Our CA is August 8!

Everyday now, things are happening. We found out on Monday that our CA is August 8, and late Monday we received a quote back from the travel agent on dates for international travel and cost. After alot of discussion and looking online to see how we could pass-ride, we decided that Dad should go ahead and buy a round-trip ticket. We will still pass-ride from Chicago to Beijing one day earlier than everyone else arrives. He flies out of Indianapolis on the 26th and gets to Beijing by way of Detroit and Tokyo! Coming back on the 10th we will most likely all fly together until we get to Seattle. Then Dad will fly to Indianapolis, and we'll fly to Chicago.

So now, I've got to step up the packing effort to make sure I have everything and be able to pack it in our carry-on luggage. I've got 2 weeks from tomorrow until we leave! WOW!!! We don't have our in-country itinerary yet, but should get that soon. So that's when we find out exactly when we get to meet Grace for the first time!

God is soooo good!

Our TA came in on July 2!

Wow! We heard from our agency yesterday that our TA came in! I was totally surprised. We were told that it would take 4 from the time our LOAs went back until we heard anything. Our LOAs for our travel group went out on June 15. So it only took 3 weeks. Our agency is asking for CA on either August 8 or 9. So if all goes well, by this time next month we'll be with Grace, getting to know her, and having her get to know us. How cool is that?!

In the meantime, I've picked up the pace on getting things ready to travel. My DB and SIL came into town on the 4th to spend the next week and a half with us. They have an 8 month old little boy, and of course, I forgot that he'd need something to sleep in. So we tried to come up with a pack-n-play (ours is at my dad's), but couldn't find one. They graciously brought down their other baby crib (they had twins the first time) for us to use for Grace. But it was all in pieces. So at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, we decided that we might as well put up the baby crib and go buy a mattress since we'll be needing one anyway. Where else can you decided you need a baby crib mattress at 11 o'clock at night on a holiday and be able to drive less than a mile away and get one?!  The world we live in is an amazing place.

Anyway, we now have the baby crib with the mattress set up. My nephew slept in it one night and got his legs caught between the slats about 4 times before my SIL realized, we need a bumper pad!  Another SIL told me she had a crib set I could have, so at 8 last night we drove to her house and picked up the bumper pad and comforter set. It's on the crib now, and my nephew slept better last night.

I told my SIL that if they stay long enough, we'll end up getting everything we need for Grace out of neccesity for her son to be able to stay here! LOL!

Anyway, I also got the Amoxicillan and scabies meds. I got infant Tylenol, and hydrocortisone cream. I still can't find a small bottle of Benedryl. So I haven't figured out what we're going to do about that. But I'm getting closer to being ready. Well, at least ready with everything I need. I still have to figure out how to pack all this stuff into carry-ons. I think I can do it, but it will be challenging.

Oh, I also bought "When You Were Born in China" to take with us to have the nannies sign, 3 Coolmax t-shirts to take and be able to wash out by hand, 2 capris, and 1 pair of sport shorts - all 3 will dry out quickly. So I think I'm pretty much set!

I can't believe I didn't think of this until now!

I was sitting here trolling the internet, looking at other peoples' blogs because there are rumors that TAs are arriving. Suddenly it dawned on me: Grace was 9 months old yesterday, and I missed it! I didn't even realize it. What kind of mother does that make me?! Well, I feel really badly about not remembering. I guess with all of the preparations for travel and life going on here in our hometown, it just didn't sink in that our baby girl had a milestone in her life yesterday. I'm sorry baby. I'll make up for it next month when there's a slim chance that we'll be with you to celebrate your 10 month birthday! Your mommy loves you! I hope you had a good day yesterday!

The Dresser

Here's a photo of the dresser that I so labored over to get put together. It took me weeks to get this thing together, and then if it weren't for my wonderful DH, the drawers would never have closed. See I found out that you REALLY have to pay close attention to the directions when you put things like this together. This experience of putting together the dresser reminds me alot of sewing things without a pattern, and having to rip out seams until you get it right.

Anyway, it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!

Like I said in my last post, the dresser is now in DD2's room. This picture was taken in the playroom before it was moved in there.

Watching home videos

The girls wanted to watch home videos on tape from when they were little. So DD1, DD2 and I watched videos of DD1 when she was about 3, and DD2 was a baby. From there they were 6 and 3. They were so cute. One of the results of watching these videos was to get me excited about having a baby in the house again. They are both just too stinkin cute, and I'm sure Grace will be just as cute at those ages too!

