The Name Game

A first name. Here are the possibilities:

Aubrey -- fairy
Elyssa --consecrated to God
Erynn --peace
Kelley -- brave warrior; and a family name


I like keeping the girls' names individual. If I go by this, that knocks Aubrey and Elyssa out of consideration (we have a name that starts with A and ends with A). I love E names and the meaning of Erynn. I even love the spelling I chose, but know it will be a lifelong battle for her to have it spelled correctly. Also, we already have a name ending with the "n" sound. Kelley is part of my mom's maiden name, and I love it for that reason and for the meaning of the name--my daughter has a complex heart condition requiring surgery and she is already a brave warrior. So really, my choices are narrowed down to:

Kelley

But do I love it enough?

Ava's First Day of Gymnastics!

We took a Mommy and Me tumbling class a couple of years ago, but today was her first day of gymnastics with the big girls. She loved it!

 Waiting on the mats.

Afterward, with big sis.

LOI Packet to Agency!!

And now it's back to waiting...this time for formal pre-approval from China.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Noelle turns 2 today.
I am plowing through the list of documents that need to be completed and submitted to my agency in order to formally seek PA. They've already translated my LOI. Still, it'll probably be 6 months or more before our Family Day.

Sea World

We went to Sea World with our cousins yesterday. They are a wonderful family and we really enjoyed our time with them!

 Cassidy, Kayla and Maddie on the spinning star fish.

 Kayla, Maddie and Ava in the bounce house (I was worried about letting Ava in because she's so tiny, but Maddie and Kayla took good care of her).

 Nana and Aunt Janet at the dolphin show.

 The stars of the show.

Maddie, Ava and Kayla getting up close to the dolphins.

Adoption Update: Pre-Approval Paperwork

I e-mailed my LOI to the agency yesterday but still have a lot of paperwork to get through and snail mail on Monday. Today I will have passport-size photos taken as part of the documents that need to be submitted in order to receive pre-approval (PA). I've also chosen the 6 photos to submit. I have to get the girls' passport applications sent in. (Maddie's has expired and Ava needs a US passport). I had their photos taken for this a couple of weeks ago and have all the paperwork gathered for that.

After I receive formal PA from China, I will begin my homestudy. By then I will have chosen between two agencies--the one I used for my first two adoptions and a new agency referred by a friend. I like the agency I've used in the past, but they tend to be a little slow. The new agency says they can get the report done in 3 weeks.

In the next week I will request my birth certificate, which will need to be state certified and then authenticated at the Chinese Consulate in NY, and I will make my Drs.appointment for the physical I'll need.

Our Cousins Come for a Visit

 In downtown San Diego, with Maddie and Aunt Janet.

Maddie and Kayla haven't seen each other since our family reunion in Montana 3 years ago, but they quickly warmed up to each other!

 And enjoyed a little swimming later in the evening.

Today we are going to Sea World and will stay to watch the fire works tonight. We are so grateful for this visit with family. They are very easy crowd to be with:)