7 Days and Counting...

It is 11 a.m. in Tainan right now... one week from this second, I will be the happiest mom in the world. Can you believe we've actually gotten to this point?

Tiffanie is with Gracyn as I type... AMAZING! And Lucy and Noah are the next to come home. The three of us moms have certainly spent enough time waiting.

The first glimpse of our daughter almost a year ago.

Speaking of waiting... for those of you who only know your kids via photos and monthly updates and feel like it will never happen——it will! And you know what? If you're anything like me, you'll wonder why you wasted so much time worrying and obsessing about moving forward when you could be doing all the things you said you'd do. Have I learned enough Mandarin? Uh, no. Did I freshen up on my sign language to make it easier? Hmmm, nope. Is my house completely organized from top to bottom before she gets here? Now that's just funny.

Someone said to me many months ago that I should not focus on when it's going to happen, but that it is going to happen. And that is the one thing that kept me going. It will happen for you, too. In fact, the wait—for me—has been like being pregnant... you wish it away at times but it's drawn me closer to Lucy, helped me look within myself for something I didn't even know I had, and has grown a love for the little girl who was meant to be with us.

That being said—kick, scream and cry when you need to. You deserve that too.

7 Days and Counting...

It is 11 a.m. in Tainan right now... one week from this second, I will be the happiest mom in the world. Can you believe we've actually gotten to this point?

Tiffanie is with Gracyn as I type... AMAZING! And Lucy and Noah are the next to come home. The three of us moms have certainly spent enough time waiting.

The first glimpse of our daughter almost a year ago.

Speaking of waiting... for those of you who only know your kids via photos and monthly updates and feel like it will never happen——it will! And you know what? If you're anything like me, you'll wonder why you wasted so much time worrying and obsessing about moving forward when you could be doing all the things you said you'd do. Have I learned enough Mandarin? Uh, no. Did I freshen up on my sign language to make it easier? Hmmm, nope. Is my house completely organized from top to bottom before she gets here? Now that's just funny.

Someone said to me many months ago that I should not focus on when it's going to happen, but that it is going to happen. And that is the one thing that kept me going. It will happen for you, too. In fact, the wait—for me—has been like being pregnant... you wish it away at times but it's drawn me closer to Lucy, helped me look within myself for something I didn't even know I had, and has grown a love for the little girl who was meant to be with us.

That being said—kick, scream and cry when you need to. You deserve that too.

Two Weeks From This Very Moment...

Need I say more?

Two Weeks From This Very Moment...

Need I say more?

I Went Right!

For 4+ years, I've walked into kids' clothing stores and gone directly to the boys section. I always glanced over at the girls clothes and felt a pang... not to say I don't LOVE how fun it is to shop for boys... all that khaki and navy blue... but I always dreamed of stopping by the little ladies area too.

Today, in our local over-priced-yet-adorable kids' clothing store--where the boys are to the left and girls to the right--I walked in, bee-lined for the boys section...stoppped and exclaimed, "oh my God, I can go right!

And boy did I ever.

I Went Right!

For 4+ years, I've walked into kids' clothing stores and gone directly to the boys section. I always glanced over at the girls clothes and felt a pang... not to say I don't LOVE how fun it is to shop for boys... all that khaki and navy blue... but I always dreamed of stopping by the little ladies area too.

Today, in our local over-priced-yet-adorable kids' clothing store--where the boys are to the left and girls to the right--I walked in, bee-lined for the boys section...stoppped and exclaimed, "oh my God, I can go right!

And boy did I ever.

Cousins, Cousins and More Cousins!

Did you know that Lucy will have 28 cousins when she joins our family? She definitely won't be lacking in attention there. They range from late 20's to 4-years-old... we can't wait for her to meet them all! When I was 18, my sister Ellen gave birth to her first child and I was SO excited to meet her. Now, here she is with the very first Taiwan Lucy cousin guest post... (click on the pic to see it larger)

Cousins, Cousins and More Cousins!

Did you know that Lucy will have 28 cousins when she joins our family? She definitely won't be lacking in attention there. They range from late 20's to 4-years-old... we can't wait for her to meet them all! When I was 18, my sister Ellen gave birth to her first child and I was SO excited to meet her. Now, here she is with the very first Taiwan Lucy cousin guest post... (click on the pic to see it larger)

Cousins, Cousins and More Cousins!

