Warning-more clothes.

I have had so much fun preparing for Kate's arrival. My Mom and friends who live far away love to see what I am getting for Miss Kate Emerson (or at least they tell me they do). I apologize if some of you find it boring (I know my husband and the boys do a bit). Once Kate gets here, I will be taking all the pictures of her and her brothers but for now, this is all I have. Click on each photo for more detail.

Okay, this little bikini was just irresistible in person. I am showing the back of the top with the dragonfly on it.
My friend Elissa found this one for me and thought it would be cute for the 4th of July!

Another pink dress:)

Now this one may not look great in the photo but it is SO CUTE! It is white linen with pintucks at the top and a ruffle at the hem. It is as my husband says, "very Kimmy."

Again, the photo does not do this ensemble justice. The skirt is white cotton with pink swiss dots on it and a beautiful pink taffeta bow. The sweater is light pink with ruffle edges. Oh, I love it. One of my friends said she could see me wearing this.

This sweet bunny was purchased by Will for his little sister. He bought it with his own money and he plans to give it to Kate Emerson as soon as they place her in "his arms." Isn't that funny? He has it in his head that they will give Kate to him instead of his Dad. We have told him that is not how it is going to be but now he still says it jokingly with us.

I just fell in love with this little froggy. It is the softest , cutest little thing. The rings have velcro and are stackable.

This bib is Miss Kate Emerson's first monogrammed item. I have a dress and lovey being monogrammed right now but they are not ready yet. It was neat seeing her initials for the first time. I am so excited that these little things get me all teary-eyed.

Care Package on its way

A small care package is finally on its way to Kate Emerson and her foster parents. We sent a box of Godiva Chocolates for the orphanage director and a box for Kate's foster parents. For Kate, we sent two small toys and a photo album with pictures of our family. In addition, we included some Bath and Body Works lotions and gels for her foster parents. We were told that these are the things they like.

Finally, we put a disposable camera in the package. It is our hope that Kate's foster parents will take some pictures of Kate with them and their home. We would love to be able to show her someday where her first home was and who cared for her. A friend of a friend was kind enough to translate a letter I wrote to Kate's foster parents into Chinese. It was a difficult letter for me to write but I wanted to thank them for caring for and loving Kate and I wanted to tell them a little bit about our family.

I have been warned that this package may never reach them and simply sit in customs. I pray that it does make its way to Kate and the family she lives with now.

Travel Meeting

Everyone has been very excited about our referral and people keep asking what we know about travel. Thank you for your enthusiasm and interest. It helps keep us positive. We don't know anything yet for sure except that our travel meeting is March 9th. This meeting is usually 2 weeks before travel and the agency goes over our itinerary and what we can expect in China. Our agency is estimating in a "highly tentative" manner that Dave and Will could travel on March 22 and return around April 6 or 7. I would be absolutely thrilled if that is when they travel. Please pray for all of the appointments and paperwork that need to take place between now and then to progress smoothly. I will let you all know for sure when we know for sure!

Valentine Update

Sweet Kate,

The dinner surprise was incredible! At about 2:30 Daddy scooped up the boys and took them somewhere but he would not tell me where. He told me to expect dinner at about 6:00. So, I had three wonderful, peaceful hours to myself. I was wondering where they were and what they were doing. At about 5:40 Will came inside and said, "Mom, come into the living room. I want to show you my magic tricks." Now, I knew he wanted to keep me out of the kitchen so I wouldn't see the surprise. Will and Harry took turns keeping me out of the way, while Dad set the table and got the food warmed up and ready to serve. At this point, I thought I smelled a familiar favorite dish but I wasn't sure. At exactly 6:00 my handsome boys escorted me to the dining table for the surprise!

