"My heart is full..."

My friends Usha & Nancy threw an amazing shower for me in Cincinnati last weekend. It was a huge blessing to be surrounded by this group of women who have loved, encouraged and supported me for so many years and specifically through my journey to motherhood. Nancy set aside some time to allow my friends to share memories and words of encouragement which was such a blessing to me. My friend Nancy Wells said "my heart is full." That really stuck with me because that is exactly how I felt all day and ever since. I just feel like my heart is overflowing because of how I was loved and poured into by these women that I so adore. This day was one of the most special in my life and I am grateful beyond measure.

I loved this cake....it was so beautiful. Opera Cream cake from the Bonbonerie is without a doubt the most delicious cake you'll ever taste!



The BEST SURPRISE!! Usha and James can really keep a secret! My sister Becky & nephew Jordy made the trek from Maryland to Cincinnati for my shower and Usha and James kept this awesome secret from me. I was completely floored when I walked around the corner and saw Becky & Jordy standing there. They planned to fly, but Jordy was a bit frightened by the walk from the jetway to the plane, so off to the car they went and tackled the 9 hour drive instead....amazing! Having my sister with me on this day was an absolute dream!


My dearest friend from college, Sharon drove up from Nashville to be with me. Her presence was such a gift. Sharon prayed the sweetest prayer for James, Georgea and me. Not too many dry eyes in the room after that.


Jordy with Mariela, my friend Susan's daughter.....adorable!


A super sweet gift from my lifelong friend Heidi. Heidi had my sister bring this gift with her from Maryland to Cincinnati....so thoughtful.


Tori, Alyssa, Emma & Amanda. Each of these beautiful girls has a special place in my heart.


My dear friend Ivy (aka: my "little sister") and her son Tyler. Tyler & Georgea are the same age!


The cutest bibs I've ever seen! My friend Nancy got these for Georgea and I'm so glad because I hadn't found any bibs up to this point that I liked. Each bib has a little wash cloth tucked into the decorative pocket. So sweet!!


Just a sampling of the outfits and books Georgea has to enjoy


I LOVE seeing Georgea's name in print! We're planning to have lots of fun in the pool this summer.

Getting CLOSE to our TRAVEL date!!

We are between 3.5 & 5.5 weeks out from travel!! Typing that just gave me CHILLS!! Passports are ready to go!


I picked up our Visa's at the Chinese Consulate in LA last week. Thank you Dalhia for running me down there on Thursday morning before we started our work day!! This was a BIG check off the travel "to do" list. I was so happy that I didn't have to part with our passports. There are only 5 Chinese Consulate offices in the U.S. So, being able to go to the consulate in Los Angeles (vs. mailing our passports), and get this taken care of was a big relief and also pretty exciting!!



These are the China "travel" bottles we'll be using. I registered for the Avent "drop in" (disposable liner) bottles to use while we're in China, and my friend Molly sent them to me last week!! OK, my fellow green friends...I've been told these are an absolute necessity on the trip. The ability to boil water to properly prep & clean a bottle while in China is very limited. So, we'll use these in China & switch promptly to a regular Avent bottle when we arrive home.



MY GOODNESS....babies require a lot of STUFF. I have a huge list of items that we MAY (or may not) need for Georgea while in China. This list is the culmination of multiple lists provided for me by friends who have also taken this journey. I'm basically purchasing medicine for every ailment ever encountered by any baby under the age of 2. This is just a peek at what's going with us. It's such an odd thing, because I personally don't even like to take an ibuprofen. I do realize though, that we need to be prepared to care for our little girl and her health needs while we are in China. So, we'll be armed with all the items pictured & so much more. BIG thanks to "my girls" Sue & Cathy who both spent quite a bit of time this afternoon talking me through the process of filling my shopping cart!! I so appreciate both of you and how you continue to make yourselves available to me during this process!

Ooops she did it AGAIN......

I'm posting some photos of Vida.....so you can see how adorable she is. :-)


Hanging in Santa Barbara....her favorite vacation spot.

Rubber Ducky had a rough day. Vida is so interested in the new additions to the nursery & baby's bathroom. I turned my back for a minute, realized Vida was MIA and ran to the nursery, (which is where I usually find her these days). And, there she was....enjoying Georgea's rubber ducky bath toy. This toy was a shower gift from my friend Ivy, so there is also a sentimental value issue here. The duck still squeaks, so we think Georgea can still enjoy it, but what to do about Miss Vida's interest in all things baby?? Now that is a another issue. Would love to hear thoughts from any of you who've had similar challenges!

Getting ready for baby....

How true!