Did you know that Lucy will have 28 cousins when she joins our family? She definitely won't be lacking in attention there. They range from late 20's to 4-years-old... we can't wait for her to meet them all! When I was 18, my sister Ellen gave birth to her first child and I was SO excited to meet her. Now, here she is with the very first Taiwan Lucy cousin guest post... (click on the pic to see it larger)

She Hits Like a Ballerina

Today's the day Alex, Lucy's buddy, was united with his parents. Congratulations to the happy family! You can find them here. Alex was said to be Lucy's pal so I feel sad for our little girl that she's had to say goodbye to another one of her friends. We'll have to have a little reunion when we get her home.

Alex's Mom was so sweet to find Lucy and give me a progress report.

"We walked through the door, and all of the babies were asleep except two--and one of them was Lucy (I definitely believe in miracles)! She was going all over the place in a yellow walker. I talked to her and held her hand when she nearly ran over me. She is so beautiful.

I noticed she was wearing a white one-piece outfit with small words and pictures in different directions all over it. Right below her face in the center and right side up were the words, "a home." I thought, "Soon Lucy is going to have her home and her family." In other places, the jammies said, "Happy."

Spring, one of the nannies took her out of the walker, and she stood on her own. She walks like a little ballerina--on her toes. She is still a little unsteady. The nannies said Alex is the king of the nursery, and takes toys from everyone and makes them cry. So Lucy hits him. I think she'll be ready for her big brothers!

She started playing a little game with Spring, where she put her foot up, and Spring would pretend to try to hit it, and Lucy would move it away. She seems very playful."

She walks on her toes like one brother and hits like the other... sounds like she'll fit in just fine!

She Hits Like a Ballerina

Today's the day Alex, Lucy's buddy, was united with his parents. Congratulations to the happy family! You can find them here. Alex was said to be Lucy's pal so I feel sad for our little girl that she's had to say goodbye to another one of her friends. We'll have to have a little reunion when we get her home.

Alex's Mom was so sweet to find Lucy and give me a progress report.

"We walked through the door, and all of the babies were asleep except two--and one of them was Lucy (I definitely believe in miracles)! She was going all over the place in a yellow walker. I talked to her and held her hand when she nearly ran over me. She is so beautiful.

I noticed she was wearing a white one-piece outfit with small words and pictures in different directions all over it. Right below her face in the center and right side up were the words, "a home." I thought, "Soon Lucy is going to have her home and her family." In other places, the jammies said, "Happy."

Spring, one of the nannies took her out of the walker, and she stood on her own. She walks like a little ballerina--on her toes. She is still a little unsteady. The nannies said Alex is the king of the nursery, and takes toys from everyone and makes them cry. So Lucy hits him. I think she'll be ready for her big brothers!

She started playing a little game with Spring, where she put her foot up, and Spring would pretend to try to hit it, and Lucy would move it away. She seems very playful."

She walks on her toes like one brother and hits like the other... sounds like she'll fit in just fine!

She Hits Like a Ballerina

Today's the day Alex, Lucy's buddy, was united with his parents. Congratulations to the happy family! You can find them here. Alex was said to be Lucy's pal so I feel sad for our little girl that she's had to say goodbye to another one of her friends. We'll have to have a little reunion when we get her home.

Alex's Mom was so sweet to find Lucy and give me a progress report.

"We walked through the door, and all of the babies were asleep except two--and one of them was Lucy (I definitely believe in miracles)! She was going all over the place in a yellow walker. I talked to her and held her hand when she nearly ran over me. She is so beautiful.

I noticed she was wearing a white one-piece outfit with small words and pictures in different directions all over it. Right below her face in the center and right side up were the words, "a home." I thought, "Soon Lucy is going to have her home and her family." In other places, the jammies said, "Happy."

Spring, one of the nannies took her out of the walker, and she stood on her own. She walks like a little ballerina--on her toes. She is still a little unsteady. The nannies said Alex is the king of the nursery, and takes toys from everyone and makes them cry. So Lucy hits him. I think she'll be ready for her big brothers!

