A strange day

Well, I wasn't sure I was even going to post anything about today.  It is a strange day, but this is the last time October 18th will feel like a strange day.  You see, today is the day we will celebrate Lyla's birthday!  There is no way to know if this is her actual date of birth, but when you choose to adopt from China it just comes with the territory, it's typically one of the many unknowns.

It's a bittersweet day for sure.  Our Lyla isn't here yet, and the Chinese culture doesn't really put much emphasis on birthdays, so most likely today was just another day for her.

When we decided to adopt Lyla announcing her birthday was not an important piece of information, so it was weeks before I mentioned it to my family.  Come to find out, it is my late aunt's birthday (my mom's sister) and I am named after her.  That's is a crazy coincidence if I have ever heard one!

Thinking about today, and the significance it will hold from this point forward I wondered just what we were doing on this date in years past, not realizing that this would be the day we would celebrate our oldest child.  Here is what I found:

*I couldn't find a picture from 2005, but I'm not going to stop looking.  Our old pictures are not dated, but I think I have found most of the digital ones, so there is a chance that I will find one that is close.*

October 16, 2006

It isn't a picture, and it isn't exactly October 18, but on October 16, 2006 we made our "big announcement" that we had started the adoption process.

October 18, 2007 was a Thursday, which means in my former life (or my previous career) I was on the sidelines of a sub-varsity football game.  This picture was from the 19th.

On October 18, 2008 we brought Macey to her first football game.  Texas A&M - Commerce was playing at the Cotton Bowl.

On October 17, 2009 (don't have a pic from the 18th) Macey and I were in California visiting our family.  I found this picture of Macey with most of her cousins.

On October 17, 2010 (again, no pic on the 18th) Macey and Xander and I were just chillin' at home.  For some reason I took a few pictures of them in their PJs that day.

And today, October 18, 2011, Lyla's little brother and sister were happily playing with their stuffed animals after they finished their dinner.

But...

Next October 18th we will celebrate our big girl's birthday with balloons, cupcakes, gifts, singing, family and a whole lot of hugs and kisses!!!

Care package #2

Here are the items that big sister will get in her second care package from us.  It will be in the mail tomorrow.

 There are two outfits of cotton long sleeved shirts and leggings, a red fancy dress, some hair clips and candy.  Our intention is for Lyla to wear these clothes, but we did not specifically ask for them back.  Children share clothes in the orphanage and we hope the other little girls get to enjoy them as well.  We asked that she share the hair clips with her friends and the candy with the nannies and teachers.

The sparkly red dress deserved a picture of it's own.  The dress is covered in sequins and the little jacket is velvet.  In each set of pictures we have received of Lyla is appears as if she is put in a special dress, of sorts, specifically for the picture.  Since the last set of pictures we received involved her looking at a photo album we sent, we believe that the people at the orphanage are very intentional in their photos.  SO, we are REALLY hoping they put her in this dress and take her picture and send it to us in our next update.  Again, we are not asking for this dress back, they may give it back anyway, but I would just as happy if the other little girls in the orphanage got to dress up in it as well!

We are hoping to get our LOA in the next couple weeks (again, could be MUCH longer, but we are still hopeful) and at that time our agency will ask for another update. 

LID!!!

LID!!! LID!!! LID!!!

I can't believe it our LID is 9/1!!!!  It came so fast I can hardly even believe it!

You can all start counting now, we are officially waiting for Lyla!!!!!!!!

This next step is very unpredictable.  I have a good friend who has been waiting for 115 days for her LOA :( and someone else, who's timeline I saw online, recently only waited 37 days.  So there is no telling when it will come.  Averages are about 50 days, so we'll see!!!


SO EXCITED!!!!

DTC!!!

WooooHoooo! Somewhere between here and China is a very important packet of papers! On Friday, August 26 our dossier was sent to China. Yippee! Now we wait for our log in date (LID). That means that our dossier has been received and is officially waiting in line. Oh, by the way, we're still not officially waiting, that come after we get our LID. Hopefully that will be soon, but it can take a few weeks before we know for sure.

UPDATES!!!

Well, Lyla's orphanage did not disappoint. I had a feeling they would be quick in responding and they were. Today we received an update on her measurements and two pictures, taken 8/10/11! Our big girl is getting, well, big! Check her out!

It looks like they are letting her hair grow, or maybe she just needs a haircut. Either way she is perfectly beautiful to us. She looks like she is thinning out, and from the measurements we were given she has grown a few inches in a few months. I will say, measurements aren't always very accurate, but it's all we have, so we go with it.

This next picture made me burst into happy mommy tears. I had mentioned the care package we sent not too long ago. We weren't sure if she would get it, or if they would just put it away somewhere, well...

Our sweet little Lyla looking at us, her family!

What I don't know is if this was the only time she saw this photo album we sent, but honestly, I don't care. There she is, looking at us! I want to believe that the nannies read her the letter we sent that explained who we are and that were coming to meet her in China and make her a part of our family. I want to believe that she got to keep the photo album and that she was read each description on each page, and that she can look at it whenever she wants to. But, in international adoption sometimes reality has to take over, because the rose colored glasses are just not a good thing to hide behind. So, what I DO know is that in this instant, our girl, who lives half a world away, is looking at the people who will love her forever!!!

Immigration approval!

We got our I797 today! We were approved on 8/9 and we received it today. On Monday we will put it in the mail (overnight FedEx) to a courier who will walk it in to the Secretary of State in Austin, Tx. After it is certified it will be overnighted to a Houston courier who will walk it in to the Chinese Consulate for authentication. Then it will be overnighted to our agency in Colorado. Once the agency gets it they will have everything they need to send our dossier to China!!! Then the real waiting begins (you only thought we had been waiting for Lyla for 4 months).

Once our dossier gets to China our best guess to travel would be 4-6 months. Some of the steps are quite predictable, but some are not. Of course, we always pray to be on the short end of average, but God's timing is perfect, so we thank Him even if it's on the longer end!

More on Lyla!

Here is a little more about our big girl! This is the most recent info we have on her, and it was sent at our request, when submitted our letter of intent to adopt her.

April 2011

This is the very first sentence "...is just as smiley and zestful as before."

"...her plump figure grows increasingly cuter and silly."

Plump will fit in quite nicely around this house.

"Everyone who meets her really likes her."

Isn't this what we want people to say about our kids? I love this!

"Firstly, she really is incredibly cute; moreover, she has a sweet little mouth."

In the last report they mentioned her being cute many times, and here it is again!

"...if a child is naughty during a classroom activity, she will strictly scold them."

Macey and Xander have been warned. :)

"She has the demeanor of a leader, and can organize everyone to play a game together."

And this is why we know she will be the best big sister!!!

While we wait we hope to receive some more update on our girl, hopefully some updated pictures will come along with updated info. I'll make sure to let you know!