Play Time

Yesterday, I was in Ava's room organizing drawers, and I found a bag of my baby toys that Mom had given me. I decided to spread a quilt on the floor and let Ava play with them. It was so much fun to watch her with my 70s toys! Some things don't change. She has a Sophie the Giraffe teether that she just loves. It first came out in the 1960s, and they still make it! I had a giraffe teether when I was little, too. The size is different, but the faces look very similar. Maybe Sophie's cousin?








In these pictures, I captured Ava's napping routine. About the time she is getting sleepy, I'll hand her a blankie, and she immediately puts her head down, rubs her eyes and starts sucking her thumb. It's like clockwork. She is so funny to watch.







Our home study went really well yesterday, and we're just counting the days until March 3rd when Ava's adoption will be totally complete! We're trying to decide how to celebrate that day! The actual ceremony won't take long that morning. We should be in and out within 30 minutes or so. I'll be sure and take pictures so you can celebrate along with us!

Also, I wanted to thank everyone again for the sweet messages and cards you sent after my grandmother passed. Cindy, I got yours the other day. I love that message from Helen Keller. Oh, and pi day is coming up! Are you going to celebrate on 3/14? :)

Love everyone,

Emily

Thank You, Pam!

We have our final post placement report home study this afternoon at 12:30. Pam, our social worker, has become a dear friend to us throughout our international and domestic adoptions, and we can't thank her enough for her willingness to advocate for us and cheer us on!

Thank you, Pam!

Ben, Emily, Ava and Maia (somewhere in China!)


This picture was taken Oct. 13th during our first post placement home study. Ava was almost 2 months old.



Ava is almost 6 months old now!

On the Mend

Hey, everyone! Today is Monday, and it's a beautiful day outside. I'm itching to go out and plant my spinach seeds, but the ground is still too wet. Ava and I are on the mend slowly but surely. She's been pretty chipper today despite her runny nose. I took these pictures this morning for you to see.

You can see her two front teeth really well in this one!



Here she is jumping away in her jumparoo. She doesn't act sick! If I had to jump in a jumparoo, I think I'd pass out. :)

Little Things

**Update** You'll hear a new song on my blog today. I heard it for the first time last night while watching the movie, Fireproof. It's John Waller's "While I'm Waiting." There are many things I've struggled with and questioned, "why" about from time to time in my life, and one of them has been waiting! I know now that the waiting I've experienced in my life forever changed me, and some of the sweetest moments with the Lord came in those times. Waiting is a word that means SO many different things to each and every single one of us. I hope this song encourages your heart.

Be encouraged this day.

Ava sitting at the window seat Ben built in the nursery.





When we started a nursery for Maia (our adoption journey to China) many moons ago, Ben had an idea to build a window seat for her so she could play, store toys and read books there as she grew. We've had these books and toys there for a few years now awaiting a baby to play with them! You'll see some Chinese baby dolls and some adoption books on the top shelf in anticipation of what is to come.

Ava can sit up really well now, and yesterday, we sat her in front of the shelves and let her play. She had a great time! The rug you see on the floor was bought about a year and a half ago. When I saw it in the store, I remember getting teary-eyed and thinking about that extraordinary moment when Maia would be HOME AT LAST! I just HAD to have that rug! At that time, little did I know that Ava was on her way into our family!




I wanted to let everyone know that you can still follow our journey to Maia on this site as well as our first site, www.journeytomaia.com. There's a link on the right side of my blog along with an update of referral dates. They have now processed through March 2, 2006. Our Log-in date is April 28, 2006. The story to Maia is a precious one, and if you're new to our story, it's filled with MANY twists and turns. Mostly, it's about God speaking to my tender heart and telling us that we have a baby girl in China waiting for us. I love the China website because it was the first one we stumbled upon that allowed us to have different buttons for China specific details. I hope that it will become a treasure to Maia in years to come. There are countless journals there written to her, and I am so thankful to Bill, our host, for having such a terrific site for adoptive families. He does a wonderful job.

On another note, Ava and I both had 101.4 degree temps yesterday and have an upper respiratory infection. We're much better today and are enjoying the spring temperatures! Daddy's off on a bike ride with his good buddy, Eric, and we're just camping out again today at home.

