Even Closer

I had e-mailed my adoption consultant at CHI last night and today when she responded she told me we were not #35 on the waiting list, but #33. Who knows when we'll get our referral, but it may be sometime in the near future. Stay tuned for one day in the not very distant future.

Finally Referrals!

We started the week with a bang as there were 5 referrals at our agency on Monday: a 3 month baby boy, a 10 month baby boy, 2 1/2 month twin boys, a 2 1/2 year old girl, and a 4 year old girl. Then on Tuesday, there was another referral for a 2 year old girl. So, I'm thinking , we are about #35.

Raining Referrals from Heaven

Our agency reopened after a 2-week holiday break. We were all hoping for tons of referrals this week. Well the week and the new year got off to a great start. There were 9 children referred, a total of 6 families received. The children referred were: a 5 month old boy - family waited 12 ½ months; a 3 month old boy - family waited just over 11 months; an 8 ½ month old girl - family waited 14 ½ mos; 2 month old twins (girl and boy) - family waited 17 ½ months, 2 siblings (girl and boy) 2 yrs and 3 ½ yrs - family waited 14 mos and 4 yr old twin girls - family waited 15 months. So we have moved 6 more places and are about #40.

My best coupon savings year so far!

I've been clipping coupons for quite sometime. I always thought I did fairly well, averaging around $200 in savings a year. This year I started following some coupon and sales blogs and in January attended a coupon clkass by this one woman who has been on tv and several radio shows. Following her tips and those from the blogs, the entire year, I've done better and better with my couponing. I ended 2009 saving $748 in just coupons : manufacture and store coupons as well as CVS Extra Value Bucks and Walgreen's Register Rewards. I saved almost 4 times more in the 4th quarter of 2009 than I did in the first quarter of 2009, as well as more in the entire year of 2009 than I did the entire 3 previous years. Wow!!! If I keep it up, the same way this year I should save even more this year than last year. I wasn't going to keep track this year, but I think I will, plus I found a spreadsheet which will take only a minute or so to more to keep up.

Happy New Year, 2010

Down to Number 46 Now.

Sorry, I kind of got away from blogging and keeping you updated weekly! We are now down to #46. We have had several more referrals in the past 2 weeks and this week and next our agency is closed for the holiday season. On our Yahoo group, one of the waiting families informed all of us that they were dropping out although they were #1 on the list for a girl. They were given the opportunity to adopt a little boy domestically and felt led to accept the opportunity to welcome this little boy into their family. So although, after the end of last week, we expected to finish the year out at #47, we now moved one more place to #46 and are that much closer to our son.

Yes, we are open to either a boy or girl, but the waiting list is much shorter for those wanting a boy and more people want a girl. Initially when we started this adoption journey with China, we expected to have a girl, but as with pregnancy, you wouldn't really have a choice in the matter and decided to be open to either a boy or girl. And am very excited to have a son, eventually. In fact, we haven't even considered any girl names, but have most likely decided on a boy's name, long ago. At this time though, we aren't sharing the name yet, but will eventually. When, who knows? But am hoping for that referral this spring or sooner. Since we are in the mid-40s and the last little boy referrals went to families in the mid-20s on the waiting list, it all depends on how many families between those #s are open to a baby boy. It's starting to get exciting over here. Let's hope Kevin gets the best birthday or even early-birthday present of his life.

3 More

3 more referrals were made by or agency and 3 more spots we moved on the list to #51. Our agency is closed the last 2 weeks of the year for the holidays. Last year, there was a downpour of referrals just before they closed for the holidays, so let's hope for a repeat of that. If the # of referrals keep up the way they have been, our agency is saying there is a good chance of wait times decreasing. So lots to pray about.

