To Jillian with love...

Dear Jillian,

According to the little waiting ladybug I installed on this blog, we have been waiting for you for 3 years, 11 months, 1 week and 1 day. But it's actually been longer than that! We began our paperwork for you in April of 2007. OVER 4 years.

When we submitted our initial paperwork for you, Lia was only 2 1/2. Here she is holding our application!



You were not even born...and you already occupied a big place in my heart, Daddy's heart...and as you can see here...your big sister's heart. Doesn't she look so proud and happy??

It's been a very long road for us, waiting here for you. We were sad a lot of the time, wondering if you would ever find us. We talked about you a lot at first...and then not as much. We missed you and our family did not feel quite complete without you. Lia never lost her hope and faith that you would come one day, though. She talked about you with such certainty and made plans for her big sisterhood. Big plans, I might add. Your big sister is a thinker and planner...and she will forever do her level best to care for you, watch out for you, love you the most. You are so lucky to have each other...and that makes Mama's heart so happy.

We realized last year, at Christmas time, that we needed to look a little harder for you. Although you have been in our prayers for such a long time, we began to pray that we would find you SOON, wherever you were.

...and then, one night after Mommy tucked Lia into bed, the phone rang. Daddy listened to the news about you first. Because I didn't know quite what to do while I waited for him to get off the phone, I changed my Facebook status to, "It just got good...". Looking back, perhaps I should have written, "It just got better...", for our lives WERE, indeed, very sweet and we were certainly blessed beyond reason...but with that one phone call, just as the one we received almost 6 years ago for Lia, we watched our deepest dreams come true...in the blink of eye...in His perfect timing. YOU were the little girl we were waiting for...and we knew it the instant we saw your little face. We would wait it all again for you if we had to.

The last few months have been very busy for Mommy, Daddy and Lia. Besides getting your room and all your little things ready, we finally allowed ourselves to talk about you with nothing but joy once again. We have shown your pictures to just about anyone who will look at them...sometimes multiple times. We cannot wait to get on that plane to come and meet you...and bring you home.

Your big sister has just started First Grade. This week, she had her first "Share Time" with her classmates. She just about burst with excitement the day she got into the car, telling me that she could bring anything from home, "As long as it fits into a grocery bag". Of course, I asked her what she wanted to take the first week. She did not hesitate one second before she told me (in a tone that implied I was not quite with it...I HOPE she doesn't teach you that TOO soon!) that she wanted to take a picture of YOU! We practiced all the facts we thought her friends would like to know...and off you went(at least your photo!) with Lia on Friday. :-)

...and Lia must be thinking of you at other times as well...even at Math time! This is a paper she completed this week. Oh how I love those four little dots representing you, Lia Mommy and Daddy!




Jillian...we are so happy to be your family...and we can't wait until you are here with us.