She started playing a little game with Spring, where she put her foot up, and Spring would pretend to try to hit it, and Lucy would move it away. She seems very playful."

She walks on her toes like one brother and hits like the other... sounds like she'll fit in just fine!

What's Best for Lucy?

As I've mentioned, I'm planning to head to Taiwan on 5/5 to see Lucy—unless, of course, we get news of a decree first then I'll wait and Jeff and I will go together.
It was mentioned to me that maybe I could take her for a few days to the hotel and spend it with her there. That sounds amazing!

But then, it immediately terrifies me. What is the best for her—my visiting SLC 8 hours a day for three days or taking her for three days to the hotel?
I want to be with her so badly, I can't even describe it...but I'm afraid I could be messing her up if I take her away from what she knows only to bring her back.

What's best for my baby girl?

UPDATE 4/15: SLC does not, in fact, want me to take her to the hotel afterall. But I am told I can visit all day. So that's what I'll do!

What's Best for Lucy?

As I've mentioned, I'm planning to head to Taiwan on 5/5 to see Lucy—unless, of course, we get news of a decree first then I'll wait and Jeff and I will go together.
It was mentioned to me that maybe I could take her for a few days to the hotel and spend it with her there. That sounds amazing!

But then, it immediately terrifies me. What is the best for her—my visiting SLC 8 hours a day for three days or taking her for three days to the hotel?
I want to be with her so badly, I can't even describe it...but I'm afraid I could be messing her up if I take her away from what she knows only to bring her back.

What's best for my baby girl?

UPDATE 4/15: SLC does not, in fact, want me to take her to the hotel afterall. But I am told I can visit all day. So that's what I'll do!

What's Best for Lucy?

As I've mentioned, I'm planning to head to Taiwan on 5/5 to see Lucy?unless, of course, we get news of a decree first then I'll wait and Jeff and I will go together.
It was mentioned to me that maybe I could take her for a few days to the hotel and spend it with her there. That sounds amazing!

But then, it immediately terrifies me. What is the best for her?my visiting SLC 8 hours a day for three days or taking her for three days to the hotel?
I want to be with her so badly, I can't even describe it...but I'm afraid I could be messing her up if I take her away from what she knows only to bring her back.

What's best for my baby girl?

UPDATE 4/15: SLC does not, in fact, want me to take her to the hotel afterall. But I am told I can visit all day. So that's what I'll do!

What's in a Name?

When we received Lucy's referral back in September, she was a 7 1/2 month old baby. At the time, we definitely contemplated keeping her original name—maybe as a middle name. After giving it a lot of thought and going back and forth, we decided to honor both Lucy's birth mom and mine by naming her Lucy Mei Janice. To be honest, it felt like a non-issue since she was so young and wouldn't really know the difference. But now that she's 14 1/2 months, I feel completely torn about dropping her name. Will she resent us? Will we regret it?

I still want our moms honored in the name but Lucy Mei Yu-Ting Janice seems crazy long. Maybe Lucy Mei-Ting Janice? I'll have to get the chinese characters translated for that one.

For those of you who've been in this situation, tell me what made you decide to keep or not keep your child's original name.

Update: I had the characters translated and this is what we've got...
From Hui-Mei
Hui means bright, intelligent
Mei means "pretty" or "beautiful".

And Yu-Ting
Yu means house, building, eaves, but used with another word yu-zhou means Universe.
Ting means pretty, attractive, graceful. It usually describes how pretty a young girl has become.

What's in a Name?

When we received Lucy's referral back in September, she was a 7 1/2 month old baby. At the time, we definitely contemplated keeping her original name—maybe as a middle name. After giving it a lot of thought and going back and forth, we decided to honor both Lucy's birth mom and mine by naming her Lucy Mei Janice. To be honest, it felt like a non-issue since she was so young and wouldn't really know the difference. But now that she's 14 1/2 months, I feel completely torn about dropping her name. Will she resent us? Will we regret it?

I still want our moms honored in the name but Lucy Mei Yu-Ting Janice seems crazy long. Maybe Lucy Mei-Ting Janice? I'll have to get the chinese characters translated for that one.

For those of you who've been in this situation, tell me what made you decide to keep or not keep your child's original name.

