My Very Sweet Grandfather

My grandfather stopped by my house today, and I asked him if he would pose for pictures for Jade's scrapbook. I asked him to hold the things he made for her room and I took two photos of him in her room. I think they will be special additions to her book.

Gifts!

My sister gave us the loveliest basket filled with goodies for our anniversary in April. It was filled with books for Jade and books for us about being parents. It was so wonderful! For Mother's Day, she gave me a Chinese stamp kit and a beautiful card.

Also, here is the panda painting we bought for Jade's room at the art show in New Jersey. This was done by the very sweet artist we met who was born in Guangzhou. We love it!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of us!
My sister gave me a beautiful card that says "You're already a mother in your heart..." on front.
That's true for all of us- even those who are waiting for their first child, like the two of us are.

This truly feels different than any other Mother's Day!

Fabulous Squish

I just had to share the fabulous square I received for Jade's quilt from my friend Aynne. She is an art teacher, so she chose to make her own fabric square. I love it!

Also, our school nurse has offered to make the quilt (quilts?) for us when it is time. She is an avid quilter and is really good at it. I am so honored that she will be making this special gift for Jade.

Recent Happenings

Lately it seems I am always busy. I never do much, but still- I am busy! Our 17th wedding anniversary was in April and we went away for two nights to Princeton, New Jersey. We had never been there, and we just loved the area. We left on Friday, and Friday night we ate at P.F. Chang's for the first time. It's a good thing there are none of those around me or I'd be there every day! We really enjoyed it! The weather was gorgeous and we sat on the patio and ate.

On Saturday, there was an art show in a neighboring town and we went. It was at the Croft Farm Art Center in Cherry Hill. It is an old farm that is hundreds of years old and it was even a stop on the Underground Railroad. Now it is an arts center. We bought a panda painting for Jade's room by an adorable Chinese artist. He was born in Guangzhou and told us that he hoped his painting would bring good luck and happiness for our family. He signed the back of our painting for us and drew two pandas in a heart on the back.

We shopped around Princeton and had a nice lunch at a cozy place. We had gelato and sat on a bench outside to eat it. It felt like summer vacation even though it was onyl April! We had room service for dinner on Saturday night. Then on Sunday, we ate lunch again at P.F. Chang's before heading home. It was truly a wonderful anniversary weekend.

Our next big plan is to go to NYC on the June 9 weekend. We are going to the big FCCNY Chinese festival at Liberty State Park on Saturday, but we decided to head to the city early on Friday. I am really looking forward to it. It will also be a great feeling when we're there knowing that I only have three more days of school. I wish I could be finished, but it could be worse, I guess.

We went to see the third Spiderman today. It was okay, but it got a bit corny in the middle when Peter turned "bad." Still, I love going to the movies. It is always exciting to me. They showed a preview for the new Harry Potter which starts July 13, so I am looking forward to that.

Next weekend, my sister and I are taking Mom out to a fancy Mother's Day brunch at a very pretty restaurant. It should be a nice time.

That's about all the news...counting down the days until school is out. The summer can't get here fast enough!

4 Month Mark

So...we have reached our four month mark since LID. It's so hard to think about how many months we have ahead of us. I read messages saying that we could have up to a three year wait and I feel sick to my stomach. I know it is something we have no control over, but I can't stop myself from thinking that if we had only started the China process earlier when we were involved with pursuing Russian adoption, we would already have our Jade home. I know everything happens in God's time and there is a reason why we started exactly when we did. It's just so hard to remember that sometimes! We both turn 40 this year and it's looking like we will probably be 42 by the time we bring her home. I never could have predicted I would be a first-time parent at 42! All in good time...