And the game we play is........

well not exactly. It's more where in RI is Marie George. I shouldn't jest but it has become somewhat comical......we keep losing Joe's Mom. She goes into RI Hospital they transfer her to somewhere else then they send her back to RI Hospital. They tell us they are transferring her another place but she never actually leaves there or she goes somewhere totally different. We don't actually find out until someone goes to see her which lately with all the flus and tummy bugs we've had hasn't been too often so there has been an occasion or two where we didn't find her for a day or two. Thankfully she has become so confused she doesn't know where she is most of the time anyway...I guess that's one good thing!

The things they say

Yesterday I had a lot of errands to run so Joe was home watching Keeva, Citizen M and one of her classmates who had come to play for the day. When I got to check my email last night I had gotten an email from Joe entitled Keeva-ism. It read: Keeva just said to her friend "I saw the movie 'daddy blew up the kids with honey" Precious!

Frozen In Grand Central Station

This is really cool....I don't know how they stayed so still, I know I couldn't have. Click on the title to view the video. Sorry but I couldn't figure out how to show it on here.....

As Americans we send our dollars

sailing down the drain........
My Mom called me saying she was listening to a Radio station from back home in Ireland and they were talking about adoption. Specifically adopting from Vietnam. She found it very interesting that these people in Ireland were adopting from Vietnam and not one of them was talking about the cost. This convinced my mother that it must cost nothing in Ireland. Of course I knew this couldn't be true...so out came the laptop and the search began....
turns out to adopt from from Vietnam in the US it can cost up to $27,000 of hard earned scrimped and saved, begged and borrowed dollars as many of you know. To adopt from Vietnam in Ireland costs $6700 dollars, yes dollars....that's 4,521.80 Euro, barely two months salary for most people. How outrageous is that, in my mind even more so because they pay in dollars the same currency we pay in. I am so sick. The cost is low as far as I could tell because all adoption is overseen by the adoption board so we don't have organizations, and yes I admit these people do wonderful work, getting a bulk of the money. Wouldn't it be better for the countless number of orphans and childless couples out there if we could get the same "deal" over here. It's obviously administrative costs driving it up if the Irish pay in the same currency and have the same time lines as here. I couldn't bring myself to look up other countries. The sad thing for me is I'm Irish and I could pay that if I was there. I used to think it was the costs keeping us out of the international adoption arena now I know it's the people creating the costs.

A mystery face

So who is this mystery face?? Well....I'm sorry can't exactly say who except that she is the newest member of the George household. On January 16 "Citizen M", a lovely tween, joined us for a night or two as she took respite from her adoptive home. Turns out she will not go back there but will stay with us for the unforeseeable future. She is very sweet and gets along with Keeva like a house on fire. Seems strange having a tween around, I'm not quite sure what to talk to her about or what to do with her and we have had a host of 4 year old birthday parties to go to which I'm quite certain has bored the pants off her, poor thing. Thankfully though it's been winter break and, although I was pulling my hair out trying to think of things to do it's turns out to my advantage that all the divorced Dads on the street have the kids this week.......so I have hardly seen hide nor hair of her. They are all great kids so I haven't had much to worry about, thank goodness. Although the hard part is DCYF doesn't let them have normal childhoods, for example my neighbor just called they are taking the kids sledding but in order for her to go myself or Joe has to go which we can't do right now. I feel real bad but it's not possible. Up until a few nights ago she wasn't even able to go next door and play with the other kids unless we went too but, her worker said if we feel we know them well enough she can. This has made things easier on all of us. The neighbors all have to get finger printed and background checks done which, they have all agreed to, if she is to be able to fully participate with the other kids. So that I guess is our biggest piece of news. I wish we could share a photo but it's not allowed. It's fun having her around but my heart is aching more now for a baby than ever. If only adoption wasn't so costly.

Wow has it really been that long since I have been on here.....time to get writing!!!!

Our first domestic adoption disappointment

On Christmas Eve, we inquired about two beautiful little girls who are available for adoption. We submitted our homestudy and were so happy to learn we were considered a potential match. We received their case studies last Thursday and spent a long time reading and re-reading them and read them against our homestudy. We were very nervous but also extremely excited; we really thought we had a great chance. The adoption agency they are with had their committee meeting yesterday to determine the best match for the girls. Turns out we were a great match, just not the best. Out of 12 families they said we were second choice. We are so very disappointed. It's hard to come across such young children in the foster system......it could be a long time before we do again. We really thought for a long time that we could adopt older kids but we know now we want children on the younger side. To have lots of little Keevas running around. It's so funny how we can take these children into our hearts, begin to build dreams around them when we don't even know if they'll be ours. I guess we romanticize them. I think we realize now how hard this road might be, how many times we may get disappointed, have our hopes dashed......I guess we'll have to learn to look without emotion and build a thick skin against rejection.

The cookie baking went better

Didn't she do a great job....

and I think they tasted just as good

So I need Gingerbread House lessons

So this year we attempted to make a gingerbread house; it started well........

progressing good

Almost there (should have known all was not so well when Mrs Gingerbread began to topple).....

And the slide begins.....(it did actually totally collapse)

Mightn't look pretty but it sure tastes good......yummy!!

Time to play........

Christmas catch up;
It's been quite a while since I posted so time to update everyone on the holiday happenings at the George household.....

Patience.....

