THE ZOO!!

Today was our most beautiful day of the year I believe!! So, I took off work and went to the Zoo with my friends Shannon, Jack & Palmer and Leighann & Kaitlyn! We had the best time!! The weather was just fabulous!!! Here are some photos of our day!!

Two Little Monkey's

Kaitlyn can't run from those boys!

Palmer gives Kaitlyn some love!


Supastaaaa!


The new baby elephant!!

The tired boys at the end of the day!!!

The Final Touch!!

I finally got the chair back from dad. I placed it i Izabella's room tonight. It looks so nice! Thanks dad! You and mom are the best!

Sadness...

We just found out that we are NOT getting our referral this month. We missed the cutoff by one day. We were for sure we would be in but China had a different plan. The good news is that we WILL be in next month if they only match one day because that will be us -- the 10th. So keep us in your prayers to survive one more month without seeing Izabella's sweet smiling face!!

This is how I feel...

Sweet Aunt Maude

Well tonight I am in Harlan, Kentucky with my family to attend my great aunt's funeral. She is the sister of my grandmother who will be 96 next month. Yes, my grandmother who I call Nanny will be 96! Her sister (Aunt Maude) died yesterday after a long battle with lung cancer. She lived a long full life and is now in heaven seeing the life that we await. Tomorrow is the funeral here in Harlan where she will be laid to rest.



Tonight while at the local Wal-mart -- mom forgot to pack underwear -- she's gonna kill me for this one, I asked her, "do you think this time next week I will know my Izabella?" and of course in all of her positiveness, she said "I know you will." But you know, I am thinking about it and how one picture of a child who is 6,859 miles away can have such a life altering impact on two families. Not only my family but the family of the little girl (I'm assuming) that will be our daughter. I'm sure they will always wonder who her family will be and where in the world she will be. If she is safe and loved and cared for. I can't imagine the pain and longing that family must have and excitement and joy that we are anticipating and will feel. Who ever you are out there, I personally can make one promise to you, she is going to have so much joy in her life. She will be so loved and cared for and we are going to give her the best life that we possibly can. If only there was a way to let them know that. It is so hard for me to believe that there are people out there that harm children or neglect their children. It upsets me so much to see or hear something like that. I cannot imagine!!



I just know that this time next week my whole life will possibly be different because of a sweet little face that we cannot wait to see.

More Room Stuff

Here are the cushions to the glider that I found at the Goodwill! Dad still has the chair and is painting it for me. He finished upholstering the cushions and footrest and the pillows. They all coordinate to the fabric in the letters of her name on the wall. My neighbors Kim and little Ella who will be Izabella's little friend came over to see her new room. Ella squealed and just looked around. I think she liked it!! Dad, you did a fabulous job on these!! I know Izabella is going to love them as much as I do!!

FINALLY ITS DONE!!

After two long weeks of work, the Nursery is FINALLY done!! I can't believe how beautiful it is!! AND, we are crossing our fingers that we will get our referral possibly next week!!

Now that it is done, it makes me want to go NOW!! I cannot wait for her to see her new room!!!

THE ROOM

Okay so I have been working on getting the Nursery ready for Izabella's arrival. Hopefully we will know something first of April. That is sure what I am hoping. What a journey this has been. Well, here is what we have done so far. Stay tuned this week as I will have more updates of the progress...

Ron turns 34

My brother turned 34 today. We had a little birthday lunch for dinner with a strawberry cake from the Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen!

And here is sweet Nanny - my almost 96 year old grandmother.

And, here is the baby's room so far...

The Past week...

Well last Friday which was February 29 this is what we woke up to...

It is HAIL the size of peas!!

Then I went scrapbooking for the weekend, got bronchitis and finally am over it and today we got 13 inches of snow overnight -- we just don't get snow like that around here...

This was out the front door this morning...

This was the view from our back deck...

