No referrals...but a great day!

Sorry to get everyone excited. We didn't hear anything today. There is a lot of talk on the web about what is happening though. Apparently referrals have landed in the U.S., but we probably won't hear anything until Mon. (if we're very lucky) or Tues. (more likely). There have been many email messages of support, sending prayers and good wishes. Thank you!!! This has been a very long journey and it is hard to believe that our 17+month wait is about to come to an end. That doesn't even include all of our experiences and struggles before our paperwork was sent to China. Good thing we have a busy weekend ahead of us to keep ourselves occupied. Then, next week since I'm on spring break, I'll probably be sitting by the phone, so if you need to get in touch with me...:)

Tomorrow, Groups 90 (just returned from China), 91 (our group), and 92 (next), are all getting together. I'm very excited to meet more families from the area and to be able to ask questions of Group 90 members about travel, attachment, etc. I think I'm most excited to see all the new family additions though!!! I am in BABY mode! From there we're heading to Hudson for a "Mystery History" seminar where we'll hear about ways to help the adopted child understand his/her past. That presentation should provide some very interesting, thought provoking information. At the end of the day we're going to New Richmond to celebrate Grandma Heut's birthday. Talk about a spunky lady! It will be fun to have all the family together. We don't see each other often enough.

OK - so the exciting news of the day now...WELCOME HOME LUCY!!! Today I got to meet little Lucy, the newest addition to the Kern family. She is just too cute for words. So - photos will have to do. Enjoy! ...AND, don't mind my rosy cheeks in the first pic. The second I saw Lucy, the tears started flowing. I am an ultra-emotional person anyway, but these last few days definitely have all of my feelings at the surface. I couldn't keep them in any longer.
Beth & Lucy

Phyllis, Beth, & Lucy

Jeanna & Lucy (my favorite Lucy expression of the day)

New Mom & New Mom To-Be

Precious!

Quiet

There was no news from Europe last night (they tend to have their referrals a day before we get them here in the US). So, we're thinking that not much will happen now until next week. (breathe...breathe...breathe...) I'm sure Mom will stay on the RQ site all day and will LMK if there is anything exciting to report. I won't be able to check again now until this afternoon. Have a calm, relaxing day everyone. :) Right? It could happen. :)

It is happening...maybe?

We just got home from bells and dinner out with our friend Lisa and her beautiful children. I immediately jumped on line and I hate to say it, but there isn't much new news out there. I'm guessing everyone on the other side of the world will be waking up soon and then maybe some info will pop up during the night. So, I guess I'm off to bed. I should probably get some sleep while I can because I know once I see our little one's face, I won't sleep well until we have her in our arms. Keep the good vibes coming everyone. Good night all.

Could it be true?!

New gossip that referrals MAY be in the air!!!! I'll pay attention and hopefully have more news soon. PRAY! PLEASE!!

Very Serious Symptoms

These are some acronyms that were posted on the RQ website by waiting parents. As we near referral time (c'mon next week!!!), I thought it would be fun to share them here.

Initial Diagnosis:
PRS -PreRumorSyndrome (not to be confused with PMS) - I am irritable, weepy, angry, overly emotional, easily agitated, and I have severe cravings for anything salty or chocolaty. It happens every month about 2 weeks after the last cycle of referrals, and right before rumors start coming out.

Response from a Waiting Parent:
As a specialist in Pre-Rumour Syndrome since my LID, I can confirm several additional symptoms:
CSA - Chair-Shaped Arse (resulting from an inability to move away from the computer even when sleeping)
HPO - Hideous Pimple Outbreaks (from excessive quantities of chocolate inhaled at half-hourly intervals)
APB - Allocation-Pattern Baldness (from the relentless removal of head hair from the root particularly evident at allocation time)
Bleeding from the ears (from a tendency to repeatedly place fingers in the ears while shouting "la, la, la" whenever a bad-case scenario rumour is posted)

Another Response:
What about our RCS? - Rollar Coaster Stomach

One More:
I hear PRS can last for long periods but is often alleviated for short periods with high volumes of ice cream and chocolate.

OK everyone - I'm officially inviting all of you...waiting parents, family, & friends...to please grab a sip of your favorite beverage and share a toast to the upcoming referrals and the families that will be matched in the next couple of weeks (and to the hopeful remission of many of the symptoms listed above). CHEERS!

P.S. Don't forget to add a bit of ice cream and chocolate to go with that aforementioned sip. ;)

American Idol

Anyone watching this season??? Can anyone explain Sanjaya to me...PLEASE? SERIOUSLY!!! What is up with that hair tonight?!

