Tomorrow is the day that our profile takes a little trip...I'm excited, but not too excited. We are up against two interracial couples, a black couple and a single black woman (that I know of...) and I don't know how far we'll make it on this one. Whatever happens though, there is a little girl who is going to make someone incredibly happy!

Some of my adoption friends are in the middle of having their dreams come true...my friend Em just brought her beautiful baby boy home yesterday, and my friend Dianne is in Ohio with her son, waiting for the interstate compact to go through so she can bring him home. My friend Li-Li is waiting for her new son to come home with them...it's positively raining boys lately! Maybe there should be a little girl in this mix...who knows!

Other than that, my birthday snuck up on me this year...I didn't realize that it was so soon, but it's this weekend! I'm going to be 33...older than Jeremy was when we met :) I am going to be the same age as my Gammy was when she had her second child...we have kids late in my family. I'll be the same age as Jesus was when he died! That's a sobering thought.

Anyway...in years past, I have had numerous ideas of what I want for my birthday (which Jeremy loves because he doesn't have to think too hard), but this year I can't think of a single thing that I want. I love jewelry of course, and I can usually find something that won't make Jeremy cringe at the price, but this year I am utterly stumped. I also love purses, but I just got a gorgeous bag for Christmas and I am not tired of carrying it around yet. Of course everyone knows what I really want, but even as resourceful as Jeremy is, he can't produce a baby out of thin air. So this year, he will surprise me :) I can't wait!!

We got a call...a baby girl, born 1-15. She was a little premature but in wonderful health - great APGARS, etc. No drug or alcohol exposure at all, mom is parenting 2 little girls already doesn't think she is able to parent another child. Her family is on board and very supportive. Our profile is going out on the 13th, Jeremy is in Germany from the 16th (my b-day LOL) through the 23rd. Could this be the most incredible belated birthday gift EVER for me?

I was talking about our adoption situation with my boss at the new temp job this morning, and she was saying that she would hire me in a second if I weren't going to be leaving anytime. I said, "Well there's nothing on the horizon, so I could be here for as long as you want me as of now!" My, things do change quickly around here, don't they!

Ok, enough with the damn snow already! It looks really pretty, but I am tired of driving in it. I talked to a guy in Hawaii today for work, and he said they're wearing shorts. I had to keep myself from swearing. Lucy is having trouble going out for her potty breaks since she is up past her armpits (legpits?) in the snow...it's gotta be hard to do the ol' squat n' pee when you can't squat. Jeremy is going to go out and mash the snow down when he gets home from work. Only the best for our little dog :)

We had some interesting news from a friend of ours who is going through another agency. She told me that their agency had 5 African American birthmoms who were in various stages of late pregnancy, and no people to adopt the babies. Since she knows we are interested, she told me to check out what we would need to get on their waiting parents list. She said that she didn't think it would be a big deal, maybe an extra thousand (which in the big scheme of things is no big) for program fees. It turned out to be a much bigger deal than either of us imagined. Basically, we would have had to take a few steps back and jump through a few hoops...something Jeremy and I have no desire to do.

The issue that makes me really angry is that the agency doesn't work with other agencies - if there is no one to adopt a child and the birthmom signs the Termination of Parental Rights (TPR), the baby goes into interim care...basically foster care through the agency. This could lead to attachment disorders for the baby, because it would have attached to the birthmom, then the foster family, and then would be expected to attach to adoptive parents. In a world where the rights of the child are supposed to be first and foremost and money is supposed to be last on the list, it sure seems like the opposite. It seems to me that if there are relinquished babies needing placements, and home study ready parents needing placements, that money and red tape shouldn't stand in the way of those babies and those parents becoming families. It sure angries up the blood!

Jeremy and I discussed it last night and decided that we would talk to our counselor and see if they know about this situation, and why the agencies don't work together...it would make me really sad if our agency (which has a stellar reputation in the adoption world) made use of the same practices.

Saturday the 12th, I went with my friend Michelle on a Transport. Basically, we drove a leg with some dogs who were coming from a kill shelter in Kentucky to a no kill shelter in Wisconsin. She and I picked up 8 dogs - Momma dog and 6 puppies, and a chihuahua named Festus - in Oak Lawn, IL and drove them to the drop-off in Gurnee, IL. The dogs were wonderful, and are all in their own little foster homes. I very nearly came home with Festus. He was an amazing little guy, and spent the majority of the trip with his head on my arm or my chest. I got as far as filling out the application for him, and being approved...but we decided that it wasn't a good time for us to be bringing another dog home. As wonderful as he is, it's just too much now.

Last week was mostly spent in bed with the flu. Oh the flu...not pretty. I'm still a little weak from it, and I lost 12 pounds (10 of which are still gone). I'm feeling fine now, but I wouldn't wish that sweaty, chilled, gross feeling on my worst enemy. I think my immunities are down, because I think I may be getting a cold. Oh my kingdom to just be done with it!

On a super good note, Jeremy and I finished cleaning out the garage last weekend, and we are parking BOTH cars in there. Just in time for the snowfall last night - it is so nice to go out there and start the car and leave - and not have to wait for the car to warm up, not have to scrape the windows, not have to shiver in a cold car (especially in Jeremy's car with the leather seats!). It has been blissfull...and we're going to keep it that way...I can't go back to the old ways now.

Well, it's been a hectic week! I went back to work on Monday - the new temp job is about 5 miles from home, and it's kind of long term. The woman I am filling in for is having back surgery and will be out through the first week in April at the most, so I may be here for the long haul. The place is nice and casual, and the people are really nice. I like the work - there is a lot to do, and I am able to keep busy. I hate when I am just sitting with nothing to do!

On Wednesday, I found out that our last situation didn't pan out, the mom "M" decided to parent, so we're moving onward and upward! Our counselor told me that "It's raining babies here lately, so I could be calling you back any day!" I have my cell phone on at all times :) There have been a lot of babies showing up among my adoption friends lately - one of my girls just brought a baby boy home yesterday kind of out of the blue! It's an exciting way to become a parent, that's for sure!

In other news, I just bought the cutest lambie from my friend Anita...she crochets them herself, and she is one of the most talented crafty women I know!! Check out my lamb and the rest of her little guys at her Etsy store...I might go back and pick up her little Gumdrop Monster one of these days! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5415385

My friend Liz also has a store for baby-related stuff, and I will be buying a Moby Wrap from her pretty soon. The Moby is the coolest baby carrier around. It's a long expanse of cloth and you wrap it around yourself and tuck the baby inside...it is absolutely perfect for bonding - especially for an adoptive parent! http://www.myadoptionshop.com/main.sc

I'm hoping to update with some good news soon what with the raining babies :)