The Holidays are Here!

Well, Thanksgiving is over and done, and now it is time to get ready for Christmas! Our hope is that next year at this time, we'll have an idea of when we'll be heading off to China. Our agency is still telling us the wait is 23 months so that would put us at November 2008. Hopefully, it will happen sooner!!

Not much new has happened since my last post. I'm still in my 160-180 class at school ~~ but I'm really hoping to finish all my tests by the end of the semester (January 23). I'm still not happy at my job but what can you do.....the bills need paying! Bob has finally finished working round the clock at Purolator and hopefully that will not start again any time soon! And Shania keeps losing weight. She's now down to 81 lbs. Maybe another 10 lbs. and we can see about the surgery for her hip.

We're hoping that 2008 will be a fantastic year in the Pitino house! Some of the things we hope to accomplish are for me to graduate from school (and leave CFCD ... yay) and start working as a freelance reporter, Shania to have her surgery and be back to a happy puppy and to finally have the joy of bringing our daughter home to complete our family! We are also hoping to take some trips next year -- one to Vegas for the annual Club Z conference and possibly one out to Anaheim for the NCRA conference. There's also a possibility of taking a trip to San Francisco for an IIA event for Bob. But the greatest trip next year will hopefully be to China ~~ even if it means spending Christmas there!

This weekend, we had Kevin and Haley come for a visit. On Saturday, Bob, Kevin and Uncle Dan went over to the indoor go-kart place. From what I hear, Kevin won 2 of the 3 races! Way to go, Kevin!

While the boys were riding go-karts, the girls (Haley, me, Aunt Audra, Kyla, Keira and Grandma) went over to Build-A-Bear. Haley and Kyla got Clarissa Reindeers while Keira go Rudolph. A great time was had by all.

After go-karts and bears, Bob and I took the kids to see "The Bee Movie". And since it was going to snow today, we decided to take the kids home last night because Miss Haley had a birthday party to go to and we weren't sure how the roads were going to be this morning.


We, indeed, had our first snowfall today. It wasn't much but it's a nice way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!

Faith

Another Year Has Passed

Well, another birthday has come and gone. As usual, my husband made my day extra special for me. Since my birthday fell on a Friday this year, Bob and I decided that we'd go to dinner and see a movie on Saturday. However, in true "Bob form", he went the extra step and ordered Chinese food for dinner on Friday night so I wouldn't have to cook!

Also in true Bob form, he picked out some wonderful clothes for my birthday. He really does have great taste when it comes to buying clothes for me. I'm very lucky to have him in my corner.

Back to ordinary life, there's really nothing new on the adoption front. We did find out that a new law that went into effect in New York requires us to get fingerprints done for our local agency that did our homestudy. So, I guess we'll get those prints done soon and then when our CIS expires next year in May, we'll have to get them done AGAIN.

Shania is doing great on her diet. We took her to the vet last Saturday and she was down to 82 lbs. Since we started her diet, she's down almost 10 lbs. I don't know how much more we have to go before we can get her hip surgery done but we're working on it.

As for me, I'm still at CFCD. I've accepted the fact that I'm the official "copy girl" there so it makes my days a little easier to handle, I guess. When there's no copying to be done, though, it makes for very LONG days. I just have to hang in there until the end of this school semester (which is the end of January, I think) and then we'll see what I'm doing.

School is another sore topic these days. I was handed a probation notice last week. Essentially, that means that I'm in my 160-180 speed class for the second time (or semester). I find myself in a rut that I can't seem to get out of. I'm practicing more than ever but I can't seem to pass a test to save my life. I'd really like to complete all my tests before the semester is over so I can move into the 200 class next semester. We'll see what happens.

Well, I guess that's about all for now. Don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight!

Halloween 2007 - Family Pictures

The kids all had great costumes this year for Halloween. I honestly can't say who had the best -- see what you think:

Haley & Kevin:

And Keira and Kyla:

Update on the Wait ...

I received the monthly newsletter from CHSFS. Here's the latest information they show on the wait:

Update on the Wait

This month the CCAA was finally able to complete matching families with login dates in November 2005, by matching families with LIDs up through 11/30/05. It took the CCAA 5-6 months to finish November, and after this last round of referrals the wait is now at 22-23 months.

