Taking her place on our mantle.

All our family photos on our fireplace mantle are in black and white. Here's the latest addition (we would have like to enlarged it more, but lost too much resolution). She's a great addition, is she not?

A little bit more about our girl.

Not much posting going on these days due to the preparation madness. And I do mean madness...SK and I have been going pretty much non-stop. I can't believe that in 2 WEEKS we will be in China.

I was re-reading the development narrative that we received...here is a little excerpt:

Xiu Fuxun is an introversive little girl, who likes to smile and is some shy with strangers. Her appearance is lovely and not tends to give trouble to the care-givers...When you are close to her, she would look at you with her big black eyes and shows a sweet smile. She uses her own way to welcome your care for her.

I don't know how standardized these things are, but I have to say that I hope this part is not. It just makes my heart swell.

We have TA!!!

Bella Baby, here we come!

When "Thank You" just doesn't cut it.

On Sunday my friend Carla threw us an amazing baby shower, with lots of help from Cheryl and LaSalette. I can't even describe it. I was blown away, as was SK. Isabella received a ton of gifts!

-More clothes than she can ever wear (in addition to all the clothes I've already received from Cheryl and LaSalette)? Check.
-Baby Monitor? Check.
-Frog Pod for Bath? Check.
-Tub Seat for storage and giving baby a bath? Check.
-Floppy seat for grocery and shopping cart? Check.
-Books for baby and parents? Check.
-Music for baby? Check.
-Loads of fun toys? Check.
-Baby OTC Medicines? Check.
-Frames for photographs of baby? Check.
-Blankets galore, including some gorgeous handmade ones? Check.
-Baby food? Check.
-Baby Healthcare Kit? Check.

And there is more. LaSalette made a ton of food for this event, and created an amazing diaper cake, off which dangled portable toliet paper, hand santizer, baby shoes, a bottle stuffed with socks, and an outfit. Gifts gave from afar...Karen of GwenBlog sent us an extremely generous gift certificate from One Step Ahead, so I've knocked off all the baby proofing needs with that (Cheryl, ever the prepared one, will be glad to hear that). My wonderful in-laws have provided Isabella's ride. Did I mention we were blown away?

There were some very special guests...Grace, Mya, Lea, Siya, and Emma. They were great helpers, eager to aid in the gift opening. A big thanks to Cheryl, Carla, and LaSalette for making this one of the most kid-friendly showers I've ever been to.

Things have been rough this summer for SK and me, but once again, we were reminded of the gifts of these beautiful children, and how amazingly generous and loving our friends are. We are so lucky to have you in our lives, and we are thrilled our daughter will grow up with these girls (both the "little", under age 10 girls, and the "big", over age 10, girls. Not to mention the cute dads.)

"Thank You" hardly seems enough.

And now a few pictures (adorable kids not included out of respect for family privacy):

Arriving at Carla's (I like this picture because even though SK has his eyes closed, I am impressed that I actually have my hair parted. This is no small miracle. Yep, it's all about me):

Information on Xiushan SWI

I just found this adoptive family's site, which has all kinds of information on Xiushan Orphanage. Very cool. Also, I learned that Chongqing is a municipality, which means that technically it's not in Sichuan Province. Chongqing is kind of like Washington DC is to us in the US. Interesting stuff.

A picnic photo shoot.

Tuesday of late week was our friend Carla's birthday. To celebrate, we went for a picnic this Sunday. SK made all the food. We asked Carla to take some pictures of SK and me for the care package (I am a big fan of outdoor photos). We are using the following 4 photos in our care package.









The last one is of my BIL Todd, and it's older (2003-NYC), but he wanted me to use this one. We cropped it out from this photo of Todd and me on top of the Empire State Building...my hair was whipping around making me look like a crazy woman.



See? I kid you not.


This last picture is a picture of Carla, with our dog Indie. Carla declined to have her picture taken with Darth Buca. Shocking.

A big, wonderful box from EmmaLi!

On Monday, Isabella received an amazing box of gifts from her pal EmmaLi in Illinois.
EmmaLi is the beautiful daughter of Dawn, who I got to know virtually early in our adoption processes. Dawn has been rooting for our referral almost as much as we have!

