Some Cool Stuff

I got this in the mail today. The key chain says "God Bless The Flad Family". Yes I see it as a sign. I see it all as sign. It was one of those things were they send you something and ask for money. I might send them 20 bucks. We can use all the help we need lol


This I found at Barnes & Nobles. Its a monkey planner. I love it. It includes a monkey eraser and monkey writing pad. Its cool :)


Gotta go to school.

Bad News and Good News

I'll tell you the bad news first. I am still not ovulating. Yup that sucks. My progestrone level was 0.5 this cycle and they like to see it at over 15. I am disappointed but not really heartbroken. I kinda knew I still wasnt. I really like my new doctor though and I love the nurse. She is the coolest. So I will hopefully finish this cycle on my own. I then the plan is to get some baseline bloodwork done. This will be the whole shabang of bloodwork. I havent had that done since 2003 before getting of bloodwork. Hopefully that will give a glimpse into what is going on. Then I will try clomid at 50mg to see if that works. So thats the plan for that. I'm okay with this and thats because of the following good news.

I have a NEW JOB! Yay I am so very excited. I am sad to leave my old job but I dont think it was enough of a challenge, on most days, for me. I new job is a huge professional step up for me and I am looking forward to the new challenge. I am the new center director for a migrant headstart. What is that? A migrant headstart serves the children of migrant (seasonal)/low income family. It is mainly a hispanic population. As some of you know, my parents immigrated from Mexico. They came to this country with basic education and no english. As children we were low income, I was the kid getting on the bus to go to headstart. My parents were also migrant workers. They worked the fields and all sorts of manual labor. So this position for me and my family is like coming full circle. Now I have the opportunity to help these families transition and succeed. I am really super excited about it. Another perk is that because my center serves children 0-4yrs, the munchkin can come to work with me. Yay! This solves the daycare dilema working mommies face. Oh yeah I'll be making more money too lol

Anyway this is a transition time for us. Although I would be over the moon if we got munchkin now, I am okay with the delay (not happy about it but okay). This will give me time to settle into my new job and all that. So alot is going on right now in our lives. We are going to start looking for a house closer to my job. We wont buy just yet until we see if this job is going to be a nice fit for us.

Please go over and congratulate Mary-Mia & Rod on their double blessings.

Just Another Rainy Day

Yup when you live in south Louisiana you get used to rainy days. Its been raining here for days and days. Its getting kind of old. Right now we are just sitting around watching NASCAR and checking up on Ernesto. It will suck if it comes this way. Larry leaves on monday so that means Max and I would have to evacuate on our own. I have never evacuated on my own. But hopefully it will not come here. Its sad that everyone prays that it hits someone else. I guess thats just the way things work around here. Not much else to report. Have a great weekend

Not much to report

The title says it all. There is not much to report here. We are just chugging along. I started school yesterday. Its cool. I am taking a finance class, an accounting class, and a communications class. I go to school two evenings a week and take one over the internet. There is only 11 classes in the program and these are number 5,6, and 7. So slowly but surely I will get that degree. So far I have a 4.0 but dont know how much longer that will last. My finance class is cool, the professor went to Texas A&M so thats awesome. Not many aggies out here. Wish me luck.

On the home front, I am still holding down the fort alone as Larry is out of town yet again. Such is life I guess. We are thinking of taking a trip to see my parents soon. We are still in the thinking phase. Also I think I am coming down with something. My throat hurts and I am starting to sound weird. Better hit the OJ.

On the baby front, we are waiting. Yup still waiting. I am making myself comfortable for a loooong wait lol I think I have come to terms with it. Like I said earlier, such is life. Tomorrow I have a doctors appointment to do some bloodwork. We shall see what the results are. I am drinking this tea I bought in Mexico. Its nasty but if it works I'll drink it. I'll post the bloodwork results once I get them so you can all overanalyze with me.

Have a great one.

Cool Stuff

Our friend Courtney is an audiologist. Since Larry is in the sound business, she is getting some custom made earplugs for him. Thanks, Courtney!(I know you ready this so leave us a message) Today we met Courtney to get a mold of Larry's ears. She could only do one ear today because his other one is too full of wax lol. I knew he had a listening problem lol j/k. Anyway heres what happened:

In this one, she is shooting the putty into his ear. Dont worry she really does know what she is doing :)

Here is what his ear looks like with all the stuff in it.
And here is the mold of his ear.

