Secret Pal Goodies

I came home today to a fun package of bibs, bows, and baby bling. Thank you Secret Pal!

Pucca

Patiently waiting to go to China and get my baby! 

Downward Doghouse

On Nick Jr. you can see Kai-lan, an adorable 5 year-old Chinese American girl, in the Downward Doghouse special cartoons. Appealing to preschoolers, facets of chinese culture are featured in family themed stories. It is a blend of Eastern and Western cultures which Karen Chau, the creator, drew from her own childhood experiences. Check it out here.

Sagwa

This is Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat. Amy Tan wrote this wonderful children's book which has since spun off into a PBS show. I've got two of the videos and plan on collecting more. They are very well done and appeal a wide range of ages. The engaging stories are all set in China and there are little vignettes woven in that teach Chinese culture. For example, a little mini-documentary on brush painting and calligraphy or special festivals and foods will be interspersed between cartoons. The stories all have morals and character lessons built in.
You can watch a little clip at PBS. You will find fun coloring sheets, online games, and more.

Bow Crazy

Sadly, I had to return some gifts that were 12 month summer clothing because with the lengthening waits I don't think Abbey would get to wear them very long by the time I get her. On the bright side I now have lots of in store credits for when I do know her size and what season it will be. I also got to go a little crazy with hair bows. They are seasonless and sizeless so they are a safe buy for now. I'm just getting started on hair accessories. I'm going to get red and yellow bows and then turn my attention to headbands and sparkle clips.

Oh, and those cute corker bows. And flowers, we need hair flowers!

For Her First Ride

I came home last night to a huge box filled with goodies for Abbey from Laurie and Van. Laurie sent cute girl stuff and Van picked out this jacket. Oh, the stories I could tell you about Van.



Laurie is the Baby Wisperer and Van, well he's just fun and trouble. I love you guys!

You all are so funny!

In additon to the burritos they wrapped up their squares for the 100 Good Wishes Quilt inside Taco Bell wrappers and stuffed them in a to go bag. That's the best thing I've ever pulled out of a fast food bag!


There was also a card with $ for me to use to have the quilt made. So nice!!
You all rock!!

Birthday Burritos

Some gals in my ICU (inter-congregational unit, aka small group from church) came over with a little surprise for me. What you see lit up there on the table is not a cake, it's a plate of Taco Bell bean burritos surrounded by hot sauce packets. They are so funny. Thank you girls, you know I don't like cake! And yipee that Johanna was here from Switzerland to join us. Thank you for missing your flight so we could see you again.

Tagged Again!

I've been tagged by the lovely and talented Joannah, soon to be Jillian's mommy. Six weird things about me (there are so many it is hard to choose).

1. I have to wear anklet socks, they can't fold over with cuffs.

2. I get red blotches all over my neck when I am nervous. When people start asking what's wrong with my neck I get even more.

3. I love brussell sprouts and broccoli.

4. I loathe mayonaise and will gag if exposed to it (this was caused by a childhood trauma).

5. I like having my teeth cleaned.

6. I once flew high in the air over a large audience as an angel in a Christmas play. The harness was less than comfortable.

Since so many have already been tagged I will just add a few:

Donna

Angel

Quilt from Joyce

After we cooked our Chinese cuisine we had Rebecca's mom, Joyce, over for dinner. Joyce made this very special quilt for Abbey. She also gave us so many gifts that I told her it was a shower in and of itself. DVD's, toys, clothes, blankets, necessities from off my registry. You name it, she got it. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). 

My Chinese Cooking Instructor

This is my dear friend Rebecca. She made the lovely invitations for my shower, the party favors, the almond cookies, organized all the games and the group gift, and so much more! Anway, yesterday we spent all afternoon cooking together. She taught me how to make wontons, dumplings, egg rolls, spicy peanut chicken, and ginger soy chicken. It was so much fun! I had been intimidated to try some of these things on my own but now I will feel very comfortable when Abbey and I want to cook for CNY and other special times. Rebecca even gave me her Chinese cookbook (she doesn't need recipes to follow). The food was very yummy.

Wonderful Women

On the left are Kim and Caitlin who gave me many wonderful things off the baby registry, like baby vitamins, tooth brushes, sun block, sippy cups, booster seat, bowls, etc. I was so happy to get all these things. It helps me feel a lot more ready.
The lovely crib bedding, as you can see, was given to me be Eva and Debbie on the right, along with Debbie's daughter Jeni. I am so excited to have all these beautiful things. Thank you!!
And BTW, a friend commented on the picket fence and I just have to tell you all that the picture is just from an ad, it's not really Abbey's room. Her room looks like a disaster at the moment, but whenever I do get it together I will post it. It's probably going to be months at the rate I'm going!

