Lately I've been on a mission to find the perfect doll for Charli. None of the pictures I've seen of her Half the Sky class have any dolls in them. (They have lots of great developmentally appropriate toys. I just haven't seen any dolls.) She may not have had a chance to have a doll of her own. So I want to get her something kind of special.

My criteria for the perfect doll are: 1. It should be age appropriate for a toddler. 2. It should be soft and cuddly. 3. It should have similar features to Chali.

I never noticed until now, but it is impossible to find baby dolls with Asian features in my area. Thank goodness for the internet. The search has been narrowed down to 3 candidates:


Fisher Price Little Mommy




Corelle Calin Yang



Lee Middleton Itty Bitty Nursery Baby


Help me decide. Vote for your favorite dolly. The poll will close at the end of the week. The winner will be added to Ming's growing toy collection. Heck, they will probably ALL wind up in Charli's collection, but a poll will be fun anyway. Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you look for in dolls for your children.

Freedom from Pull-ups!

It's been a long process, but Big C is officially out of diapers. I was beginning to think we were going to have to pack a diaper bag for Kindergarten. Some wiser and more experienced moms told me to calm down. He would go when he was ready. Boy were they right. We established a rule that we wear underwear at home and Pull-ups only at preschool. C quickly decided that going to the potty was better than the alternative mess. We started off with a few accidents, but it has been smooth sailing for 2 weeks now. Now we are in underwear 24/7. I am so proud of my big boy!

Speaking of freedom: I had jury duty last week. I knew that I would need to bring along a fairly mindless, but portable project in my knitting bag. I grabbed up some blueberry Cotton-Tots that I had in my stash for Tater's Cotton Cardi. By the time the judge dismissed us I was finished with the yoke. I found the adorable blue sunhat at Tuesday Morning on one of our long lunch breaks.

Glaucoma makes bright sunlight uncomfortable, so I've been collecting cute hats for Charley. I think I may be developing a habit here. Kim has her hairbows, I have my sunhats.

Thank God I'm a Country Boy (Girl)



My dad got a new tractor last week. Needless to say Mother and I have been having a hard time keeping him and Conner in the house. Those two love to work outside and get dirty. Charley Grace's finding add came in today with the translation. (I'm not going to post it because the picture makes my heart hurt. She looks so sad...) I adore the name of the paper, the "Henan Farmer's Daily." Our girl's picture is sqeezed in next to an article on new cars and a tractor ad. Just another little sign that she's going to fit right in around here.

Charli's Spring Wardrobe

My mom, mother-in-law and I had tons o' fun buying little pink girly clothes for Mingming's care package. The 18m clothes seem so tiny compaired to her big brother's 4T outfits. She is one petite little peanut!

Even though the clothes are tiny, I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to fit it all inside the "flat rate" postal box. Maggie came to the rescue with a great idea: space bags.

Awww... look at the poor squished dolly.

All the fuss over packing the box quickly drew Conner's attention. We haven't even finished our dossier and sibling rivalry has already reared its ugly head. Sending clothes and dolls to sister is no big deal, but suckers and these cool sunglasses? How dare you!

We've found Charli Grace!
She's 2, and has congenital glaucoma. She's blind in one eye, but has some vision in the other. We are so blessed that she has been in a Half the Sky preschool and is soon going to be part of the Love Without Boundaries foster care program. We've prayed for God to show favor to our daughter and he's poured out blessing upon blessing. I'm holding fast to the account of Christ meeting the blind man in John 9.

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?''Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'"

We believe that God has great things in store for this precious girl. I'm honored and humbled to be part of His plan for her life. Please pray that we can get our paperwork together quickly and that our dossier will speed through the CCAA. We are also praying that her remaining vision will be preserved and perhaps by a miracle restored.

You know all those poor souls who took an influenza shot this fall but got the flu anyway? That would be me. I'll spare the details, but February 2008 will forever be known as the month mommy got the plague. Somehow we still managed to celebrate quite a bit this month. Big C turned 3 and I hit the big 30.

Am I unsettled about turning 30? No way! I can honestly say that I feel like I'm in my prime. At 20 I was awkward, inexperienced, and didn't have a lot of confidence in myself. 30 finds me far from perfect, but my life has a real sense of purpose. I know who I am, and what I'm meant to do with this life. Did I mention that we can finally move forward with our adoption now?! Big adoption news is coming soon! I'll post some exciting pics as soon as I get the green light from our agency.

Can you believe it?


My baby is 3!

Happy Birthday sweet C. Mommy loves you!

How do you keep from going crazy while you are waiting for your adopted daughter?

You knit her stuff... Lots and lots of stuff.

