13 Months

This past month has passed so slowly...I think the realization that we could get "THE CALL" soon has made everything feel more real...and it now seems that time is standing still.

This past weekend, we celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary by taking a trip with some friends to New Hampshire. We all got a jump start on our Christmas shopping...which is great!

House update:
As for the house...another area of our lives that's in limbo! Have I mentioned that I'm not very good at waiting and being patient? So far we have not been able to sell..the market in our area was very slow in September and October, and has been picking up since November, but so far, we haven't had any luck. We are somewhat discouraged about it; we would love to be able to move to a new home that would have more space for us, and where my mom would be close too, but so far it doesn't look like it will be happening anytime soon. We have begun to make plans to finish the basement in our current home, this will give us some additional living space, which will enable us to stay in this house a little while longer...we should know more in the new year...

Hero of the year

CNN announced the 2009 Hero of the Year...Efren Peñaflorida, from Manila, who started a "pushcart classroom" in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership. Click here to read the entire article.

Efren Peñaflorida is the founder of the Dynamic Teen Company. His story is truly inspiring!

I'm looking forward to watching the show on Thursday (I've already set the timer!).

Special Edition - side track

Eric here... So I've got a side topic from the adoption for you all in blogland.
On Nov 6th me and Tam were married for ten years... 10 years! So what does that mean? We got through the seven year itch... managed to keep the puppy alive for nearly three years now... went through a battery of psych tests and profiling all of which concluded we were mostly harmless and "normal".
But ten years sounds significant in and of itself - no? Each year we've been married has held it's share of highlights (and lowlights) and this tenth year will certainly have it's share. I guess the point is that I've learned this marriage I have is what I make of it and the circumstances of our life together do not define the relationship we have; merely give it its colour.
Alright cheese-ball blog entry over - as you were.

10 Years

If you would have asked me on my wedding day when I would be having children, my response would have been..."A.S.A.P!" I always wanted to have children at a young age. I never thought that we'd be married for 10 years before having children, but then again, you never know what life is going to throw your way. In retrospect, I think it may be a good thing. We have had a chance to face some of life's greater challenges and we have come through them together and stronger and now as we look towards parenthood, I am confident that we'll be able to handle the challenges parenthood will bring.

We plan on celebrating our anniversary sometime soon in the Philippines...I'm off to daydream a little of a white sandy beach by the crystal clear ocean...

One Year Later...

31,556,926 seconds... 525,600 minutes... 8,760 hours... 365 days... 52 weeks... 1 year... waiting for our Little One!

We're not too sure how we feel about it...earlier tonight we were talking to Rachelle (through the wonder's of Skype! - she's working for Doctor's without Borders in the Philippines) she said she feels like celebrating...and at the same time, she feels sad that it's only been a year. Ummm, yeah... that pretty much sums up how we've been feeling too!

We've been told to expect to wait for anywhere between 18 and 24 months...so we've basically completed at least half of our wait (we hope!). We do feel that the year has passed quickly though and so we'll keep doing what we're doing.

The adoption process can seem pretty surreal. We know that things are happening behind the scenes as we're waiting to be matched with our Little One, but on the surface nothing seems to be happening. And one day we're going to get the call that will change our lives forever! In many ways, it seems like that day will never come and yet when that day does come it's likely that we'll feel like we won't be ready!

We're hoping and praying that our file is going to be matched very soon, but we know that God is in control and his timing is perfect and so we know that when the time is right...we'll be getting that elusive phone call! In Quebec, there haven't been any proposal's since July so we're hoping that very soon there will be a bunch of proposal's. We're sure that the recent typhoon's have not helped at all, we have heard terrible stories and seen horrrible pictures about the devastation caused by the flooding. I had been thinking about the water damage, the humidity, and the mold...and Rachelle reminded us about the filth, garbage, the illnesses and the "disgusting" feet (from being immersed in the water for so long!). We have also heard that there has been damage at some of the orphanages and so we are praying that they would get the supplies and the help that they need and that all of the caregivers, their families and the Little Ones would be safe and secure.

Little One, we love you already and we cannot wait to meet you. Keep growing, be healthy and safe and mostly...know that you are loved! We pray for you, your parents, and your caregivers regularly. It will be very soon that your Mommy and Daddy will be coming to get you!

A quick update about our house... We haven't sold our house yet, but we have found a house that we would like to buy. If we sell this house before February then we'll be moving, and if we don't, well, we'll be doing some renovations to give our current home a little more living space and we'll be staying put. We'll be happy with either outcome...we just don't like all the waiting (doesn't that sound familiar?!)

image from comicvine.com

Out of the blue...it hit me!

Earlier this evening, I was talking to my love and while he told me a cute story about himself as a little boy and as he was talked I thought to myself... I can't wait until our Little One does these kinds of cute things... then I the thought... wait, our Little One may not do these things...because they won't be just like either of us and just like that, I went from laughing to crying... out of the blue... a moment of mourning... in a sea of excitement and anticipation while we wait for our Little One...

Eleven Months

I was just thinking about the past year; one year ago, we were in a rush to complete our adoption dossier. We were stressed about appointments with the social worker and the psychologist (who isn't?). We just wanted to have our file sent off to the Philippines; due to some unique circumstances, it took us nearly 8 months to put our dossier together; we just wanted our file to be sent.
I never would have thought that "the wait" would have been so easy! Now don't get me wrong... I want to have my child with me now... I have been waiting a long time to become a mom. However, I have to say that one of the most surprising things for me about the wait has been the patience that I have regarding the whole situation. There was a time when I was almost certain that we would never adopt... that we would never have a child. I suppose the knowledge that we will become parents soon helps to make the wait easier. I still have days and moments where I think too much about our Little One and how they're not with us yet... I think about where they are and hope and pray for them that they are safe and most especially that they are loved. However, I can't dwell on the fact that our Little One is not with us, because that will only make me sad and I can't do anything about it, so I have determined that I will do what I can to get ready to be a good mom, and be as ready as possible for our Little One to come home to us.
Eric here: Summer is done and what a crazy one it was. Now I'm thinking the summer might have been tame with how the fall is shaping up...

The news just came in about tropical storm Ondoy... crazy times in Manila I hope that people can pull together and get themselves back on their feet fast.
Toodles for now
Rico