shirt to the bleach. So far my hair has not fallen out!!!

Thursday

2007-08-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Only 3 days and 13 hours until our plane leaves SLC!!! We are getting excited. We spent the afternoon looking at China books at B&N. I kept thinking next week this time we will be in Beijing! With the time change we should be getting Rory in 10 days. The single didgets start tomorrow!!! Referrals for the August batch came today. I have seen a few from Hunan. I love those spicy babies! They are all so cute. Even now though Rory is still one of the youngest. I sometimes can not believe we are going to have a 7 month old baby in a little over a week. YIKES!

My hair is starting to grow on me a bit. I got some headbands and barretts to pull it back in China. I figure the red will be out by next week so whatever. It is just hair right.

Lilly is 21 months old today! She is getting so big. I can't believe that in 10 days she won't be the baby anymore. She will still be my baby but really she is a big girl now. Brandon was saying the other day about how she is not a baby anymore. She is a little girl. She loves trying on shoes at Target. She tries to help you put them on her and then walks up and down the aisle showing them off, connected and all. I think that means she is officially a little girl now! I guess she will have to be ready to be a big sister.

On that note this is a shirt I had made for Alexei. I got the idea from another Mom in our travel group. It is from Mandysmoon.com you can create the characters to represent your family! We will be all together for the first time on Aug 22nd! Alexei and Lilly and Aurora Grace will finally meet! I cannot wait to have our family together! Only 20 more DAYS!!!!

MY HAIR!

2007-08-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

OK we are leaving to get Rory in 4 days and like 5 hours (not that I'm counting) and I was a bit restless yesterday soooo
I dyed my hair red and today I cut it all off. Alright not all but 8 inches worth! I actually did not want it this short but it seemed that the woman didn't hear me and she started cutting at my chin! I said I wanted a lot cut off but I wanted it to be able to be put in a ponytail still! I guess it will grow back. It is radically different. I am blond with long hair usually. It will fade from the red I am sure, but wow it is different. I hope they give me my baby and don't think I am someone else! It is cute, I just hope when I have to do it myself I do OK. Also that it is able to somehow be pulled back. I think it will have about an inch hanging down! I may die of heat in China.
I am trying to not miss my hair too much, it's just hair right? It just is not quite what I had in mind. I will look like a different person in all the pictures in China.

1 more week!

2007-07-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

We leave for china in 1 week! It is crazy right now. we have decided to have the girls baptized as soon as we get back to Chicago. So we have been frantically getting that together as well as packing and getting the Lilly monster ready! In 2 weeks from now we will have Princess Aurora Grace finally!

Travel Itenerary!

2007-07-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

We purchased our tickets today!!! It is finally real.

Our trip will start on Aug. 6th (yes in 11 days!!!)

08/06/07 - Vegas to meet my parents so they can take Lilly home with them.

08/07/07 - Fly from Vegas to LAX. Leave LAX at 11:50pm to fly to Guangzhou, China

08/09/07 - Arrive in Guangzhou and hop on plane to Beijing. We are staying at the Capitol Hotel

08/10/07 to 08/12/07 - Tour Beijing and Great Wall

08/12/07 - Fly to Changsha and check into the Dolton Hotel

08/13/07 - WE MEET AURORA GRACE!!!!

08/14/07 - we officially adopt Aurora Grace

08/15/07 to 08/17/07 - we wait for Rory's passport and tour Changsha

08/17/07 - We fly to Guangzhou to get Rory's VISA. We are staying at The White Swan hotel. I want our Barbie doll!

08/18/07 - Medical

08/19/07 - Shopping in Guangzhou

08/20/07 - tour Guangzhou and 1st conulate apt.

08/21/07 - VISA swearing in and fly home!

08/22/07 - We will arrive in Chicago!!! Miss Aurora Grace will be a United States citizen as soon as we step off the plane at LAX!!!

