More squares from work!

Today, I received a bunch of squares from my co-workers! Look at these cute prints from PM in the Training Services department...Old MacDonald and dragons! Thank you...these are great additions to the quilt!

Next up are two MORE prints from LK in the QA department. She already gave me three squares, but was working on some projects this past weekend and found more fabric for me--a Noah's Ark print and some travel-related fabric. Notice that the travel fabric has China and a panda bear on it! Thanks for these unique fabrics!

And finally, a very special quilt square from a very special co-worker. AM in my department is quite the crafty woman. She takes a lot of art classes, particularly on fabric and paper printing. She MADE this fabric...isn't it beautiful?!?! The colors are absolutely gorgeous. You can't tell in the photos, but the little doves on the fabric actually sparkle in a very subtle way.

In addition to her fabulous artistic work, A is quite the writer. This is helpful, of course, because we write for a living! But forget about all the techy stuff we write at work, she is also a talented creative writer (remember the assignments we used to share over lunch?!?!). She wrote a wonderful sentiment that goes perfectly with her fabric, and I hope she doesn't mind if I share it here.

To E and mei mei (little sister), L, and K: I wish that there will be many things that you love to do. I wish you the freedom to try them all, and I wish you joy in the trying. I wish you bright colors and rich patterns. I wish you flights into the unknown and safe returns. I wish you warm comforts. I wish you a peaceful world.

How touching. Thank you so much!

It's starting to feel real...

Today, we received two packets from the adoption agency that basically say "We can't guarantee you're in the next batch, but since you're this close, here's some stuff to read to get ready!"

There is a thick travel packet (60 pages) that's an overview of the trip, the packing list (worth an entire post of its own...), the tipping policy, document checklist, travel arrangements policy, visa applications, travel profiles, etc. LOTS to do. I'm assigning all of the documents work to K, as he is the guy who kept everything straight while we were going through the "paperchase" phase of the home study. Tax returns, marriage certificates, immigration documents, visas, passports, UGH! This document also contained a very detailed travel itinerary (not specific to our dates, but a good general idea of what to expect) and general travel tips ( like Don't drink the water! In fact, don't even brush your teeth with it!)

The second document was also an assignment of sorts. It is a copy of a letter and questionnaire to send to the SWI (orphanage) director after we are matched with our baby. Once we receive the referral, we will mail a package to the director with items for the baby - a blanket that we've slept with (so the baby gets familiar with our scent), a toy or two, perhaps a token gift for the SWI workers (candy), and a small flip-style photo album with pictures of us and the house in it. The nanny or foster parent will show the pictures to the baby so we don't look like complete aliens when the big day arrives! We're also to include a disposable camera for the workers or foster parents to take pictures of the baby, his/her surroundings and friends, caregivers, etc., so that we have that as part of the baby's history. There is a set of instructions (written in Chinese) so that they will know how to use the camera.

Anyway, the questionnaire is also sent to the SWI for the caretaker to complete. It asks questions about the baby's schedule, eating habits, sleeping habits, personality, etc. And yes, it asks if the child is potty-trained! Did you know that they potty train babies from birth in the SWIs? From what I've heard, they sit the babies on little pots every hour or two and blow a whistle when the baby is successful, so that the baby associates the whistle with going to the bathroom. Apparently, they can then "go on command" when they hear the whistle! Isn't that amazing? I know that Dad-in-law (the family's resident behavioral psychologist) will appreciate this.

Things to do while you're waiting for THE CALL!

So many people have said to me that it must be torture waiting for this adoption. I guess it is sometimes, but really, we're usually so busy with EJ and her activities that the weeks fly by faster than they should.

However, I knew that the last few months of this would be torture, so here are some things I've been overscheduling myself with to keep my mind off the wait.