So, the box. First of all, it was beautifully decorated with captions like "It's A Girl!". Then, Dawn had included some photos she made using digital scrapbooking...really lovely. We were particularly smitten with a black and white photo of Isabella that was "matted" with a purple frame. And there was also a layout of EmmaLi, carying around a picture of Bella. EmmaLi has grown so much. I am really hoping to get the girls together in the next year somehow. In the box, there was a Little Touch Leap Pad, with two story books! SK and I both played with it (picture SK with a pink Little Touch Leap Pad on his lap). There were two great outfits, including a bib that says "Daddy's Little Sweetheart", which SK has decided MUST go to China. There were chewable baby keys, Cheerios, and fruit puffs. Such generosity!

A big thanks to Dawn, EmmaLi and the whole family!!!

A Child's Right.

This organization provides potable water through the installation of water purification systems in various countries. In May 2007, they went to Xiushan SWI, which is the orphanage our daughter is living in. Take a look at the photos on the website. They are amazing! (A BIG thanks to Johnny for tipping me off to this).

I am not big on fate and all that jazz. But as some of you know, I am an environmental economist that studies drinking water quality issues and I had a fellowship at the US EPA, in the Office of Groundwater and Drinking Water, working on three water quality regulations (Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, Stage 2 Disinfection Byproducts Rule, and the Groundwater Rule). I am grateful to this organization as a global citizen, as an environmental professional, and most of all as a mother.

Please consider making a donation in memory or on behalf of someone you love.
We just did. Guess whose honor we made it in?!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled silly programming (maybe it's time for SK to post?)

35 years old and a MOM.

Today is my 35th birthday. I don't have to tell you that I have already received my birthday present.

Last night we went with friends Catherine and Willie, and some of their family, to see this. So nice to have a night out away from my VDS at home. Right now SK and I have been focused on resolving the VDS in the next 10 days or so, in order to have our home to ourselves to rest and get ready for Baby Isabella.

Tonight, thanks to my MIL & FIL, who have already sent me a wonderful birthday card and generous gift, SK and I are going out for dinner alone. Lovely! Tomorrow we plan to take advantage of a tax-free weekend in MA and buy either an all-terrain stroller (I want to take some long walks with Isabella this fall in the Blue Hills and in other serene places)or some car seats.

There is a good chance Tim's brother Todd, Isabella's "Todd-father", is going to be able to join us for our first week in China. Can you say "pack mule"?

I have to tell you that 35 feels pretty amazing when you are looking at your baby girl's sweet face a few hundred times a day.

And now the important question: Clothes.

Due to kindness of our friends, this kid already has more clothes than SK and me combined. I am serious.

I put all the size 2 and size 3 shoes we have received in the top drawer of her dresser. When I showed SK, his exact words were "Fricken' women". Yep, we girls like our shoes.

Isabella is currently 26.4" long and weighs 15.43 pounds. Cheryl thinks she'll be mainly in 3-6 month year old clothes. I am trying to figure out what combination of 3-6 month and 6-9 month year old clothes to take. Mostly 3-6 month and just a few 6-9 month? How many pairs of shoes did you all bring? Help!!!

I am trying very hard not to engage in any clothes or toy buying right now. I've been busy preparing the care package: we have a blanket, toy key chain, a book with rattler and teether, a small stuffed butterfly, and the photo album (which I am finishing up and labeling). We also have some hand lotion for the nannies, a disposable camera, and a list of questions, of course!

In other news, our agency suggests we may travel on 9/13 rather than 9/20. I say "Let's go!"

Updated Measurements

We received our updated measurements today. Our girl is currently 26.39 inches tall and weighs 15.43 pounds. Her head and chest circumference are both 16.54 inches.

We also received her full report...she is described as being quiet and "shy with strangers". Apparently, she is easy to care for. She is also described as liking to smile a lot (although apparently not when she has her referral photos taken)! Finally, she apparently likes to smile at her caregivers and look at them with her "big black eyes".

We also received her finding location and the name of the person who found her, which is a gift.

I can't wait to see the smile and big black eyes in person. Pretty damn amazing.

Yep, she's small!