We currently anticipate the wait to extend beyond two years this winter, however neither our agency nor the CCAA is able to predict with any certainty just how long or how fast the wait will continue to lengthen. We hope this year's annual CCAA meeting in December will offer some insight into the lengthening wait times. Thus far, the CCAA's prediction at last year's conference that the wait will likely increase over the next 1-2 years is holding true, as we have seen the wait increase 7.5 months since this time last year.

This being said, we remain optimistic that as we move through December 2005 and on into 2006 the CCAA will be able to refer more than eight days each month (which is the current average amount of login dates matched per month for the year of 2007).

So, as you can see, we've still got some time to wait ahead of us. What I need to find out is what that 22-23 month wait means. Is that the wait from our log-in date of January 11, 2007 or is that an extended wait on top of the 9 months we've already been waiting? Once I know the answer to this question, I'll post an update.

Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration

Today is the day the Chinese culture celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival, or moon festival. Chinese legend says that the moon shines brightest on this day, and this is the day that families are gathered to celebrate their life together (like our traditional Thanksgiving).

This year, we decided to celebrate alone. After having our dinner (yes, we had Chinese food), we waited until dark and went out and lit a fire in the firepit. We sat out for about a half an hour watching the fire, and enjoying the bright moonlight. We were each lost in our own thoughts.

My thoughts were of the promise that one day our daughter will be sitting outside with us watching the fire and the bright moonlit sky. I'm not sure what Bob was thinking, but he was very quiet and serious. Even Shania sat quietly for a little while ~~ until she discovered the acrons on the patio!

Afterwards, we came inside and shared the Pig Mooncake that Diana had shared with Bob.

My hope is that the Gods above are watching us and hear our prayers for our baby girl ~~ whether she's already born or is yet to be born. Hopefully, the day will come sooner rather than later when we can fly to China to meet our precious bundle of joy and bring her home to make our family complete.

Update on Life

Since my last post, I've started my new job. The first 2 weeks have been very rocky. Everyone in the office keeps telling me that it's a hard time for anyone to show me anything because they are all so busy (school audits are due October 15). And my boss is never around for me to sit and talk with.

On Friday, I sat down with the Office Manager and told her how I was feeling. I told her that I was thinking of quitting. She begged me not to quit. She said she understood how frustrated I must be because she was just as frustrated at the way things were happening. After speaking for almost an hour, I told her I'd give it one more week. So we'll see what happens.

As many of you know, we were told that Shania needs to have hip replacement. The doctor said she'd probably need to have both done, however the right one is worse off due to arthritis. Unfortunately, before we do the surgery, she's got to drop about 20-25 lbs! That's a lot of weight for a dog. After trying for about 2 or 3 weeks, she actually gained weight. The doctor did a blood test and determined that she had a hypotensive thyroid (underactive). She's now taking 2 thyroid pills a day and 4 pain pills a day. Hopefully, when I bring her in on Wednesday to get weighed, she'll have lost something!

School is going along. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in the rut that everyone seems to hit. When you get to the 160-180 class, it seems to take at least 2 semesters to pass thru. I've got one more week to get all my tests but one. Luckily, I passed one Q&A test last week. It only had 20 errors so I have plenty or room for the "Green Pen" ~~ I feel confident that I'll pass.

The construction of the basement is still on-going. Anthony was here again tonight installing the bracket for the TV. After he left, Bob and I tried to hook up the TV. What a nightmare! Not only is it very confusing, but it appears that Anthony ran the cable wire the wrong way! We decided to call the salesman at PC Richards to see about getting someone in to install it for us.

And lastly, the status of the adoption. There's no news yet. I received the monthly newsletter yesterday and here's what it said:

Update on the Wait

The CCAA is still working its way through matching November 2005. The latest round of referrals matched a total of four days, matching families with login dates through November 25, 2005. Our next group with a login date is Group JJ with a date of 11/30/05.

