We Have A LID

Our LID is 12/30/06. Now we just wait for TA .... and wait .... and wait .... and wait ....

Merry Christmas to You from Us!

The holiday season has been a whirlwind and just when I feel like I'm finally ready to welcome it in, it's almost over! Adoption paperwork consumed so much of my time this year and I feel like I played catch-up all month. I spent the entire day on December 23 wrapping gifts!

For the first time since Mike and I married (that's 18 years for those of you who are counting), I didn't send out Christmas cards. I actually hand-stamped 60 cards, but I just couldn't get them mailed in time. I have always included a photo of the boys in our card and I didn't even take their picture this year until Christmas Eve. I thought about sending them out as New Years cards, but I'd already stamped "Merry Christmas" on the front. So ..... I apologize to all of you and promise that I WILL send them next year. After all, I'm already ahead of the game and I have 60 cards filed away in a box labeled Christmas 2007. It's a good thing, too, because I hope to be running around chasing a three-year-old!

Our family is celebrating our last Christmas without Oakley. I have thought about her all day and throughout this blessed season - praying that Christ will watch over His precious baby.

We look forward to sharing her first Christmas with her next year -- what a wondrous time it will be! My Mom and I were out shopping a few weeks ago, and I almost bought a stocking for her, but decided to wait so she can help choose the one she wants. I can't wait to see it hanging from the mantel among her brothers' stockings. Our family will soon be complete.

Merry Christmas to All! May you cherish your time with family and friends this most holy season.

That Little Yellow Sweater

I received new photos today of Oakley, along with the following email from Grace at AHH:

"Here she is!!!! She needs her mommy so bad."

I couldn't agree more. Please TA .... hurry, so we can bring our baby girl home!

They've shaved her head AGAIN, and she's wearing that same little yellow sweater. I so hope she's wearing it on Gotcha Day so we can keep it as a sweet remembrance of our little girl the first time she captured our hearts.

It's Amazing How Much Stuff You Can Fit in a Shoebox

It's amazing how much stuff you can fit in a shoebox! We mailed Oakley's care package today. To help prepare her for our arrival, I put together a small photo album with pictures of us and her new home. I pray that her nanny will share it with her and that Oakley's heart will be open to us. She is already so loved by her family.

Here's a list of the goodies included in her care package:

1. Family Photo Album
   
   
2. Blanket (so very soft, with a silk trim)
   
   
3. Teddy Bear
   
   
4. Pat the Bunny Book
   
   
5. Teddy Grahams
   
   
6. Toothbrush and Toothpaste
   
   
7. Two-Piece Outfit
   
   
8. a soft Soccer Ball (Because all three of my boys play soccer and they've already indicated that they expect Oakley to play, too. Thanks, Jennifer, for finding the ball!)
   
   
9. Disposable Camera (in hopes that her nanny will take pictures of her and return the camera to us on Gotcha Day)
   
   
10. Candy for the nannies

We slept with the blanket and teddy bear for days before we sent them, hoping that she would know our smell when we wrap her in our arms. We don't know how many of these items, if any, will be returned to us. Sometimes the orphanages will keep the items for the children left behind. Just in case they keep them, I've purchased an identical teddy bear and blanket to bring with us in hopes that these items will be familiar and comforting to her.

We Are DTC!

That's right, folks! Our Dossier is on it's way to China, and I have to admit, after months of gathering all these documents, it's not easy to turn them over, even into capable hands. It's strange but even though I feel somewhat like I just finished a Final Exam (let's celebrate!), I also feel like I've just lost an appendage. Things are completely out of our control now and we wait. We wait for our Log In Date (LID) and our Travel Approval (TA) to arrive so we can bring Oakley home!

Please remember our family in your prayers and pray for a speedy TA!