Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time like dew on the tip of a leaf. ~Sir Rabindranath Tagore
Today is Elainea's second birthday. We wonder if they have some type of birthday recognition in the orphanage. It makes me wonder what her days are like. Will this day be the same as all others for her? Does she even know her value and worth?
I also wonder if she has any idea of how her life is going to change. We sent a care package to her with a disposible camera. I hope the nannies saved a picture for her birthday. I take comfort in knowing that this will be her last birthday without a family. What a birthday gift God had planned for her this year.
My thoughts go to her birth mother. How does she feel today? Does she pass the orphanage hoping to catch a glimpse of her? I wish there were a way to let her know that her daughter will have the family that she deserves. She made a sacrifice that will enrich our lives and we will be forever indebted to her.
Dear Elainea we love you and look forward to bringing you home.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
We are Heading to China!
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. ~Chinese Proverb
We received our final travel itinerary and we are finally on our way to China. We leave in nine days and there is so much to do before we go. I want to hop on a plane today, but I know I need to finish getting ready to bring Elainea home. For all of those that are interested I will post a copy of our itinerary so you know where we will be on a given day.
Jan 30th -- Leave SLC
Feb 1st -- Arrive in Beijing
Feb 2nd -- Tour Beijing (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Hutong Tour)
Feb 3rd -- Tour Beijing (Great Wall, Heavenly Temple & Acrobatic Show)
Feb 4th -- Travel from Beijing to Haikou
Feb 5th -- Gotcha Day! (This is the adoptive term for the day they give Elainea to us.)
Feb 6th -- Paperwork in Haikou
Feb 7th -- City and optional orphanage tour
Feb 8th -- Travel from Haikou to resort community in Sanya
Feb 9th -- Relax in Sanya
Feb 10th -- Relax in Sanya
Feb 11th -- Travel from Sanya to Guangzhou
Feb 12th -- Paperwork and Medical Exam for Elainea
Feb 13th -- Consulate appointment & shopping
Feb 14th -- Consulate ceremony and pick-up Elainea's Visa and travel home.
Just a post script note: Joe thinks that the concept of relaxing is a misnomer as we will now be running after a four-year-old and a two-year-old, so I use the term loosely.
We look forward to you taking the journey with us!
We received our final travel itinerary and we are finally on our way to China. We leave in nine days and there is so much to do before we go. I want to hop on a plane today, but I know I need to finish getting ready to bring Elainea home. For all of those that are interested I will post a copy of our itinerary so you know where we will be on a given day.
Jan 30th -- Leave SLC
Feb 1st -- Arrive in Beijing
Feb 2nd -- Tour Beijing (Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Hutong Tour)
Feb 3rd -- Tour Beijing (Great Wall, Heavenly Temple & Acrobatic Show)
Feb 4th -- Travel from Beijing to Haikou
Feb 5th -- Gotcha Day! (This is the adoptive term for the day they give Elainea to us.)
Feb 6th -- Paperwork in Haikou
Feb 7th -- City and optional orphanage tour
Feb 8th -- Travel from Haikou to resort community in Sanya
Feb 9th -- Relax in Sanya
Feb 10th -- Relax in Sanya
Feb 11th -- Travel from Sanya to Guangzhou
Feb 12th -- Paperwork and Medical Exam for Elainea
Feb 13th -- Consulate appointment & shopping
Feb 14th -- Consulate ceremony and pick-up Elainea's Visa and travel home.
Just a post script note: Joe thinks that the concept of relaxing is a misnomer as we will now be running after a four-year-old and a two-year-old, so I use the term loosely.
We look forward to you taking the journey with us!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
A Surprise Baby Shower!
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Unknown
Today was an amazing day. Some of Pam's coworkers threw a surprise shower. I had no idea that it was even in the planning. My boss approached me and asked me to come into the conference room. So many people were sitting and waiting for us to walk in the door. All eyes were on me. I thought to myself "Something bad has happened". Then all-of-a-sudden they yelled "Surprise!" I still do not think that the reality of it hit me even then.
You see this scene in movies and you think that people truely could not be surprised, or they must have at least suspected something. Well I can tell you that it can happen. I know from first-hand experience. Elainea is not our first child and consequently I was not expecting a shower.
The shower was wonderful and we received a very generous monetary donation towards our adoption expenses. I do not know how to thank such wonderfully generous people. I guess all we can do is try to pay-it-forward when given the opportunity.
Thanks again to all of those folks and I am honored to have you joining us on our adoption journey.
The Rockwell's
Today was an amazing day. Some of Pam's coworkers threw a surprise shower. I had no idea that it was even in the planning. My boss approached me and asked me to come into the conference room. So many people were sitting and waiting for us to walk in the door. All eyes were on me. I thought to myself "Something bad has happened". Then all-of-a-sudden they yelled "Surprise!" I still do not think that the reality of it hit me even then.
You see this scene in movies and you think that people truely could not be surprised, or they must have at least suspected something. Well I can tell you that it can happen. I know from first-hand experience. Elainea is not our first child and consequently I was not expecting a shower.
The shower was wonderful and we received a very generous monetary donation towards our adoption expenses. I do not know how to thank such wonderfully generous people. I guess all we can do is try to pay-it-forward when given the opportunity.
Thanks again to all of those folks and I am honored to have you joining us on our adoption journey.
The Rockwell's
Monday, January 15, 2007
Consulate Appointment is Confirmed
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. ~Mahatma Gandhi
Today we finally got our consulate appointment for February 13th. This means we finally know when we are going. We will leave Salt Lake on January 30th and will arrive home on February 15th.
This all seams surreal at this point. I do not know exactly how to begin to process the whole concept. When a mother carries her child she grows into the realization of motherhood as her child grows in her womb. The process of adoption is just as mystical and beautiful, but it a more abstract way. I am sure reality will hit when I hold her for the first time and she screams at the top of her lungs!
I will post travel plans as soon as I have them.
Today we finally got our consulate appointment for February 13th. This means we finally know when we are going. We will leave Salt Lake on January 30th and will arrive home on February 15th.
This all seams surreal at this point. I do not know exactly how to begin to process the whole concept. When a mother carries her child she grows into the realization of motherhood as her child grows in her womb. The process of adoption is just as mystical and beautiful, but it a more abstract way. I am sure reality will hit when I hold her for the first time and she screams at the top of her lungs!
I will post travel plans as soon as I have them.
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