Kaylah * UPDATE*

Were WE surprised today to see an email from CCAI with UPDATED photos!! OH mygoodness! What have they done with her hair? My heart smiled so big, and I have never wanted to hug this little one more than I do now. These SOOO made my Friday!

I'm not sure who the lady beside her is, but I'd like to think that this might be her Foster Mama. As a stylist, I can't imagine giving a little one this many pigtails, but whoever did this must love her!

And as if today COULDN'T have gotten any better..... another email appeared in my inbox! This time it was a Sponsor update report! And ANOTHER photo of Kaylah in her little Chinese New Year's outfit. Her expression and pose is a little different than the one we had before. Probably taken seconds after the other one. Here's what the report said:

"ZiYue is  a very easy going girl and  always is in a good mood.  She  is a caring and loving person. She likes to visits her friends from her neighbors. As long as she sees her friends, she will happily play with them or share her food or toys with them. If she sees her friend falling down, she will help friend to get up or wipes friend’s tears. She walks around and picks up broom,  chairs or  corns etc. she can eat by herself and eats very thing mom cooks for her. She loves dogs and enjoy chasing them around."

Won't Snickers and Nougat be HAPPY! We laugh at the thought of watching her chase around two chihuahuas. They are in for a rude awakening!

OOOH hold on darlin' Mama and Baba are coming to bring you home! I just cannot wait to hold you in my arms and kiss those amazing cheeks!

PRE-APPROVAL! Introducing: Kaylah Marie Yue Murphy!!!!!

OooohmyGOODNESS!

Happy tears are flowing here in Colorado! We received our Pre-Approval notice today to adopt little Dang Zi Yue! And now we can share her little face with all of you! She was born 7/7/2009 and is from the Henan Province, Nanyang City. She has the CHUBBIEST little face and we have fallen completely in love with her!! We hope to travel in August/ September to bring her home! I just can't seem to get my thoughts together and I am sure you have all sorts of questions... and we will post more as soon as we can process it all. But I wanted to post her picture and share the absolute JOY that I am feeling inside.

The STORK has LANDED!

File in review.
I can't believe it!
Unfortunately, we cannot share information YET.
I will say this, she looks like she needs a HUGE hug and that we have a few mug shots to keep looking at.
Her file will be reviewed by our doctor and specialists. ;) We remain calm and await to learn about her special need and want to have all this medical jargon interpreted for us.

One year ago today......

One year ago today...
Mike & I made the decision to pursue adoption. After thirteen years together and many medical procedures we decided that it was more important to be parents than to deliver a child.

One year ago today...
I remember sitting in a fertility specialist's office alone with Mike with tears in my eyes thinking that I would never get a chance to be a Mom, something I'd desperately wanted so bad. I remember being mad at my body, disappointed in the percentage of conceiving, I remember being just plain sad.

One year ago today...
I remember looking at Mike and hearing him say, "Let's adopt a little girl from China like Sara and Bill." Instantly, Mike made my heart smile.

One year ago today...
A friend of Mike's parents, Sara, recommended a local agency out of Denver, CCAI, and we questioned her how to get started and tried to get a clue as to how the process worked.

One year ago today...
Making the decision to adopt was an absolute leap of faith; we decided to trust our instincts as we delved into adoption. We had a really good feeling about CCAI after our first call. They were professional, helpful and patient...we had a lot of questions! Mike & I knew immediately that this was the agency for us.

One year ago today...
We began the process and never looked back. The paperwork is intimidating, but we always felt that CCAI was our partner and coach through the numerous steps.

Today...
We "patiently" wait for a file with a little Kaylah's face on it. We are LID, and hoping we get to bring her home this year. We have come so far and really look forward to becoming parents.

Sundress #2 : WOOHOO

Well, it "seams" that I have a sundress bug. ;)
And I'm happy to say that this little dress is for a special little girl who is going to meet her forever family this week! Lil Miss Emily! I am having such a fun time re-learning the fun"ness" of sewing! My friend, Christine asked if I could make a little dress for Emily's Consulate appointment and I was all over it! I even picked up a turtleneck onesie and a cute pair of cotton pants with a ruffle at the bottom for Emily to wear since it's cold in China right now.