Today

2007-07-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today has been 28 months and 16 days sense the day I called Brandon and said we should adopt a baby girl from China. I can honestly say I have not breathed a full breath since that day. Until today. I feel better today. You would think upon seeing Rory that I would have felt better. But No, it was today. We got our TA and that was when it happened. Today we got a letter from China saying that Yes, they agree. Dan Ning is our baby. Everything is good, she is healthy and will you please come get her. That was it, that was the moment it hit me. This beautiful child, who looks a lot like my husband and my nephew, is our baby. In 13 days we will travel to China. In 18 days they will hand her to me. We aren't going to let go.
When we got Lilly people would say "well at least you have Lilly" "you are busy now it is good that you are waiting for Rory". No I can honestly say I needed them both. I need Lilly because she is and has always been my baby girl. She is wild and crazy. She is funny and truth be told EXACTLY like me. But that didn't fill that empty spot. Rory is that spot, in 18 days that place in my heart and soul will finally be filled. My girls will soon be home, together, HOME. I needed my family together. I know that everyday I will think I was crazy, everyday I will know that This is where all of us belong. Brandon and I, Alexei, Lilly and Rory, Together.
Today I will breathe, tomorrow I will find my destiny.

WE HAVE TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!

2007-07-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

We are so excited! We are leaving to pick up Rory on Aug. 7th! Gotcha day will be on Aug. 13th. 13 is my lucky number so I am thrilled about that!!! Only 18 more days without Aurora Grace is with us! It feels like a whirlwind today.

Still waiting

2007-07-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting for our TA (travel approval) from china. It should be here by the beginning of next week. We found out that Rory is in foster care. Which is different that what her paperwork says. It is good for her though. It means she is getting more attention. We are also waiting on her updated information. Those should be here by the end of the week. I am starting to pack and get everything together for our trip. It should be in about 3 weeks.
Lilly is walking now. She is into everything! I can't wait to have our girls in the same place!

Aurora Grace

2007-07-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to bump this up because I can't stop looking at her. In 5 weeks from Monday we should be holding our little Princess Aurora. I am getting so excited. This has been the longest journey I could imagine. But in the end we now will have our three gorgeous girls. Life doesn't get much better that that.

1 Year ago today

2007-07-13T12:18:00.002-07:00

I arrived in Haiti to meet Princess Lilly. I can honestly say neither her or I have ever been the same. These are pictures of that day and now. It amazing how much she has grown.
I love you Princess Lilly Monster!

The first time I held Lilly on July 13, 2006
Lilly was 8 months old and about 7 pounds!

Her smile has always lit up a room!
July 2006

At Disneyland May 30, 2007
All 20 pounds of rambunctious wild Lilly monster!

For my girls

2007-07-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

"Somewhere far across the sea
Waits a little heart for me
Amazing though how it may seem
We both are sharing the same dream
I long to tuck you in at night
And hold your tiny hand so tight
To kiss your tears and keep you near
To chase away your every fear
No one knows the tears I've cried
The emptiness I've felt inside
Only God knew what to do
A red thread tied from me to you
And now my love it's almost time
When I'll be yours and you'll be mine
Soon forever-never to part
My child I bore inside my heart"
(anonymous)

Rory's parework

2007-07-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

So the mom who is adopting the little girl at Rory's orpanage and I
realized that we cannot understand Chinese!  We read the
chart wrong.  Rory is not impatient, she is quiet.  She likes to read
picture books and listen to music and has a ready smile.   She likes
toys and can hold her blocks.   She is closest to her caretaker and
crib mate (we think is Meili).  We like that at least the girls are
together now. She follows voices and knows who is familiar and a
stranger.  She also laughs out load.
Not sure how meeting the Lilly monster who is LOUD, wild and crazy
is going to go.  Me mom says that Katie and I were exact opposites
growing up so I guess it is fitting.
Heidi
>

Tuesday after refferal

2007-07-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

I feel like we havn't stopped moving since getting Rory's refferal. It has been a good crazy though. I had a moment in Target that I realized we are gonna have a BABY!!! Then the panic, we are going to have a baby!!!! We need things I had returned because I never thought Rory would be SO YOUNG! I am fine now though. We had dinner with our travel mates on Saturday. It was so great to all be together talking about our girls. There is one little girl from our group in the same orphanage as Rory. She is only 2 days older than Rory. At least by the estimate! All the babies are so cute. One family has a 9 month old and the other has a 2 year old little girl. They asked for an older child and she is perfect. We are all so excited to go get them.
Our tentative gotcha day is Aug. 20, 2007. I CAN"T WAIT!
Lilly is practicing how to be gentle with her baby Rory. I sure hope Rory's personality can hold up to the Lilly Monster, she is something!
Brandon is leaving tonight on his first fire. He is a meteorologist and he goes to fires to help forcast wind direction and how the fire is going to react to the current conditions. He will be gone for 1 to 2 weeks. So we had to cancel San Diego. We are disappointed, but I do have a lot to do here before we go to China.