Update: I had the characters translated and this is what we've got...
From Hui-Mei
Hui means bright, intelligent
Mei means "pretty" or "beautiful".

And Yu-Ting
Yu means house, building, eaves, but used with another word yu-zhou means Universe.
Ting means pretty, attractive, graceful. It usually describes how pretty a young girl has become.

What's in a Name?

When we received Lucy's referral back in September, she was a 7 1/2 month old baby. At the time, we definitely contemplated keeping her original name?maybe as a middle name. After giving it a lot of thought and going back and forth, we decided to honor both Lucy's birth mom and mine by naming her Lucy Mei Janice. To be honest, it felt like a non-issue since she was so young and wouldn't really know the difference. But now that she's 14 1/2 months, I feel completely torn about dropping her name. Will she resent us? Will we regret it?

I still want our moms honored in the name but Lucy Mei Yu-Ting Janice seems crazy long. Maybe Lucy Mei-Ting Janice? I'll have to get the chinese characters translated for that one.

For those of you who've been in this situation, tell me what made you decide to keep or not keep your child's original name.

Update: I had the characters translated and this is what we've got...
From Hui-Mei
Hui means bright, intelligent
Mei means "pretty" or "beautiful".

And Yu-Ting
Yu means house, building, eaves, but used with another word yu-zhou means Universe.
Ting means pretty, attractive, graceful. It usually describes how pretty a young girl has become.

Siblings: In Sickness and in Health

Remember way back to 5 days ago when B was hospitalized? Well.. little did I know, his sister was also having her share of poking and prodding—hospitalized for a bad case of bronchitis.

I got this email this morning from our agency who's in Taiwan: "We did not get to see your little one, because they moved her to the hospital to avoid her getting worse with her bronchitus. She was put in the hospital ICU for the first day, then moved to regular ward and she has done better and better the whole time. I think she will be back at the nursery in another day. Don't worry, we had them call while we were there to get an update, they say she is fine now but want to keep her another day just to make sure she is perfectly fine."

Jeff and I thought the worst case was we'd have no court update but at least photos. Wow - we never expected they'd get halfway around the world and couldn't even see Lucy. It never ceases to amaze me how much this process can continue to knock the wind right out of me and leave me feeling helpless and just plain sad.

Our agency did say that given our extended case, SLC has agreed that we could come visit Lucy during the wait. While my first reaction is to drive to the airport, I have some serious concerns. Would that just hurt her development—showing her such love and cuddles and then leaving? Of course it's a huge expense and we don't know if we'd be going back soon after traveling but if I knew it was going to be another 6 mos., I'd feel like we should go.

Here's my question: to those of you who are/have adopted, what's the right thing when it comes to visits—would it help or hurt to go there? I've even considered going there to "foster" her while we wait. Could that even be possible—the Mac family living in Taiwan?

Siblings: In Sickness and in Health

Remember way back to 5 days ago when B was hospitalized? Well.. little did I know, his sister was also having her share of poking and prodding—hospitalized for a bad case of bronchitis.

I got this email this morning from our agency who's in Taiwan: "We did not get to see your little one, because they moved her to the hospital to avoid her getting worse with her bronchitus. She was put in the hospital ICU for the first day, then moved to regular ward and she has done better and better the whole time. I think she will be back at the nursery in another day. Don't worry, we had them call while we were there to get an update, they say she is fine now but want to keep her another day just to make sure she is perfectly fine."

Jeff and I thought the worst case was we'd have no court update but at least photos. Wow - we never expected they'd get halfway around the world and couldn't even see Lucy. It never ceases to amaze me how much this process can continue to knock the wind right out of me and leave me feeling helpless and just plain sad.

Our agency did say that given our extended case, SLC has agreed that we could come visit Lucy during the wait. While my first reaction is to drive to the airport, I have some serious concerns. Would that just hurt her development—showing her such love and cuddles and then leaving? Of course it's a huge expense and we don't know if we'd be going back soon after traveling but if I knew it was going to be another 6 mos., I'd feel like we should go.

Here's my question: to those of you who are/have adopted, what's the right thing when it comes to visits—would it help or hurt to go there? I've even considered going there to "foster" her while we wait. Could that even be possible—the Mac family living in Taiwan?