Words of Wisdom

I found a page from a Midwest Living magazine that I ripped out almost a year ago. Who knows what I was thinking then, but this quotation is pretty encouraging now.

"Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful, yourself." ~ Alan Alda

I feel like I seldom know what I'm doing, so I must be doing something right. :)

Rumor Mill

I thought some of you would like to know that there is a RUMOR out there that referrals may arrive this week. Now (pause for dramatic effect) - I'm not holding my breath. It is only one rumor and usually when the cycle starts to near referral time the gossip is all over the place. I'm still hoping for the first week of April and maybe by the end of this week the rumors will start to align themselves and we'll have a good idea of when they should arrive. Here's hoping.

P.S. I dreamt all last night about 18 mo. old twin girls. :) Possible?

Welcome Spring

WOW are we having a great start to the spring season. What a beautiful day! We took advantage of it today by playing outside all afternoon. We headed over to Shakopee, MN for the day to see Eric (my cousin) & Mandy (his fiancé). We had such a fantastic day with them. It felt a little strange last week when I was thinking about going to visit my 'baby' cousin. I can't believe he's already planning his wedding, and now owns his own home. He's as tall as or taller than Ron for cryin' out loud! When did all this happen? How crazy that all the Hatcher kids are all growing up. The true 'baby' graduates from high school this year...go Bobby! It's hard to believe.

Well anyway, getting back to the point, THANK YOU Eric and Mandy for a wonderful time. Geocaching was fun (6/7 today...not bad). The walk around the neighborhood was an awesome way to welcome spring. Lunch was delicious. And, just being able to spend some time with you was so nice. Congratulations again on your new home (hope you like the wine), and continued best wishes with all of your wedding planning. Prayers to you... Lotsa Love - B

Here are a few pics from our adventures today.

Too Quiet!

There are NO rumors on the adoption boards about referrals. NONE. ZIP. ZILCH. NADA. NIL. ZERO! Everything is so quiet. This part of the referral cycle tends to get difficult for those of us waiting because we just want to know. We all keep computors close (if we can) and continuously hit "refresh" on the RQ website or on some of our other lists just clinging to the slim chance that some news will leak and we'll hear that a package is on the way. Hopefully within a couple of weeks we'll be coming home to exciting e-mails and the adoption sites will be overflowing with news and photos of referrals. Things are about to get wild...we hope.

On a different note...We had a rehearsal at church tonight and our group is singing a song on Sunday called "Remember Me." We've sung this song before, but tonight I sang with different perspective.

"Remember me
When the children leave their Sunday schools with smiles
Remember me
When they're old enough to teach
Old enough to preach
Old enough to leave

Age to age and heart to heart
Bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder, Child of God
I've remembered you
Remember Me"

I've been praying a lot recently for our child and those who are caring for her now. I just know that God has his hand on our little angel and that he tenderly watches over her and her "nannies." How thankful we are for all of the blessings in our lives. How awesome that God remembers us each and every day. How often we rush through our everyday grind and forget to remember and thank God. As God opens his arms to all the children of the world, we are to remember that we are included, as He is our Father. To our little one, half a world away, you are a child of wonder, and by God's grace and design we'll soon hold you in our arms and remember just how blessed we are.

Latest Speculation

RQ (Rumor Queen) is thinking the most likely date for the arrival of the next batch of referrals is April 6 (Friday). They have to come sometime that week. They just have to! Here little storky....here storky, storky, storky. We're ready any time now.

We're the lucky ones.

I just got home from church and choir practice tonight and realized that I still had a note in my choir folder about a verse from one of the hymns we sang a couple Sundays ago. The lyrics of the last verse are especially poignant for us at this time.

Come to Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty (vs. 6)

Come to me, abandoned, orphaned;
lonely ways no longer roam.
Come and take the gift I offer,
let me make us you my home.

We are so blessed that our Lord adopted us all as his children. We don't have to experience loneliness. We don't need to wander through this world without direction. We've been given an immeasurable gift...we didn't have to ask, we don't deserve it, but we've got it...and we're home.

Our little tyke will soon be in our arms and "home" with us. But I sometimes forget that she has already been welcomed to this world as God's amazing creation and we will simply be lucky enough to share a brief moment of time with her in this life. We will be gifted with the incredible honor of becoming her parents. How cool is that? She is a gift. She is a blessing. We are so fortunate to be part of His plan.

$$$? The Price Of Children

I got this e-mail from one of my friends yesterday and since we're in nesting mode here at our house, I thought I'd share it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?