They drove about an hour and twenty minutes away to get me one of my favorite meals. Dad and I had our first date at the original Carrabba's in Texas (which has much more character than all of the chains). I love the "Chicken Bryan Texas." It is a grilled chicken breast with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes on top. It is so yummy! Anyway, your dear, sweet Daddy and brothers drove all that way to get the meal we had on our first date. He is such a romantic and I feel blessed to have him. I also love that he brought Will and Harry with him. I think it is good for them to see what an awesome role model your Dad is for how to be a great husband and father. It was one of the most meaningful meals I have ever eaten. I loved it.

When I asked Will if he was going to do these sweet things for his wife on Valentine's Day he said, "I'm not getting married. I am going to have a simple life with a hedgehog." Oh, that boy cracks me up!!! Harry, however informed us that his "Valentine" is in fourth or fifth grade at the Catholic school. He doesn't know her name though.

Dear Kate, we cannot wait for you to share in all of the joys and laughter we have in this crazy house. I love you.

Mommy

A Valentine Letter to Kate Emerson

Happy Valentine's Day Cupcake,

For the past few years, I have thought about you on each and every holiday that passed. I would wonder how old you were, if you were living with a family or in an orphanage, what you looked like and when we would meet you. This is the first holiday that I have those answers. You are a beautiful, healthy and happy 8 month old living with loving foster parents in a rural part of Southeast China.

My heart still aches knowing that you are half way around the world and not here with us to celebrate Valentine's Day. So far, we have had a nice day. Your extremely thoughtful Daddy heard on the radio that what women want most on Valentine's Day is a love letter. So, he composed a beautiful and extremely meaningful one for me. He also scheduled a mud wrap and massage for me (postponed due to snow) and is surprising me with something special for dinner. I truly hope and pray that you marry a man as wonderful as your Daddy is. He truly is the BEST!

As I write this the boys are home from school for a snow day. This morning they turned their rooms into a "science museum" with all of their rock collections, minerals and arrowheads. I just know if you were here, you would have been invited to go on the VIP tour with me (given by Museum Directors Will and Harry). You would have also enjoyed the "sweetheart cinnamon" gelato that has become our annual favorite. I cannot wait until next year to begin some of our own holiday traditions as mother and daughter. We can make some pink cupcakes and have a tea party!

I guess the next big holiday is Easter (unless you count President's Day and St. Patrick's Day). I have already bought you an adorable Easter dress. Hopefully, you will be here by then. We can have an egg hunt with your brothers and go to church and out for brunch. Easter is when your Daddy proposed to me. It would be very special if that is the first holiday you spend in our family. Oh, and you'll be here for Mother's Day. Then, we have your 1st birthday to look forward to in June! I am already planning that celebration in my head.

I love you in my heart already and I cannot wait to show you how much. Blessings to you sweet girl. Stay safe and happy until you join our family.

Love,
Mommy

Emerging Dress Collection 2007

Let me begin by saying that first and foremost I look forward to getting to know my daughter. I cannot wait to read with her, bathe her, hug her, take her to the zoo, feed her and love her. As I wait to do those things, I really am having the time of my life shopping for her. Hopefully, we will make memories through the years of shopping together for her prom dresses and her wedding dress. Well, here are some of my favorites that I have bought for Kate so far. As always, if you click on a photo, you can see an enlarged version with more detail. I think bows, accessories and casual wear will be posted next.

I really think this lavender color will compliment Kate's dark hair and skin.

There are little seed pearls in the smocking.

This will probably be her Easter dress. I also think turquoise will look beautiful on Kate Emerson.

The bunnies on the smocking have fluffy tails.

This simple slip dress has different color sashes. I think this will look pretty in a beach photo this summer.

Rosebud embroidery up close.

I love this dress!

Close-up view.

Purple Gap Sundress.

The Swim Collection 2007

Okay, now comes the fun part. Our paperwork has been submitted to our agency. The name has been chosen. Let the shopping begin. Here are a few things I have bought for Kate Emerson. I will post the dress collection tomorrow or the next day! If you click on the pictures, you can see them larger. The photography isn't great. I am not used to shooting still life.

