It's Wednesday October 31st -- Halloween .... Also the day before our China travel... Russ is out running last minute errands and picking up a few things!! I am feeling so anxious today for them to make their long journey to China!! I know my Mom and Russ are so ready to just get on the plane now ..... Seems like an eternity that we have waited to FINALLY meet our precious LYDIA!!

I usually am a pretty private person but today my emotions are running wild and I am going to ask that when you are reading this blog that you please take a moment and say a pray for my husband (Russ ) and my mom (Rosanne) that God be with them every step of this 16 day journey!! I pray that they will get to see some great things and meet some great people, shop, eat, maybe relax a little and most of all meet our beautiful baby girl!!!!! I just get so emotional when I say this because for most of you .....you know Russ and I story for those of you that don't ... We had our miracle little biological daughter Addison. The doctors told us we would probably never able to have children because of my endometriosis ......Well we showed them heeheehee!!! This time I feel little different because I don't have a huge belly right now, I don't have to go through labor this time ....and I am not going to be there when we finally get our second daughter!!,...... I know that Russ and my Mom will do an awesome job at all this but it is so hard not being able to be there But I feel as a mother I needed to be able to stay home and be with our Addison!!

We will hopefully be able to talk to them daily if possible and we will be just praying for them and for this time to pass by quickly! We will be anxiously be waiting for them to return so we can meet her too and FINALLY all be together as a FAMILY of 4 !!

I just want to say a special thank you to my MOM for being there with my husband .... I will be forever grateful to you Mom for doing this journey for me!! I LOVE YOU  .... you have know idea how much this means to me that you were willing and wanted to join him for this very special time in our lives!! Truly MOM you are an amazing and wonderful woman ,friend, and I am so proud to be your daughter... Love you so much!!!

And to my loving husband Russ, you are the most kind and loving and compassionate man I know .... You are going to be sooooo missed by Addison and I .... I cannot express how much you really mean to us ... YOU ARE OUR ROCK!!!!  You always remain calm and somehow your able to keep me under control...heehee... We love you to the moon and back!! When the stars shine at night in China always know the we are shining there with you ......love you !!

Sorry this was kind of personal but I just always want to remember the feelings of these days!!

17 more days till LYDIA IS HOME!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

Sunday Oct 28th

It's Sunday afternoon and the weather is cold and there is a hurricane "sandy" coming up the east coast.. We are praying that it will die down before it hits land as this could be bad for everyone including the flight for us to get out of here on Thursday morning!! We know that God is in control and we pray that all will be ok and the flights will run as scheduled.

We are so excited for this journey to China, as our little girl is waiting ( well I don't think she is excited for us to come as much as we are to get her) for us!! She is 20 months old and she has a cleft lip (which got fixed by Love Knows no Boundaries) and palate ( which we will be fixing here in the United States) when we return home!!

She is currently in a foster home called Eagles Wings in the Henan Province! It is one of the BEST places for her to be in. They are very loved there! The director of Eagles Wings is an American woman that has given up her "life" to care and run this foster care home!! She is a very compassionate woman! She deeply cares for these children, all of whom have " special needs".

We hope that the transition for her will be an easy one. We truly can't imagine what our little girl will be feeling when we take her away from all that she knows and take her with us to a hotel to live for  the remaining stay in China .....then put her on a plane for like 20 + hours and bring her to a place that we all call home but to her is all so new!! I just can't imagine what she will feel.... We will be so excited and happy to be able to just have her FINALLY HERE with us and to just sit and LOOK at her!!!

We have lots and lots and lots .... of PACKING to do so for now it's off to see how much we can stuff  into these suitcases!!

ITS  one week till GOTCHA DAY!!!! For those of you that don't know what "gotcha day" is its the day we get our beautiful little girl forever to be with us!!!

Until then WE LOVE YOU  LYDIA  JADE GOODMAN!!!

Before and After

Bath Time

This is a picture we received showing Lydia enjoying her first bath with bubbles!  We have been told she is a very happy child, as you can see for yourself!  Notice the dramatic transformation now that her lip has been repaired.

Referral Picture

Hello Everyone!  We are up and running (finally!).  Just and FYI- I have never blogged, so I can't guarantee this will go "perfectly", but if you all can just keep that in mind when looking at the site!  Anyway this is the referral picture of Lydia that we received in April.   For some it might be hard to look at, but in future pictures you will see the amazing work of Doctors that have volunteered to share their talents and travel the world to repair cleft lips. Needless to say, a beauty queen for sure.

Trial Posting 10/22/12

And the blog is up and running!  Here is what China looked like 4 years ago, about 3 weeks before the olympics.