It has finally stopped snowing and the sun has come out and now it is finally melting some on the roads. We did make a stop at the Starbucks this morning. We both have 4 Wheel drive car and at least it paid off for us to have them today!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Izabella, where ever you are, you are going to have a very sweet father!! Look what he did for your mom today!!! They are my favorite!! I hope you are being loved and cared for until we can come and get you! I promise, next Valentines Day will be so special!!!

SNOW SNOW & MORE SNOW...

Okay, so we are having all kinds of weather and it has all fallen on Tuesdays. So, two weeks ago we had tornados then last week we had more tornados and this week we have had winter storm advisories all beginning on Tuesday!! So we have had snow, ice and cold temps!! I just hope things clear out by Friday because I have bunco with my girls and I can't miss out on that!! And on another note, I FINALLY started my packing list. Thanks to my bud Stephe! She hooked me up with a place to get started and I worked on it for two hours last night. It has really made me excited and scared. Excited to get Izabella, scared about that flight since I'm not so fond of flying!! But I think getting Izabella will far outshine my fear of flying!!

Nursery

Well today my friend Kim and I went to find things for the nursery and we found some of the cutest pink ladybug stuff!!!! Check it out!! I cannot wait to get going on it!!!

A Little Bit Closer!!

Okay, I actually have to say that I am very excited to share that referrals went through December 27, 2005 which means 14 more referral days and until us!! Which means we possibly might get our referral in April - May worst case scenario!! Which is great news for me!!

Also, we finally picked out our bedding for the babies room. Isn't is adorable???

Chinese Blizzard and Orphanages...

Please read the message from Half The Sky and help if you can! I know this is long but so important as our little girl could be suffering through this!!

Welfare institutions in south and central China are having the hardest time dealing with the weather disaster. This part of the country is simply not equipped to deal with extreme cold or heavy snow and ice. The most common critical problems are power outages, lack of safe drinking and cooking water, lack of fuel, diapers and public transportation. In many places where buses have stopped running, our Half the Sky nannies have been walking hours (in one case, 4 hours) along icy roads to get to the children. As conditions worsen, our nannies and teachers are remaining at the institutions day and night. They have given up the idea of going home to their own families for the holidays. They need quilts. They need warm clothing. They need coal, water, disposable diapers and food. Here are the reports... Where you don't see a report, either all is well or there isn't information yet. We've also given all the directors an emergency number to call when/if the situation changes.

Hunan Province -Chenzhou has had no electricity or water for six days. They are relying on coal for heat and cooking. The supermarkets and banks are closed. Staff is using personal money for baby food, diapers, coal and water. Costs are rising due to shortages. They have a natural well which, thankfully, is not frozen. Even the older children are helping to fetch water. They have perhaps six days of food remaining. The local government is overwhelmed by the disaster and is unable to help much. Shaoyang has seen heavy snow every day for 20 days. There is sufficient water and, for the moment, there is power, so the children are warm. However, 5 of 6 power poles have been downed by weather. Only one stands and the institution fears it will fall as well, leaving them without electricity. Much of the rest of the city is already dark. Children and caregivers continue to work and play together. High school students are cramming for exams and trying to ignore the cold. Everyone prays that the power pole will continue to stand. Yueyang also has no electricity. The one functioning power generator is being used in the children's dormitory. They are relying on coal heat but the price has tripled in recent days. They are running out of food and have applied to the local Bureau of Civil Affairs for funds to buy more. Our HTS nannies have been walking for hours to get to work, often slipping on the ice, "even though they try to be cautious."

Xiangtan - has had snow for the past 10 days. The main water pipe is "broken again." There is no water for cooking right now but they do have electricity, coal and blankets. They are still able to buy food but prices have gone way up. Not all of the HTS nannies can get to work every day. They are keeping the programs going as well as they can and make sure that at least five nurturing nannies are there with the babies every day, along with the institution's caregivers.

Jiangsu Province -Changzhou has seen some heavy snows but the director reports that the children are fine. The director says that he's doing his best to ensure that the children do not suffer. Public transportation is crippled by the snow and HTS nannies and teachers are waiting for hours to catch a bus for home or even walking home in the snowy dark. Nanjing reports no problems at all despite the heavy snows. I tried to fly into Nanjing yesterday but it was not possible.