So now we have our license. Now the search and the wait begins. I've spent hours over the past two days searching the adoptuskids website. Searching the faces, reading the profiles. Feeling guilty as I move on to the next one. I guess international adoption is good in the way that you are offered a referral, theres no album of kids, kids who know that people are passing them up, knowing that at some level they are not wanted, no one to feel guilty over. Our homestudy has been sent to our local DCYF to await matches to children that they think might be a good fit with our family. There are so many children out there, most of whom are in the mid to late teens, older than we are looking for. I wish I could take them, wish I could find homes for all of them. I guess the red thread, as many of my friends in the China adoption programs know about will lead us to the child/children that we are destined to love. Those that have already begun to grow in our hearts even without a face or a name.

Thank you Hayley!!

Keeva is a budding photographer, and I have to say she does pretty well. At four years old though her ability to handle my lovely digital camera with kid gloves is definitely limited...this is probably the reason that my camera is now producing lovely blurry photos. So while I think I am in serious need of a new camera I think that first I need to get her a kid proof camera that she can drop and pound to her hearts content. Well thanks to a fellow blogger Hayley, I didn't have to search too far. Hayley has some great information and tidbits on her blog. I am so thankful that she had this on there. So Keeva will be getting an unexpected gift this Christmas....a lovely Vtech Kidzoom Digital Camera........isn't it cool !! I can't wait to see some of her creations, although I'm sure snowball will not be too happy. No doubt he will be the subject of choice.

Your prayers are needed

Please offer up your prayers today for a special little girl and her family. Kennedy Grace is just three years old and was diagnosed with Lukemia a few months back. The family just got good news that they would move to the maintenance portion of her treatment, meaning the strong harsh chemo was over with. This was great news. Unfortunately, poor Kennedy was flown to the ICU in the early hours last night as she has become life threateningly ill. I first met this wonderful family when we were pursuing international adoption. They were to adopt a little girl from Khazakstan when they got the heart breaking news about Kennedy. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

We got it....DCYF have issued us our license to adopt !!!!!!

The season of giving

The first gifts under our tree this year are for 5 young children in the foster care system. Keeva and I went shopping for coats , hats, gloves, pajamas, warm tops and of course a chocolate Santa. What is Christmas without a chocolate Santa ! We still have to buy a toy each and a coat for one of the children. We had a hard time finding his size for some strange reason. Joe is shopping for the oldest boy in the group (10 years old). We spent our morning wrapping the gifts.....I was the paper person and Keeva was the taper as she aptly named herself. The yellow stickies let the social workers know what is in them before they are given out and Keeva added her own art work to each sticky. Her present for the children. It's important at this time of year to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. I hope Keeva can take some of that in her heart as she grows and always remember to give back.

15 minutes in 3 hours

On Thursday the first "real" snow of the season fell. First time since I've been in the States that I've seen this much snow fall before January - 10 inches. The whole State came to a standstill. I left our house as soon as the first flakes started to fall to pick Keeva up from school -normally a 30 minute round trip journey - this day it took almost 3 hours. According to the media there were kids on school buses that they couldn't locate....some of whom didn't get home until 11pm at night........can you imagine? Poor kids, I was stir crazy for my 'short' trip but almost 8 hours on a school bus......I'd hate to have been the parent of one of those children. All I can ask is how can that happen when they knew this snow was coming for days in advance........bureaucracy !!!!

The excitement of the snow falling had definitley worn off at this stage.....

Although our entry way looks cute with all that snow.....really adds to the Christmas feeling.....

Ahhhhhh.......all this snow, lets go Dad !

Birthdays' bellybuttons and Uncles

Keeva has had an obsession with playing with her belly button ever since I stopped nursing. I mean she can actually pull it out to be about an inch long, and it's not an outty to start with. At times, especially when she had her accident in August and had to have surgery this was a great comfort. At other times it has been a great source of amusement like when Uncle Brian threatens to take it away because it's his bellybutton!!
Keeva received her birthday card from Uncle Brian and what was on it......a little girl with her bellybutton showing and in his beautiful handwriting "my bellybutton" she laughed so hard. Thanks Brian :)

How time goes by

It's hard to believe she is four today...........has it really been four years !! Four years of no sleep, tantrums, sticky floors, toys everywhere......four years of tears and laughter, of magic, memories and pure joy. I can remember her birth like it happened yesterday. Lying on the bed in the hospital watching that little pink bundle sleeping beside me. Today I dropped her off at school and she walked into the class announcing to all that she is four today. One of the girls replied "Oh my gosh", exactly what I thought. How can she go so quickly from a sleeping helpless bundle to a big girl marching into her classroom? Well, this big girl is expecting Mammy back at school soon with cupcakes and party hats........

Uh huh.... this is how I feel. Mama bear is angry. While I was out picking Keeva up from school this afternoon DHL very kindly delivered one of Keeva's gifts from Santa. A big, big box, with big, big pictures of the contents all over the outside. And, where did they leave it- right smack, bang outside the door for her to see. If I wanted them to leave something while I was here do you think I could get them to. Thankfully I think I whisked her into the house fast enough before it could really register what was in the box and then pretended to call the post man to tell him he left a box at the wrong house. Although I did have to spend the rest of the afternoon in active keep her away from the door mode until Joe could get home and move it into the garage. We'll just hope on Christmas morning her memory fails her.

Ho ho ho.....

We attended the Families for Children Holiday party at a local country club. It was a nice evening and we had the opportunity to meet some nice families who have been through the adoption process. It would have been nice to have spent more time learning about their experiences but it was a school night and kids were tired. But, the best part of the evening for me was seeing Keeva jump up and go running to Santa when he called her name. Normally she runs the other way. She was so excited and gave him the biggest smile which of course was rewarded with a big wrapped gift....and what better gift for Keeva than a tiara, shoes, necklace and earrings - clip ons of course.