More About our Daughter....

 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

John 14:18

Ji Wen Ying

 

Soon to be

 

~Caroline Aubrey Ying Conerly~

 

Here are some things we know about our daughter~



 

• Her birthday is March 23rd, 2012
• Her orphanage is the Social Welfare Institute of Huazhou City
• She wakes up at 6:00, and she naps from 11:00-1:00
• She eats at 6:00, 10:00, 2:00, 6:00
• Her bed time is 9:00
• She's a deep sleeper
• She has a good appetite, and eats milk mince (?), and loves steamed bread
• She's quiet
• She has a ready smile
• She's close to her nannies
• Her favorite activities are to play with her nannies and loves colorful toys

 

This is all we know about our Caroline.  We know very little....but can't wait to fill in those empty pages with what we learn about her once she is OURS! We are about to meet a baby girl who has never known a mommy, she's never known a daddy, she's never known a big brother, and she's never known a big sister.  Very, very soon, she will have all four!!!

 

I must be honest, I am thrilled with excitement, but I am also nervous about the unknown.  I am a planner, and I like to be in control.  I can't help but wonder if Caroline will connect with us, or if we'll connect with her.  Will she mourn for her caregivers, and all she's known for her short life? How will Brin and Savy be during this transition? Will I be able to take care of her needs, and still be able to stay on top of their needs, activities, etc. Bo and I had a long talk about all of this last night.  Once again, he proved to be the wisest person I know by saying, "Anything worthwhile is not going to be easy.  This is going to be hard, and yet it's going to change our lives far beyond what we could imagine."

 

The book I read that I still credit with us deciding to pursue adoption is Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman.  I read it before obeying HIS call to adopt 2 1/2 years ago, and I picked it up again to read this past weekend.  It was a relief reading this again being on the other side of all the paperwork, fingerprints, financial obligations, home studies, background checks, waiting for DTC, LID, Referral, PA, LOA, TA....knowing that all of that was complete, and now we're within days of boarding the plane to meet her for the first time.  It was also a relief to read it again knowing she went through the same feelings and fears that I'm feeling.  This is a quote that touched me:

 

"A person who lives in faith must proceed on incomplete evidence, trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse." Philip Yancey

 

We can't wait to meet you, Caroline.  ~Mommy and Daddy