Having nearly finished referring families logged-in during November 2005, we are staying optimistic that the CCAA will soon be on to matching December 2005, although just how soon we'll see any sort of speed-up or know its magnitude both remain unknown.

So, the wait continues. I guess it's good in the sense that it gives us time to save some more money and get the baby's room set up.

Well, I guess that's about all for now so I'll close here. To all those reading this, be well.

Faith

Mid Autumn Festival is September 25 this Year

Mid-Autumn Festival

September 25 — Harvest Moon. Each year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the Chinese celebrate what is — outside Lunar New Year — the biggest event of the year.

It is a time of reunions, where families get together to feast, and also snack on mooncakes.

Mooncakes symbolise the full moon, and the most famous legend associated with it dates back to 1368AD. In the 14th century, China had been overrun by the Mongols. The Chinese used mooncakes to hide messages with plans for the rebellion. The Mongols, who did not eat mooncakes, were unaware of the subterfuge. Families were told to eat the cakes on the day of the festival, and it is then the revolt happened.

A traditional mooncake is filled with lotus seed paste with a salty egg yolk in the center, which represents the moon, but they are now made with many different fillings. They are very high in calories, and therefore are usually cut into quarters to be shared.

Another tradition in the eve of the festival has come to be known as the Lantern Festival. Children carry lanterns in all manner of shapes, from birds to animals and even dragons, in addition to the usual spherical designs.

One legend behind the Lantern Festival suggests that the Jade Emperor of Heaven was angry at a town that had killed his favourite goose. He was intent on destroying the town in a firestorm, but a kind fairy warned the town-folk to light lanterns on the day of retribution. When the Emperor looked down from Heaven, it appeared the town was already ablaze, and he then decided not to destroy it, as he was satisfied the goose had been avenged. Since that time, people celebrated their escape from vengeance by lighting lanterns on the anniversary of that day.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most colourful and fun events of the year.

An Era Has Ended ....

Well, today was my last day at Avino Construction. After 16 1/2 years, I've decided to move on. It was a hard day for me. I guess I didn't realize how many people were actually going to miss me! To everyone I've worked with over the years, thanks for the memories!!! I'm looking forward to starting my new job on the 4th of September. I'll be working at Coughlin, Foundotos, Cullen & Danowski as an Executive Assistant to one of the partners.

Summer is Half Over!

Well, it's now August and the summer is half over! Where has the time gone? Things are changing at the Pitino household, that's for sure.

We had a water problem in the basement a few months ago and are now in the process of redoing it to make it into an office/playroom/entertainment room. The contractor says he'll be out of here by Friday ~~ we'll see. Then we have to paint and get the new carpet installed. After that's all done, we can finally hang the new TV and set up the entertainment center. It should be really nice when it's all said and done.

I have also gone out and gotten myself a new job. As of September 4, 2007, I will be working at Coughlin, Foundotos, Cullen, and Danowski in Port Jefferson Station. I'm looking forward to the new environemnt ~~ and definitely to the pay increase! I haven't told Michael yet since he's been out of town, but I did tell Dina and she honestly didn't seem too upset. It could be that the shock hasn't hit her yet since today was her first day back from vacation.

Bob and I took a trip out to Texas for the National Court Reporters Association annual conference. Since it was a long weekend, we were going to catch both Houston and Texas baseball games. We decided to invite our nephew, Kevin, on the trip with us since he's a huge baseball fan. I think he had a really great time.

As for the conference itself, it was a great learning experience for me. I was thinking of going into the captioning field but after attending the conference, I don't know that that is the way I want to head. I may consider freelancing for a while and perhaps even CART reporting. We'll see what happens. I have to graduate first!

Nothing seems to be changing with the adoption at this point. Although, we are now 7 months into our long wait. According to the CCAA website, they've processed applications through November 2005 so we've got a long way to go -- we were logged in on January 11, 2007. I did receive an email from our caseworker last week letting us know that she's relocating to China (of all places) to start a new job. I haven't heard back yet on who will be my new contact at CHSFS. Alice was always willing to answer my questions no matter how silly they seemed. I hope the new contact is just as willing and understanding!

Well, that's about it for now. Hope all of you who read this are well.

