"Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You Tomorrow...."

   I still believe that God has been preparing me to be an adoptive parent all of my life.  As a child, Annie, was my favorite movie and I loved to torture my brothers by watching it all of the time.  I had the Annie dollhouse, multiple dolls and of course the record that I would play over and over again!  I even went on to name two of my dogs after Annie and Molly, two of my favorite orphans from the movie.

  The song, "Tomorrow", is going through my head today because tomorrow I will be on a plane headed to a special country that contains my little orphan, Cherry Blossom.  I cannot believe that the day is finally here and I still have so much more to do!  Maybe I should have taken off the whole week instead of just today to get ready.  The Rock is coming home to help, but since I have now repacked everything twice and am considering doing it again he may want to stay at work.

  Our plane leaves early in the morning and we will be spending the next two days in airports and in the sky.  This is the one time that I am hoping that it does not snow because I  do not want to be grounded at the Chicago airport! After we leave the United States it can snow all it wants! 

  Over the past few days we have been able to spend some quality time with many of our friends that have been with us along this journey.  We have been prayed over, we have had our last American food at some of our favortie restaurants and we have been given many hugs.  I do not know how many times I can thank this special group of people for being here for us as we have had our ups and downs of trying to become parents.  It means the world to us and we are so thankful God brought us to Murfreesboro and New Vision Baptist Church!

    This time tomorrow we will be sitting on a plane headed towards Korea!!  13 hours eeeekk!   Hopefully we will be able to sleep and just enjoy being together.  Little Cherry Blossom we are coming!!

8 days and counting

Today I marked more things off of my never ending To-Do List.   You would think that after all of the waiting I would have everything ready, but it is not so.  Today we received yet another itinerary with more details and more things to do before we leave.  I know it will all be done, but I am so anxious to just sit down on that plane and know that everything is ready for our Cherry Blossom to come home. 

As I face my fears of getting everything done I'm reminded by one of my favorite authors:

“Feed your fears and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will.”
― Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear


These next 8 days I want to feed my faith instead of my fears.  I know that God has been with me this entire journey and he is not going to leave me in my time of need.   Everything will get done!

9 Days and Counting!

I realized yesterday when I was going to bed that I had not posted for 10 days and counting.  The Rock and I are trying to get through Downton Abbey before we leave since we know watching shows together late at night will be a thing of the past in the near future.  We are actually trying to get a lot of things done before we leave NEXT WEEK!!  I still cannot believe that in less than two weeks I will have my Cherry Blossom in my arms!  Her room is ready, our bags are pretty much packed, our paperwork is in order, the money has been wired to China, our plane tickets are in our hands, our hotel rooms are reserved and we are just waiting for February 28th to come!


Today we received a much more detailed itinerary for what we are going to do in Beijing.  Our first big adventure will be the Great Wall of China and this will also be our last adventure as a childless couple.  We never imagined five years ago, when we began the journey of becoming parents, that we would be travelling across the world.  After our Gotcha Day we will then spend days visiting various government offices and dealing with medical needs.  We then get to experience China with our daughter by visiting;

Tian’anmen Square 

 

 

Forbidden City

 

Temple of Heaven


 Beijing Zoo  -  Panda Bears!!

 

 Summer Palace


We are so excited to experience this country with our daughter!  Be prepared for lots of pictures, that is if I can figure out how to download them :)

11 Days and Counting

On this beautiful Sunday I should be packing, cleaning or working on organizing the paperwork going to China, instead I am on my computer.  We are going to be in big trouble in China if my VPN does not work and I do not have internet access.  Earlier this year I barely made it through a week on a cruise without internet, but a lot of that had to do with waiting on our Pre Approval email for our Cherry Blossom. 

The VPNs are one of  The Rock's responsibilities and hopefully he will not disappoint :)

Last night The Rock decided he wanted to pack for our trip.  This stressed me out because he wanted to be done packing for the whole trip last night.  I do not think he understands or wants to understand that there is still a few things we need to buy before we can finish packing :)  They are little things, but when you are under some restrictions for luggage every little thing goes in a certain place.  It is all really confusing about the amount/weight of luggage you can take on the international flight compared to that you can take on our in-country flight.  As of right now we have one suitcase that is 1lb over the international weight, the other suitcase is under the in-country weight requirement.  Unfortunately, we still have more things to pack and I do not think they are going to fit in the carry-on bags.  There may be some rearranging tonight.....woo hoo!