We thought it was really cool. We also got to play with her ear magnifier thingy. Larrys ears are so gross lol

Today we also went to see the movie 'World Trade Center'. It was really sad. I cried.

Other than that not much going on. Having a nice relaxing saturday.

Bound to Happen

Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later:
This girl comes up to me and rubs my stomach thinking the I was
pregnant :( She makes a remark about it. I had to tell her that no I am not pregnant just fat. That totally did not make my day. It made me sad.

So I am not the skinniest girl on the block but I am not really fat. I have a tummy, its part beer belly from college lol and part pcos. Its also part 'I like to eat and not exercise'. But I think this is what I needed to give me that push. I will start exercising in the morning. Please encourage me to keep going. Cant let this happen again.

Bad Blogger

Ok I've been a bad blogger. I'm in a funk. I think its because Larry has been gone so much. We have been married 2.5 years together for over 3 years and this is the longest we have been apart. I miss him. Its also the limbo thing I think. Blah... but all there is to do is focus on living life. Work kinda stinks too, lots of change going on. I dont like it much, but gotta pay the bills.

So I spend as much time as I can with our niece Laura, she's about 6 months now and a cutie. (I will ask Laura's mommy if I can post a picture of her on here) I am feeling more and more comfortable around babies since Laura was born. I actually gave her a bath today (with my mother-in-law's help lol) she was a squirmy little thing lol

Also I start school next week. I will be taking 3 classes. Yup you read that right. I work full time and will be taking 9 hours of classes. Oh yeah and somehow trying to get a baby somehow, someway. lol Wish me luck.

Lost

I was talking to a friend of mine today and the 'whats up with the two year wait thing?' My answer to that is I dont know. I wont know for a while I guess. I am also starting the whole ovulation predictor thing this month. We will see how that goes. I kinda feel lost. Sort of like when you are in a busy mall and you just stand there looking around because you dont know which way your store is, while people are passing you by. Do I go down that wing or that other wing? To the right or to the left? So I think I will just stand here and wait for a sign. Yup thats what I will do. I am confident that the right path will be revealed.

Other than that, Larry is still out of town hopefully just a few more days. I have lots and lots of work and I start school in 2 weeks. Exciting life I lead lol Right now I am trying to decide between eating chocolate pudding or oreo cookies. These is about the biggest decision I plan to make for a while. lol

Oh yeah, thanks to all who left comments on my last post. Its nice to know that others have been where I am at. Thanks

The Good, The Bad, and Unsure

As you can see I havent been on much. I've been laying low as I have alot of thoughts running through my head. I spend the weekend in Texas with Larry visiting my family and enjoying some Texas heat and food. We had a great weekend. So as the title states there is good news, bad news and some unsureness over here.

The Good:
Our papers were received in Mexico. They were all complete and approved. I have to call in two weeks to schedule a meeting with the committee.

The Bad:
We were told it was a two year wait. Yup thats right two years at least. It was said more like 2-4yrs. We never expected that the wait would be that long. I dont understand. There are tons of children sitting in orphanages.

The Unsure:
Do we want to wait at least two years? For all of you that are going thru an adoption journey you know how it is to wait, especially an international adoption. You have to put your life on hold otherwise your paperwork must be resubmitted. We were hoping that once we had munchkin we could look more into the option of moving to Texas. Well if we decide to wait the two years then the opportunity to move will pass us up.

Now here is the kicker, as many of you know we are pursuing adoption because of infertility. I have pcos and problems ovulation. I actually havent been able to ovulate or have a cycle on my own since coming off birthcontrol pills 18 months ago. Even with fertility medicines, I did not produce any eggs. Rather than going into further fertility treatments we decided to go the adoption route. But we were told that at any moment my body could kick back in. It could be a month, a year, 10 years. We just dont know. Well on friday I started my period. The first period that has come on its own in 18 months. So could it be that my body is starting to rise from the dead? We dont know. At this point we have decided that I will go to the doctor and have tests done to see if I am ovulating as well as make an appointment to meet the adoption committee in Mexico.

We honestly just dont know what lays ahead. We hope and pray that God will lead us in the path that He has chosen for us and that we are strong enough to accept this as Gods will. It is much easier for Larry to understand and accept because he has so much faith, I feel that my faith is not as strong. But Larry and I will hang tight.

As always my posts have to have something about signs. While driving around this weekend, I kept hearing the same commercial about ovulation prediction kits. It was actually getting annoying in how often they played that commercial. So is that a sign. I dont know.

