Adoption Blog

I will be blogging here while we are in China:
www.tomorrowinhereyes.blogspot.com

We leave TOMORROW!

What I've Been Doing Lately

TA Arrived!

Our TA (Travel Approval) came on November 7!!! It's official...we are going to China for Collins. We leave on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22, and Gotcha Day will be on Monday, November 26! I can hardly wait.

Since we were matched on September 6, this adoption has moved at warp speed. Such a relief to have things move fast after waiting 6+ months for a referral. The typical timeframe from match to travel is usually about 5 or 6 months. We are going from match to travel in 2.5 months. I never in my wildest dreams thought this adoption would move so fast.

When we adopted Lia Kate in 2009, we were an I-600 family (in other words, adoptions were quicker back then), and we went from match to travel in exactly 2 months. Since we brought her home and knew we were going to adopt again, I had been preparing myself to have to look at a sweet picture for 5 or 6 months before we could hold our next child. So thankful that was not the case and that we will be on a plane to China soon! As in, four days soon.

In fact, in exactly a week from now, at this very hour, we will be getting ready to go to the Civil Affairs office to meet CC. Can. Not. Wait.

Stay tuned...

Sleeping CC

We received new pictures from a sweet mom who was at CC's orphanage adopting her son a few weeks ago. It was naptime, so we only have sleeping pictures of CC. But I kind of like that!

Do you see the photo pillow in the crib? This is the first care package item we sent. I wanted something where she would see our faces, but since she is so young, I knew she couldn't flip through a photo album. So, voila, the solution was a photo pillow. There are pictures on the other side too. The mom who took this picture said the pillow was already in the crib and the nannies positioned it so it would show in the photos. Love!

My sweet sleeping girl! We will have her soon.

Q&A About CC

Last month, I had Gretchen and Lillian from China Adoption Help get some questions answered about CC from the orphanage. These answers are from the beginning of October when she was just turning 8 months old. Here is the Q&A!

1. What are her current measurements – height, weight, head circumference, feet?

Height 66cm, Weight 6kg, Foot length 10cm.

(Height 26in, Weight 13lbs, Shoe size = 2)

2. What is her personality like?

She is extroverted. When she hears somebody calling her name, she will laugh and swing
her arms and legs, and make sounds like 'oh', just like she is talking with you.

3. Does she suck her thumb or fingers or a pacifier?

Yes, especially when she is not happy.

4. How do you comfort her when she’s upset? Does she like to be held?

She could only be upset when she is hungry or her needs not to be met. She loves being held.

5. Does she have a favorite toy or blanket? 

Teething toy is her favorite, she likes holding it and sometimes put it in her mouth.

6. What are her sleeping habits - how much does she sleep and when? Does she wake up at night? 

She likes to suck her finger to go to sleep. Nap time: 11:30am-1:40pm, night time: 8:30pm-6:00am. She needs to drink milk once around 11pm.

7. How many bottles a day does she drink?

5 times a day, formula with rice cereal, 250ml each time.

8. Who is she closest to?

Everyone likes her so much. 

9. Is she sitting up now?

Yes, but she is not willing to. She sits for a while and will ask for being held. 

10. What makes her happy? What makes her cry?

Nothing particularly.

Suitcase Shower

I think we're ready to go to China now! Some sweet friends threw a "Stock the Suitcase" shower for us last night. We have everything we need to take to China for Collins (and then some). Thank you, dear friends, for celebrating our baby girl in such an awesome way.

Sweet Sleeping CC

Today, I am thankful to kick off this month of thanks-giving, with some new precious pictures of sweet CC. I woke up to this picture. What a way to start November?!