Sophie & Mommy (19 weeks pregnant)

Three years since Sophie's Referral!

I truly cannot believe it has been 3 whole years since the first most amazing moment of my life- the moment I slipped these photos out of the envelope and saw my baby girl's beautiful face for the very first time. I will never ever forget that moment- how I fell totally in love in one instant- how I recognized her face from my dreams- and how I laughed and cried at the same time. Here is a link to April, 2005 (I had just started this blog)...

http://waitingforsophie.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_archive.html

And for all of the families enduring the long long wait to experience this moment (and all the beautiful moments that will follow), I wish you peace in your wait... And even though the time passes so slowly as you miss the child you've never even seen, but whose soul lives in your heart, you are so so lucky- because you will experience a great miracle and the most wonderful love you could ever imagine~

Explanation of my Post Dates

Many people have asked me what's going on with my blog post dates- here's the explanation:

I am way behind with my posts, so I decided to back date them to they reflect the actual dates of photos & posts. I'll be posting much more often to catch up!

Earthquake in Sophie's Province...

As many may know, Sophie Lu is from Sichuan (the province affected by this week's terrible earthquake). While we received Sophie in Chengdu, she is actually from a little village a couple hours away- and I'm not sure yet how much her SWI or village has been devastated by this disaster. I can't tell you how sad and worried I am- for all of the people affected, and especially for the orphans in this area and for Sophie Lu's birth family...

Please join me in praying for the beautiful people of Sichuan, and if you'd like- here are links to Half the Sky & Love Without Boundaries where direct donations can be made (please make a note that your donation is for earthquake relief)...

http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Direct+Contributions

http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/earthquake.cfm

Also, here is a link to an article about the Panda Preserve (where Michael & my mom visited while we were there). The fate of the giant pandas in this famous preserve is still unknown...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080513/ap_on_re_as/china_earthquake_pandas

If anyone finds more information on the condition of the SWI's (orphanages) in Sichuan or on the Panda Preserve, please leave a comment for me- I'd really appreciate it~

Special Friends, Bubbles & Boogie Boarding!

Caroline & Sophie Lu finally meet for the first time, and I can't express how meaningful and special this moment was for me... Shortly before we sent in our paperwork for Sophie's adoption, I met Caroline and her sweet mom Wendy on the beach in Florida (Caroline was only 22 months old). As I always knew my first daughter would be born in China, I approached Wendy and asked excitedly if Caroline was from China... Wendy was so very gracious- with her response, her time, and her precious baby girl (she even let me hold her). Caroline was (and still is) so very beautiful, and I could almost see my own daughter in her deep, dark eyes. I was so motivated to get things moving after meeting Caroline that once we got home, we completed our dossier in a matter of weeks. Little did I know when I met this precious girl (or did I), that my precious Sophie Lu had been born only a couple of weeks earlier...

Last year, Wendy's family traveled to China to adopt their darling son Carlton- he and Caroline are less than a month apart in age, and both are so adorable!

..................................... Sweet Caroline & my Sophie Lu

I don't know what it is, but there is something so cute about Sophie Lu when she blows bubbles- here are a few shots...

.................And here she is posing on a boogie- board...

...........................................................and again...

........................................................... and again...

................................. and here she is actually "riding" it! lol :)

Beach fun with Kate & Lucy!

My Beach Girl!

A Birthday Tribute to my Mom (video)

Here is the video I made as a surprise for my Mom's 60th birthday. Since, she is only 60, I only covered her life through 1971 (she'll get a new segment every decade). It starts with photos of her mom (my sweet Grandma Lee) and ends with my birth and photos with me until I was almost 3. Here is a rundown of the minutes if you want to go straight to the good part (me- lol)! :)

0:00 My mom's mom (very old photos)
4:00 My mom was born (photos of my mom as a baby & small girl)
4:58 My mom's siblings & her childhood until age 13
7:35 At the young age of 14, my mom fell in love w/ my dad (this part is cute!)***
11:40 Shana was born (& photos until I was almost 3 yrs old)***

As usual, I tried to use music from the proper time periods & I tried to make it entertaining. Sophie Lu loved watching it over and over as I was making it. It's so funny hearing her sing all the words to the Shirelle's "I Will Follow Him" and "Going to the Chapel"! Anyway, I'm happy with how it turned out, and my mom loved it!

