Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Consulate Appointment? Check.



Well, we received the official word today. With our consulate appointment secured in Guangzhou, we are heading to China on January 13th! Yes, that is just 15 days away and our "to-do" list is growing, steadily. Justin has been diligently working on Marin's new bedroom...painting, re-wiring, carpet-cleaning, etc., but now we have even more motivation to finish the job. Its weird to look in on that room, which has been our office for the past four years, and see the makings of a baby room. There's a crib, dresser, changing table, and rocker --most items courtesy of Helena. She has been very generous with her old things and has even provided her new baby sister with a special stuffed bunny, which matches the room's decor. Of course giving up your old furniture for brand-spankin-new stuff, makes parting with it a bit easier. As well as being comfortable, little Marin will be well dressed. Thanks to the generosity of grandmothers, sisters and good friends, Marin's closet will be stocked with slightly used hand-me-downs. Its nice to dwell on the easy, simple things and not the whirlwind awaiting us in two short weeks (like learning to feed a baby with a pigeon nipple --more on that later).
Oh yeah, and the packing. We have "the list" in a high traffic area so we can add to it as soon as we think of something. This time we will not forget the gourmet instant coffee, the Zicam and most importantly pureed prunes (for Marin, of course).

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Meet Marin...


We are elated to introduce Marin Irene (even though we ourselves have not yet met her in person). She is our daughter in our hearts and we are planning to make it official when we travel to China, hopefully in January. She is eleven months old and was born in Huazhou, Guangdong Province. She currently lives with a foster family and we trust that they have taken very good care of her, showing her lots of love. We are graciously in debt to the people in her life who have taken care of her until the day when we can unite with her forever.

"No man steps into the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and he is not the same man."
Heraclitus
We feel the same about this journey to China. It is a country that has experienced immeasurable change in recent history and is continuing to do so. We too have grown and changed as a family over the past three years. We've been told no two adoption trips are the same, and we are trying to prepare for the unexpected.