Update

Ok so good and bad news. We are not leaving in 2 weeks. Apparently, we were supposed to go with the group that is leaving this weekend but something got messed up and we weren't notified. Everything happens for a reason because we just applied for a state grant that is for children with special needs and it needs to be approved before the adoption is finalized so this is God's way of making sure that we get those funds. Anyway, to get back to my babbles most likely we are leaving three weeks from today. The agency does not want us to go without a group so they want us to go with the other families that will have G&R's on the 23rd of July. I also heard exciting that another family that has been waiting for months will also be traveling with me so I am thrilled. So all in all I get an extra week to prepare but it is a little dissapointing knowing that we should have been holding Lennah this weekend. I also visited the pediatrician today. Overall, from what information we have she is doing well. He also said that her gross motor skills are advanced since she is sitting up and ready to crawl at her age. He thinks that she will walk by 10 months. I definately better baby proof before she comes home.

Huge News

We have big news. We do not officially have a Giving and Receiving date but we should have one within the next possible day. Apparently, our paperwork zipped through and a G&R was set for us but our agency was not technically notified. So we should be on a plane within 2 weeks. I guess I will tell you how I got my info. Anyway, Keith got the mail on his way to work and passed it off to me this morning. I said wow we have a letter from Vietnam. For those of you who know my husband he never leaves his cell on. Anyway, I told him to because I was going to call our director and find out what this was. I called and she said I know they said that you would be traveling soon but this is probably notification of your G&R. I was stunned. I know there are families waiting longer than us and we did only hit step 2 in May so this is a miracle. It is also a god send because I was going to have to stay out of work for awhile and I was going to lose several weeks pay. Now, because we will be traveling this summer, I will still be on break so I will only miss the first few weeks of school. Well, I have a lot of do. I am praying for all the other families out there that you hear some good news as well. But we know Lennah will be in our arms sooner than we ever thought possible. Praise God.

Really Busy

So I got back from Tennessee yesterday. I figured that today I would tackle Lennah's room. That project lasted all day. I washed all her clothes, towels, washcloths, sheets, etc. That was 3 loads of laundry (mind you I have a large front loader). I have been shopping on clearance for winter clothing and items for next year this could be the reason for so much. I don't like to pay full price so I figure by buying clearance clothing for next summer I am saving a fortune. I did make a boo-boo while I did her laundry; one of her really cute outfits that I planned on taking to Vietnam had some buttons on it. Well, the button must have gotten stuck somewhere and was ruined. She still has plently of clothing for the trip I am just dissappointed that one of my favorites was ruined. I also had to unpack toys. We have way too many boxes piling up in the closet. It is no easy feat trying to get toys out of the packaging, they secure those toys like Fort Knox. Now that her clothing is washed I plan on getting her packed soon in hopes that we get a travel date soon.

Father's Day

Yesterday we celebrated Father's Day, out of town in Tennessee. Keith was only able to get away from Saturday to Sunday and I am staying a few extra days with my parents. It was a special day because it was Keith's first even if Lennah is not here yet he is still a dad and needed to be celebrated. Anyway, I got him a cute card and signed it from me and Lennah. I also got him 2 special books that he could share with Lennah when he reads to her. We had a nice day by going to a park, riding some paddle boats, playing minigolf, and eating a steak dinner. Next year will be even more special because we know that Lennah will be home. We also received some exciting news this weekend from my another CHI family that have become extremely special to us (the Sereika's) that they are traveling on the 28th. I am so happy for them. We have a special bond because Lennah and Lilly were posted as waiting children on the same day and both had been in similar situations in Vietnam. Hopefully, we will one day get to meet here in the states since we are not traveling together. I will post pictures of fathers day when I get home on Thursday.

Mommy Intuition

Well, today was an awesome day. I woke up thinking that I might have pictures of our Lennah today. Anyway, by noon we had eight awesome pictures. I was so amazed when I first saw these because Lennah is sitting up all by herself. For those of you who are unfamiliar with orphanage babies, they are typically developmentally behind 3 months for every year spent in an orphanage. This would mean that Lennah should not be sitting up on her own yet. We thought she may not even sit up until 8 months old. So it is awesome to know that at six months old she is on target and sitting up like a baby who is being cared for at home. Who knows, maybe she is so advanced she will be a child prodigy. LOL. Hopefully we will not miss her crawling. Enjoy the new pictures.

P.S. Keep some new found adoptive friends in your prayers. They were hoping for a travel date to bring home their son whom they've had a referral since January. There have been some paperwork issues and they want him home by his first birthday, which is in August.

Nothing exciting

Today, I went for my travel vaccinations. I have to say it was not that bad. My mom freaked out and kept worrying that I would have a reaction and she came out of fear. I guess moms are like that. Keith goes to the doctor on Thursday to get his. We are heavily leaning towards him now staying the entire trip. Most families that travel to Ho Chi Minh City are getting home within 2 weeks so I think we can manage to come up with the funds for him to miss work for 3 unpaid days. I truly think he needs to be there for this once in a lifetime experience and the chance to bond with Lennah. We have to thank his lovely school for messing up his internship and causing him to take his vacation earlier this year. We also got the bill for our dossier translation a whooping $570.00. No one said an international adoption was cheap. Anyway, we were prepared for it. I just wish we would get the call but we have only been in step 2 for 31 days and counting.

New Photos

After more than six weeks of no new pics from the agency today was our lucky day. We received 6 new photos from CHI. Only minutes after I opened that email a family that was in Vietnam picking up their son sent me a picture they had snapped of Lennah while she was slurping down a bottle. Thank you Kelly Taber for taking the time to snap a photo of our baby. These are the first set of pictures where she truly looks happy. Only in one other picture have we ever seen a hint of a smile. Oh! by the way ignore the boy clothes this is definately our baby; the orphanages do not typically dress them to gender.

Six Months

Today Lennah turned six months old. I wish we had Lennah in our arms right now. It seems like it is taking forever to get travel dates but that is probably because we had so many hold ups on our paperwork. A good sign is that we received our Power of Attorney and our acceptance letter two days ago to sign and send back. This enables our agency to set up a giving and receiving date. For those of you who don't know what this is, this is when the Vietnamese government officially gives us to her and we sign her paperwork making us her parents. I should be getting some new photos within a few days at least that will satisfy my desire to see our baby girl for a while.