Introducing Aurora Grace (Jiang Dan Ning)

2007-07-06T14:41:00.001-07:00

DOB 1/6/07
Weight: 13lbs (6.2 kg)
Currently waiting for us at Pingjiang SWI, Hunan Provence

Here are her pics!! If you click on them they are easier to see!!

Lilly and Alexei have a sister!!!!

2007-07-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Alexei and Lilly have a BABY sister! Rory is 6 months old today! Her birthday is Jan. 6, 2007. She was born 1 day after we got to Haiti to pick up Lilly. I guess she wasn't ready before that!. Get this Rory has blond hair! No I am not kidding. She is the lightest asian baby that we have ever seen. She is just beautiful. She is from Hunan, so we have a spicy baby! She likes music and toys and is impatient. Sounds like we got the right one. Lilly likes to give baby Rory kisses (she takes the special picture that the agency made her and she kisses it). Brandon is going back to work and will scan the pictures for the blog. They should be up in about an hour! We are so excited. Thanks for all the well wishes these past few days.

Heidi

We have been waiting so long for this

2007-07-06T06:18:00.001-07:00

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before May 31, 2006.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before November 14, 2005.

Refferals are staring

2007-07-05T14:38:00.001-07:00

People on the west coast are recieving refferals right now! We should see Rory by tomorrow! I am so excited that she is finally going to be revealed to us! I will update as soon as I hear anything.
Heidi

The stork is on his way!!

2007-07-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

There are some rumors that some agency's say that the refferals have been sent. If this is true we could see Rory tomorrow or Thursday! We are getting excited. Just thinking that her picture is on it's way to us right now is crazy! I will post more as soon as we hear something.
Heidi

Rory's refferal Guesses!

2007-06-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

I asked this back in October. Aunt Katie was closest with June. No one said July!!! That is because this wait is rediculous. I though you guys might want to compare in a few weeks when we do see Rory!

Refferal // Rory's age at refferal

Me April // 7 mos.
Brandon Feb // 8 mos.
Randy April // 9.5 mos.
Aunt Barb March // 8 mos.
Aunt Katie May // 9.5 mos
Raquelle June //
Jenny Krebs Feb. // 8.5 mos.
Jennifer (new) Feb. // 11.5 mos.
Janet // 9.5 mos.
Kodak // 13 mos.
Salem // 12 mos
Conner (Michelle) Jan // 9 mos.
Emily (Michelle) March // 7 mos
Steph April // 11 mos.
Dianne April // 9 mos posted by Heidi @ 8:29 PM

Lilly's 1st trip to Las vegas and Disneyland!

2007-06-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

At the end of May Brandon and I with our friend Dianne took Lilly on her first trip to the fabulous Las Vegas! Brandon then flew home and Dianne and I went on to meet my family in LA for my Grandpa Hermans birthday surprise! All of us in LA was definitly a surprise! They went to see the price is right and we took the kids to Disneyland!

Grandma and Grandpa, I think Grandpa is still in shock!

Lilly loved Disneyland. The music is always a hit with her. She danced on Smallworld and we rode winnie the pooh 4 times in a row! She was so cute dancing, we kept going on it.

Las Vegas

My first trip to Margaritaville!

Can I trade this for a pretty blue one like daddy and mommy got?

Look at all these crazy people!

DISNEYLAND

I think I wanna be a mouseketeer Mom!

Oh wait this is better a mouseketeer Princess!!!

Aunt Dianne look at all the kids singing! Are we finished with this line yet?

Look there all singing the same song over and over and over!

Mommy I'm confused is this the good mouse or the bad mouse?

Lauren your silly!

Ryan, Madylin and Lilly on the Ponies

Lilly and my Mom and I watching the parade.

Camping at Bear Lake

2007-06-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I took Lilly camping for a few days this week. We wanted to do something just the three of us, since this will probably be the only time that happens! We went to Bear Lake in northern Utah. We had a great time, it is a beautiful place. We stayed in a cabin at a KOA and it was wonderful. I am sure most do not consider this camping, but this is as close as I am getting! We have to cancel out fall Disney trip due to China, and we are now planning a week long Cabin stay around different KOA's in Utah and Colorado instead. Lilly and I LOVED the swing on the porch. I have got to get a swing in my yard.