Safe travels Sullivan family! And we cannot wait to see pics of your family +1!!!

Two months LID!

Today, we celebrated our 2nd month anniversary for being LID with another ladybug cake! This time, I made a fabulous lemon cake with whipped cream frosting! And I had been dreaming of how to come up with some cute ladybugs for the top. I have to say that I am VERY proud of this little cake. And it turned out way cuter than the first one. Mainly because I made the frosting... and it didn't looked like canned frosting. LOL What can I say, I am picky about frosting. I hate it when it's too thick or too sweet. This frosting was p-e-r-f-e-c-t-o! SO light and fluffy... doncha just wanna have a piece??

I dreamt about using the Hostess Snowlballs! And I think the ladybugs turned out DARLING! I used green chocolate melts for the heads and had fun with some of the sprinkles I had in my pantry to use as eyes. I then used black chocolate melts to draw the antennae and mouths. I used the same black chocolate to decorate the snowballs. *HINT:* when you are using the chocolate, I love using a chocolate squeeze bottle and I wait until it's a little bit cool. It sets up fast and doesn't run.

I used the same black chocolate again and drew out "month L.I.D." onto a small piece of parchment paper and cooled in the freezer, then placed them on top of the cake once they were set. It's been my favorite thing to do when it comes to cake decorating!

And here's a FUN new development! Mike is growing a moustache! He's not going to shave it off until we are matched. I have to say he looks handsome and it's the first time I have ever seen him with facial hair like this. So now.... we wait. We TRY to be patient and know that all of our family and friends are as excited as we are. Kaylah will get here. And most of all, she will be loved.

Sundress test

OK-- well I attempted to make a little sundress for a friend of ours who is adopting their little one from China. She just turned 2 and they are hoping to bring her home in March or April. So, I had been wanting to try to remember how to sew clothing again. (It's ben YEARS) And honestly, I can vividly remember sitting and watching my Grandmother and Mother sew clothes for me when I was little. They always made matching outfits for my babies and barbie's too.

It's called a knotted sundress. And I was soooooo TICKLED pink about how it came out!
I will definitely HAVE to make one of these for Kaylah! Perfect for going to the zoo!

As I was sewing, I had great memories fly back into my head... my Grandmother was always sewing me something. I can remember running up and down the isles at the fabric stores picking out my favorite fabric...and begging her to please get "THIS ONE" and to make me a dress. When my Mom came out in January this year, she brought out some of the fabrics that they used to make my outfits in the 70's. AMAZING fabrics! And she even found this retro fabric that has these crazy neon owls on it! Pattern was cut out---never sewn together. We are missing an arm... but found more fabric so we can finish the romper for Kaylah! Those were some GOOD times, some of my best childhood memories. And I can't wait to make those kinds of memories for Kaylah!

One Month LID ;)

Quick entry today, Superbowl is still on and I've been busy baking and decorating our one month LID celebration cake! The frosting is pa-thetic! I only had a little tub of the pre-made stuff. Poor cake looks like it's melting! Yeah yeah--I know I am a perfectionist. But I rarely have pre-made stuff around the house. Fresh is so much better!

Mike and I are waiting patiently for our match and hoping for a phone call soon! Each month we are LID and await our match, I will bake and decorate a little cake for us to enjoy. I got the idea from a family friend (Sarah) and other online blogging waiting families. It seems to be a pretty popular thing to do! I will say that I only had one tiny tub of pre-made cherry frosting, but at least it was better than nothing. And I have some other fun ideas to try to change it up from month to month as we wait to see little Kaylah's face.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Mike, Susan, Blake and Kye took me out on an adventure today. Somewhere I have never been, and to witness something I had never seen. A new experience, and one that made me smile form ear to ear! Plus, it was good getting out into the beautiful downtown Colorado Springs area and walk around in the fresh air! We went to a local Chinese New Year Celebration. And it was FANTABULOUS!

