THANK YOU!!

The auction was a SUCCESS!

Thank you to everyone who donated items to auction, who came and bid, who shared the link...we are just SO THANKFUL!  This little girl could not be coming home without the help of so many people.  It is humbling.  I am so, so thankful.

Okay, enough about MONEY.  Let's talk about the ADOPTION!  What is happening?  EVERYONE wants to know!  It's high time I post an update about that aspect!

*  So, the last we heard from our agency, we are looking at 9-12 months to get little munchkin home.  My personal goal is to have her home before next fall.  So, like, Sept. 2016.

*  We only have about $15,000.00 left to raise.  I am SO THANKFUL for that!  In fact, I have a hard time even expressing how thankful we are.  I am in awe of the kindness others have shown.  Thank you to everyone who has donated.  (Did I just say that, like, three paragraphs ago?  Well, get used to it, because I am going to be saying it a LOT!  I AM SO THANKFUL!)

*  I FINISHED MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY for the home study!  It was, like, 32 pages of essay questions.  I thought I would DIE.  But I finished it!  WOOO HOOO!  My goal is to turn in our first set of paperwork and our first check to the home study agency (different than the adoption agency, FYI) on Tuesday!  Wish me luck! :D

*  We are still undecided about Taiger coming to China with us.  Lots of pros, lots of cons.  Taiger himself goes back and forth about it.  (I think this topic is going to end up having it's own full blog post at some point, so stay tuned...)

*  A VERY GOOD friend of mine asked me randomly if we needed clothes for LongLong.  This was ANOTHER of those "tender mercies"/ "miracle" moments.  I have been so stressed about getting my little girl clothes.  Yet I couldn't tell anyone because it really does sound SO petty to be worried about CLOTHES!  I mean, not that she would go naked!  But I was going to give her hand-me-downs from Taiger and the other boys.  Really, SO not a big deal!!!!!  Only....SO a big deal to a mommy who can't do anything for this little girl a billion miles away, and all I can do is shop for her and give her clothes when she arrives and find things that will be comfy and cozy and soft for her and I have wanted a girl for a thousand years to dress in cute floofy dresses, and yes, this DOES make me shallow, but it is really how I was feeling!  (PHEW!  That feels good to just get it out!)  So, deep down in my shallow, ridiculous heart...I wanted my little girl to have some nice clothes.  Something other than handed down clothes from her big brother.  Well, this sweet friend out of the blue told me her little girl had grown out of her 4t sized clothes and she was going to get rid of them and did I want them.  I almost started crying.  (Yes, over CLOTHES.)  Well, this sweet friend gave me a bag of clothes for my little girl.  And guess what size I think she will be when she arrives here?  4t.  Of course.  And can I just tell you, in that bag was the floofiest, poofiest, PRETTIEST dress I have ever seen?!  And, once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has done something for our adoption!  From donated money to donated clothes and everything in between.  THANK YOU!

Well, that is all for the update.  I think the theme of this post is definitely THANK YOU!  I think that better be the post title :).