our daughter

People keep asking me if I have a blog for our adoption.  I don't.  But I want to share pictures of our daughter with family and friends, and I can only do so if my blog is private.  We were matched with Xiao Lan on Memorial Day.  We got a call from WACAP, our agency, as we were walking home from dinner in Fremont.  These were the photos sent to us.  She is six months old in them.  Her cleft lip and palate will require at least 4 surgeries (2 in first year, 1 at four, & 1 at eight), but she is otherwise healthy and her development is normal.  On august 22nd, she will turn 1 year old.  Right now, we are waiting on a Letter Seeking Confirmation from the Chinese government.  That could arrive tomorrow or 6 weeks from now.  After we get the letter, we can send a care package and receive updated photos.  We will travel to China approximately three months after the letter arrives, so we hope to have her home by Christmas.  Her file said that she is quiet, likes "cuddle outdoors," is a good sleeper, likes to play with a bell, and is not shy around strangers/will go to anyone.  She has difficulty eating, but she can do so with a patient caregiver.  That's about all we know, but I love her already.  We will give her a different American name, but I feel like I need to have her in my arms before we do.  I am beyond excited about being a mom and bringing a baby into our family.  I know she will be well-loved, as I have been, by our friends and family.  I can't wait to get her home and for you to meet her.