We made it to Beijing!!!!

Hi everyone. I know that's a strange picture to start out with but blogger isn't letting me move pictures around so this post probably won't make any sense. Sorry about that. If anyone knows how I can fix that or what I'm doing wrong, please let me know!! It's driving me crazy and I want to fix it!! Anyway, we made it to Beijing and the picture above is of our guide, Josh, here in Beijing. He's holding the sign with our name and another family traveling with us. We both arrived about the same time but on different flights. Another family arrived yesterday and the last family gets in tonight.

This picture was right above our baggage carousel. Tomorrow we're going to Tienemen Square and The Great Wall, I hope we also drive by the cube and bird's nest. I'd love to get some pictures of the Olympic venues.

This was after we got off the plane in Beijing, good thing it was also in English. We'd probably still be walking around the airport looking for baggage!!

Oh yeah!! Beijing here we come. We connected to our Beijing flight in San Francisco. We actually flew up over part of Alaska, the Bering Sea and Siberia. It was a 12 hour flight and never got dark, pretty strange.

Here's the daddy-to-be drinking a micro brew in San Fran waiting for our flight.

In Denver, our flight to San Francisco. Sorry this post started at the end and worked it's way back to the beginning. Hopefully I will get it figured out soon. Anyway, we are safe and sound, it's 7:20pm Thursday night here, we're 14 hours ahead of Denver. Scott is sacked out and I'm not far behind. We have a long day of touring tomorrow but should be alot of fun. Beijing is an amazing city. I will write more about it tomorrow when I have pictures to go along. It's hard to believe we are in the same country as Laila, I can almost feel her in my arms. We just need Monday morning to get here fast!! We want our girl!! Thanks for following our blog and we'll talk to you again soon!!!! Hugs from China!!!

The cutest nursery ever!!

Blogger is making me very mad right now!!! It won't let me move pictures around so this post is going to be a little different, sorry. I steam cleaned the carpet in Laila's room today and put the last few things in her room, we think it's very cute. For my birthday, my aunt got me one of those vinyl lettering kits. It says "Such a big miracle in such a little girl." I love it, it's so true, Laila is our miracle!! I love it right above the closet, I see it everytime I walk in her room and it makes me smile.

Last weekend Scott hung her curtains, they are a pink cotton/silk blend and look really nice against the lilac wall.

My sister-in-law and I hung the shelves last week. The white basket is full of CD's for her CD player on her dresser. The white paper on the dresser is our China packing list, can't believe we leave in 5 days!!!! Her toy box is FULL of toys. It's very cute, my niece Gabrielle will get a toy out of the toy box and tell me she's borrowing it from Laila and that Laila won't mind.

We just bought the rug, it's got little purple, pink, yellow and light green polka dots all over. It looks cute, we don't like the brown carpet we have so this covers some of it.

Here's her closet and as you can tell, she's not hurting for clothes!!! These are only the 12 and 18 month sizes, her closet was too full for the next size up. They are in boxes in the basement. Her dresser and changing table are also full, lots of retail therapy while waiting for 3 years!!! We can't wait to bring her home, I can just picture her sleeping in the crib and pulling toys out of the toy box. Ahhh, what an exciting time in our lives, we are so blessed!!!!

New picture of Laila!!!!

Hi everyone!! I opened my e-mail yesterday and there was a new picture of Laila!!! Wanna see it??
Isn't she a cutie!!! I can't wait to hold her, hug her and kiss her. That's my daughter!!! I love saying that!!! We are getting everything ready around here to leave for China early Wednesday morning!! We get Laila on May 4th and she's ours forever and ever and we couldn't be happier!!

Laila... Here we come!!!!!

It's officially official... we are leaving for China April 29th at 6am!!!! We arrive in Beijing China April 30th around 2pm, about 12 midnight in the states (on the 30th). We will tour Beijing May 1st and 2nd and fly to Henan on May 3rd. We will get Laila on Monday, May 4th, and will never let her go!!! We're not sure yet how long we will be in Henan before flying to Guangzhou but our Consulate appointment is May 12th and we take our oath May 13th. We could head home sometime after 3pm on May 14th but due to flights we will stay another night in Guangzhou and early the morning of May 15th we will fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong to San Francisco to Denver!! Whooo, long day of flying but the longest flight is 10 hours and we have at least 3 hour layovers at every stop so Laila can expend some energy and hopefully sleep on the flights!! Our fingers are crossed. Our travel agency was able to secure us bulkhead seating so we should have a little bassinet/bed for Laila on the flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco. Please keep our family in your prayers, it's an amazing journey but we pray Laila will adjust well to Scott and I and will begin to bond with us. We already love this little girl so much but she has no idea what's about to happen, it's going to turn her world upside down. She's never seen people that look like us or speak like us and we just want her to feel our love for her and not be scared. I believe I'm beginning to nest, I want everything CLEAN!!!! It's driving me crazy, I'm cleaning and organizing everything!!! I've also been working on our China Packing List, boy that's a long list and we each only get 1 bag and it can't weigh more than 44 lbs!! Wish us luck!! I will post again prior to leaving and try to add some pictures of Laila's room, totally completed and adorable!! I hope she likes it!!

We're going to China!!!

We received our TA today!!!! They have requested our Consulate appointment for May 12, 13 or 14th so we will leave for China April 29th!!! Yep, just 2 weeks away and we will have Laila forever on May 4th and in time for my first Mother's Day!!! We are so blessed and can't wait to meet our daughter whom we already love more than anything. What an amazing time in our lives and we're so happy we can share it with all of you!!

LOA.... oh yeah!!!

That's right, those 3 magic letters and we heard them today!!! We will be in China in 5-8 weeks to get our daughter!!! I have to get the pictures developed of us signing our papers today that were then overnighted back to China so we can get travel apporval!!!! We may have our daughter by Mother's Day!!! Today was the best day ever!!!!! I will post more tomorrow when I get the pictures!!!!

Baby Shower Pictures...

We had the baby shower at my friend's mom's house. It was really nice and alot of fun!! The biggest surprise was that my BFF, Jami, from Houston surprised me. She came up for the weekend, I had no idea!!! It was great to spend some time with her and meant so much that she came for the baby shower!! The theme was ladybugs with some Chinese touches. My friend's mom works with a Chinese lady who had just returned from China with authentic Chinese decorations special for the baby shower!! We had Chinese dumplings and fortune cookies. I will post more pictures later, just wanted to give you all a taste!! My sister-in-law did a huge map of the world with a little ladybug for Laila in XinYang and with a flower in Denver. It was very sweet and neat to see how far away we are and yet that's where our daughter is.

Jami got us a diaper cake!!! I love it, it's so cute!!

These are the gift bags for people at the shower. They had little ladybug chocolates, cinnamon bears, chocolate kisses and truffles. Yummy and so cute!!

I will post more pictures this weekend of the presents and shower. They are on Scott's e-mail and blogger is acting kinda funny right now. Laila got so much stuff!!! Lots of cute clothes, lots of toys and stuffed animals, lots of bath stuff, food stuff (plates, bowls, spoons, forks), the other car seat, her stroller, high chair, little girl potty chair, toy box, lots of gift cards... books, gosh, so much stuff and we love it all!!! Thank you everyone for all of your gifts, prayers and good wishes!!!