Anhui Province - Chuzhou has both water and power. Only public transportation has failed. HTS nannies and teachers are walking to work. They are leaving home extra early to be there for the children.

Guangxi Province - Guilin has two broken HTS heater/air conditioners in the Infant Nurture rooms and they've asked us to replace. The rooms are very, very cold. They ask for more soft matting for the floors and also snow boots for our HTS nannies who've been slipping and falling in the ice and snow as they come to work. They are so ill-equipped to handle severe weather.

Jiangxi Province - Fuzhou lost power for a few days but now it is back to normal. The snow stopped a couple of days ago but now is falling again. The directors and HTS staff have gathered all the children into one big room to keep them warm. They've bought New Years clothes for the children and will have a party no matter how bad the weather. This year, however, the foster parents will stay home to keep the children safe. The institution has enough food and water. They want us to focus on those in more serious trouble and ask us please not to worry. Jiujiang says they've never faced such bitter weather. They desperately need disposable diapers. Washable diapers cannot be dried. They need warm clothes, shoes, gloves hats quilts and warm mats for the floors. They need medicine for infant coughs and colds.

Hubei Province -Wuhan suffers heavy snows but they still have power. Heaters are working but there is no water for bathing. The local community has offered to take children in for the Chinese New Year and the institution feels this may be the best decision to keep them safe. Huangshi reports that the freeze is so severe that all heater/air conditioners have stopped functioning. They need quilts and warm clothes for the children. They need disposable diapers. Several HTS nannies have fallen on the ice on their way to work and they need medicine to treat cuts and bruises.

Gathering these reports together makes me think about how careful we have always been at Half the Sky to maintain our focus on nurture and education programs. Ours is not a medical or relief organization. There are many wonderful groups who do that work. Probably the primary reason we've been able to accomplish so much and reach so many children is because we've maintained our focus on our core mission -- providing nurturing care for children who've lost their families. But a moment like this really cannot be ignored. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in the US taught us that no matter how wealthy a country might be, its vulnerable citizens (old, poor, ill, and orphaned children) are the ones who suffer most when disaster strikes. Even as China seems to be entering the first world, a disaster like this is quite simply crippling. We know that orphaned children will be among those who suffer the damage most. I say this because I think we should break one of Half the Sky's rules and, if there are sufficient funds raised in the Little Mouse Emergency Fund, we should offer relief (water, food, diapers, quilts, clothing) to any orphanage where children need help. Let's see how this goes. If people are as generous as I think they might be, we will work with the provincial Bureaus of Civil Affairs in every hard-hit community, and offer assistance to all welfare institutions where there is need. Please lend a hand, however you can.

You can donate to the Little Mouse Emergency Fund by calling us in the US at +1-510-525-3377 or in Asia at +852- 2520-5266 or by visiting us at www.halfthesky.org. Once there, you can click on "Donate Now" http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Direct+Contributions or go to http://www.halfthesky.org/help/docs/usdonation-orderform.pdf to download a form to mail or fax.

Donations are tax-deductible in US, Canada and Hong Kong. Please forward this message and tell your friends and family. I will be back with an update very, very soon. Thank you!

Jenny Bowen

Executive Director

Half the Sky Foundation

www.halfthesky.org

Half the Sky was created in order to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects for orphaned children in China. We establish and operate infant nurture and preschool programs, provide personalized learning for older children and establish loving permanent foster care and guidance for children with disabilities. It is our goal to ensure that every orphaned child has a caring adult in her life and a chance at a bright future. Since 1998. Ten years thousands of hugs.

TORNADO

We had some compromising weather on Tuesday night. In fact they are saying it was an F1 Tornado!!! It sounded so scary outside for a few minutes and then it was gone! Here are some pictures of the damage...

This was a large massive tree that was uprooted!!

A tree actually went through the roof of this house.

Here it is inside the persons bedroom!!

This is our local acting theatre in Pewee Valley