Some other fun news- my friends threw an amazing adoption shower to celebrate our little girl! It was a very sweet evening of fun craft projects and a time of prayer for every aspect of our adoption. I was so touched by the support shown to our family- really, throughout the whole process- but that night it was a tangible thing and it was wonderful to say thank you face to face to so many. I now have a dedicated bin of hair bows in my house. And the boys have stayed far away from it so far!
(only picture of the night... we failed...)
With our travel approval looming, the sense of urgency to get ready has amped up. We've made two recent trips to IKEA to resolve storage issues in our house (bunk bed! closet space!) and buy additional bedding. Austin has been child proofing the kitchen (something we didn't do with the boys but THREE kids I think warrants some extra precautions).
I also took a ridiculously long list to Walmart and basically bought an entire pharmacy's worth of OTC meds to take with us. And I kind of feel like I'm rolling the dice a bit and not getting another ridiculously long list of prescription meds filled by our doctor...
So nesting we will be! The other major thing I'm doing- something I swore would NEVER happen in my life- Christmas shopping in October! (my mother in law and Aunt GiGi are probably rolling their eyes about now) Yes its true- I have a good chunk of Christmas shopping done and stashed away (hoping I remember where when it comes time to wrap everything...) in anticipation of being a little overwhelmed come November and December. Hopefully not, but just in case.
Our Chinese Visa arrived- so once we get travel approval, we are ready to go! (and check out the beginning of my to-do list)
So still, much to do. Namely, a name. We are still trying to find the perfect name for our loved little one. Pray for that- ok?
And finally, I haven't been stressed about money AT ALL during this adoption. We were totally overwhelmed with the costs of adoption at the very beginning, but we decided its worth it- and a thousand times over, she is worth it- and we haven't missed a payment or had to delay a single step of the process for financial reasons. There have been some challenges and lots of crock pot meals and slightly out of style outfits for the boys and me (Austin claims his style is timeless) but again, WORTH IT! And a big part of that has been your support, your prayers, and your donations to our family. We do still have some expenses coming up- mainly travel related things and final adoption proceedings that we need to pay for in China. If you'd like to contribute to that, check out our youcaring page below (and please feel free to share our page and our story with your friends!).
Another way you can help is by donating items for us to bring to our daughter's orphanage. I have a list of needed items that we would like to carry over. I know from experience how tight money can be in a state-operated orphanage. These are simple, mainly inexpensive items that would go a long way in helping the Ayis (nannies) provide care for the babies and children. If you'd like to purchase any of these items, please contact me and I'll arrange picking them up. Thank you!
toothbrushes
socks
underwear
diaper rash cream
bandaids
antibiotic cream
Thanks again- next update will be all about travel!
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