Sunday March 6th - A busy week!

Wow, time sure is speeding by! Only 23 sleeps till we leave and things are coming together.

Naomi is starting to talk a bit about Lilah - HOORAY! On Monday, she gave Lilah's picture a kiss and hug before bed and has started to talk a bit about where Lilah will fit into our lives. It's probably a bit of hopeful thinking on our part, but this week she really seems to be coming to terms with the idea of a sister. Although that is probably not going to be as big of a reality in 4 weeks when Lilah arrives - it is comforting to know that she will adjust eventually.

So the hug and kiss are now a morning and evening routine. We also received the new stroller this week, and Naomi loves to ride around the house in it. She even tells us that Lilah will sit in the seat beside her! As I hear her talking, I fall deeper in love with this little person who has so much to offer a baby sister. She is such a character and has such a terrific sense of humour. I can hear the two of them concocting stuff already!

Yesterday we hosted a get together for our travel group and had the opportunity to meet some new faces. The party was a kick start to our trip, and has really gotten us excited about our journey. In less than a month we will be together in China, have new babies in our arms and be celebrating! Our group is a wonderful mixture of first and second timers, with a few bio kids in the mix. We met up with 3 of the 7 other families travelling to Hunan, as well as 5 of the 10 families travelling to Guangdong. Since we all have the same travel service, the two groups will be meeting up in Beijing.

Joel cooked up a nice suprise for me at the get together! He arranged to get a birthday cake for me with Happy Birthday written in Mandarin, then brought it out during the party. Naomi had fun blowing out mommy's candles. Lots of wishes coming true, and the biggest birthday present to arrive in less than a month! Poor Joel though was afraid if he put the cake (ice cream cake) in the freezer that I might see it before he was ready. Given that it was cold outside, he left it in his truck with the sunroof open to keep things chilly. He forgot to close the sunroof last night after bringing the cake it. We got snow last night, then rain the morning. Thank goodness for leather seats - easy to clean!

We heard from Children's Bridge this week that we should expect our in-China itinerary to arrive in the next few days. We are anxious to get this information, because it will tell us if our visit to Zhuzhou (Naomi's orphanage) will be permitted.

Our friend Jenny is working on translating several documents for us this week. When we travelled in 2002, we had a translation card indicating our baby's name, age and that we were adopting her and bringing her to Canada. It was very well received by the Chinese as they greeted us and gave us the thumbs up. Jenny is making one for Lilah, and also one for Naomi to explain that she was adopted in August 2003.

We are also having her make a translation card for Naomi in case she gets lost (which we hope won't get used), a letter thanking Lilah's caregivers and a sign for Naomi's finding spot. We would like to put the sign up at the place that Naomi's birthparents left her with a photo of her now, one of her at referral and a note indicating that she is safe, healthy, well loved and living with her new family in Canada. Often when I sit back and marvel at the gift we have in Naomi, I am moved by the fact that her birthfamily is missing out on such a wonderful little treasure. We will never know if any member of her birthfamily will see it, but since it has only been 2 years we are hopeful that they will at least hear of it. I can only imagine the pain that they must feel - perhaps it will give them some degree of peace.

It sounds like we will not be allowed to visit Lilah's orphanage in Chenzhou. For one, it would be a 5 hour drive one-way. While we would be eager to make this journey, it also sounds like the government offices in the area are discouraging visitors right now. Thankfully we do have some pictures from another family who made a return visit to their daughter's orphanage last year. Apparently, it is affiliated with a seniors residence and the "grandma's" routinely visit the babies to cuddle them. It is nice to think that Lilah will have experienced this in her life already.

The only other news to report is that we've made grand strides in Lilah's room. It now looks less like a spare room and more like a nursery! Since Naomi's room is now purple with silver stars and moons on the walls, we took the theme from her original room and modified it in Lilah's. The theme is gardens, with lots of butterflies, ladybugs and flowers. Lilah is beginning to have more and more presence in our home. It's starting to feel very real this week.

So, I'm now also counting down the days left of work. I finish on the 17th of March, just in time to celebrate with some green wine! It seems odd to be wrapping things up with my clients, as I feel like I just returned. Then again, I guess I did!

x0x0 Naomi and Lilah's mommy