Two weeks from tomorrow we will have our Cherry Blossom in our arms FINALLY!  Many people call this period of time "paper pregnancy" but it is so hard to see her cute little face everyday and wonder:  Did she have a good day today?  Is she sick/cold/hot?  Does she know we are coming?  Did she get the gifts we sent her including a picture of us?  Does she know that she is leaving her friends?  Etc etc.  These are the questions that are constantly going through my head all day and all night.  I pray for her everyday and I know that God has his hands over her, protecting her until March 4th.  We are coming baby girl!!!

I belong with you, you belong with me You're my sweetheart

Today we celebrated Valentines day as a childless couple for the last time. It made me happy to think that next year we will have to have a babysitter!!  I had a wonderful Irish dinner with The Rock and then he let me do my favorite thing right now, go shopping for Cherry Blossom.

Unfortunately no one explained to the guy at Babies R Us that I am a bargain shopper and don't like being told I can't use multiple coupons in one order or that I don't like it when things are ringing up at the wrong prices. Needless to say I returned some items in order to buy them again and use a coupon. My exciting buy was Cherry Blossom's first pair of Chuck Taylor shoes. Of course they had to be like my first pair, pink high tops!  I love retail therapy right now, but only when I have coupons and gift cards.

The Rock gave me a beautiful valentines card that made me think of our little Cherry Blossom because it had Cherry blossoms on it. It was the first card he picked up and it was perfect. I have a great man who is going to be an amazing dad!

CHOSEN

The word on my mind today has been the word Chosen.  As I look back to the beginning of our journey I can think about all of the choices The Rock and I had to make concerning starting a family.  We CHOSE to adopt, we CHOSE an adoption agency, and we CHOSE China.  In September, after being given a file with only 72 hours to make a decision, we CHOSE our little Cherry Blossom.  That is putting a lot of faith in God and perhaps going off the path we had planned for ourselves and our marriage.  We now know that God CHOSE our little Cherry Blossom to be our daughter and he CHOSE us to be her parents.  We didn't need those 72 hours to decide that she was our daughter, we just knew.  

Many of you have asked us if you can be at the airport to greet us when we bring our Cherry Blossom home.  We would love for those of you that can handle staying up past 10 pm on a Saturday, March 16th to be there.  There are some of you that we know go to bed before 9 and we understand :)  Our plane arrives at 9:56 from Atlanta. 

Unfortunately, it is not like the movies (Love Actually,  one of my favorites) where people are waiting at the gate when you get off the plane.  We have to get through security first, but it will be so worth it to see all of your smiling faces!

Please understand that we may be tired from the flight.....you know I'm the "What If?" girl.  Our little Cherry Blossom will probably also be tired after 16+ hour flying and having to be in four different airports (Guangzou, Seoul, Atlanta and Nashville)  Please, please, please do not try to take her out of arms.  We would love for her to receive hugs, but you have to hug us at the same time :)  Our little girl needs to know that we are her Forever Family and needs to attach to us before she is held by others. 

A special woman from one of my Facebook Adoption groups created a print that we are going to be put on t-shirts if you would like to order one to wear to the airport or just around town.  They are pink or brown and come in youth sizes small all the way to Adult XXXL.  We found a guy here in Murfreesboro who is willing to do the shirts for $9.50 each and XXL-XXXL are $11 and not charge us a setup fee.  We have to order a minimum of 24.  I would love to place this order by this Monday so that I can get them ordered, he can make them and then I can deliver them :) Call me, text me, facebook me or comment on this blog if you would like one, the color and the size!   This is not a fundraiser, it is just a design that means a lot to us because the heart is in Beijing where she is now and we know that she was CHOSEN for us by God.  Of course they are cherry blossom colors!

Here they are:

Cherry Blossom Shower

This past weekend we had our second shower for our Cherry Blossom.  Sorry I am just posting pics but I have been nesting and kid proofing the house along with The Rock.  The kitchen is ready for her to come and now we have to work on the rest of the house :)

This shower was given by Cherry Blossom's Nana , Aunt Amanda and her Aunt Lauren.  The house was beautifully decorated in cherry blossoms and it was even more special since it was the day before Chinese New Year!  Of course Cherry Blossom had friends and family there that cannot wait to meet her!  They showered with gifts and even more things for her nursery.  We are so blessed to have family and friends that are as excited as we are to welcome her into her Forever Family!

Here are some pictures from our special day!

 Adorable decorations created by her Aunt Amanda!

Her Cherry Blossom Tree - Grandma is hiding behind it!

 

My Amazing Family and Hostesses!


Mommy to Be!!

All of her wonderful gifts that are now in her room!

Just some of our special friends that spent our special day with us!

The adorable and Yummy Publix cake!