I just spent some time with the Chinese growth charts. Our girl is indeed tiny, despite her chubby cheeks. In height, she falls below the 3rd percentile, and she falls between the 3rd and 10th percentile in weight and head circumference. It looks like 3-6 month and 6-9 month clothes for sure on the trip. I am glad that I bought a mei tai long ago, since she'll be light and can face into me or Tim if she wishes.

Cheryl and Bruce think we dodged a bullet since under "Personalities", the following are checked:
Quiet
Fond of listening (which our social worker thinks is fond of listening to music)
Fond of Quietness

I am really looking forward to getting the full report, updated measurements, and getting to know our girl better!

Just a little happy on referral day.

SK and I, with gifts from Carla (a stuffed lamb, flowers, an Elmo TV remote, fruit puffs, and of course, Starburst for SK!)

My special necklaces.

I have two special necklaces. One is the "Mother and Daughter" necklace from Red Envelope that Carla gave to me long ago. The other is a necklace that says "Mother" in Chinese characters...Cheryl and Bruce brought me this necklace from China in December, when they brought their daughter Mya home.

I was waiting until referral day to wear either necklace. Last night Carla came over to celebrate, so I asked her to place my special gift on me. This was a great moment.

The happiest signature ever-Mom.

The happiest signature ever-Dad.

How to be really, really sweaty and be very happy at the same time.

1. Get the earliest possible appointment at your agency on referral day, 1:00 PM. Referral day needs to be hotter than hell.
2. Drive through Kenmore Square in Boston when there's a Red Sox game going on (which you are completely unaware of, being the avid sports fan you are, until you arrive in traffic hell).
3. Get yelled at by a cop on Commonwealth Ave for during too fast through a construction area. Yell out "Hey, I just got an adoption referral!!!"
4. Arrive at agency, discover there's very limited parking, and discover the your parallel parking skills are still horrid, especially when you have a "bike rack o' death" hitched to your car. Call your husband, who's already arrived at agency, and say "I really need you to fix my parking". But note that although his attempts numbered less than 100, it did take multiple attempts. Feel better, and attempt to wipe sweat from your brow.
5. Dash up to agency and be brought into a conference room with a map to wait to see your baby.
6. Point to where your baby is right now in China and SMILE for husband.

Some thoughts on our girl.

Like there are any other thoughts in my head!

- She has the exact same expression in both her referral photos. SK thinks it means "You will rue the day...". I think she is a pensive little one, mulling things over.
- She is described as quiet, a moderate sleeper, and as being able to hold her head up when on her stomach, and roll over.
- Although she has a round little face and chubby cheeks, our agency told us that she is tiny.
- I think she has a big, wide forehead like me. But it may just appear that way because her hair is very sparse on top as of this picture, which makes her look a bit like she has male pattern baldness.
- I think her eyes are very intelligent and thoughtful.

I never knew I could have every detail of two pictures memorized and yet still want to look at both pictures again at least 100 more times before going to bed.

I feel so, so, so blessed right now.

At last.

For a limited time only, we present

Xiu Fu Xun
soon to be

Isabella Carmen FuXun Murphy

Date of Birth: December 3, 2006
Date of Referral: August 2, 2007

Chongqing City
Sichuan Province
People's Republic of China

As of 5/30/2007: 24 inches tall and 12 pounds.

We are thrilled!!!

And the prize for the closest guess...

goes to Emma's mom, LaSalette with a guess of early December...the 2nd or the 4th!
Honorable mentions go to Sparky (12/16/2006), Yoli (8 months), and Cheryl (8-9 months). Oh MY GOD! I am a mom. I AM A MOM, PEOPLE!!!

Pure joy...the call that changes everything.

We have a daughter. WE HAVE A DAUGHTER. Forgive me for any spelling mistakes I may make...I got the call as I was pulling into the university this morning at about 10:05 am.

Her name is Xiu Fu Xun. She was born on 12/3/2006, and lives in Sichuan Province in the Xiushan Social Welfare Institute. She will be 8 months old tomorrow. We have a 1:00 PM appointment at our agency.

This is the happiest day of my life.

The Dogs Days of August.

I think I may be glowing.

There may be referrals in the air, the cut-off date may be November 21st, and they may arrive tomorrow. Oh. My. God. I MAY just die of a heart attack.