Right now, we're watching DD1 dance in her training pants while DD2 sites in her baby chair watching. Both girls loved to dance!

We had a productive weekend cleaning the girls room. We REALLY cleaned them. Actually we're not totally done, but things are getting more organized. We moved the dresser us in DD2's room. So tomorrow I'm going to move the little bit of clothing for Grace into the dresser. That should be fun!

Besides that we went to get fabric for the good wishes quilt. Each girl bought fabric as did I. It's funny that I've gotten more questions about how the quilt blocks work from my family than I could've imagined. They keep thinking that you need to write the good wish on the fabric. I think this confusion comes from where my sister made a quilt for my mom when she went through her first round of chemo. My sister asked everyone to send her a quilt square with a message on it. Some people sent painted blocks, some sent embroidered blocks, some had pictures scanned on them. It was lovely, but it confused my family to now ask for quilt blocks and a good wish. I told those that have asked that they can put whatever they want on the block, but they didn't need to. I think they understand now, but I never imagined that it would be so confusing!

 

I always knew I was G rated!

I found this on another adoptive mom's blog site, and decided to try it out to see what my blog is rated. As expected, I'm G rated!

Not much happening today. I took DD2 to swim team practice at the YMCA, and while I was there, worked on my laptop. Afterwards I stopped in at the Members Services office to pick up the volunteer sheets for DD1 and DD2 to volunteer to help out with the swimming classes. DD2 is totally excited about it. DD1 is not. Here's some of what DD1 had to say about this: "Why do I have to volunteer?", "I don't want to do this!", "You can't force me to volunteer!", "None of my friends' parents make them volunteer!",  and the ever present and popular with teenagers everywhere "It's Not Fair!"

Guess what, her dad and I don't care if it's fair or even if she wants to do it.  And least of all, do we care if her friends' parents are or aren't making them volunteer over the summer.Want to know why? Because life is about helping other people, and not about taking everything you can get out of it. Volunteering is a way to help other people, but it's also a way to meet and be around new people, teach children new things, experience the feeling of having a child think you're awesome because you know how to swim and they don't, and well, there's just many more good things that volunteering does for you than bad things. None of these good things are surpassed by the reason she doesn't want to volunteer which is basically that she doesn't want to do it. Besides if she doesn't volunteer this summer, then she'll be sitting around home watching tv or on the computer, and that's something we don't want to encourage too much!

When we were having this, um, conversation last night with her, I got to thinking that there were things that my parents made me do when I was around DD1's age that I just hated to do and thought I hated my parents for making me do. As an adult, it's funny how my perspective has changed. I appreciate most of those things that my parents forced me to do. Those experiences taught me things that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. That's why DD1 has to volunteer even though she thinks she doesn't want to right now.

Hmmm, what to write about?

I know that I need to blog, because it's been awhile since I have, but I don't have too much new going on. I guess I can relate our weekend adventures. Let's try it out.

Friday DD2 spent the night at a friends, so DD1 and I stayed home and watched a movie on tv. I can't remember the movie, so you can tell that it wasn't much. Saturday morning, I worked out at the Y, while DD1 slept in. My dad came into town around 12:30, and we met brother and SIL for lunch at Ram restaurant. We all had a good time, even DD1! Afterwards Dad, DD1 and I went to Sam's Club to get something to take to euchre. We shopped for awhile and headed home. We didn't make it to church on Saturday afternoon, and I fully intended to go on Sunday morning. But I didn't make it on Sunday morning either.

After having a fun night of playing cards with friends, we came home and went to bed. On Saturday morning, I woke up and went to pick up DD2 from her friend's house, and then headed off to the Y to work out. After getting cleaned up, we headed over to my brother and SIL for lunch. During lunch, my brother got a call from his youngest DD's work. She had fainted, and since they couldn't get ahold of her DH, they called her family. My SIL had to spill the beans about the surprise that her DD is pregnant! What wonderful news. They think she fainted because of that, but the doctor found nothing wrong. So that's good. She's due in January. When my dad found out she was pregnant the first thing out of his mouth was that he'll have 23 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren! Wow! If only my mom could be here to share in all of the births that have occured since she died. She would've loved it!