Faith

Friday, July 20, 2007

Today when I got home from work I found a box on the front steps from our Peppermint Pearls Secret Pal. It was addressed to both me and Bob. After Bob got home, we opened the box and found a beautiful Build-A-Bear dressed in a red Asian dress. The bear was adorable! I cannot wait to share it with our daughter! Naturally, Shania wanted to play with the bear but I told her no, this was for "Mei Ling" as we lovingly refer to our daughter every now and then.

Our Secret Pal also remembered Bob on Father's Day by sending a book entitled, "Daddy Hugs" and she remembered Shania's birthday and sent her some "Pawk Avenue Cookies".

Here's what everything looked like:

This is the picture I posted on the Peppermint Pearls blog.

The square next to the bear is actually a swatch of the fabric our Secret Pal is using in her daughter's quilt. It is a beautiful piece of material.

Well, it's been a long week so I'm going to sign off for now. If my Secret Pal should happen to stumble across this blog, I want to thank her again for her thoughtfulness.

Faith

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Nothing much going on. No new news on the adoption. However, I did have a conversation with my court reporting teacher, Kim, and she gave me some interesting news on domestic adoptions. I'm going to do a little more research on this matter this week and possibly try to meet with a local agency to see what's involved.

Remember, my heart is still in China ..... but you never know!

Another interesting thing is that my "Secret Pal" from the Peppermint Pearls group continues to be a wonderful pal! Not only did she send a great book for "Father's Day" to Bob, but she also sent a birthday present for Shania! I think what she has done is awesome -- Bob thinks it's a little silly.

Well, not much else to speak of right now. It's been a HOT weekend and we were able to use the pool. Yes, the water has finally warmed up. According to "Ducky" (the floating yellow rubber duck thermometer), the water temp was 84 today! It's about time!! Shania was even enjoying her "Puppy Pool".

Until next time, be well and stay cool!

Faith

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Hope you all have a safe and fun day!

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

It's the night before the big July 4th celebrations. I'm still trying to master this blog thing. I've added a few new things since I started last week; however, I've still got a long way to go before this is viewable by the public!

We haven't heard anything since our conference call regarding the adoption. The women and men on the Yahoo board have varying opinions on how long the wait will ultimately be. In my heart, I'm hoping that it will be sometime next year ~~ perhaps either November or December. Whenever it is, I know the wait will have been worth it .... I just wish it went a lot quicker!

There's no work tomorrow, so we're having a BBQ to celebrate the 4th. Then on Thursday, we have tickets to a Long Island Ducks game where we'll get to see our nieces and nephew (I'm looking forward to that!)

Well, once again, it's getting late, so I'm going to sign off for now. I'll keep working on this site so it becomes something I'm proud of. My goal for this website is to be able to keep track of this long journey ~~ while also keeping friends and family in the loop of what's happening.

Good night,
Faith

Thursday, June 28, 2007

I finally decided to sit and try to set up our blog. As you can see, it's very primitive; however as I learn how to use different elements of "blogging", I'm hoping the site will come together nicely.

We started our journey in June of 2006. We filled out the application to register with our agency (Childrens Home Society & Family Services). In August of 2006, we had our homestudy done. I spent the next 2 1/2 months gathering the necessary papers (licenses, photos, letters, you name it!). The final piece of paper came in late November (I-171H).

With all our paperwork submitted to CHS, we finally received word that we were DTC'd (or Dossier to China) on December 11, 2006. Our first major milestone had been accomplished!

On January 11, 2007, we received word that we were LID (Log In Date). This is the date that we start counting from. At that time, we were told the wait was about 19 months. I figured "what a wonderful anniversary present" (our anniversary is July 8). However, that hope was squashed about a week ago when we had a conference call with our agency. We were told the current wait is about 24-30 months from LID. Now my though is maybe a birthday or Christmas present!

This is a long and hard process. I'm hoping that with the help of our friends (the Peppermint Pearls), the time will pass fairly quickly. This group has been wonderful! They are constantly doing different things and all members are fairly active in the group.

Stay tuned! I'm hoping to update this blog at least once a week.

Faith