Update, Update, Update!

Well, apparently I was way off on the "no news" post below :) We got some information from Taiwan today that our Civil Ruling took place on May 7th. What does this mean? Basicallly, the hearing on April 22nd was where the judge gathered the information about our case. After the judge considers the information, he makes his intentions known through the Civil Ruling (i.e. he approves the adoption or he doesn't). Then things move toward the "Final Ruling" where it's all finalized, signed etc.

This is great news as it means our case looks good and our judge is FAST! We were anticipating a 4-6 week wait and this was a mere 15 days. For all of those who have or are adopting, it's rare that things ever go faster than expected. We still can't get really specific on travel times untill we have our Final Ruling. However, it does look good that we will a) go earlier than we anticipated and b) avoid some of the travel complications created by the Olympics.

I feel so happy! What a great, early Mother's day gift!


I just heard it though the grapevine, that there will not be any news from Taiwan untill next week. Our case manager had requested Andrew's measurements. I have been looking forward to that. I'd like to see how he is growing and try to anticipate some clothing and car seat needs. Usually the orphanage is able to get that information back to the US in about a week. Well, apparently there has been a huge batch of babies and the orphanage is swamped with getting referrals out. I can't think of a better reason for a delay :) There are some families on our agency list who have been waiting for a referral for over a year. I can't think of a better Mother's Day gift for those families, can you? So, we will patiently wait and hope to hear something next week or the week after.

On another note, who knew life with a four year old can be so much fun? Lily has always been a delight, but there's something particularily charming about this age. She continues to bring a smile to my face and often makes me laugh out loud. On Monday, I was encouraging her to pick out her own outfit. When she asked me my opinion, I told her both outfits were nice. She then sighs and very seriously says "I know Mommy. And let's face it. Everything I wear will make me look like a model." :) I could have died it was so funny.

This past weekend was National Scrapbooking Day. I know, if you don't scrapbook, you wouldn't believe such a day exists. Well, it does and I did some serious digital scrapbook supply shopping. I just had to justify my purchase and do some layouts. Here's one that turned out pretty cute. Enjoy!