Baby Quilt

This beautiful quilt was made for me by Colleen. She is in the picture below on the far right with the blue striped shirt. I absolutely LOVE it. On the top side are the colors for Abbeys room. The back side is flannel panda material that is just darling. Colleen said that as she sewed the quilt she prayed for Abbey, that God would cover her. We will cherish and treasure this always. Thank you Colleen.
The little panda from Joyce has a paw that you press to record a message that your baby can squeeze and play!

Ladies from Santa Cruz

We all knew each other when we lived in Santa Cruz and attended church together at the Coastlands. It was so nice to reunite! 

Cynthia and Sharon

On the left is my friend Sharon who has a true heart of adoption and has been such an encouragement.
On the right is my wonderful sister, Cynthia. She organized the team of ladies that put my shower together. Nobody in the world has a big sister as good as mine (sorry, but she really is the best). She originally planted the seeds of adoption in my heart. Through the years she has been the source of so much wisdom. One thing she said to me as I thought and prayed about adopting was, "I cannot imagine you looking back on your life and having never been a mother." I have thought about that hundreds of times now and she is so right. It has been the one thing in life I've always dreamed of, and she held my hand and gave me the courage to dive in. I will be forever grateful for that and so much more. She is the best mom to her children that I have ever seen, and I have her available at all times as a resource. She is truly one of the greatest treasures in my life. It was her love in all the details of my shower. She put her whole heart into it. Thank you Cynthia, and let's party on!

My Mom

My beautiful mom was at the shower. As I told the ladies there...There has never been a day in my life when I have not known that someone loved me completely and wanted my best interest above all else, and that has been my mom. I want to be that person for Abbey. My heart has been so filled with love that I have it to give away.
The day I went to tell my mom about my adoption plans we met at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Santa Monica. As we waited in line a Chinese couple came in behind us with their pigtailed toddler daughter. My mom turned around and wispered to me, "Christine, look at that baby! Isn't she darling? The Chinese babies are always the cutest." We got our drinks and sat down and I told her that I was going to China and would be a mom to one of those babies, and she was thrilled. She has been SO supportive. I expressed all my concerns and fears and she had an encouraging word for each and everyone. I told her about the costs, and she said it really wasn't that much money. I told her about the all the paperwork, and she said that I was always very good at doing those kinds of things. I told her I was worried about being a single mom and being able to give Abbey everything she needs, and my mom told me that if all I could do was give her a home, a bowl of warm oatmeal, and a heart of love, it would be enough. Thank you mom for giving me courage to set out for my dreams! I hope to be to Abbey what you have been to me.
One last word, my mom always gets the cutest and funnest gifts!

Tears and Laughter

To give everyone an understanding of the orphanages, we showed the Bring Me Hope video.
My dear friend Carolyn prayed a LONG beautiful prayer for me. I can't remember all of it so I am looking forward to seeing the shower video, but two things stand out. She prayed for all the wisdom I will need as a mother and she prayed that God's supply of provision would never run out. From education to the endless flow of diapers, she prayed that all that we need would always be there for us. It was wonderful!
Baby Luke joined us for the prayer.
Carolyn's husband, Jeff, is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Point Loma. We all met at Point Loma College 20 years ago and have been friends ever since. If you are ever in San Diego go visit them.

Baby Clothes Line

This was so cute!!
The group gift was the Britax Roundabout car seat. I was so thrilled and surprised to get it! There were also two cans of much needed formula with it. Thank you friends! 

Tea Set

My friend Teresa presented me with this lovely tea set from Beijing!
 

Party Favors

Rebecca made these cute little favors for all the guests. They are Hershey chocolates. Yum! 

100 Good Wishes Quilt Letter

This is the letter we had out for everyone inviting them to contribute to Abbey's quilt. To read the words click on the picture.

Special Touches

There was a special table with squeeky shoes, adoption books, and the quilt squares I've been collecting for Abbey's 100 Good Wishes quilt.
 

Chinese Tea Party

I wanted to share more with all of you about my wonderful baby shower. The theme was a Chinese Tea. All around the room people had brought in beautiful decorative items from China to share. To set the ambiance Chinese Lullabies were playing in the background. I love this music and can't wait to play it for Abbey at bedtime. I am also going to use one of the songs for her baby video.






The menu was all Chinese finger foods: egg rolls, wantons, dumplings, almond cookies,
fortune cookies with Bible verses inside, fruit kabobs, and more. I actually never made it to the food table because I was so busy talking to everyone. Thank you Michelle for coordinating all the kind people who prepared the food. Next week my friend Rebecca will be having me over to teach me how to cook some of these things myself.