Sweet Savings

In the past 2 days, I went to both Walgreen's and CVS and spent only $2.89 , but got Dawn Dish Soap, 2 packages of paper plates and Quilted Northern Toilet Tissue, 9 rolls. Dawn was on sale at CVS usually it is $2.29 and they had it on sale for 99 cents; plus I had a $1 coupon, so I paid only sales tax. Since I bought it in downtown Chicago (which has the nation's highest sales tax, 11.25%, had I gone to the Walgreen's near my house , it would have only been 7% sales tax) I spent a whole 9 cents. Walgreen's had the paper plates, 48 ct. on sale with the store coupon for 2 for $3 and the Quilted Northern was $4.29. I also had Walgreen's Register Reward of $5, so that made the total 2.80. In addition, they were giving $1 Register Rewards for buying the Quilted Northern, which I'll use next shopping trip.

Three Years Ago Today & Now

It was three years ago today that I mailed our application to C*H*I. I would never have imagined that we would still be waiting after 3 years. But these past few weeks have had lots of referral. Two weeks ago, wethere were 6 referrals, last week, there were 2 referrals given, and yesterday, there were 6 and today one referral. I figured , we were about #59 overall. I just heard back from my adoption worker and she has us at #55. Yesterdays'referrals for baby boys in our same age range went to families who were in the mid 20s. The families who were ahead of those families were requesting either girls or siblings. Not sure though how many people between 55 and the mid-20s are requesting boys in the same age range, though. I'm still guessing that our referral will come sometime this spring. Right now, families who received referrals for baby boys waited a little over 11 months.

Moving, Moving

This past week there was a downpour of referrals. 6 in all. 5 boys and 1 girl. We are now 66 on the list, I believe. There was also some courtdates that were given. Things finally seem to be moving again in the Ethiopia program.

I had to add the word verification to my comments, since I was getting spam in my comments. Just type the word and then you can post your comment. Hopefully this will help keep the spammers away.

Better than I thought!

Last week, I got an e-mail from our adoption consultant. Just checking in and updating us on our our position on the list. For a change, the number she gave was less than the number I had figured. I had thought we about #75 and she said we were #71. Almost out of the seventies. We're moving on down! Now we just need a splurge of referrals.

Down 2

There was a referral of a 7 and a half year old girl and a waiting child was placed. So that brings us down 2 places to about 75. We're all hoping for a referrals to pour in soon. Usually once courts open, there are soon after, but courts are not opened full-time just yet. Their is quite a bit of training going on.

Small Purchase, Big Savings

Yesterday, I stopped at CVS for just a couple items. If you bought $15 of Energizer batteries, you got $5 in Extra Value Bucks to use in a future purchase. So I bought 2 four packs of Lithium AA batteries. They also had buy one get one free on Almay blush. Without coupons and sales, everything would have come to over $46.00, but with the sales and the $10.00 in coupons, I saved $25.57 and only spent $21.57. Not a bad day for only 4 purchases.

I was looking at the Meijer One Day Sale items and was really excited to see that they have 3 lb. bags of honeycrisp apples for $1.99; I think I usually see honeycrisp apples going for $2.99 a pound.

CVS Savings

I haven't shared any of my savings lately. Last week, I had a very successful CVS shopping trip. I bought the above, plus one more package of cotton swabs. Had I not bought the items on sale that I did, as well as without coupons it would have come to a little over $70.00. But along with sales, including 3 buy one, get one free items, 1 buy one, get 1 50% off and $15.25 in coupons, I ended up spending only $32.52 and I got $6 in extra value bucks that I can use next time. This week's sale ad looks pretty good and I'll try to put up a post to report my savings.

I'm Back!!!

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I blogged. Courts were closed for part of August and most of September. due to the rainy season. Courts are now open, but there is training and stuff going on so they aren't totally back to normal yet. During the past couple months referrals were very slow, but the past 2 weeks saw about 6 referrals. Also, a few weeks ago I found out where on the list we were . I had figured we were further down the list than we really were, but there were/are 4 families ahead of us who are on hold, so until they get off hold, my guess of where we were on the list was close. I think we are about #77 on the list. Hopefully with courts having just opened, there will be referrals starting to roll in soon and I'll have more to blog about.