She wore an istsy bitsy, teeney weeney, green and white striped bikini.....

For the days when she wants a little more belly coverage.

Every girl needs pink and red ruffles.

Finally...a name.

Well, after three years of careful contemplation (seriously), we have chosen our daughter's name. Drum roll please....... we are proud to announce Kate Emerson! Throughout this journey I have always loved the name Kate. Dave was not crazy about Alden as a middle name so we stared playing around with other middle names. This morning, Kate's Godmother and my dear friend Staci helped me find Emerson. Kate and Emerson are both English names (as is our last name). Kate means pure hearted. Emerson means brave and powerful. I think our little girl has been very brave thus far in her short life.

Also we feel as if this name combination gives us several options. Once she is home and her personality emerges we could call her Kate, Kate Emerson, Katie, Emmy, Katie Ru or Emmy Ru. Ru is her Chinese middle name and we plan to keep it as part of her legal name too. So, her full legal name will be Kate Emerson Ru. "Will, Harry and Kate." That sounds good.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. They really did help. Now, I can't wait to get ot the monogram shop. Too bad it's another snow day. I don't think that would be fun for the boys.

Oh, one more thing...this morning we sent all of our notarized paperwork into our agency accepting Kate Emerson's referral. Now we wait for the invitation from China to go get her! Life is great.

"Yiyi-Yaya"

Yesterday we received the translated files regrading "Dan Ru." It was very emotionally overwhelming to read about the first few months of our daughter's life. She was found at about one day old and immediately taken to the Social Welfare Institute of her town. Later that day, she was placed into the home of a local resident. She has been lovingly cared for by a foster Mom and Dad. The report indicates that she is very close to them.

The report said that Dan Ru has a good appetite and she laughs and gurgles loudly and happily when she is tickled. I know Will and Harry will love tickling her! Furthermore, she started uttering "yiyi-yaya" at about 3 months. Maybe that is the Chinese version of "googoo-gaga." When spoken to, little Dan Ru utters sounds in response. Looks like we'll have another talker in the house.

She reaches for toys and other small objects with both hands and tries to put them into her mouth. We will need to keep her away from the Playmobil and Lego pieces. The report says her favorite thing to do is stay outdoors in her caregivers arms.

The last sentence translates as:
"Little Dan Ru is a born happy, active, and quickly responsive baby who is very beautiful and healthy and strong with her limbs."

What more could we possibly ask for?

We need to choose her name today to begin her paperwork in China. I am still struggling with this decision but I will post it after we decide. I think I will probably decide in the bank office just before he notarizes it. It might be Annie Ru. It might be Kate Alden.


We are so happy that she is loved and well cared for. However, I feel sad that she will grieve for her foster parents. I also feel sad for them. They obviously love her very much. Since she is bonded and attached to them, she will know how to trust and bond with us. But there is no doubt that she will miss them desperately at first. Please pray that this transition is easy for her, her foster parents and us.

Our Peanut's Orphanage

I found this photo of the orphanage that our daughter is registered with on-line. However, it appears as though she is in foster care. When reading her documents it looks as if she is in foster care and the information on the orphanage states that most of the healthy babies go home to live with the nannies. So, we think she probably is at the orphanage with the other babies during the day. But she might go home with one of the nannies at night. It also said that her adoption files will be kept forever so our daughter will always be welcomed back to see her first home. The orphanage director encourages adoptive families to send pictures and updates of the babies to the nannies as they grow to love the babies very much. The small town where the orphanage is located is known for orange orchards. They produce a very small, sweet orange.

We also found out that our little pumpkin eats CAKE! A friend of a friend was so kind to translate some of the Chinese paperwork for us. He informed us that our daughter eats every three hours. Her diet includes fruit juice, mashed vegetables, rice soup and cake! This report was made when she was almost 6 months old. The report also stated that she laughs and giggles when played with and that she rolled over at 3 months old. She also uses baby talk with adults. We are so grateful for every little bit of information we get about her. We will know even more on Monday when we recieve the official translation.