Lilly and her daddy went in a cave to explore. They had lots of fun. I was planning on joining them until we got to the entrance and the guide assured us that there was only 1 way in and 1 way out and that it was 888 steps round trip, 444 in and 444 out! But that wasn't the kicker, the real reason was that next she tols us that the cave was home to 5 spiecies of Bats and pack rats! I just looked at Brandon and he said ok see you in an hour! I could just see getting 400 steps in and a rat running by me! The guide said "well you may not see one". Well hunny with my lung issues and the steps and the anxiety attacks that rodents cause me I don't think you want to be in the cave that has 1 exit with me if one just happens to scurry by! I honestly think I could have had an ashma attack in there and died! Brandon said when they came out that it was a good thing I didn't go in. 3 other people gave up the trip midway just on the stairs alone. Funny Lilly didn't complain!
We also went to a great farmers market in Logan. What a cute town! We loved it there. Small college town with a hippy feel in the middle of the mountains. Also we drove thru Bringham city and stopped at a yard sale to help a girl go to Guatamala to help in Orphanages. They just loved Lilly. Very nice people in that town. Then we went to Maddox steakhouse for lunch. We had heard so many good things and this place did not disappoint. They had skinless fried chicken! We will be making that drive again soon I think!
Only 2 more weeks until July!!! We should see Rory around the 4th! We are getting very excited around here. I think Lilly is going to love having a sister to play with. We need to start getting Lilly's room ready for her sister. We need to move some stuff and get the crib in there. After looking at an empty crib in there for over a year before Lilly came home we just havn't gotten around to setting up the second one yet. I think we may work on that this week.

Nov. 7, 2005

2007-06-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

We are pretty sure that this is the cutoff for the refferals this month. I am numb at this point. It will be 1 more month and then we will see Rory. The only thing that would prevent this is if they did a 1 day refferal batch. It has never happened before but the chance that they would do this on our turn is quite appropriate.
In all seriousness though, we do expect to FINALLY see Rory sometime the first week of July. I am just tired of the not knowing! How old is my baby and WHERE IS SHE???

1 year ago today

2007-06-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

It has been 1 year since I called Audrey Leonard at The Family Network about the cute little laughing girl on the website. About 3 minutes into the conversation I blurted out "We want her, That is my baby!" That was the moment that life as I knew it changed forever. I cannot even imagine my life without Lilly. She is the biggest joy I have ever known.

18 month pictures!

2007-05-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Lilly is so pretty in this picture.
She is gonna be trouble when she is in Highschool!This is with her Dolly from the pottery barn.
She is such a cuddle bear.

Look I can stand!
I can also cruise around the room, and chase my cat!

I am so happy today!

Nov. 1, cutoff for China refferals

2007-04-30T07:34:00.001-07:00

I know it is not us YET! But it is farther that anyone thought they would get after last month 2 day batch. Also it finally hit me THEY ARE IN NOVEMBER! That is where we are FINALLY they are reffering people with LID'S really close to ours. Rory will be coming home this summer!

Lilly Walked today!

2007-04-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

OK...she was walking holding on to the little rolling walker thing. But still it was by herself! She is so close to running all over the place. YIKES!
Sorry I have not posted in awhile.
We went to Chicago for Easter. We had a great trip. Brandon was able to come out as well and everyone got to meet Princess Lilly Monster Smith as my niece calls her! I will post pictures soon. When we returned last Thursday I got this horrible cold that is just now subsiding.
China did do refferals before Easter. However they only did 2 days worth. No one knows what this means for the next few batches. We don't know if we will see Rory's picture in a few weeks or in a few months right now. It was very hard on me this round, I think because I was thinking we were going to be next. I let it start to feel real to me. BIG MISTAKE! I think that the next time I will let it feel like anything is when were in China. This journey to adopt from China has been the terrible. Someone said when I made a comment about China being a rollercoaster ride that it was more like the Tower of Terror. I had to laugh and agree. It really has been tough. I think had we not been expecting a 5-6 month wait 18 months ago it could have been a little better. So now I am going to not focus on it. I think that the next time I post about China it will be with a picture or a little girl. Then it will be all ok.

More pics

2007-03-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

Watching Disneyland singalong with her American girl Doll

Happy baby in Pink

Having fun with her cousins! This is one of my favorie pictures!

1st Japanese restaurant

2007-03-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Lilly at home

2007-03-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Lilly with her new Boxes that she loves.

First time seeing Mickey!

