Friends, A Long Weekend & A Playroom

Our long weekend was a busy, but good one. Our list was long -- but it was made easier with the help of some good friends!

Lianne, Bryanna and Cassidy came for a visit and to help set up the playroom. The girls toured the house, played with cats and then settled into playing the wii, while Lianne and I put together IKEA furniture.

We took a break for lunch and enjoyed visiting together...

We were so grateful for their help. I wouldn't have been able to get as far with the playroom without them! The playroom is still a work in progress, but it is getting there!

Lianne and I took a quick shopping trip to pick out stickers for the walls....love them!

The best part of the weekend was being able to spend time with friends that we love dearly...

Four Weeks & Travel Blog

Can you believe it?? Four weeks from now we will be boarding a plane headed to Beijing. We cannot wait for our travel adventure to begin!

We would love to bring everyone along -- but thought a travel blog would be the next best thing. We will be doing our best to post daily while we are in China, with the help of Lianne at home. You have all been such a big part of our adoption journey, it seems only fitting for you to be there for the next part of our journey.

Please feel free to leave comments or send emails while we are in China. I am sure that messages from home will be reassuring while we are away.

I will continue to post to this blog as well -- but anything directly related to our travel to China will be on the new blog. Hope to see there!


http://ourjourneytomaelynwanhao.blogspot.com/

Family

This post is long overdue -- but I am finally getting caught up on blogging news!

The first weekend of April, we headed to Ottawa with my Dad, sister, brother-in-law and his mom. We spent the weekend at my Aunt's house and we had a fabulous time! That was the first weekend of good weather this year -- and it was great to spend that time outside with everyone...

Coby -- possibly one of the cutest kids ever! :)

Paul and I brought Coby an early Easter treat -- looks yummy, doesn't it?

Love the mess!

My Aunt and sister hosted a shower for Paul and I and many of our Aunt, Uncles and cousins were there. It was really nice to be able to celebrate Maelyn with those we love so very much!

 

We are really looking forward to a time when we can visit all of our family in Ottawa with Maelyn. We are all anxious to meet her and welcome her into our crazy family!

Showered with love...

Our friends and family have been so supportive throughout the past two years. They have listened to us talk about the adoption process, helped us weigh various decisions, gotten excited with us when good news was received -- invaluable time and support.

One of the most exciting parts of preparing for Maelyn's arrival has been celebrating with our friends and family.

Our good friends, Jenn and Mike, hosted a shower in Maelyn's honour near the end of March. It was a co-ed shower, which was a lot of fun for Paul.

 

Heidi and Al surprised us with a beautiful cake! Love the ladybug theme -- and it was lactose-free! Yummy!

Paul, enjoying a piece of the cake on the way home...

At the beginning of this month, my sister hosted a shower in Maelyn's honour. This shower was also co-ed and it was packed! So many of our friends and family were there to celebrate -- it was wonderful! My sister, the expert wedding planner that she is, left no detail undone -- everything was beautiful!

Aren't the cupcakes cute?! They were yummy, too!

 

My sister hired a Mandarin teacher to come to the shower and teach us about the language and culture. It was a fabulous idea and we learned a lot!

We have the greatest friends -- and a wonderful family, too. The love and support we feel has helped to make this journey that much more special. We love you all!

Mother's Day

My sister came up with an amazing Mother's Day idea -- going on a boat tour around Toronto. Brilliant! At least, we thought it was brilliant -- until mother nature decided that we just hadn't had enough of winter!

Dressed in our winter gear, we headed to Toronto and lined up for the boat tour. As we were jumping from foot to foot, trying our best to keep warm, we gave thanks to the company for switching boats -- to one with indoor seating!

We sat down for brunch and had a yummy meal....

After brunch, we ventured on deck to see the sights. Although it was really cold, it was worth spending some time outside.

Mom & Brian

Kara & Cam enjoying the outdoors...

Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful friends and family!

New Pic of Maelyn!

Today we received our official photo updates of Maelyn from China! We originally made the request for a photo and medical update during the last week of March. We were told we should receive the update within three weeks -- but we heard nothing from China.

Each orphanage is different and each case is different -- and although it took awhile, we finally received our update! Maelyn's orphanage is apparantly sending us a written/medical update and we hope to receive that shortly.

The picture we received is quite recent -- we believe that it is from April. It is also the clearest picture we have ever received of her -- love seeing her up close!

They have cut her hair, but it is still one of my favourite pictures. She is so beautiful!!

5 & 20 months!!

Today our little girl is 20 months old -- her last milestone before she is in our arms! Although we haven't been able to be with Maelyn in person, she is always in our hearts and thoughts. It is hard to imagine that we have only known about her for 5 months...

There are many times throughout the day when we end up pausing and thinking about what Maelyn might be doing right then. There are times when we know that she must be sleeping and we imagine her sweet little face as she sleeps. We imagine her at dinner time, playing outside with friends, being comforted when she is upset...

We think of her even more than we normally do on these days of milestones. Happy 20 months, Maelyn!

Jennie

I have often 'talked' about our good friends, Leanne and Joad, who will be travelling with us to China to meet their daugther, Zhan Yanggui. We have had the amazing fortune of being able to share this journey these two and we are all looking forward to the day when we all get to be together, with the girls.

Celebrating the referral of our girls...

Leanne and Joad were fortunate enough to receive a photo update of their daughter, Jennie. They were hoping for a medical update as well, but unfortunately none came. Here are some pictures of a little girl that is already deeply rooted in our hearts...

My personal favourite -- too cute!!

Last weekend we went to Leanne and Joad's for their shower. We had a great time! Another memory and shared experience...

Joad loved being the center of attention -- note the hint of sarcasm here...

Wow -- seven more weeks!!!