I would like to post a video, but I haven't quite figured that out yet through blogger. Gimme some time, I am sure I will figure it all out! HEre are a few more pics of what we saw today. It was so much fun and a new experience that I think will be in our future when we have Kaylah home!
These Lion dancers were amazing to watch. They brought these lions to life and were so talented! So much fun to watch!!
We watched several dancers and tasted some Chinese food. There were also some really neat vendors there and we enjoyed walking around and spending a little cashola here and there on a few goodies for Kye and for Kaylah. It was fun to see so many families there with little ones running around. And I was so impressed to see how many adoptive families were there. Somehow, I felt connected to them, and I didn't even know them.

Yes, that would be MIke (I need to work on his smiles a bit more) and lil Mr. Kye. Isn't he a sweetie? We love spending time with Susan and Blake too. They are amazing parents and have become good friends!

Help from Mom and the Girls...

Ok, I am posting this picture, as embarrassing as it is. HOW our hallway closet got this bad? I have no idea. But I can tell you all this, it took almost 7 years. I had the help from my Mom while she was in town helping me recover from surgery AND I had to call on the special powers of these ladies, who are on my favorite t-shirt -->> The closet wasn't always this bad, it did start out organized, but somehow, it's manifested into something that is was totally and completely embarrassing.

Ok, here it is. (Covers her ears...) YES. I KNOW. (Shakes her head.) But to my defense... this stuff IS behind two sliding doors, so it's not in my face. And to all of my friends and co-workers who think that my house is "perfectly" tidy... see? I was not so perfect... YET. And YES, that's a Delaware license plate and I HAVEN'T lived there since 2001! Not even going to think how in the heck that got in there!

Can you see these bunnies? OMG? They were on my front porch? And now you ask... "What does your hallway closet look like now?"

TA-DAAAAAaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! WHOOP WHOOOP! How COOL is THIS?????? Many thanks to my Mom for helping get some major storage containers and she was great enough to help us stock up on paper products and cleaning supplies for the next several months. Aren't Mommies GREAT?! What a blessing!

Now... I have more towels in the washer... gonna fold them and PUT them away! The two bottom shelves are going to be reserved for Kaylah's things: sheets, towels, blankets.
Who said "Mother Nesting" wasn't fun? I LOVE getting organized!

We did it! We are LID baby!!!! WOOHOO!

This week, we were faced with me having an emergency surgery Tuesday morning. I am healing now and on the road to recovery, something came out from left field and WHAM... life seemed to be spinning. We thank God for a new OBGYN who was on top of her game and who saved my life, literally. We lost little baby Murphy and their spirit is up above with Grandma Shyler watching over our little Kaylah until we can bring her home.

This morning, I reached over for my ice water and saw that I had 9 emails on my phone and clicked "open" and the last one read... Congratulations Mike and Krystal.... and I smiled. Thwacked Mike on his arm several times to wake him up and said, " LOOK, LOOK LOOK!" WE are LID!!! I couldn't woohoo loud---cuz my gut is so sore right now it isn't even funny. Even hard to cry--- no gut wiggling is permitted. Official LID: January 5, 2012~!

Kaylah's tree is on hold, but I will post pics as the project resumes.

What a great fortune!

I made Julia and Mike a really good Chinese dinner this evening. I made it for myself too!
But here's my fortune...

It's a ROTTEN image. But it reads: " Happy news its on its way to you."
Can I hear a LID? Please?? Match? I'll take what I can get!
Happy New Year everyone! May the year of the dragon bring lots of joy and love to you all!

Painting Day!

Well, we started the "project"! The tree is coming along... taking it slow and will post pics as it comes together. Having a WONDERFUL time with Julia and she seems to be enjoying time with Aunt Krissie and Uncle Mike.

Keep watching for updates!

Dossier in possession at CCCWA office!

We got notice that the CCCWA office has our Dossier! Now, we anxiously await to hear that we are "LID" baby! (Dossier is logged in with CCCWA) What a great New Year's blessing! Then our match should HOPEFULLY be soon to follow!
2012 is the year of the Dragon, and I believe it's going to be a VERY special year filled with lots of joy for Mike and me as well as for the other families who will be traveling to bring their little ones home!
Our niece, Julia, is coming over tomorrow to help us with a little project in Kaylah's room. So, we will be posting pics as out project comes together! I know it sounds silly, but sometimes... I just sit there in her room, in the middle of the floor... trying to imagine her giggles. Soon, right?

