Getting ready to leave

Very soon we leave for China and as I type this on the computer I can't believe how calm and at peace I am about all of it. VERY different from how I was before the trip for Grace in 2003. I'll just briefly say that there was a great deal going on in our personal lives with both of our parents' health and Dan's job that was very, very stressful. I'm at a different place in my life for many reasons, a good place and that is where I stand ready to meet our son. I know there will be lots of changes for us all. I also know we could have some hard times ahead with adjustments and transition, somehow we'll get through it. I ask for your help please by keeping us in your thoughts and prayers during this time period, that we travel safely, stay healthy in China and William Michael has a smooth(or as smooth as possible) transition. See you next from China, as always thank you friends for your support and good wishes!

3 Word Sunday

7 more sleeps!

It's pretty difficult for children to grasp the concept of time for quite a while. Since Grace was about 2 or 3 we explain time to her with 'how many sleeps' it is until the event occurs. Today it's '7 more sleeps' until we leave for China. Lot's going on here. Just have last minute things to add to suitcases (3 of them each weighing in under 44 lbs. per the in China rules for flights). Dan and Grace each are carrying on a backpack, me a small lightweight messenger bag. We will have our hotels do our laundry so we don't have to bring clothes for 2 solid weeks. I've received more pictures of William Michael from his foster home. These are him opening the package we sent. We sent a t-shirt from the movie 'Cars' on it and you can see that he loves it and decided to put it on immediately. He also is playing with Elmo and looked at the photo album we sent and I guess he showed it to his little friends there too. This all doesn't seem real to me sometimes but it sure will be next week when we take that 15 hour flight from Chicago OHare to Hong Kong. We leave Thursday July 17th, arrive in Hong Kong late afternoon the 18th. Sat. the 19th we fly to Fuzhou. Sunday we meet our son. In Fuzhou we will do some sightseeing and hopefully visit Will's foster home and orphanage. After his adoption is registered and notarized, we get his passport and travel to Guangzhou for his medical exam and then get his US visa on July 30 (my birthday) Can't imagine a better birthday gift!

Thank you dear friends...

I keep this little saying on my right sidebar of the blog. I've never met most of you in real life but through your blogs that you most generously share, I get to see a part of you and your lives. I've read about joys and sadness, highs and lows and all the in betweens of the roller coaster called life. You inspire me, make me laugh, cry and feel like I'm not alone. I read the blogs on my sidebar pretty regularly plus some other ones. Many of the blogs have adoption themes, some do not. In the last year of starting my blog I've 'met' amazing, supportive, incredibly strong, and kind people while I've waited to become a mom again. Our lives are about to change again pretty significantly with a 2 yr. old arriving very soon. I've read books to prepare myself, asked questions of friends and just generally observed and read some blogs who have adopted toddlers. I'm not sure what the future will hold with Will's transition but I know I'll get through it with your support and for myself a sense of humor at times. What I'm trying to say is that I may not be blogging as much as I was pre-William for a while, but I'll be reading yours when I can. Thank you for your support and kind words. And just like you've been there for me, I'll be there for you, right beside you on this journey.

China travel dates and some pics of our weekend

Lovin' the sparkler on the 4th.

Soaking wet and playing on the swingset.

Playing in the sprinkler with her friend Lydia.

Yum! Eating one of her favorite fruits...raspberries.

Well, we've received our travel dates for China and booked our flights. We receive a more detailed itinerary from our agency probably tomorrow. We depart Thursday July 17th and return 2 weeks later on Thursday July 31st! Our forever family day is Sunday July 20 at our hotel, the Lakeside in Fuzhou in Fujian Province in the late afternoon. So in less than 2 weeks we meet our little boy for the first time! I've been thinking more and more about the possible scenarios about this meeting, I'm not nervous yet...though I'm sure I'll be some on the 20th. It's just hitting me today that we leave for China in 10 days. Packing wise I'm pretty good, just have some last minute things to do with it. This really is going to happen!

Also, here are some pics of our very laid back, relaxed weekend. Grace had a blast in the sprinkler and with sparklers on the 4th...

My brown eyed girl

Make a wish....

The 4th

Have a wonderfully fun... long 4th of July weekend friends. Most importantly, have a safe one! We will be hangin' out with friends at a cookout and going to a little parade tomorrow in the small town just east of us. Miss Grace loves parades. Take care!

5 years ago...a love story began

Grace's referral photo-Fu Lan Li. Lan Li means 'beautiful orchid' and that she certainly is!

5 years ago today, the phone rang in our home in Geneva, IL in the early afternoon. The caller ID said 'unknown name.' It was Bethanne, our SW from our agency. Now in those days there was no Rumor Queen, just a May 02 DTC yahoo group called the 'Maydie bugs' that I belonged to and would get a little bit of information from, but you didn't find out ahead of time when referrals were arriving. SARS had shut down the China program for about 6 weeks right before we were due to get our referral. I remember I was heartbroken, but felt in my heart that it would all work out somehow. I was completely surprised by our SW's phone call on July 1, 2003 and then what she proceeded to tell me...you and Dan have a daughter! She then went ahead and told me all her specifics, her name and what province and SWI she was from, and the little bit of info she had. My hand was shaking as I wrote it all down and I was crying very hard as we spoke. I still have that piece of paper from that day 5 years ago. The next day we received Fu Lan Li's referral in person, and saw her pictures for the first time. They were presented to us in a small card with a Chinese paper cutting on the front. I was so nervous opening the card...and then we saw her face for the first time. I don't show people Grace's referral pictures very much, I'm not sure why really but I feel like they are something for us and her to share and kind of private. There were 3 photos, the first one is the one I've put with this post and the one that I fell deeply in love with. Though I loved Grace before I saw that picture, I gazed at it and saw the most beautiful baby girl I'd ever seen and fell in love immediately. I know families who received their referrals and told me it took a while to warm up to their child's first picture, but not me! I saw this child, the one I'd waited almost 10 years for with infertility treatments and losses. She was the one God had chosen for us. Her mouth looked like my Dad's(and mine) and she had my round cheeks. When I look at that picture now I see our Grace at about 5 months of age, looking a little sad and perhaps tired, stuffed into a fleece jacket and maybe not too happy about having her picture taken at the time. That photo of her still makes my heart skip a beat. Our lives have changed so much in the last 5 years, Grace has brought us incredible joy and so much love to our family. We are eternally grateful. So on the anniversary of Grace's referral I think of all the families waiting for their children. My heart is with you always, you will have your referral day like we had 5 years ago and your child will be the one that you were meant to have.... and your love story will begin.