The Brown Envelope Came!!!!

Our Brown Envelope came yesterday! The brown envelope is from the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China and included our Visa paperwork for Sarah and more paperwork that we will take with us to China. It's just one more confirmation that they have approved our adoption and are awaiting our trip! Yippee!!!

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.
The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.
The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.
http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html
Check out the link above for more info about Chinese New Year!

Officially a LID (Log In Date)

We are thrilled!!!! I had seen a bunch of LID's being posted today from CCAI and was hoping, hoping, hoping ours would be here soon.
So, our official date to count down from is 12/29/05, just before the new year!! I was hoping it was going to be a Dec. date and I was right!!!
I thought I'd add a picture of our 'ultrasound.' Hope you like it!

The Red Thread

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break."

--An ancient Chinese belief.

A Red Thread To China (Author Unknown)

A red thread to China was cast today

From us to a child so far away.

This thread symbolizes an attachment of hearts

That distance alone can't keep us apart.

Her mother and I are caught in a chase

That time alone will bring us to face

This loving young child we want so much to greet

With love in our hearts before we did meet.

This tiny, thin thread may stretch, tangle or fray

But our love for her grows stronger each day.

Through the test of time it won't break or sever

She'll be part of us forever and ever.

With oceans between us, the distance is spanned

By a love that is greater than man could have planned.

For God in His mercy loved her and us

And decided our family would be a great plus.

So for now we'll just love her and pray every day

That God keeps her and loves her for us till we may

Travel to China, that land of great past,

To the side of our daughter, to hold her at last.

Happy 2006, Year of the Dog!

Happy New Year!
We celebrated with Philip, Holley and Lauren at Cheryl and Alan's house. We had scallops, crab legs and oysters. I included a picture of Ian, Lydia and Lauren playing on Ian's new Jeep.
It's a great feeling to be starting a new year, the year that our daughter will come home! A new beginning!!!
I've also added a picture of the new diaper bag that I recently bought at Marshall's. It is a silky Asian print and it converts to a backpack. Cool, huh? I can't wait to tote all Sarah's stuff around in it!
We're still waiting on our LID (log-in date) and will post when we find out!

The Anxious Waiting Family

Well, here we are with Steve's family and one with my family this Thanksgiving. Won't Sarah fit in perfectly??
We are all so anxiously awaiting her arrival!!!

Here's the nursery!!

Well, I thought I'd better go ahead and start a blog. Seems like everyone's doing it and it's the best way for people to keep in touch with our journey.
Here are some pics of the nursery. The theme is Nursery Rhymes. Appropriate, huh, with my love of children's literature. We've got it painted, the crib up and a few things ready. The things we lack now are a hamper, a bookshelf and some sort of toy bin. Those will come with time. You'll notice our 'I love you right up to the moon and back!' sign. That comes from the children's book, Guess How Much I Love You, by Sam McBratney. When Steve and I were dating I told him how much I loved this book at that I loved him 'right up to the moon and back.' So, this was appropriate for Sarah's room!
Today I worked on our 100 Good Wishes Quilt letter that we'll be sending out at the first of the year. You all should be getting a letter soon!
We had a wonderful Christmas with our family this year! We spent Christmas Eve with Steve's parents and then went to my brother's Christmas Day evening. Debbie and Steve gave Sarah an adorable silk Chinese outfit and a huge, soft stuffed dog. Philip and Holley gave us a stroller for her and a Baby Einstein 'First Words' DVD. My friend, Reem, at work gave her Little Angel stuffed bunny rattle too! I'll post pictures later of her presents. Sarah is so loved, even before she's here! We are so thankful for all the sweet gifts we received this Christmas!
Hopefully we'll have Sarah here to spend next Christmas with us!!