2007-03-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Dianne and I took Lilly to Disney on Ice today. It was Disneyland adventure.
Well all I can say is that if there was any doubt that Lilly was always my daughter (not my doubts mind you!) today proved that she is definitly mine. Only a daughter of mine at 16 months old, without being able to walk or talk yet could have been that expressive when seeing Mickey and Minnie. She started waving that little finger to the music, then her whole body was rockin. Dianne and I were laughing so hard. Lilly loves the music and was so very excited to watch all of it. The best part was when they say "Where's Mickey?" To the crowd. Lilly threw her hands up over her face like she was playing peek abu with them. It was just too much. I cannot wait until the end of May when we take her to Disneyland for the first time. I think we may have another disney fanatic on our hands.

China news

2007-03-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

China did refferals today. They went to Oct. 24, 2005. We are Nov. 9, 2005. Only 16 more days of LID's to go. It could be 1 or 2 months. Personally I think it will be 2 months. So we will have Rory sometime in June or July. It is strange that I feel that it is even close enough to predict. I guess you never really know. It is 2 years this week that we started the process to bring our little girl home from China. It is hard to believe that she will ever be home with us. Lilly is in for a surprise!
Lilly is doing great. She is so funny she has learned to play peek - abu but her hands dont really cover her eyes. She just laughs hysterically the whole time. Also she is standing when holding on to something now. This is great combined with the peek-abu at church. She also loves caribbean music. I have a CD with childrens music from the islands on it. She waves that little finger in time to the music and we think she is singing. We aren't sure what it is that she is singing though. Too Cute. She is just so interested in everything around her.
Heidi

WHY?

2007-02-25T22:30:00.000-08:00

I was answering a post on an adoption site today. Someone asked Why your child. I though I would share my reply.

I have no biological children but we are adopting from China as well. We were about a year into that adoption. Waiting for our refferal (much like we still are now!) We had decided that we would probably adopt agian after we got our little china baby home, probably from Ethiopia. I even called an agency and got info on the process. The lady said to not start until we were closer or had our China baby and we were fine with that. Sometimes I would look at Rainbow kids. Mostly looking at special need asian children, really just curious and playing. Then one day in late May of last year I saw this little laughing girl. I looked at her 20 times a day at least. I would smile every time I looked at her. She had this great smile that reminded me of my husband and step daughter when they laugh. I had my husband look at her and he said "yes she is very cute. We are waiting to start another adoption, and aren't we going to Africa?" This went on for a few days and all the while I couldn't stop looking at her. Finally I said I am just going to call this number and see what her story is. Well that is when I talked to Audrey. As soon as she answered the phone I started rambling on about this little girl. Audrey said she was available and I said "we want her, she is my daughter!" Audrey laughs at this now. Well when Brandon came home I sat him down and went over everything financially that we could change so that we could bring her home. I think he got that I wasn't asking anymore.
We were her parents!
The next day we got a call from Georgia. Both Audrey and Georgia are from the Family Network Agency. Georgia said that Christelle (Lilly) was not going to make it and they could not let us proceed with adopting her, we should try to find another baby. This was the most devistating phone call of my life. I felt like I couldn't breath. I mourned and stared at the wall all night. I kept thinking that if she didn't make it I still wanted her. I wanted her to be with my family. Mostly I just wanted her to be home with us. The next morning I got a ton of E-mails from Jenny K, Michelle, Janet, Kodak and Stephanie. Michelle even offered to foster her on a medical visa, so we could get her better. They all wanted to help save that little girl. This was enough to give me enough hope and courage to proceed. By tuesday I had talked to Audrey and told her that we wanted to proceed, we would deal with it no matter what. In my heart she was already our little girl. Over the 8 months it took to bring her home, Lilly was in the hospital about 3 of them and about 3 before we found her. Now she is home. She is peacefully (Thank you God) sleeping upstairs. She sends her days laughing at everything. Taking in the world around her. No one knows what was wrong with her. Maybe a parasite, maybe failure to thrive. Who knows, but I am sure that she must have felt all the love from her mommy and daddy and from all the women here who prayed for her daily. To look at her today you just think she is small. Hopefully tomorrow we will know more, but we may never know why.
Brandon tells people she found us. That she called to me from that web-site.
That she needed me. I think I needed her.
I think it finally hit me what a long road this has been. Thanks for everything.
Heidi

Lilly and her cousins

2007-02-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

My sister and Lilly's cousins, Ryan and Madylin visited us last week. We had the kids pictures taken. They are so cute.