* Naming rights: first, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day
* Giggles under the covers every night
* More love than your heart can hold
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream or pizza regardless.

You get a front row seat to history, to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits. So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!

Lauren!!!

I got a phone call last night from my friend Tricia who also happens to be the loving mother of our first Godchild, Lauren. I can't believe how time has flown by, but Lauren is now 6 yrs. old and just finished her 2nd trimester of kindergarten. GEEZ! Where have I been? Anyway - Our little dearheart got a stellar report card (mostly 4's with a couple 3's...apparently meaning outstanding and proficient respectively...or something like that). She also got some wonderful positive comments from her teachers about what a good student she is. At any rate, what it all boils down to, is that little peanut is a smart girl and we are VERY proud of her. Here are just a few photos that I could get my fingers on in short notice. You can see her grow over a couple years I guess. Enjoy!

Remembering Grandma Charlotte

Most of you know that my Grandma Hatcher passed away recently so I've been in a Grandma mindset for a couple months. Well, it dawned on me yesterday that today was the day we celebrated my Grandma Perry's life at her funeral service in 2000. I pulled out the journal I kept during that time and read about all of the things I felt as I said goodbye to her. She was an amazing strong woman and a wonderful matriarch to this family. Anyone who ever met her loved her immediately. She was so gracious and tender and the pride she felt for her family was very evident. In my journal I wrote about how much I learned from her about patience, humility, kindness, compassion, and contentment. I remember when Grandma came to our first apartment in Northfield, MN, and how she loved our two cats. I remember how we used to climb the tree behind her old farm house and how I needed to use the green step stool to reach the bottom branch. I remember Grandma's sugar cookies, waffles, apple sauce, and ring bologna with mac and cheese. I remember how beautiful Grandma looked in her blue dress at our wedding. I remember when Ron and I visited her in Sauk City and how she made us terrible mustard chicken...she LOVED it...and I remember her ordering mustard for her pancakes one morning when we were out for breakfast. I remember when we used to play with our cousins in the dark outside the old farm house and how Scott shouted and jumped out of the bushes at me...scaring me half to death. I remember how Grandma used to take us on her long walks and how she'd always stop to tell us about the flowers. I remember spending Christmas in AZ with her and Betty and how we actually went SWIMMING on Christmas Day. I remember playing hide-and-seek in the corn field and then fighting about who got to feed the dinner scraps to the pigs. I remember Grandma knitting all the time (and the pink sweater she made me...the softest I ever had). I remember how Grandma used to wake up early to steam her hair and set her curls for the day. I remember Grandma joining us for family vacations - 5 of us in the little Chevette...before we got the van. We did it. I will always remember driving to Black River Falls to meet Grandma where she'd give us pails of the strawberries she loved to pick. I have so many memories of Grandma Charlotte and we still miss her terribly. What a blessing she was to all of those who knew her. We just happened to be lucky enough to be part of her family.

This is the poem that was printed in the bulletin for Grandma's visitation.

I am home in heaven, dear ones;
Oh, so happy and so bright!
There is perfect joy and beauty
In this everlasting light.

All the pain and grief is over,
Every restless tossing passed;
I am now at peace forever,
Safely home in heaven at last.

There is work still waiting for you,
So you must not idly stand;
Do it now, while life remaineth
You shall rest in God's own land.

When that work is all completed,
He will gently call you Home;
Oh, the rapture of the meeting,
Oh the joy to see you come!

I pulled out the CD that Dad made with some of the Perry family photos and I'd like to share some of my favorites of Grandma here. Enjoy these snapshots. Charlotte Gibbons Perry was a beautiful woman.

Charlotte Gibbons 1922

Charlotte & Dogs in Cable

Charlotte's College Graduation Picture - 1928

Mr. & Mrs. Mark E. Perry Sr. - July 6, 1946

More Pix from Fondue

Here are just a few more photos. Enjoy! Thank you all for a great time!

Fondue Party!

We got invited to get together with some friends after church for fondue. YEA!!! We typically only use that gadget once a year (New Year's Eve) so this was great. We ate very well with all three courses, of course...cheese, oil, and CHOCOLATE! :) It was delicious! Yes - this is a group of friends from church. Just disregard the beer signs in the background of some of the photos. We met at the legion for more space. It was very convenient and we had a fantastic time. There is already talk of Jodi setting up a blog (that's "blob" to you, Eric) for keeping us all better in touch for organizing more gatherings like this. It was a fun afternoon.

Promised Photos #2

Group 91 Tykes - Ella, Lexi, & Ellen

Carrie & Ella (home 6 mo. already)

A few of the Group 91 moms - We can't wait!