James putting the crib together



Our awesome gliding chair & ottoman...heaven to sit in! And, check out the most girly (and SAFE) car seat ever. Thanks Mom, Dad, Becky & Bob!! Everything is starting to come together. It's really fun to see the room come to life....it makes this dream seem real.

Ooops!!

Oh boy. This poor toy didn't even last long enough to meet Miss Georgea. :-( Our Dalmatian Vida has an affinity for stuffed animals. We always thought it was so cute and funny, how she would just tear into any new toy we got her. Now we're realizing we may have a little problem on our hands. It looks like we've got some habits to break around this house!

Happy Easter!

What an awesome Easter! James & I enjoyed our last Easter as "just the two of us." We headed to church early and then went to our friends Jeff & Christina's for brunch. Christina prepared quite the spread including the delicious cupcakes (red velvet, my fave!) and cookies you see pictured. They even dyed an egg with Georgea's name on it! It was fun to hang out, eat good food and play with sweet Isabella (Jeff & Christina's 15 month old)...dreaming of what next year will look like for us.

WHO'S THAT GIRL??!!

How beautiful is this child?! Those eyes...so thoughtful & mysterious. I can't wait to find out what's going on behind those eyes.


"Michelin Man" That is what everyone calls this photo. Truly, all the layers of clothing, my goodness.



So, Ann at "Red Thread China" is AMAZING!! Just a day and a half after placing our care package order and asking if it was possible to get some new photos these 3 treasures showed up in my in box! Ann also got some updated information about Georgea's height, weight, etc. for us. What an amazing gift!! When I opened up the first photo (where Georgea is wearing the yellow jacket) I said "who are you?!" She had grown & changed so much since the first set of photos were taken, I was a bit shocked. I couldn't believe she had all that beautiful hair...and her eyebrows...wow! She had really changed. This was a moment of celebration and of grieving for me. I was celebrating receiving these photos, celebrating the BEAUTY of our daughter, celebrating how HEALTHY she looks, the fact that she is standing....on and on, so thankful. And, I was grieving the loss of those precious 4 months of time that were not captured on film, grieving what will ultimately be the year that we did not have the opportunity to spend together...my heart was leaping and heavy at the same time. My guess is this is only the beginning of my mixed emotions. But I am grateful, thankful, praising God for taking us down this path....the path to our precious daughter.

Care Package....

James & I knew we wanted to send a care package to our precious little girl, and I thought it would be fun to do the shopping & sending myself. So, I headed out to find the perfect baby blanket, plush toy, etc. Then, while visiting an adoption Yahoo group, I saw a post where someone shared that they had received updated photos of their baby after they ordered a care package online from "Red Thread China." What?!! I was very curious, as I was dying to get some current photos. So, I went online and ordered a care package (pictured above) from "Red Thread". The site is awesome as you can totally cusomize your own package. Georgea's package has a soft photo album (I just emailed them 7 photos to include and they print, and insert), a plush toy, candy for the children at the orphanage, tea for Georgea's foster parents, a letter to the orphanage (that Red Thread translated for me), and a disposable camera that we hope to receive filled w photos when we go to pick Georgea up! Ann will send you a photo of the package she put together prior to sending it, which I think is awesome! When I placed my order I also, inquired with Ann from "Red Thread" about the possibility of her aquiring some new photos from Georgea's orphanage for me. I was hopeful but kept my expecations in check as I knew there was no guarantee.

Gerber Baby

Our second photo of Georgea....I call this the "Gerber Baby" photo....LOVE the cheeks! We received this photo a week or so after our referral. Again, I just couldn't believe how precious our little girl is. We believe that this photo as well as the first referral photo were taken when she was approximately six months. We officially accepted our referral on March 12, when Georgea was 9.5 months. Realizing that several months had passed since these photos were taken, I was anxious and hopeful for more photos, but knew that may not happen before we traveled.

First Glimpse....

This is our first glimpse of our baby girl. I remember clearly my reaction when I opened this photo, the day we received our referral. I looked at her and said out loud (to myself!), "you've got to be kidding me." I just couldn't believe how beautiful she was. I stared at this photo for quite a long time, examining every inch of her. Big black eyes, beautiful skin, her serious expression....she's just perfection! What an amazing gift. James was at work and so later that morning my friend Sue came by to check on me, and her reaction was priceless. She saw Georgea's photo from a distance as she was walking toward my computer. Sue literally stopped in her tracks, put her hand over her mouth & said "oh my gosh!" Her reaction was much the same as mine...she was speechless, almost laughing for a moment. She too was in awe of this little beauty. All of our friends and family have shown such amazing support and enthusiasm. A lot of people are waiting to love this little girl!