First a Modern Baby Blanket: I'm using Cotton Tots in their jelly bean shades. I'll probably throw in a little pink somewhere just for good measure and to match the dolly. I'm changing stitch patterns as I go to give it a little extra interest. Hopefully she will enjoy feeling the different textures someday. The changeup makes it a lot more interesting to knit. Just flip open the old stitch dictionary and go.

Next: Finish January's Sock of the month in time for Chinese New Year. Our adoption group is having a CNY party at a local catfish restaurant. It's the only place in town big enough for all of us. You can't get more "East Meets West" than that.

Finally: Work on the "Red Thread" blanket in TLC Wiggles. This pattern comes from the first Debbie Macomber knitting book. It's a bit of a pain to work the crossed stitch pattern, but I like how it is turning out. Why acrylic and not a natural fiber? This is going to be Charley's travel blanket. Puke washes easily out of acrylic.

Last but not least: Find something cool to knit for big brother. Is that not hilarious?

"A Father's Heart"

This message has deeply moved both Chad and me. Please pray for the Burgess family as they endure this terrible storm.

Rick Burgess, of the Rick & Bubba Show, took the opportunity to speak at the memorial service for his son William Bronner Burgess (also known as Cornbread on the show). Bronner had accidentally drowned in the swimming pool at their house. Rick delivers a powerful message showing his family's strong faith in God and helps us to understand what we can do to honor his Father and his son during this earthly tragedy. For more information visit www.rickandbubba.com

10:30 am: It's coming down!

7:30 am: no snow...

Quick, get to the store for bread and milk! It's gonna' SNOW!!!!
Wednesday's flurries were hopefully just a preview of things to come. 1-3 inches of accumulation are predicted for our area tonight and tomorrow morning.

"Big deal," you say? Understand that snow is a rarity around these parts. Any accumulation sends Alabama into full scale Armageddon mode. My sweet little first graders have gone snow crazy. It's been at least 5 years since we've had a decent snow fall, so they have never experienced the joy of a snow day. (We close down school for an inch of snow? Heck yeah!) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they get one. Especially since it's a Saturday.

C's First Snowfall

Let's hope it sticks!

The Paperchase Begins!

Start as you mean to go on... That's the advice Brenda Dayne gave for the new year on the lastest episode of Cast On. I took that advice as I carried the first of many envelopes of adoption paperwork to the post office. What's that I'm wearing? Why yes, it is Mr. Greenjeans finished just this morning. Starting the year off with a finished sweater and the beginnings of a new member of the family; it can't get much better.

It's Potty Day!

C is spending the day in big boy pants, so we are staying close to home. The kitchen timer is set to go off every thirty minutes to remind us to go to the potty. So far it's hit or miss (pun intended). In between trips I'm working on the sleeves of Mr. Greenjeans. I may not have a potty ready kid by 2008, but at least my new sweater will be ready when the temperature drops into the 40's Wednesday.

One last time...

Daddy-O and I saw Third Day perform Merry Christmas live in Rome several weeks ago. I like to call it my "Chinese Baby Pining" song. Thank goodness it's a Christmas song or I'd listen to it all the time. So before the New Year rolls around here's one last listen. Here's praying that 2008 will be a fertile year for referrals so many of us can finally stop pining and get down to the business of spoiling our little China angels.

"It's a birthday Mommy!"

I was beginning to worry that despite my best efforts at advent devotionals and Fisher Price Nativity reenactments that C wasn't locking on to the true Reason for the Season. Relentlessly watching Hermie's Fruitcake Christmas and The Wonder Pets Save the Reindeer seemed to help, but the whole "Christmas isn't about presents" message seemed to be drowned out by Santa, Lightning McQueen, and a sea of wrapping paper.

My worries dissolved Christmas Day as the family descended onto our house for the big meal. All the presents had been opened. Santa had come and gone. The house was full of laughter, good food, and the people we love. In the midst of the chaos C looked up at me with a big grin and said, "It's a birthday Mommy." He was exactly right.

"Mommy, put down the yarn."

Oh my goodness, it has been a month since I last posted. Bad blogger, no cookie! Our lives have been a flurry of activity since Thanksgiving. No, I didn't finish Mr. Greenjeans in time for Thanksgiving. In fact it still isn't finished. However my Christmas shopping is 95% complete. The Christmas cards are ordered (not yet sent, but ordered). AND I'm halfway through the Christmas knitting. (Neck gaiter for Chuck, mittens for MIL, fingerless mitts for FIL, possibly sweaters for my furry nephews) I'll post knitting pictures as soon as I can. In the meantime enjoy these adorable family shots.