1. Cleaning the house! Yeah, I've been trying (sometimes more successfully than others) to downsize the quantity of miscellaneous "stuff" that one seems to accumulate over the years. I've been through the attic (and all of EJ's outgrown clothes and toys), the craft supplies, the dresser drawers, and about half of the kitchen cabinets. Still to do are the linen closet, the laundry room, bathroom cabinets, and my half of the closet.
2. COOK! Both K and I love to cook, so this one is easy. We've spent the last few weekends cooking meals that can be frozen for quick re-heating once we're back home with the baby.
3. Work out at the gym. I've been a little lax on this one for the last two weeks or so. I have been paying a lot of attention to a cardio workout, doing some running, elliptical machine, Zumba dance, and especially the stair climber (to help me get to the top of the Great Wall!). We both get good workouts in on Saturday morning at the Y, where EJ has 2 hours of swimming and gymnastics.
4. Think about baby names. Not that I'm ready to pick one yet, but at least I think or panic about it a lot.
5. Blog!!! I must spend an hour a day doing this now!
6. Read other people's blogs. I'm addicted. Especially to the Rumor Queen site and blogs focusing on traveling for adoption to China.
7. Scrapbooking. Except I haven't done this much lately. I try to do a book for each year of EJ's life, beginning each birthday. Well, she turned 7 last May, and that particular book is only up to the 4th of July for last year. One or two solid weekends and it will be caught up.
8. Puzzles. For some strange reason, we've been addicted to puzzles lately. It started when Santa brought E a 550 piece puzzle with three puppies on it (although her list specifically said three puppy puzzles - Santa decided to twist it up a bit). Then, we moved on to a 750 piece one, and we are now working on a 1000 piece one. Not sure where this pasttime came from, other than we've owned several large puzzles for years and hadn't cracked them open. Seemed like a good thing in this cold weather.
9. Quilting. Not that I've started this yet. Thank you all for the fabric! It's starting to slow down now, and I think I've got about 90+ squares with several more on the way. And in the process, EJ has decided I need to make her a Harry Potter quilt. I already have the squares, so that one should be easy to do. For the baby's quilt, I need to wash and dry all the fabric. Some people sent larger pieces, so I need to cut those down. And then, I need to work on the layout. I've been tinkering with a design that lays out the 100 squares in the shape of a heart, so I might try that. Of course, I need to buy background fabric and edging, etc. All in all, I don't think I'll be ready to stitch it until the end of this month.
10. Take up new hobbies and interests. Like I don't have enough things started! Last week, I attended a beading/jewelry-making class at a local bead shop. And EJ's dance instructor is going to offer a six-week session of tap dancing lessons for the moms. Why not?!? More exercise. Makes me sleep better.

Today's squares

Two fabrics arrived for the quilt today. The first is another one from K, the resident Mr. Fix It and self-proclaimed Norm Abrams stalker. Yes, he is using the new table saw to work on EJ's desk.


The second square is from M.S. in the product management department at work. E LOVES horses, so she really raved over this square. I also learned that she is a quilter...I have a lot of people to call if I get stuck! Thanks!

More squares today

Today, I received some more squares from fellow FLC members. The first is from J. and M. H. M. said she liked it because it has little Christmas symbols hidden in it. If you look closely, you'll see trees, holly, and snowflakes. Thank you so much for all of your support over the last ten years!

The rest of the squares come from another accomplished quilter, P.C., who gave me lots of squares with children's themes. She has also offered up any assistance that I might need with the quilt, so I'll be sure to have her phone number handy! Thank you so much, P!

One more square today

This square is from good friends, the B. family. We have been friends with Mom B and Dad G ever since I was expecting E...she was expecting son C at the same time. E is just a few days older than C and they have been good friends for their whole lives! In fact, they're going to go away to camp together next summer during the same week. In addition to thanking them for this cute dragonfly quilt square, we also need to thank them for being one of our references when doing the home study portion of our adoption.

Along with the square, they sent a write-up about the symbolism of the dragonfly; I like the first sentence the best: "When a dragonfly lands on you, you will hear excellent news from someone far away from home." C'mon, China...send us some good news next month!

Another fabric for K

Soon-to-be Dad of Two thought this fabric was quite representative of him, as he LOVES ice cream. He and EJ eat quite a bit of it, and I have to confess that I too, have become an addict, especially since I discovered Turkey Hill Philadelphia style chocolate. What is Philadelphia style anyway?