A few people were unclear about how to leave a comment on the blog. If you click on the comments at the bottom of whichever post you wish to comment on, it will take you to the comments page. If you do not have a google account, click on anonymous, type your message and then click publish!

I will post more information in a day or two when I get it.

A little more info...

Here is a map of China. The red region is the province where our daughter lives!

Wow, the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind. We have learned a little more about our beautiful daughter. She is BIG! She weighed 17 pounds and was 29 inches long at the check-up just before she turned six months old! Now, you all know that our whole family is.... how shall we say it... "petite" in both weight and height. So this was a surprise to us. She just might be the biggest child in our family. We have also read that she is "active, restless and impatient." Hmmmm ....I think CCAA knew some of our secret traits.

We know that God has chosen this special little angel to be in our family and we cannot wait to wrap our loving arms around her. Thank you to everyone who has offered us well wishes and blessings. We appreciate it. Many of you have endured this three year journey with us through prayers and support and putting up with my ride on the emotional roller coaster. Some of you are new friends that I have met through the adoption community. Either way, every well wish touches my heart in an incredibly meaningful way. Please continue to pray for her and our family and we prepare to bring our daughter home.

We will have a translation of our referral packet soon and we will know even more about our daughter. Many have asked what we will name her and we still are not sure. The names I had in my head just don't seem to fit her photo, so we are still working on that. I am still open to ideas if you have them.

With love and gratitude,
Kim

We Have a Daughter!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited that I can barely type but we have a daughter! Her Chinese name is Dan Ru Lu and she was born June 3, 2006! So, she is almost 8 months old. She is at the Nan Feng Social Welfare Institute in Jiang Xi Province. The file said that she has two teeth and is a deep sleeper (God heard my prayers). It also said that she enjoys music and smiles readily and laughs out loud. We are already in love with her round chubby cheeks! She is even smiling in the bottom picture. I cannot wait to get a bow in that hair and put a dress on her. We should know a lot more when we meet with our Social Worker in Richmond on Saturday. If you click on the photo above, you can see everything better and bigger. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. We feel SO blessed.

The Nursery

I was so excited to finally have a girl's room to decorate. I loved doing the boys' baby rooms but the opportunity to do something girly was so much fun!

I am now working on her bathroom.

Her crib bedding is pink toile on the outside of the bumper pads and white popcorn chenille on the inside. The dust ruffle is a pink gingham with daisies at the border. This is the crib that Will and Harry both used. It even has their teeth marks on it.

Dave and our good friend, Rob hung this chandelier. Rob's wife and I were in DC Christmas shopping and looking at the White House Christmas decorations. They were in charge of five kids that day. Way to go Dads!

Here is her crib. Now we just need her!

These are the prints Dave and I hung yesterday.

I bought this cabinet right after we moved here (2 and 1/2 years ago) and knew it would look adorable in her room. I hope to fill it with special keepsakes. It is cuter in person.

This Aubusson Rug is what I have always pictured in my daughter's room. I found it while shopping a few weeks ago with my friend, Cathy. It has pretty shades of green, cream, and pink in it.

My Mom and I saw this doll when I was home in PA at Christmas and my Mom bought it. She is a Chinese babydoll and our little girl's first doll! Santa brought the doll cradle and bedding for Christmas.

A basket of books on the nightstand. I hope she enjoys reading as much as the rest of us do.

Ladybugs are a good luck symbol in Chinese adoption so I was so excited when I found this pink and green ladybug night light! It was cute, had meaning and fit into my decorating scheme. Red and black just would not have matched!



I re-painted the antique dresser a French Grey color with a light white colorwash over it. I also painted the antique mirror. I found it at an auction well over a year ago. The glass is silvered and distorted from age.