Oh, and you know that aspirator thing that looks like a bulb? Well, it's now officially Ava's enemy! I remember hating that thing when I was little, and now, Ava doesn't like it either! It does do a good job, though, in helping little ones breathe better. Now I know why my Mom used it. Thanks, Mom. :)

Mimi Time

Yesterday, I had to go and get my hair cut. Gone are the days of just getting in the car and going! Mimi came over to be with Ava, and they had a great time reading stories, playing and eating rice cereal.






Today, Ava and I are both congested (I have a sinus infection, I think) and we camped out in the bathroom! I turned the shower water to hot and just let the bathroom steam up. That's helps us more than anything. So... we sat in the bathroom for about 30 minutes and played. Lucy, our cat, couldn't figure out why everyone was in the bathroom without her, so she came in, too. It was quite the party!

It's been a slow week this week. It's been bitterly cold, too, so Ava and I have had some good indoor play time.

Here's a few shots from our cold February week! The groundhog saw his shadow, so it looks like we're in for six more weeks of winter weather. You can still see leftover snow in the yard and on the mountains. It's supposed to be 60 degrees, tomorrow, though, so I guess that will take care of the snow! It was so fun to have some earlier this week!

The next morning. Notice I lost my carrot nose!



Ava has enough hair now for a bow!



Sleepy time. She loves to sleep with this furry bunny my grandmother picked out for her last fall.





Have a great weekend everyone!

Good News!

Ok. I realized after I left that post last night that everyone was probably going to lynch me if I didn't get back on here soon and report! :)

So, without further delay, here is the good news about Ava's and Maia's adoptions!!

1) We received a mailing from our TN attorney last week telling us that the finalization of Ava's adoption into our family will be March 3rd! It's already official, but this is the ceremony we attend with Ava and the judge where he finalizes it, and Ava officially has our last name. We are beyond excited about this moment! It will be so timely in so many ways. God is so good and His timing is always perfect. I still remember those days of praying that God's hand would just move. I wanted that so badly, but it had to be in His timing, not mine. I can now see, Lord. The glory is Yours alone.




2) Also, last Friday evening after the graveside services for Ruthie, Ben and I came home and opened our mail. I was busy reading some other mail, and I heard Ben say, "Emily, we got something from USCIS." Well, many of you know that we have been through quite a saga to get continued clearance from USCIS Memphis to bring Maia home hopefully this year. The forms and requirments have volleyed back and forth since last summer, left me in an emotional heap many a time since August, and have again, tested our faith. Well, we both just looked at each other, took a deep breath and opened it.

Drum roll....It was our I-171H approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to bring Maia home! It's good for another 18 months, and we know it won't be that long before we find out who Miss Maia is and go to China to bring her home to our family! Here's a picture of the long-awaited document!! I feel like it should have gold lettering or something!




We're expecting some more snow this afternoon. My goal is to take down our Christmas tree ornaments and icicles. Ben has given me a friendly ultimatum. :)

Have a great day, everyone!

Thank You!

Hey, everybody,

I just wanted to touch base and let everyone know how deeply grateful I am for your thoughts and prayers for my family. Someone asked me as they went through the receiving friends line last Thursday, "What are you all going to do without her?"

My answer was, "Live." Because I know that's what she would want us to do. There's a lot of living left to do for each one of us.

I've been really thoughtful this week, reflecting, processing, being still, listening. God's always teaching me new things for whatever leg of this journey through life that I'm on.

I'm looking out the window at the bird feeder right now, and there's a little circle of chipping sparrows on the ground around it. I thought about the song, "His Eye is On the Sparrow." It snowed this morning for hours- our biggest one yet, and the birds are searching for food. I know if I didn't feed them, that they'd be ok, because God feeds them. But, what a joy it is to help and come alongside them. They're birds. I know. But, my deeper thought turns to all of the folks who lift me up and help me along this journey and give me spiritual food. I am so forever grateful, and I am continually hungry!

I'll post some snow pics soon! I made a snow family today in my "spare" time. :)

Now, was I going to do the dishes or the laundry first?

Oh, and I have two great celebratory things to share in my next post! One has to do with Ava's adoption, and the other has to do with Maia's adoption!