ABC Wednesday---Q Is For Qian Li Lu

ABC Wednesday is hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.

There she is. The one we waited for well, what seems like forever. This is one of the first pictures we had of our Claire. I cannot even BEGIN to put into the words the emotions that come flooding back when I look at this tiny, smiling little creature! I mean...LOOK AT HER! Could you just eat her up?

Actually I remember my first words when Garry finally came bursting through the door holding her referral packet. He handed it to me and I tore into that envelope with gusto...hands...and let's face it...entire being trembling with three years worth of waiting and anticipation. I pulled out the papers glanced at her name and said, "Garry...her name is Li Lu! Can you believe it? Her name is Li Lu!" Then...I saw the pictures...there were three of them. My brain shut down...my heart exploded...and my mouth started spewing forth silliness. I said...are you ready? And I believe this was the exact order the thoughts spilled out:

"She looks like a monkey!"

"She looks like a fetus!"

"Oh God Garry! She's BEAUTIFUL!"

Yeah...me...emotional...go figure.

At this point in her life she knew nothing about having a Mama...or a Daddy...or a Hopie. Her life was what went on at the Qianjiang Social Welfare Institute in Qianjiang, Chongqing, People's Republic of China. Her name then, was Qian Li Lu.

After reading my "L" post...can you even begin to fathom God's sense of humor...sending us a baby named Li Lu? ")

That smile...it's still there...and it's just as infectious as her ornery little giggle. I look at this child...MY child...and I see myself staring back at me. It's bizarre. I can't tell you how many people have commented that Hope looks like Garry and Claire looks like me. I see it...I truly do. Hope has SO many of Garry's facial expressions...and Claire? I don't know what it is about her that reminds me of me. Maybe the fact that she's a "spicy girl". Remember...girls from Chongqing are Spicy Girls...they like spicy food...they have spicy tempers...you get the idea. And we do share a temper. Red...hot...from zero to full blown in less than a nanosecond. It could also be our shared bullheadedness. And no...we're not stubborn...nor are we tenacious...we are quite simply bullheaded. Possibly it's the way she seems to feel things more deeply than her sister does. Poor Daddy...now he's got two empaths. Or maybe it's watching her get lost in her imagination...creating something out of nothing...and reveling in the joy that brings.

And yet, in all the ways we are alike, she is very definitely her own little person. She has no desire whatsoever to live in her head like her Mama does. This kid wants to grab life by the horns...live each and every moment to its fullest...experience EVERYTHING. Her Mama is sooo envious of that trait...maybe Mama can start taking some lessons from the former Qian Li Lu.

As always y'all...be blessed.

Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages...may I present our youngest daughter?

At this point we know very little other than she is just as beautiful as her older sister and we love them both more than we ever thought possible.

Name: Qian Li Lu

Born: March 16, 2006

Currently Residing: Qianjiang SWI in Qianjiang, China

And no...we don't have a single solitary clue as to when we are going to be able to bring her home. Remember...this process is FULL of waiting periods. We have already turned in our acceptance letter, her signed medical report, and our check for part of the travel expenses. We have done all we can. The rest of the group has to do the same. Then everything goes BACK to China where they do whatever they do! When they are finished they will send letters saying we are approved to travel to China to adopt a child. At this point we are scheduled for a consulate appointment in Guangzhou. Then we are notified of when we will be leaving, what day we will be holding Claire, the date of our consulate appointment, the day we will be flying home, AND the name and number of the travel agent who will book all of our flights. With Hope, we received her referral on November 17th (yes, both girls' referrals came in November!) and we didn't travel until January 25th. I am hoping and praying that the wait to travel is MUCH shorter this time but again, it isn't up to us! And let's not forget packing, more paperwork, visa's, meetings...did I mention some more paperwork?

We are incredibly giddy and extremely happy new parents!

And Hope? She has her own copy of the pictures that we were given. Last night Claire sat on her jie-jie's nightstand and watched her sleep. When she was first shown the picture she said, "That's the Claire *I* want!" Then she wanted to know if the toys came with her! LOL

Life is good...and we can't wait to bring her home.