Winter Vacation

We rented a cottage in Saint Sauveur, Quebec for 1 week with some close friends. Portia was so excited to get away she forced us to wear party hats the first night. This kid loves to travel just as much as we do. No doubt the highlight of our trip was the day we spent Snow Tubing. Our little Kamikaze wanted to sit upfront and center as we slid down the hills. The whole ride down left me screaming with my uvula flapping in the wind. And even before our tubes could come to a complete stop, Portia would scream "Again, again, again!!". We will definitely be doing that again and highly recommend it. It was a cozy week and most of the time was spent watching movies, coloring and putting puzzles together. Our little family took one afternoon and just walked lazily through town. Of course we had to make a pit stop for a Beaver Tail. Then we got a brilliant idea to try to make them back at the cottage and you know what...they weren't half bad. We still have to perfect the process, but I'm guessing, we won't be giving up trying until we do. Lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar was my favorite but we still have to try Nutella.

Move Over Ratatouille

Portia has taken such a liking to cooking and baking. She was overjoyed when she received a new apron, chef's hat and accessories. As soon as she sees me working in the kitchen, she runs and gets her green plastic chair and places herself smack, dab, center. Oh yes, there have been a few spills and I've caught her with her finger in the bowls, taste-testing, more times than I care to count, but it's a joy. It allows us time to bond, and talk about her day. She's worked past the instant puddings and jellos. She's helped with cakes, biscotti, cookies and treats and now has officially moved on to helping with dinners. Of course I can't take anything for granted so I have to rhyme off the rules every time...don't go near the stove, knives are only for big people, yes you must wash your hands (especially after you've been digging for gold). I love it and will always cherish these moments.

Saturday Kids Party & Sunday Breakfast Buffet

We held a kids party at our home for Portia's little friends. Portia had loads of fun. I wasn't sure how she was going to react with all the children playing with her toys but she was a trooper. Alyssia, our niece, came to help out and handled all the arts and crafts. I definitely couldn't have done it without her. Alex made this great tomato sauce (he's become such a great cook) which seemed to be a hit with everyone. You're never sure what to put on the menu when you've got little ones to please. We made a butterfly cake with flowers and spiders all around. Of course the spiders were big hits with the boys. With all that sugar, all those little munchkins were literally bouncing off the walls. And ooooh, what a mess!! I guess that's a good indication of how much fun was had by all. That night we just vegged at home and it felt great and well deserved. Early the next morning, we had some friends over for breakfast. Everyone brought something. Needless to say, we were absolutely exhausted by Sunday night.

Adoption Update

So do you want to hear the bad news or the bad news first? Well, we contacted our agency to find out when we should start our homestudy. We were expecting to hear March 2008 at the latest. Instead we were told that we should wait another 10 or 11 months before we start our homestudy update. At this point in time the referral wait time is still 6 to 8 months (for a boy) and 12 to 18 months for a girl. So what does this mean? Well, let's do the calculation. If we have to wait 11 months to begin our homestudy update that takes us to October 2008. It will likely take about 2 months for an update, so that takes us to December 2008. Then we have to wait 8 months for a referral so that takes us to August 2009 and the wait time to travel is usually 3 months so that takes us to November 2009. Yes, that's right. 2 years from now. The agency realizes that the time has increased. I was told that the winter is slow in Vietnam and that I should call the agency back in June 2008. So there you have it. Oh yeah, I also heard that the Ontario Ministry has raised the requirement of a homestudy, so not only does this mean that it's going to cost more and obviously take longer, but will Alex and I even meet the requirements this time around? As someone else in the adoption world so blatantly put it "more hoops to jump through." At this point in time, I just don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. There are two other programs we can look into however India has the same wait time as Vietnam currently. They were looking into shortening it but these things take time. There is also the Ukraine. Definitely an option however it would require that we fly over to the Ukraine and pick a child. These things take a long time and most parents are averaging a 4 week stay as a minimum. I believe the wait time from start to finish is running between 12 to 18 months. It's too much to think of right now and I just need a mental break from anything adoption for a while. It's too discouraging with no end in site.

