Excerpt...

Eileen - I had to steal this from your blog, too! Sums it up...


Excerpt from: The Guide To Adoption by Douglas R. Donnelly, 1987, Focus on the Family Publications

"Take 2 separate tragedies: an unplanned pregnancy and a couple grieving over an infertility problem and combining them in such a way as to solve both problems simultaneously is exciting beyond words. Through grace, the birthmother makes a painful, but heroic decision and is granted the strength to see that decision through. And also through grace, the adopting parents accept a child into their home and bestow on that child their name, their material possessions, and the fullest measure of their love and affection. A special bond exists between birthmothers and adopting parents. They have together, through a teamwork of the most magnificent kind, created a human being…in a way which neither could have done without the other. There is no greater human example of grace. "

Seeing is believing!

Marla sent us the ultrasound today! Well, she sent it to our phone, so I had to call my savvy niece to ask "how the heck do I get this on my computer??". Thanks Em!! Just when I think I'm hip, I'm NOT! Gord and I had a great time trying to figure out what we were seeing. The quality was bad, but just knowing what (who) it was, was HUGE. I must say we both had a tear stirring up. Everything that happens makes this feel more real for us. This video is of her head. You can hear Mi'kai in the background, so cute...

Tomorrow is our 3rd anniversary. Time flies. Every year we are married my parents send us $5. We got a beautiful card with a $15 check in it today!! We may have to treat ourselves to some ice cream tomorrow. Maybe next year we will be able to afford a pizza dinner. Thanks Mom and Dad.

FRIENDS!!

Another trip to a friend's house, another trip home with a loaded car full of baby stuff :) Thanks Yvette!! We went through bags and tubs full of tiny things. Yvette's twins were smaller than most babies so you can imagine how tiny they were. They were like barbie clothes. And I know barbie clothes! When other preteens were hiding on the playground having their first kiss, I was rushing home to make a new barbie car out of shoe box. Yes, I played way to long. Oh well, I'm a late bloomer. Gord and I used to joke that we would be using a walker and pushing a stroller at the same time. Talk about late bloomers. Back to talking about our donations. Previous donors have been Lisa and Tammy. Thanks Guys!! It is like going to garage sale but not having to wonder "hmmm where has this been??". You all say "you probably want new stuff", but "motherhood" hasn't changed me. I'm still very practical and budget conscious. Plus, I need to save $$ for our big trip. I'm sure Ella will get her fair share of new stuff, just not in the first 6ish months. We are very lucky to have all this support. I have a great list of things I need to bring to Toledo that I found on my adoption group website. We have all but two things scratched off. We are ahead of the game!

Next task, finding a pediatrician. I have some great leads! We hope to meet with them in November and get some of our questions answered. Did you know you can't fly with a baby less than 14 days without a Dr's note?? Most of my contacts had said they had the note, but were never asked for it. So, better safe than sorry.

Dolls

Ultrasound

Well, I have proven to not be the best blogger, not very timely. Anyway, if there is anyone that hasn't heard the baby is a girl. A baby girl that couldn't sit still for the ultrasound (sound like anyone). My mom said I wouldn't sit still in her tummy, either. I think it was due to the many doses of Nyquil, but maybe it was just my excitement to begin life : )

We have chosen a name. Ella Mia. Ella is a unique combination of her grandmother's names (Elfriede and LaVerne). Mia is her sister in Oh. Hopefully, one day they will have a relationship and feel they have a bond! We have had this name picked out for years

Ella has a total of 4 dolls already! Whoa! We couldn't resist.

I'm sure this blog will be most useful when we are in Oh, but I will continue to post important information (like how many dolls she has). And, as we finish the nursery, I will post pictures.

OH! I also found out the the due date may be moved up from the 23rd of December to the 18th!