It's really here...

The bags are packed (mostly), the flights are re-confirmed, the dogs are off to the kennel in the am, the housesitter is set up... Are we ready? It's been just over 13 months since we sent our application in, just over 14 months since Lillie-Kat was born. For the last year, we have hoped, dreamed, waited, and waited some more. We are ready. Is she? I don't know. Soon she will be torn from all that she knows. Soon she will learn about her new mama and baba. While this brings me incredible joy, it also brings me incredible sadness. For her birth mother and father, for her foster mom who has cared for her for almost a year, for her beloved country, which loses a baby girl who will surely be a shining star. I have said before that I have trouble with "God-speak." I go to China not to rescue a child, but to get my daughter. I believe it was meant to be, and that we would not be drawn down this path without a purpose. There have been too many signs along the way, some subtle, some that rose ahead of me like beacons in the night. I learned a long time ago not to ignore my instincts, and my instincts take us to China, and to this special little girl. I am starting to wonder if my "instincts" have a name, but that is a post for another day. It is here. Someone told me that everyone will tell us our lives will change forever. She said to tell them "that's the point." Get ready, baby girl. All our lives are going to change forever. And that's exactly the point.

Countdown

Two more days of "work" -- not that much is getting done! Two more weekend days of last minute baby prep One more Monday for last minute packing and a massage (thanks Mom!) And then Tuesday - off we go! I can't stand it. We'll probably be at the airport 10 hours early!

Serious girl-friend love!

My friends rock: I am now the proud owner of the SASSIEST and coolest diaper bag this side of L.A. LK is also now the proud owner of an assortment of Lillie Pulitzer clothes, fancy French lovie-dolls, and a Baka-Baku. (thanks mom!!) Run, do not walk, and buy one of these bad dream eaters of Chinese folklore for your children: We got tons of other stuff too, but the nicest part was having all my friends from all different parts of my life come together to celebrate LK's impending arrival. Thanks all! Love ya!

T-freaking-A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right... TA... travel approval... that coveted piece of paper saying COME TO CHINA! We got it today! Should know more about travel tomorrow. Hold on baby girl... we're on our way!

Picture Sunday

I've got a bunch of random things to post about so I'm just going to lump them all into a picture-post. First, the TBG crew came over for dinner last night.* Their daughter Hannah made a friend for life in Isabella, who has not stopped gnawing on the bone Hannah brought for her. These were taken this morning: Sabrina had so much fun last night she is now sleeping in: But best of all, check out what the very talented Maryellen MADE** for Miss Lillie: I just realized I forgot to put the matching red bow in the picture. Well, trust me, it's cute! Lillie also got this awesome dress: Thanks for the cool stuff and the fun time last night! And in other, non-TBG related news, the new PBK bedding arrived and love is not a strong enough word for how I feel about Lillie's new crib set: I think that about covers it for now. I survived another trip to New York without any mechanical failures (unless you count sitting on the runway in the tiniest tincan plane ever for two hours) and am off today to buy a) a cute dress to wear to my shower next weekend and b) baby stuff. *And just so you all know, my fridge has a little less beer this morning. See Maryellen's comments on this post. **She might have had a teensy bit of help ;)

Tweet tweet...

If nesting brings on labor... then I really should have TA this week. I've done some serious cleaning and reorganizing. On July 4, while the parade gathered beneath my office window and I couldn't concentrate, I totally cleaned up my entire office. Everything is filed and labelled away. You can see my desk. Then Thursday night I order the PBK bedding I've been coveting for LK. Saturday J and I went shopping and got the video camera so we can capture!every!moment! of LK's life. We also got new towels for her bathroom... and came back and hung curtains. Then today, I don't know what came over me. Totally cleaned out the junk room... I mean guest room, reorganized that closest that was full of all the stuff we didn't know what to do with when we moved, rearranged the furniture, washed all the bed linens, reorganized the linen closet... You get the picture. Anyway, here are a few pics of LK's nursery with the curtains FINALLY up... notice the finial, I think I am in love:

Now you know...

This is Colleen's fault... she tagged me to show off my neat-ish fridge and my wreck of a pantry: So here you go: I'm not sure what you can tell about us from this... except we don't have much in the fridge, and our pantry is the catch-all storage for everything from coolers to dog food. Oh well... blame Colleen ;)

Lillie Loot!

My friends threw me a shower at work last Thursday - so much fun, and Lillie is certainly going to be a well-dressed girl! Notice the jogger stroller - my two best GUY friends at work (who also co-hosted my shower) went to BRU all by themselves... and even wrapped it!