Vacation in Italy

We just returned from our vacation in Italy. This time it was extra special since our family finally got to meet Miss Portia. Everyone fell head over heels for her. I think she found it hard coming home and facing the reality that 1) the world actually does not revolve around her and 2) that she really isn't a princess. All kidding aside, Portia was great and we are so fortunate that she travels so well. We stayed in Milan for a few days. As usual, we started off with an outdoor market where the costs were so cheap, it would have been a sin not to buy. On the Friday, we headed to Livigno (a small town nestled high between the mountains near the Switzerland border). I would have to say that this is officially one of my top 5 favorite places in Italy. We ate fresh cheeses, pizzocheri, bresaola and swiss chocolate. The foods exceeded any of our expectations. The only thing I regret is not running up the mountain and singing "The Sound of Music." Aaah, but don't worry, there's always next time. We also got to go to the Liguria. Alex's aunt has a beach house in Ceriale. Here is where you find the bluest of blue oceans. And again the food. Zia Tina's culinary skills would put a World Top Chef to shame. We decided to return to Cinque Terre (also one of the top 5 on my list). What can we say? It was just as beautiful as we left it and no picture could ever do it justice. I'm hoping that next time we go, we can walk the complete paths between the small towns. I've been told it's quite the workout but well worth it. As a family we did walk the Via Del'Amore. It ran along the outside of the mountain so the scenery was spectacular. We realized once again that we would need more time to see everything at a normal pace, not to mention Porto Fino, so we plan to return there as well. Our last week, we stayed in Milan and took it easy. We must have hit every market available to us, so it took us about a week to pack. We even had to send a box by courier since we knew we would have to pay a hefty fine at the airport...and in the end had to pay anyways!! That's another story but definitely a big lesson learned. So, now we're at home and dreaming of our next get away. I think we just might have enough to get us over the bridge to Hull, assuming we hitch hike.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

It's been a while since we posted any baby information. We are still feeling the loss of our China baby. For the last two months, we've been asking ourselves "Where do we go from here?". So many possibilites. Do you ever go to a restaurant and there's just too many choices on the menu. The waitress keeps coming back but you just can't seem to make up your mind. Well, I guess you can say, it's sort of like that but just more emotional, complicated and definitely more expensive. So on the menu we have these choices: 1) Do we just stick with one child? We asked Portia how she felt about this, but she became very upset. Truly, we don't feel that was the right answer for us anyway. 2) Do we try to adopt domestically? For the record, we did have a chance to adopt a new born baby, however, for personal reasons decided against it. This is a decision that we may likely regret for life. 3) Do we choose another country and try to adopt internationally again?
We're not sure what the future holds but for the moment we've registered with a Vietnam Adoption Agency. That only means that we are on a waiting list which will give us time before we need to make any real costly decisions. In the meantime, we continue to pray for guidance.

Fall Is In The Air

Well, summer is finally over and the leaves are quickly falling from the trees. What's new?? Portia started school. She was so excited to be going but I really had a hard time letting go. The first day she took the school bus was the hardest. She looked so beautiful, yet still so baby like. I kept questioning myself, wondering if I was doing the right thing. Maybe I should wait another year before I send her off...but I knew she really wanted to go and needed the stimulation. Of course the school bus came late and for every passing moment, our anxiety grew. Finally it came around the corner and I sensed Portia hesitating. Alex must have sensed how we were feeling since he swiped her up, put her on the bus between two bigger children, and sent her off. The doors closed and I stood there crying like a baby. Alex had to drive me home since I was a mess. I came into our quiet house and started to bawl. A little while later, a friend called (Tina) and informed me that she saw Portia, and her massive backpack, get off the bus. Actually she was so small, the teacher had to help her down. She just looked at Tina and said "Hi zia. Where's Tianna?", as if it was any regular day. Portia was so excited when we came to pick her up at the bus stop. She even told us that one of the big kids that she sat with held her hand. She said she couldn't wait to go back to school. Yeah, let's see how long she sings that tune?!