It has been busy since Lilly came home. Brandon has had a trip for the Navy and has been working a ton of nights. Lilly has finally started sleeping all night! From between 6-7 PM to 7-8 AM! I wish I could do that. I am getting more rest though. She is moving all over now. Not quite crawling but scooting on her tummy. This is a big improvement from not even wanting to lay on her tummy. I cannot believe how big she is getting. She also gives kisses now. She smiles and then opens her mouth and DIVES at you! It is too cute.

More pictures

2007-02-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

A man made a stature of Lilly and I sitting at Walls in the rocker. This is the first time we saw it. It is beautiful.

This is Lilly at the doctor. She is just so pretty.

Hi Alexei! I can't wait to meet you!

Having fun with Nerlande!

Lilly's favorite pastime. Playing cards! Vegas here we come!

Lilly update

2007-02-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Though it is not great I thought I would post a picture of us in Haiti. Don't worry there are more to come. Lilly has been doing great. She does not like me to be out of her sight, but that is understandable. We have been to the doctor and so far everything is good. She weighs 14.5 lbs! We think she gained about 2.5 lbs this month! We go back on the 26th to a pediatric intestin specialist. It is mostly to look at everything and be sure she is ok.
My Mom came to visit as soon as we were home. So Lilly has been to Park City, out to eat and to the Mall (a lot!) . It was nice to visit with my Mom and for her to meet her granddaughter. My sister and niece and nepher are coming next week and so are my grandparents for a few days. We have a week to relax and get a schedule down though.

Home at last

2007-02-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
We are home! I Utah, with running hot water and nice cosy clean clothes! I
am still in the stage of thinking I am dreaming that my Lilly is here with
us. We got in late and Lilly woke up when we got to the airport to all her
fanefare. My friends and my Mom and Brandon all met us there with a big
sign it was very cute. She hardly cried all day. Many people said to me
that is the best baby I have ever seen on a plane. One lady at the
starbucks in Miami (the most beautiful starbucks I have ever seen!) said
"oh, your daughter is so cute she looks just like you!" uh ok thanks I
guess. Weird. Anyway I wanted to say that I felt tottally safe and
comfortable when in Haiti. I cannot say enough about the heroics on the
part of Marie and Calib. They are really the best. I cannot imagine doing
what they do everyday! Also that I will truely miss Veniel and the staff at
Walls' after a month they are like family to me. Veniels family has now
moved to the guesthouse. Venieka his daughter is such a doll and his wife
is really helpful. They did quite a bit with us when we were there and it
was nice to have that time with them. We are getting settled this morning
so I may not post much in the next few days. Thanks for everyones support from the PAcCgroup, esspecially Jenny and Michelle who listened to me on the phone all the time. Mostly I want to thank Brandon and my Mom who I spoke todaily and they helped with everything they could even though they were so far away. Thanks Becki for calling!!!
Heidi

Still in Haiti

2007-01-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

Hello, we are still in Haiti! I think some people were confused about this. Brandon will be going home on Monday. He has to go to Texas for an interview with NASA! How cool is that. He is very excited about hes private tour of Mission Control. Sorry Katie. If he gets the job we can go too! Lilly and I will stay in Haiti. We have gotten everything wrapped up, Even have a Visa apt for Wednesday. However we still have NO PASSPORT!!! The lady at the US embassy is so nice she said that if Wednesday comes and we are still waiting for the passport to call her and we can go the next day or whenever we recieve it. How frustrating! Everything in Haiti has been good. We are really bored though. Last weekend we went to the market on Saturday and then on Sunday we went to the beach! It was alot like going to Labadee, beautiful. We even had lobster, FREE, this lovely family was there and we were slightly drooling over it, ok maybe more that slightly. Anyway I asked where they bought it and they said on the beach. Then they filled up 2 plate fulls and gave us some. Unbelievable! I would love to go back but it is pretty rare that we even went once. That ios all for not. Hopefully I will be in Tampa on Wednesday or Thursday. Grandma make sure the washing machine is empty. Miss everyone.
Heidi

Hello from Haiti

2007-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

We just want to let everyone know we are here and with Lilly. We are doing fine, though Brandon is a bit sick of playing cards. Lilly is great, she can roll over and she laughs all the time. We have had her with us since we got here. We are hoping to be home on the 23rd. We cannot post pictures because we forgot the cord. We will put some up as soon as we can. We miss everyone. Heidi