So, on to the adoption this yard sale is supporting! We just heard that our home study is ready to be finalized and notarized, at which point we begin our application to US immigration to adopt a child from China. Here's hoping this component continues at it's current nice little pace!
Because this part of the process, the "paperchase" as it's known in adoption circles, is a pretty dry reading, I thought- a little family fun news. This month, Miss V celebrated Easter for the first time in her life, as we approach her 3rd birthday and her 1st adoption day anniversary. What a special way to celebrate as our year of so very many "firsts" for her comes to a close! Our pastor refers to celebrating Easter as stepping into the stream of joy that has been flowing for 2,000 years...He told us Sunday morning that the celebration began hours ago around the world, and it was our turn now. So awesomely true, and we get to celebrate openly! Speaking of joy, this month we did a lot of finger painting, and well, we kind of love what happened! Incidentally, this sweet look is all for her daddy standing to the side. Her daddy forever and ever 11 months ago.
Something a lot of people do for Easter is "Forget the Frock," where families buy a set of shirts to support a cause instead of traditional Easter wear. We forgot the frock with twist I guess :-) This spring we decided to buy adoption shirts in place of any t-shirt or summer shirt that needed replacing. Kind of neat, it supports the family adopting, and it supports adoption all year long. And, bonus, as children come come into their families forever, it is SO fun to wear a shirt and remember them. I have my "Lucy" shirt, my "Alex" shirt, my "Brighton" shirt...so much more fun that my "pink" or my "aqua" shirt! We wore clothes we already had, in little bit's case, a dress I had set aside for her 3 years ago...before we knew her little face. I'm so excited that on her first Easter, she just so happened to be a perfect fit for it! The bracelet was her baptism gift from us, the pearls from China. Sometimes a girl needs to feel special, and it was a mama thrill to see that she really did feel extra special that day!
Some other April adventures while we waited on paperwork:
First pony ride
First strawberry patch
(Yes, her bangs are super long...we are deciding to "grow" or "cut" and she opted out of a bow at the strawberry farm- oh well!)
What else? Oh! Daddy became Baba when Vivienne is extra happy or wanting him to stay (instead of going to work). We had originally planned to be Mama and Baba to our sweet girl. But with her cleft palate affecting speech, so that consonant sounds were all /m/ and /n/, Baba sounded just like Mama. To avoid frustration, Bear became Daddy. Now, out of the blue this week, if Miss V is calling for her Baba every once in a while. So sweet- I think someone's heart melts every time, regardless of whether he ends up being Baba, Daddy, or Dad!
Hey, and if you ever stress about the concept of a home study...I won't lie that I don't clean the house top to bottom...Although my standards for "clean" are a lot more relaxed since becoming a mommy ;-)...But. if we can host our social worker with pizza and a house full of yard sale, I think most of you out there are good, ya know? ;-)
