This is really happening!!!

After 4 years of waiting this is actually only a few days away. It hasn't seemed real...until now. It's amazing how you can push your feelings to the back of your head or, better yet, you heart, but eventually they will catch up to you. I guess today is that day. We still have some things to get done before we leave on Thursday but all I can think about is holding our little girl and being a good Daddy to her. Most would assume that this goal is easily achieved but assumptions are usually wrong. I'm impatient (understatement of the year), easily agitated, not a great communicator, the list goes on and on. As men it seems as if we are trained to hide our feelings, not necessarily on purpose, but emotion equals weakness. I often pray for God to give my girls the tools to "translate" my actions to see that they are driven by worry and love. I was in love with each one of them before I ever saw them. I know what it is going to be like for me when we meet her. My heart will be racing, my head will be filled with pressure(the kind of pressure you feel when you are about to cry but are fighting it), my mind will be trying to take it all in and process it. I can't imagine what will be going through her mind. I hope I can always make it clear to her, if not with my words then my actions, that a Daddy's love has no requirements, no limits, and no end. I can't wait for her first laugh, words, steps, even her first date (which should be around the year 2040) but I will wait, by her side, with my heart breaking a little each time because she will grow up too fast just like her sisters. As a Father of 3 and soon to be 4 I often hear how hard it must be to be surrounded by woman. It definitely has it's moments but I wouldn't trade it for anything. As they get older and graduate college, move out, get married (Gulp!), I hope they remember their Daddy as a man who makes them laugh, taught them right from wrong, and loves them like no other can.
It's actually Tuesday now, 1:45 AM. Madeline is sleeping, without a doubt dreaming of our sweet Mia. I'd better join her. -A

Testing 1 2 3

We are testing out how to blog, via email, for while we are in China!!! Hope it works :)

 

I am sending a Province Map of China. Our baby is in Jiangxi. It is colored peach on the map and is toward the bottom right hand side.

 

Okay, off to check the blog and see if this worked - M

 

 

Flights Are Booked!!!

Yep, they are booked and we leave next Thursday, July 30th and return on Aug 15th. We now know just how hard it is to book international flights with only 10 days notice, it's NOT fun!

On Sunday, August 2nd we will meet our baby!! ...goose bumps :)

So, now we are in full blown PACK MODE!!! It is insane... I slept all of 3 hrs and 15 mins last night :} We only have a few more things to add to the pile and I think we are set... now to fit it ALL into 2 rolling duffles and stay under 44lbs each, LOL!!! - M

Care Package

I have been meaning to post the picture of the care package that we had sent to the baby through Ann at Red Thread China! She is a wonderful lady who lives in China and puts together these packages and gets them to the babies much quicker than we could have sending it through customs.

We emailed her pictures and she put together the photo album of our family so that the baby can see all of us before we meet her! We sent a blanket, toy, outfit and disposable camera which we hope to have returned to us full of photos of her with her nannies and friends. All the other items you see are chocolates for the nannies :) Also included was a translated letter to the director and nannies thanking them for caring for our little one!

We have TA!!!!!

A* just called me from work to tell me that we received the email from our agency letting us know that we have received Travel Approval from China!!!!!! Only one more appointment to confirm with the US Consulate in Guangzhou and then we can book our flights :) We could be leaving the week after NEXT..so much to do...so little time!!

Here is a new photo of the baby taken by an adoptive family visiting the SWI just a couple of weeks ago (thank you Robin)!!!!



We will update as soon as we know MORE :) - M

More of the Story....

Now that all the paperwork that we can do is done :) we wanted to tell a little more about referral day and all that has followed!

We were anxiously awaiting Monday morning (6/22) knowing this would be OUR referral day!!! I was up & dressed EARLY, fed the girls and was trying to set up the laptop in a place that would make it easy to video tape "the call" while A was making his breakfast. We had expected the agency to call our home phone BUT then all of a sudden at 10:47 my cell phone rang! G picked it up and quickly started waving her hands like crazy and just about threw the phone to me screaming that it was the adoption agency. The first thing I heard was "HI, this is Deb with CCAI...." but I could hardly hear her because the girls were yelling :) I said "Sorry, our girls are SO excited" to which she said "It is ok, you can tell them they have a new little SISTER!"

By this time A had the video camera pointed at me as I scribbled down every word I was told about her age, location, daily routine and medical info. I must have said "OK....OK....OK..." hundreds of times as I wrote. While we were on the phone she verified our email address and sent over the baby's picture. As soon as we opened it we all stared in amazement! We started memorizing her little face, tearfully ooooing & ahhhing the whole time :)

The rest of the day was a blurr, calling family and friends, sharing our good news!

On Tuesday morning I camped out at the front window waiting for the FedEx delivery truck to receive our referral packet with more pictures! In true "Murphy's Law" form, the second I went to use the restroom... the "hit n run" delivery guy evidently tossed it to the door and was half way down the street by the time A opened the door.

Here are a few pictures of us that morning:


All Smiles ready to open our packet to see more pictures & info...




So sweet!!! Daddy admiring his newest little girl :)



And here is what we were most waiting to see!



xoxo- M

Baby Update :)

We received updates on the baby this week!!!

At seven months she weighs 16 lbs and is almost 27 inches long. She can now sit on her own and can stand when both of her hands are supported. She responds to her name and makes babbling sounds, but not words. She hasn't cut her first tooth yet, which is so funny because our other three girls all cut teeth late too.

She still doesn't seem to like having her picture taken, as you can see from her little frowny face but at least she is dressed in a only one layer of clothing, which has to be more comfortable ;)





We finished all our paperwork this week and got everything FedExed to where it needed to go - YEAH! So now we wait for TA (travel approval) and continue to gather things on our packing list. - M