 

 

Thank you again to all of you that continue to pray for us and bless us with the items we will need for the toddler that is about to invade our house!  16 days until we leave!!!!

 

 

Happy Chinese New Year!!!!

Today was bittersweet.  The good part was that we were able to spend the Chinese New Year with our Murfreesboro adoptive families at Far East Chinese Restaurant. It was so cute to see all of these children in their silk dresses and outfits celebrating with their forever families.  The hard part was knowing that our Cherry Blossom is half way around the world and not celebrating the holiday with us.  However, it made me feel better when I told myself that this is the last holiday she will have to celebrate without us!  Next year she will have on her cute little silk dress and will be part of the picture with the rest of her little Chinese friends!

 On a side note.....I actually liked what I ate and thought that I might actually do okay in China.  I was then told that unfortunately their food is different.  I guess I am really going to only eat noodles over there!  The Rock cannot wait to try the authentic food and I'm packing many Easy Macs.   It may be a good way to lose all of the pounds that I have gained stressing about this adoption process!




Here is some information about Chinese New Year from www.chinesenewyear.net

Year of the Snake

In Chinese tradition, each year is dedicated to a specific animal. The Dragon, Horse, Monkey, Rat, Boar, Rabbit, Dog, Rooster, Ox, Tiger, Snake, and Ram are the twelve animals that are part of this tradition. In the year 2013 the Snake will be a welcome visitor, following the 2012 year of the Water Dragon. Traditionally, each animal is believed to bestow their unique characteristics on the people born in that year.
The Year of the Dragon was characterized by excitement, intensity and surprises all around. However, as we transition into the Year of the Snake times will be steady, well thought out and extremely stable. Like the Snake itself, we can expect times to move along at a predictable pace most of the time, with some interesting twists and turns along the way. Just as traditional Chinese wisdom tells us that having a snake in the house is good luck, the Year of the Snake is sure to usher in good fortune for many people.

The Snake’s Personality

For those fortunate people born under the Snake, personality traits such as attractiveness and spot-on intuition are the norm. Being as 2013 is the Year of the Water Snake, people born this year – just as those born under the last Year of the Water Snake – will typically have a tight knit circle of friends who are loyal and understanding. The people born under the Water Snake will also routinely display a deep level of intellectual thinking, tempered by extreme determination.
The Chinese New Year 2013 is expected to usher in business prosperity As the Snake is known for his inward cunning and cleverness, we can expect this year to be one where deep thinking and quick reactions to change are the order of the day.
People born under the Snake share their year of birth with some interesting celebrities. Oprah Winfrey, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Pierce Brosnan are just a few of the famous people who were fortunate enough to be born under the Year of the Snake. The Snake’s lucky colors are red and black. Colors to avoid include white and brown.

The Snake and Love

The Snake is calm, cool and collected. Snakes fall deeply in love and are able to maintain stable relationships for many years to come. Though some people will misunderstand the Snake’s often introverted personality traits, true lovers will recognize this personality trait as a sign of deep thinking and definite decisions. However, the Snake is often known to be jealous, so people under this sign should be careful to avoid being too jealous with their partners and/or spouses. The ideal partners for Snakes are people born under the years of the Horse, Goat or Monkey.

The Snake and Wealth

Remember, the Snake is all about being wise, collected and deep thinking. As such, to accumulate wealth in the Year of the Water Snake, people must be wise and consistent in all of their monetary dealings. This is not a year to gamble, but one to invest wisely. Doing so will result in more wealth down the road, as the Snake’s attributes clearly bless those who invest wisely and who exercise patience during all of their investing.
Snakes should pursue careers that reward deep thinking, persistence and patience. Snakes should pursue careers in the following fields: Accountants, Scientists, Jewelers, Painters and Investigators. Snakes routinely thrive in these types of careers.


Read More http://chinese-newyear.net/



Curious about what your Chinese Zodiac is?  Find the year of your birth in the chart below:

 

Cherry Blossom was born in the Year of the Tiger!!! 

 (In no way will this ever make her an Auburn Tigers Fan!!!)

Bobcat Shower

This week I had my first baby shower from the wonderful people I work with.  I have been so blessed to work with many of these people for over 12 years at Overton High School.  Many of them have been praying for us as we have been on this journey to parents.  Our little Cherry Blossom would be lucky to have these teachers in her life one day!