Other than that another fun filled week of work and missing Larry. This is hopefully his last week away from home.

Puppy Love

I figured out that I havent posted a picture of our puppy. Max is a terrier/lab mix. He really doesnt like my new camera. In this picture he was hiding from it. See his nose and paw under the table? (Ignore my cluttered table lol)


He actually stopped long enough for me to snap this one.
This is him in action. He's a pretty fast puppy.

Very Funny

I made this for the munchkin. I think its hilarious. I was going to add 'legally' to it but decided against it. I'm thinking about making one that says 'Made in Mexico'.

Enjoy!

If you are seeing this please leave us a message. They make us feel special. You dont have to be registered just click the 'comment' link below.

More Shopping

This is my new toy:
At this moment the battery is charging. I cant wait to play with it. Oh yes by the way this is a digital picture of my new digital camera. Yay!!!!1

Shopping

We did some shopping today and this is what we ended up with. I dont buy much clothes for the munchkin manly because we dont know the gender. Once in a while I see something I really like so I go ahead and buy it. I went and saw it like three times before I actually bought it:




*going with my signs theme, something funny happened while we were shopping. We were asked at two different locations if what we were buying was for a girl or a boy. Did we want a boy disney bag or a girl disney bag? How weird is that? I was like 'ummm...do you have a unknown gender bag?'. what kind of sign is this? very weird.

Onto other shopping adventures, I love books. Among the things I want to teach munchkin is a love for books, so with that in mind everytime I see a good bargain I buy some. This were $1 a piece:


And this is the books we have accumulated for munchkin. Some are in English, some in Spanish and some in both languages. If anyone knows of any good books for munchkin please pass on the title so I can look for it. Thanks

Have a great one everyone!

Midnight Ramblings

Yes its midnight and I am still awake. This is my midnight ramblings. I was watching Law & Order (my favorite show ever) and the episode was about a child that was abducted at birth then adopted by a good family. So 12 years later the birthfather finds out about him and wants custody. He wins. The adoptive parents as well as the boy are crushed.

That is the main reason that we decided to adopt internationally. My biggest fear was to have my baby yanked away from us. Here in the US the laws are made to protect the biological parents, but who is protecting the child and the adoptive parents. The laws in this country, I think, are what turns many adoptive parents to other countries. Can this happen abroad? It rather unlikely. One children adopted internationally are usually abandoned in orphanages or government offices. In China, an ad runs in the local paper; in Guatemala they do DNA tests. In Mexico, they also do biological family searches or the biological mother has to sign off on the adoption before giving labor.

While I want my munchkin badly, I dont want him/her to come to me because of a crime. I want munchkin to come to me because a biological mother wanted to give this baby a better life.

Enough of my midnight ramblings...I must sleep

Ranting

So everyday I do my journey to the mailbox hoping that brown envelope is in there. Instead I always find at least one of these:



Yup, credit card pre approvals. Why do we get so many of these and when all I want is our pre approval to be parents.

So then I get angry. Why do I have to get pre approval to be a parent? You dont see doctors when you go for your first appointment say 'well you have to complete all this and submit it and wait for your pre approval before you get to take your baby home from the hospital'. Everyday I see people who arent fit to be parents with a child. Why didnt anybody do a homestudy on them before they brought the baby home. That is what makes me mad.

I know that I am very lucky. I am very blessed to have a marriage that is strong and can stand the scrutiny of a social worker. I am blessed to that our bank account, while not robust, can be managed to support a child. I am blessed that I have a home that I can proudly show off to the social worker. That I can show her the completed nursery for that much wanted baby. Yes I know that I am extremely lucky and after a few minutes I stop being mad.

So God yes I know I am blessed, I realize this and I am thankful but could you please bring my baby home. I long to hold him or her and rock them to sleep and love them. I long to share the joy of watching our child grow with Larry. I long to share this very blessed life I have with our munchkin. Thanks for listening

On another note, I know Larry sometimes reads the blog so I wanted to leave him a message: You are by far the biggest blessing in my life. Thanks for being the best friend and the best husband a girl can have. I love you and I miss you :)

Now that I got off my rant. Please visit our quilt blog to see the cool pieces of fabric we have received for munchkins quilt.

All In A Days Work

Weekends are usually really lazy or really busy for the Flad household. This one is pretty hectic as Larry is going out of town on sunday and we had lots to do. This is how is started friday night with Larry having a snack. Look closely at the picture to see what he is eating.