Family Fun in Florida!

Grandma Rae (my mom) turned 60 last month, so we flew her two sisters (Terry & Dana) to Florida to surprise her! It was a great surprise for my mom who hadn't seen her sisters in years, and Sophie just loved getting to know her Aunties!


................Sophie Lu had fun helping Grandma with her cake!

Becca also flew out and joined us for a week. Sophie and Ollie always have so much fun with their big sister! (Amy also visited us for a few days later in our trip- and I can't believe we got no photos!)

.............Sophie Lu & "Beach Gra" as she calls her Grandma!

Beach Gra is so much fun- always willing to get wet when Sophie wants to go in the ocean (Be careful, Grandma- don't spill that glass of wine)!

Uncle Bryce (my youngest brother) gave Sophie Lu swimming lessons!

................Sophie enjoyed every minute of it! Thanks Uncle Bryce!!!

Tickles or Kisses (a Mommy & Sophie ritual)

Sophie and I have many special rituals, and this is one of my favorites (nothing warms my heart like her laughter). We call it "Tickles or Kisses"... (it starts after the first round of tickling)...

Sophie Lu & Grandma Loretta

We recently had a visit from Grandma Loretta & Grandpa Felix. Here Sophie Lu is sitting in a tiny rocking chair that belonged to her Daddy when he was a little boy. Thanks for the special gift, Grandma & Grandpa! :)

Sophie & her school friends

Megan, Sophie Lu & Jessica at their school's Open House (Sophie loves her "school friends")!

Sophie Lu and Cousins Ethan & Alicia

Sophie & her big cousin Ethan (my brother's son)...


Sophie and another big cousin, Alicia (Michael's brother's daughter). :)

Sophie Rides a Scooter

Cousin Alicia taught Sophie Lu to ride a scooter (a little bit)! Unlike Mommy, Sophie is fearless and wants to do everything her big cousins do!
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A surprise for Sophie (video from January)

Sophie Lu loves Angelina Ballerina and performs along with her on this and other Angelina DVDs while she watches- it's so cute! Sophie LOVES ballet* and when she dances, she calls herself a "Rina" (how she used to say ballerina when she was a baby). *Sophie will be starting ballet classes next week!

I know I probably do it too often, but I can't resist buying little meaningful gifts for Sophie... she gets so excited and is so very appreciative of every little thing. It's so fun for me to watch her face light up when I surprise her. I've been really bad about posting little videos I take of special moments, so I have some catching up to do! Back in January, I couldn't resist giving Sophie Lu one of her Valentine's Day gifts a little early. I was so excited, in fact, that I couldn't even wait long enough to wrap it!

She takes my breath away...

I am forever in awe of Sophie Lu's beauty (both inside and out). I took these photos one day while & after Sophie was having sprinkler fun in the backyard (she doesn't like to wear her glasses when she gets wet). I took the first three w/ my new lower end camera- the Kodak Z712IS, and I took the rest with the Nikon D40X. Sophie has so many different smiles and facial expressions, but I think my favorite photo is the very first one... :)

New Blog

I'll be keeping my pregnancy journal at http://www.thekittenwithin.blogspot.com/. I put a link in the sidebar...

Baby News!!!

It's a girl!!! I can't believe it! I'm so excited and overwhelmed with happiness! But I'm in such disbelief! I really really really wanted a girl, but I was totally convinced it was a boy (even though almost everyone else thought it was a girl). Sophie Lu is beyond excited! We had tried to explain to her that it may be a baby sister or a baby brother, but she kept insisting on a baby sister! She kept telling us, "Noooo... I already have a baby brother! Now I need a baby sister- I want both, just like Dora!" We are all so happy about this news! Now, let the shopping and baby naming begin!!!