Promised Photos

Here are the photos of Ron's project. Can you see the fine craftsmanship? He's a genius! :)

Happy Saturday!

We're having a great day. Ron is still going to town on the shelving in the garage. We'll have to edit this post and add some pictures tomorrow if we have a little time. I took a couple this morning to show the great progress. I've been busy in the house going through all the stuff that has been piling up in the nursery over the past two years. We can no longer use that room as a place to store things or stash the clutter and close the door. I've emptied out the dresser drawers where I've been collecting some of the scrapbook supplies I'd like to use to commemorate this journey. I wish I could say that I found a place to put it all away, but what was once hidden is now in full view and unorganized on the dining room table. Oh, well. It is progress I guess. At least it is all out of the room.

We just got home from an evening out with Group 91. (I'll add photos from this, too.) We were hoping, of course, that we would have had our referrals to celebrate, but no such luck. We had a great time at dinner though. Everyone was speculating about possible referral dates, which province our children will be from, how old they will be, and buzzing about travel plans and packing lists. We all had the honor of meeting Ella who came home from China 6 months ago to join her forever family in Woodbury. She is a very spirited little 2 yr. old and seems to have found her rightful place in the Maurer family. We also have sort of 'adopted' another couple into our group. They just received TA (travel approval) for an almost 2 yr. old little girl and will be leaving very soon to bring her home. Their daughter, Sarah, is so expressive in her photos and I know they can't wait to have her in their arms.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. I think it is time for a little brandy slush.

Current #1 Baby

We gave Ella a little voice with the puppy ticker above so we thought she should have a little photo space as well. Isn't she pretty? Ella has been waiting for our baby come home as long as we have. She LOVES children. We've introduced her to many special young kiddos over the past couple of years to make sure she'll behave with her own little family member nearby. She does GREAT! In fact, when guests leave, Ella sometimes will display symptoms of depression and won't eat for a couple of days. She's a very sensitive girl and has such a tender heart. How can you not love that face?

Another test for something new...

I just want to see what happens to the new post. Will the counter and ticker stay put?

So, why is it only Tuesday night and I'm already exhausted? Ron had bowling last night (he bowled a 7 'something' series!!!...and P.S. ...a 299!!! a couple of weeks ago) and I was busy getting the oil changed in the car, running around, and getting some stuff done around the house. Then, this afternoon I had a staff meeting, dinner with a couple of friends, and I was supposed to make a hotdish for the ladies to serve for lunch at church before the Lenten service tomorrow. Well, I'm sorry to say I totally bugged out of that responsibility. On my way home, I stopped and picked up frozen lasagna. I just ran out of time. It is now 10:15, the "hotdish" is at church in the fridge, and I'm finally off to bed. My 4:45 alarm seems to come pretty quickly after my head hits the pillow.

Ron is in the garage. I am loving this being close to referral feeling! We are totally nesting! You may have read that we were working on some closet shelving this weekend. Well, after work today, Ron and his brother (THANK YOU, Brian!) went to the Depot and picked up some supplies for insulating, rocking, and shelving the back wall of the garage. So Ron, being the awesome hard working husband that he is, is out there working like crazy. I am very proud of him and LOVE seeing him so determined. How am I going to feel when I see him having "Daddy time" with our child? I'm afraid my heart may just jump right out of my chest.

Night everyone...

Our Ultrasound Photo

Well everyone...HERE IT IS! The long awaited 1st photo of our new addition. It was much too difficult for me to convert this image to jpeg format to add it here. I have so much to learn. At any rate...Can you see "Baby Heut"? Unfortunately you'll have to use your imagination for a little while yet. But, God willing, it won't be too much longer before we'll have our actual referral photo in hand. 'Til then...

Up-&-Running

Well - here we are in blogland. We're hoping to see if we can get both of us publishing posts here so we can make this our primary family site. We'll probably wind down the use of our original "Heutmaker Happenings" page soon. It has been wonderful to journal there and has been a very special place to share our adoption story. Depending on how smoothly this blogging thing goes, we are also contemplating setting up another website just to document our travels and photos from China. I'm not making any promises at this point since I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, but it would be nice to have a space comptletely designated for our adoption experiences separate from our main family page. Will it happen? I just dunno. Here's hoping.

Have a great night everyone. I'm off to catch up on that missed hour of sleep SOON. Sweet Dreams.

My idea of pics

This is not my typical after noon, but Ella need a little "Ron" time. I think she likes me.

PIX?

Let's see if I can do the photo thing...

Testing

I'm just testing the blogging process. Will it post...or will it disappear?