Did you catch it? If you said chocolate pudding and orange juice you are correct. Yuck! Larry will drink orange juice with just about anything, cookies, cinnamon rolls, etc. I just think the whole sweet and sour shouldnt be mixed but to each his own. I still tease him though.

Next we went to one of our favorites stores, Academy. We got this for the munchkin because all babies have to have a camo outfit. (For those of you that are wondering why everything I buy isnt feminine, thats because I am not much of a girly girl and if munchkin is a she, she will be a little bit of a tomboy; sorta like mommy lol). Anyway this onesie comes with a camo hat and camo bib. We thought it was cool.
Finally, we got this bear to take to Mexico with us when we get munchkin. I'll probably start carrying around the house when it get closer that way it kinda smells like me and munchkin might feel comfortable with that. Now I am thinking I might have to get another one and have the tshirt in spanish. We'll see.


Finally, I made this blankie for munchkin. My sewing is abismal at best but I am learning and I actually really like the way this one came out. We will be taking this to Mexico with us too.

So that was our busy day today. We were going to mow the lawn but it started raining so that will have to be done tomorrow. As well as my homework which I have been putting off all weekend and blogging is a great reason to postpone it lol

Signs

My sister and I were talking about God showing us signs the other day. Had we missed our signs that God was sending us for which way our lives would lead. I came across this and thought I would share it with you

"The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a Chickadee sang.
But, the man did not hear.
So the man yelled "God, speak to me!" And, the thunder rolled across the sky.
But, the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, "God let me see you." And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not notice.
And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle!" And, a life was born.
But, the man did not know.
So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
Don't miss out on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that you expect."

Why does this come up today? I went shopping at the mall today and while I was looking at some baby clothes I see this little boy following me (maybe 5-6 years old). He's talking in spanish so I know he is hispanic. Anyway he follows me for a couple minutes then asks a question. When I turn around he realizes that I am not his mommy. He thought I was his mommy. He then starts looking for his mom and I see her looking for him. After she stresses to him the importance of not leaving her side, in spanish. I start thinking. If munchkin is a boy will he look like this little cutie. Is this a sign that munchkin is near? Is this a sign that munchkin is a boy? Is it a sign that someone will soon be calling me mommy? Larry's mom says its a sign, Larry just laughs at us. lol Anyway this is my life, always asking questions, always looking for signs.

In the mail today...

Look at what came in the mail today. No it wasnt the I171 but its still a cool little something. I am always buying little things here and there for munchkin. This one goes well with the shoes.

Go Aggies!!! Whoop!!!

Is It August Yet?

First of all, gracias Tia Elvira por tratar de llevar los documentos al DIF. Nimodo tendremos que esperarnos hasta Agosto.

Ok well obviously the second half of July is not going well for me. Work is a pain, I like what I do but I am not really liking all the problems right about now. Also I have finals in the next two weeks (for those of you that dont know, I am currently trying to complete my MBA in the evenings) which makes everything hectic. Lets see what else, oh yeah..Larry will be on a business trip starting monday for two weeks. That really bites I hate when he is gone. I get lonely :(

So how does this get worse? The lady in charge at social services in Mexico is on vacation until Aug 1. Doesnt that suck for me. Now our documents wont get turned in until at least Aug 1. So can we please skip on over to Aug. Arghhh.

Well I am going to go hide now in hopes that no more problems will come this way at least for today.

Way too much thought into the mail.

So I am having a tough Monday morning with work and family issues. I have been at work since 7am (I know late for some, but early for me). Nothing but trouble. Had the cellphone at the ear since then. Then more problems with the family. So nothing but trouble. So then I get home and check the mail. [A little background info: So you international adoptive parents know what its like to check the mail. For those that dont, its almost like peeing on a stick. You are just waiting for that darn 171H (it comes in a brown envelope from what I have heard). Then when you finally get it in the mail its like getting a positive on the test lol] Everyday I check the mail hoping to get that brown envelope. Mail is an exciting time in this household. So after my tough morning I am hoping that we have good mail, but instead we get this:



Ironic? Insulting? An omen? So is this Gods way of telling me heres something you might never experience or is this God saying munchkin is conceived? Is this, suprise you better take a test? Can it be munchkin is a girl? Or can it be you better get busy with Larry because this might be it? lol
Another possibility is that I am reading way to much into this and it was just a coincidence.

What do you think?