dear baby girl {letters from the heart}

Dear Baby Girl,

I can hardly believe it’s all finally happening.  It’s crazy to think about how you can wait, and yearn, and pray for something for so long, and then in the blink of an eye, the day is finally here.  We thought surely the hope of meeting you this fall was slipping through our fingers, as the days continued to go by with no word from our attorney or agency.  But then... just like that... with one simple phone call this past Tuesday everything changed.

Our adoption agency called to ask how fast we could be ready... could we make it in time for a November 1st court date?  Could we be in Uganda by the 29th of October?  Could we make it all happen?  YES. YES. and YES.  And just like that, we were on the phone purchasing plane tickets... scheduling travel... making hotel reservations... buying diapers... digging out passports... filling out visa paperwork... and BAM... 5 short days later we’re on a plane.

And now, here we are... pacing the terminals in the Dubai airport just waiting to board our last plane of the trip.  We are both a bundle of anxious energy... excitement and nerves... sooooo ready to see your sweet face.  I have been dreaming of this moment for so long... seconds don't go by where I'm not thinking about you.  I dreamed about you on the plane.  I can’t wait to take in your smell... kiss your sweet cheeks... learn your little quirks... listen to your cry... embrace your giggling laugh... see your beautiful smile... just hold you in my arms.  

Oh, sweet girl... we’re coming... so close.  All our love and kisses.

xoxo,

mama

dear baby girl {letters from the heart}

Dear Baby Girl,

The past few weeks have been full of updates and changes.  Your daddy and I found out out that you are now living in a small baby home with about 10 other children.  This is a big change from your previous surroundings, but from the updates we've received it sounds like you are slowly adjusting to your new environment.

Knowing that you would soon be moving to a new facility has been so, so hard on your mama.  I desperately want you to be home.  But receiving a small update from the orphanage director helped me breathe a little easier...

"Gift is 8kg, and generally her health is good.  She is a nice girl who wants to be loved all the time.  She wants to always be around people.  She enjoys all the food we give her and also she likes playing with the toys so much.  She is used to the surroundings now, because the first two days she was not used to the people around her and cried some.  We are happy that she is now smiling."

Oh, sweet girl!!!  So many amazing things in that one short little update!  For starters... you're a tiny little tot (about 18 lbs)!  But you look incredibly healthy with cheeks that I can't wait to get my hands on:)  It warms my heart that you seem to be forming attachments and bonds, even amidst all the transition.  This is a big deal.  Man, how I long to see that little smile for myself soon.

We also got a new picture this week... our third one in total.  I smile every time I look at it (which is like a hundred times a day)... you are on a little tricycle... in what looks to be some kind of frilly red and green Christmas dress.  You have the deepest, most beautiful eyes... wise eyes.  I love them.  Your cheeks are ridiculously kissable and your mama can't wait to kiss every square inch of them.

Soon, baby girl... soon.

Love,

mama

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Anonymous love.  Last week we received an anonymous contribution towards our adoption.  The inscription on the inside was so simple, yet so encouraging... "Loving is expensive.  For your adoptive friends."

2) Urgent Care Centers.  I was having symptoms of a UTI yesterday and I knew I needed to get some antibiotics to make sure it didn't turn into anything more serious (i.e. a kidney infection... worst pain I've ever experienced).  Since I didn't get home from work until 8:00pm yesterday, I was super thankful to find an urgent care center that was open.  Regardless of my 2+ hour wait, I'm extremely thankful for the  nurses and doctors that likely worked a much longer day than me, and I'm grateful to have a prescription waiting for me.

3) Unicorn mail.  I mean... freakin' seriously.  Who wouldn't be thankful for unicorn mail?  I have this friend, who, for whatever reason, refuses to have a cell phone.  I'm always giving her a hard time about not being able to text her and blah, blah, blah... but then I received my very own paper text message with a UNICORN on it.  A unicorn.  Done.  No cell phone needed... from here on out I only want unicorn mail... period, the end.

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

I may be linking up with any of these fellow Thankful ladies:

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life
There's Just One Mommy

Lovely Little Whimsy

embracing october {monthly goals}

It's freakin' October people.  October.  Fall is finally here... and this makes me very, very happy.   Here are my monthly goals for October...

learn // to say no.

I've never been very good at this.  I have some kind of weird social-phobia where I fear if I say "no" to something I will miss out on all kinds of super exciting things and all of my friends will have inside jokes without me.  I'm finally learning that that's okay and I need to say "no" more often.

list // my blessings.
I can be really quick to complain or focus on what I don't have or what I think I "need"... but this month I want to make a special effort to focus on all that I've already been given.  I have been blessed with so, so much... and I want to be listing those:)

limit // our spending.

This has been an on-going goal for a while now.  Because it's a good goal.  We are learning how to eat out less... pay down debt... save for adoption... and plan for the future.  I have a feeling this won't be the last time we'll be working on this goal:)

love // the process.

While I desperately want to be on the other side of the world holding my baby girl, I am trying to remember to love the process.  I want to cherish every email update and every new photo.  I want to remember how I felt when Lance and I looked at her first picture together... how I felt when we found out what she weighed... how I will feel when we meet her for the first time... and how I will feel when we finally bring her home.  I want to remember it all.

What about you?  What are you focusing on this month?

In case you're interested... or super bored at work... here are my previous monthly goals: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September.