Braxton Hicks Contractions

OK, these things are killin me! What are they, you ask???

Braxton Hicks are sporadic contractions that actually start at about 6 weeks, although you won't be able to feel them that early. You probably won't start to notice them until sometime after mid way through, if you notice them at all (some women don't). They get their name from John Braxton Hicks, an English doctor who first described them in 1872. As the "wait" progresses, Braxton Hicks contractions tend to come somewhat more often, but until you get to your last few weeks, they should remain infrequent, irregular, and essentially painless. Sometimes, though, Braxton Hicks are hard to distinguish from early signs of preterm "gotcha day". Play it safe and don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. If you haven't hit 22 months yet and you're having four or more contractions in an hour, or have any other signs of preterm "gotcha day", call your agency or social worker immediately! By the time you're within a couple of weeks of your "gotcha day", these contractions may get more intense and more frequent, and cause some discomfort.

Mine started, 8/31/07, the day RQ posted a "rumor" that China had worked their way into December, 2005. Whoooaaa!! Was it possible that we would see our baby girl's face this first week in September??? NOPE! CCAA had made it through 11/25/05.

Realistically, we are hoping, praying, and crossing everything we can cross, that we will see her face the first week in October. I've been so sad at times...this has been such a long wait, but all things in God's time, not mine. So I am at peace...what will be, will be.

In the meantime, please keep Sophie in your prayers...that she's healthy, loved, and held often...and check out our Agency's website - http://www.hfsadopt.org/china/ then click on the NEWSLETTER Volume 2. More great info AND a family from right here in Jacksonville is profiled - what a beautiful family!

Oh, one more thing - yes, I could go on and on. One of the people we'll be traveling with has a nice blog that included some adoption acronyms, so I included those below. We are blessed to be traveling with her. Hopefully, she will be bringing her two sisters and brother with her...get this - a doctor, social worker, and an Episcopal priest!!! She said "Lucky Me"...I say "Lucky ALL OF US!!!"

Harrah's AIM (Adoption International Mission) - this is our U.S. adoption agency

HFS - another reference to Harrah's (above) - stands for Harrah's Family Services

CCAA - China Center of Adoption Affairs

DTC - Dossier To China (our date the dossier/application was sent to China is 11/18/05)

LID - Log-In Date - official date of when your dossier was registered in China - our LID is 11/30/05

RQ - Rumor Queen - a site run by folks who post and research rumors, as much as they can

SWI - Social Welfare Institute - term China uses for orphanage

TA - Travel Approval (from China - must have before we can book flights)

CA - Consulate Appointment (China approves date for this appt. with the U.S. Consulate in China where our child is officially adopted and given her U.S. Visa - must have before we travel)

Thanks for checking in...Love to all,

Thanks, Dad...a.k.a. Papa!

I'm at the point where daily crying is inevitable. Thanks for the comments, Dad, and also for initiating today's cry! I can't wait for Sophie to get to know her Papa...and her Nana Rose...and her Nana, and her other Nana, and other Papa! Goodness gracious, what an incredible family she is joining! Jack and Ava (3) want us to go get her "RIGHT NOW!!"

Wonder what age she'll be??? CJ, one of our grandsons, just turned one on 8/7, and Rilyn, one of our nieces, will turn one on 9/8...hope she's close to their age...I remember when Logan (6) and Cruz (3), two more grandsons, were born - we guessed their weights and times of birth. Any takers on how old Sophie will be??? All we really know is that she'll be older than 6 months.

Below are two sites I've been checking out lately for estimates on when we get our referral. Remember, our LID is 11/30/05.

http://www.curewitz.com/WrenSiteEstimates.htm
http://www.chinaadoptionforecast.com/

Please feel free to leave comments for us and Sophie when you've got the time. Within a couple of months after we get her home, we'll be closing the site and downloading to cd/dvd for her. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.

Back to School

Friday, 8/17 will be my first day back...the kids come back on Friday, 8/24 and I'm ready! It'll help these last remaining weeks go by a little quicker. We should start hearing some rumors the week of August 27th regarding how far CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs http://www.china-ccaa.org/frames/index_unlogin_en.jsp ) will get. Then, the first week in September, we'll know for sure. We expect they'll refer those with LID's through something like 11/28/05. So, since our LID (log in date) is 11/30/05, we most likely won't see Sophie's face until the next batch of referrals - the FIRST WEEK IN OCTOBER !!! Then we'll be going to get her near the end of November.

One interesting site to watch as the rumors start, at the end of each month is the Rumor Queen's site - http://www.chinaadopttalk.com/ I've learned a lot following her posts and the comments of others.

We're really rockin and rollin on her room. I'll post some pictures when it's finished. My mom, a.k.a. Nana, is close to finishing the curtains - it matches the bedding perfectly! Tonight we hung a picture on the wall that was painted many years ago by a dear friend of my mom's - Sally Moyer. She's very talented...we'll have to get her over for a visit.

Love to all...

More posting practice...

I'm listening to a playlist I created on my computer and wish I could put it in the blog...funny how music can describe our feelings so well, like Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flats, At Last by Etta James, and When Love Takes You In by Steven Curtis Chapman...anyway, I'll try again later. For now here's a few things I wanted to share. Good reading!!

I'm so thankful to God for the support of my husband and the rest of my family and friends. Thanks to everyone for opening your heart and loving this child we don't know yet. The events of my life have brought me to this incredible, wonderful place, so I guess in some strange way I'm thankful for the heartache, too.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it solely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the earth all one's lifetime." -- Mark Twain.

Below is an excellent site on attachment...see when babies are born to a forever family they learn to bond and trust their family. An adopted child must be treated almost as a newborn infant so the child may have this same special bond. Please check it out. At times, it may seem like we're spoiling her rotten, but remember that old saying - you can't spoil an infant - and that's what she'll be like for a while...

http://www.a4everfamily.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93&Itemid=90

If you get the following message "You are not authorized to view this resource. You need to login." just click on any of the links on the left of that page.

Thanks for checking in!

Very first post!!

Here it is...my very first post. I'm sure I (Debbie) will be doing most of the posting. My dear husband's computer skills are catching up with mine, though, so ya never know. Basically, this is a test post....I've got much to learn in a very short period of time! Please read on...

Different Trips to the Same Place, Anonymous

Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia. You’ve heard it’s a wonderful place. You’ve read many guidebooks and feel certain you’re ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip.

So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you; you’ll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait-and wait-and wait.

Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like, “Relax”. You’ll get on a flight soon.” Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, “It’s not fair”.

After a long time the ticket agent tells you, “I’m sorry, we’re not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat.”

“By Boat!” you say, “Going by boat will take a very long time and costs a great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane.” So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat.

It is a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three more times, marveling about each trip.

Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many wonderful friends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather than by air.

People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are able to travel only once, or perhaps twice. Some say things like, “Oh be glad you didn’t fly. My flight was horrible, traveling by sea is so easy.”

You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you get there, but in the place itself.