Plane Tickets - Check

Last night we did our first big purchase for our journey to China!  After many emails with many questions from me, the "What If" girl, to our travel agent we have decided to fly with Korean Air.  This is pretty exciting for us because we have been told by many in the adoption community that this is one of the best airlines! It is usually one of the more expensive airlines to travel, but yesterday their prices were beating Delta's!  Even better is the fact that we will not have to leave out of Hong Kong, but we are able to leave Guangzhou, the city where we will be staying the last leg of our trip.  This saves us from having to ride a train or rent a van to take us to another place and try to book another hotel room.  The least amount of times we have to move Cherry Blossom the better!

So,  the grand date of our departure is......

 

Three Weeks Away from TOMORROW!!!

 

 

 

On that day we will get up REALLY early to sit and wait for our plane at the Nashville Airport. We hop on a flight to Chicago, then a long 13 hour (eeeekkkk! ) flight to Seoul Korea.  From there we get on our final flight to the city where our Cherry Blossom is right now, Beijing.  Total we will be in the hour for over 16 hours but sitting in airports for another 5-6.  What is crazy is that we will not arrive to our hotel until late Friday night! 

 

Cherry Blossom's country is 13 hours ahead of us.  So, as I am typing this she is finishing up her lunch.  Pretty soon she will be eating lunch with me and hopefully adjusting to our time zone!

 

The next best thing to arriving in China is celebrating a special event that will be celebrated every year....

 

GOTCHA DAY!!!!

This special day is March 4th!!  This is the day we finally get to meet our little girl!  This is the day she finally has her forever family!  This is the day we will celebrate, but may be difficult for her.  This is a day that could be filled with laughter and/or tears.  This is the day that this mommy can finally hold her daughter in her arms!  This is the day that she could become a "Daddy's girl".  This is the day we have been praying for since we decided to be parents.  This is the day our Cherry Blossom has to leave her friends and nannies that she has been with since she was one years old.  This is the day that there will be one less orphan in the world. 

This is the day we have WAITED for!

 

 

 

 

Just typing that brought tears to my eyes, so I can just imagine what I will be on that day in less then a month. 

 

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.

Matthew 18:5

 

 

The Cherry Blossom Room

Many of you have asked to see the nursery and it is almost finished!!   I took pictures of it today so that I can take them to China in Cherry Blossom's photo album so that she will not be so overwhelmed when she walks in.   Poor thing,  her mommy reallllllly likes to decorate and be creative!

So here it is .....

This is her closet that her daddy created for her. 

Of course mommy had to add some Thirty-one Organizing Totes!

Her crib with her lovey, doll and backpack that will all go to China with us!

Her cherry blossom tree that took her mommy hours to put up on the wall. 

Her daddy did have to help with the trunk though!

Her dresser/changing table and Chinese lanterns!

Some of her toys that we have bought for her or she has been given as gifts! 

 Her Uncle Josh built the shelves on the wall!

We sure hope she likes Disney! 

Family is.......Faith, Hope and Love! 

 

We can't wait to bring her home to the room we have created for her out of love!

 

 

 

Now we just have to prepare her for these girls.....

 

 

What a difference one year can make!

Today marks the first year anniversary of our decision to adopt!  So, it is fitting that today is the day we share our blog with our friends and family who have loved and supported us on this journey.   It is also fitting that today is the day we found out that we have......

(The middle two letters of our favorite NFL football team) 

TA  or otherwise known as Travel Approval from China! So next week begins our planning of our trip to go get our Cherry Blossom!  We hope to leave February 28th or March 1st and we will have her in our arms March 4th for Gotcha day. 


We will be in Beijing for the majority of the time and then we will be visiting Guangzhou for a few days.  As I type this we are both excited and overwhelmed to be one step closer to our  daughter.   With TA we could leave as early as tomorrow if we wanted to, but due to Chinese New Year we have to wait.  There is that word again....WAIT.   It has easily become my least favorite four letter word. 

Earlier today when I noticed that other people from my facebook groups were getting their TAs  I contacted my agency.  She told me very kindly that she had contacted China and our TA had not been completed yet and we would have to WAIT until next week.  As Chinese New Year approaches this sent me into my "What ifs?!?!"  I spoke about in my last post.  All day I worked on Cherry Blossom's room so that I wouldn't get upset and cry. Thankfully, because of some pretty white stuff on the ground I was able to be home all day.  (FINALLY a snow day!)

 Again......I had my plans and they were not working out the way I wanted.  Sometimes I just need God to hit me over the head and today he did.   At 5:30 tonight, as I was talking to The Rock, I looked at my cell phone and realized that I had missed a call from my agency.  I called her back and she did not answer so I checked the email I had been stalking all day and there it was.  Our TA had MIRACULOUSLY appeared! 

Thank you to all of those who have prayed for us this past year and now we get to WAIT just a little big longer!

 

1 Corinthians 13:13

 

Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love.