It's OFFICIAL! OUR DOSSIER IS ON IT'S WAY TO CHINA!!!!

There are the THREE little letters that we've ALL been waiting to see!
Now I gota tell ya that i have NO earthly idea what the rest of the little characters says... but I found this on another blog and thought it was WAAAYYYY too cool not to use it! Maybe it says something like:

WHOOOP, WHOOOP
YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY!!!!

(Does her happy Christmas dance again!) Ohhh.... if ONLY you could all see!!

IN translation ;)

We received word today that our Dossier is in the translation department at CCAI. SOOO excited! It should be leaving this week for China! Then I can post our official DTC date! And hope that our Logged in Date (LID) will soon be to follow!
(Does a lil Christmas silly dance.)

Dossier COMPLETE!

YEAY! Dossier paperwork and photos ALL complete! We will be heading up to Denver in the morning to turn everything in to CCAI, our wonderful adoption agency!

Our good friends, Susan, Blake and little Kye came over one evening for some FUN coloring! And it was also a great photo op! Thanks Blake for taking this great photo!!

And then we went to visit more good friends, Lara and Bryan VanBeek, and had a HOOT decorating some gingerbread men sugar cookies with Alyssa and Emme. It's always fun to see people you love and to make some great memories together!
So, the next step?? Wait for our official DTC (Dossier to China) date and then our LID (Logged in Date). Our match is soon to follow! What a blessing it's going to be to finally see little Kaylah's face! I dream about her every night and and daydream about her every day!

This Ladybug is HAPPY!

Well, I shared a FANTABULOUS happy moment with Mike this evening. I checked the mailbox and there it was. An envelope from the Department of Homeland Security with our I-797!!!! YEAYYYY!!!!!! So, I am RUNNING to the bank tomorrow to get our official copy made, notarized...then sending it off to the Colorado Secretary of State! And as soon as it gets back from THERE.... then it's off to Chicago to the Chinese Consulate's. OMG... THEN--- our DOSSIER is DONE!!!!

My Mom, Christine, came for a visit in November. We had a BALL! Got all sorts of great fabrics and made OWL pillows!

Every year, I get to have fun with with Dee, Mike's mom, at Doherty High School's annual Craft Show where we've shared spaces to sell our goodies. This year, these owl pillows were a HUGE hit! I made over $500 on pillows and handcrafted/ sculpted clay ornaments!

Here are some more owls.... they all turned out so adorable!

Not a bad deal for $15 each! I made 30 and have 5 left. I will take some close ups of the ornaments, have a few of them left to sell as well! The panda bears, holding lady bug buttons, were a huge success. I have a feeling that I'll have to make more of those!!
HUGE hugs going out to Sara and Bill, who are bonding in China with their new daughter RUBY! What a CUTIE PATOOOTIE!!!! Check out their blog over at Football & Fried Rice.

Mike's Dad, Paul (ON LEFT) had a birthday in November. We all had a fun dinner at little Italian Restaurant, Luigi's. Here he is with Sweet Swinging Al Elliott. Family nights are FUN with the Murphy's. And we were lucky to have my Mom along to enjoy the ride!

Mike and Hannah at Dinner. Hmmm both look like TROUBLE!

Soon, we will be able to have little Kaylah stand with all of the Murphy Girls! Won't THAT be FUN!?!?!?!?!?

Whew! AND good news!!!!

Done. All painted, cleaned up (for the most part) and showered. Many thanks to my good friend, Alicia for coming down today and helping me this afternoon painting Kaylah's room. Even her son, Colton got to help us out a little bit!

Alicia

Me

Extreme close up of me. (Mike's idea)

 Me again. Hair, OMG.... bad I know. 

But it's painted. Two coats. And I guess after it's all dry, we will be able to see if we missed any spots!
Next.... painting the tree on the wall with fun leaves and owls! I have a few ideas, just need to tweak it a little bit.
On Saturday, we received our invitations to get our fingerprints done for our I-797! YEAY!!!!! Immigration paperwork is almost done! Then we can be done with our dossier! My goodness... how time flies.