Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Life at Warp Speed!

Whoa!!! Seriously??? Life is going by WAY too fast!
We got LOA back in March for Isaac (the letter which says China approves you as the child's family) which I added to my timeline but never blogged about. I guess with second children, it's just the way it goes sometimes. We've had our hands full with paperwork, illness and life at warp speed. We did get a little bit of a break while waiting for immigration to approve our updated paperwork to approve us to adopt a male child. Now we are waiting for immigration to approve our request to adopt a specific child and bring him home as a citizen of the US! How amazing this is!

He will be no longer an orphan but a beloved son of a family. Chosen by God for us!
Sometimes the whole thing overwhelms me. In just a few short months, Chris and Summer will board a plan bound for China, and after two weeks, will bring home a precious baby boy. A BABY! Yes, he will be nearly twelve months old, but we know he will behave more like a nine month old. Ellie was twenty two months old when she came home and was more like an eighteen month old but still a toddler. I am overwhelmed at times preparing for an infant. Bottles, equipment, etc. My plan....denial. I guess we'll buy things when we see we need them. Yard sales here I come!

Today we finally made some progress in redecorating the nursery. Who knew a pink and light green nursery would need to be transformed in just a little over a year's time? Old bed sheets from Wyatt's room have transformed a pink recliner into a recliner with a sweet print from Pottery Barn. My good friend Robin helped pick paint colors and we hope to have his room painted soon. We'll still need to get some good room darkening curtains. He will more than likely be super sensitive to light and we will want him to be as comfortable as possible. My good friend Beth expertly put together a new crib we found on clearance from Target as Ellie was a little hard on the first crib we were given.

We're nearing the homestretch and I'll confess I'm a little terrified occasionally. I am ready to begin the next chapter of our lives and I'm anxious for it to get here.
We received photos from a family who recently traveled to the same orphanage where Isaac is. They sent us the most precious gift, five photos of our son! He looks very chubby and sweet.


We found out Chris' retirement date will be November 1st of this year! Wow! I am so excited to see where our path will go. I'm very excited and have some great ideas for an adoption advocacy ministry.

Ellie is keeping us on our toes! She is so funny and smart! She recently started asking "WHY" to everything. "Because I said so" is becoming a popular answer!!! She is into music, dancing and all things sports. She loves baseball, football, soccer and basketball. She is also all girl and loves shoes, hats and bracelets.
She is looking forward to her birthday party in a few weeks and is helping with the planning. She is a joy.

Good news on the adoption tax credit. It was made permanent and we qualified. Bad news is the check will be delayed for three to four more weeks. It will be a big help, once it arrives towards the final adoption costs for Isaac.