Doggie Nephew pics & Adoption Plan B

Ok, fun stuff first:

I'm somewhat behind on posting recent pics. I believe I promised to post pics of our new doggie nephew Cuinn (pronounced Quinn.)

after meeting him and I never did. The first shot is Kyle holding the little munchkin. He is so cute and soft. He looks a lot like Rosie except his eyes are green and nose is red. Rosie was very good with her new cousin. For those of you who are wondering what kind of dog he is he is Red Fox Retriever. I had never heard of this breed before. He basically looks like a red lab.

The last picture is of our niece Alyssa w/ her new dog. Boy is she so excited to have a new dog :)

We hope to get another dog when we have a house w/ a yard.

Ok, on to a more depressing note. On Friday, April 25, 2008, the US Embassy in Hanoi took the unprecedented step of releasing a detailed "Summary of Irregularities in Adoptions in Vietnam" about the adoption corruption their recent investigations uncovered in Vietnam. The text of this summary can be found at: http://vietnam. usembassy. gov/irreg_ adoptions042508. html

The bottom line is that we won't have everything in order before Vietnam closes in September. We could try really hard to meet the deadlines but if we don't, we risk the chance of losing a lot of $. We are both extremely upset about this. We had our heart set on this and were really looking forward to adopting our child from Vietnam. So, now we have to find another country to adopt from. I've made numerous phone calls over the past 48 hours and so far I have not made much progress. I seem to be getting a LOT of conflicting info online and from different adoption agencies. I think it is a lot easier when the dad has a disability as opposed to the mother. I've encountered stories of people that didn't have any problems adopting when the husband was the one w/ the disability as opposed to the wife. This is really upsetting to me b/c I am a very independent person and know I can care for a child. Yes, it will take some adaptions and some help initially but there is no doubt in my mind that I can. The fact that so many people see me in such a negative light is so upsetting. Obviously they don't know me personally but it is so hard not to take things personally. For example, today I called an agency to inquire about adopting from Russia. Once the woman heard that I use a wheelchair sahe became very negative and said that in Russia they won't believe that I am capable of taking care of a child b/c I use a wheelchair. Now I know things are different outside the U.S. but COME ON!!!!!!!!I think part of it is that I'm so adjusted to being disabled. It has been almost 17 years so I'm very used to it. I tried to explain to this woman that really the only thing I can't do is stand up but she just did not seem to get it.

Anyway, I feel like we are starting frrom square one but we really aren't b/c at least we have our home study approved, which by the way came in the mail today. The countries I am currently reseaching are as follows:

• The Phillipines
• Tiawan
• Russia
• The Marshall Islands
• Panama
• Puru
• Nepal

I think that is all of them. Hopefully next time I post I'll have narrowed this list down. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I know we will eventually find our child, I just hope it doesn't take too long.

Garrett's1st Communion & Other Stuff

Hi All,
Today our nephew Garrett had his 1st Communion. It was a very special day and I took lots of pictures. The picture to the left is Garrett with us. Today was also our niece Lauren's 10th b-day and her brother's 1st Communion is next weekend. Needless to say, we will be really busy the next couple of weeks with family stuff.

It has been a crazy week. I got cellulitus on my foot and ankle on Monday night. Thank god I caught it early enough this time. Last time I had it I had to be hospitalized for a few days. Thankfully this time since it was caught early enough it was treated with one shot of IV antibiotics at the Dr's office and then oral antibiotics. In case you don't know what cellulitis is here is a little blurb:

Cellulitis (sel-u-LI-tis) is a common, potentially serious bacterial skin infection. Cellulitis appears as a swollen, red area of skin that feels hot and tender, and it may spread rapidly.
Skin on lower legs is most commonly affected, though cellulitis can occur anywhere on your body or face. Infections on the face are more common in children and older adults. Cellulitis may affect only your skin's surface — or, cellulitis may also affect tissues underlying your skin and can spread to your lymph nodes and bloodstream.
Left untreated, the spreading infection may rapidly turn life-threatening. That's why it's important to seek immediate medical attention if cellulitis symptoms occur.

On a happy note, Kyle has a new job @ Comcast and he's really excited about it! We also get free cable and Internet so I will be even more of a couch potato. DVR here I come!!!! Congrats Kyle- I'm proud of you!
Tomorrow we are doing chores around the condo and then having an early dinner with my old high school friend Natalie & her partner Stephanie. We can't wait to see them both!

Below are a few more shots from today.

Michaela, Lauren & Sarah

My dad & Kyle

Lauren, Kyle and Caroline being goofy