We're just about ready....

Ready to head out on a plane to work closer to bringing Lina home!!  We got her crib all set up- thank you Uncle Jeff and Aunt Savannah!!  My sweet friend Teri gave Lina the beautiful armoire, and our awesome neighbor Robin sold us the bedroom set very cheap!  I am so happy with this room!!

We still need a curtain on the window, but we're almost there!  We won't put much on the walls yet since we don't want Lina to be over-stimulated when she first gets here.  Just coming to a new country, a new home, a new family, a new time zone- will be plenty overwhelming at first!

A crib?? Why are you putting Lina in a crib?  Isn't she 5 years old?


I have to say, I was shocked the first time I saw an orphan-no-more around Lina's age come home and sleeping in a crib also.  But our agency highly recommended it as well as other more experienced families having gone through the process.   The fact of the matter is:  she will feel more safe and secure.  She is already sleeping in a toddler size bed- we got to see the room where the children sleep and I am only assuming she is in a toddler bed and not one of the two cribs since the caregivers commented on how well she goes to sleep compared to some of the others in her groupa.  She could very well sleep in one of the cribs, I honestly do not know for sure.  Regardless, it's the same size.  Another sad fact- she is small enough.  She's about the size of a three-year-old and the size of a crib definitely suits her.  And thirdly- we want to keep her safe.  As I mentioned- coming to a new country, a new home, new surroundings, new people- she's going to be overwhelmed.  We don't know if she will act out as she adjusts.... we don't know how she will react at all.  A crib will keep her safe, even though her room is childproofed and furniture is anchored to the walls.  You just never know.

This crib does transform to a toddler bed, so I'm thinking as soon as she is home and adjusted- however long that may take- a few weeks or months- we will convert it to a toddler bed- especially since she is potty trained, and we want to encourage her to use the potty on her own and have access whenever she needs it.  As you can see we do have a twin bed already waiting for her as well for when she's ready for that transition. :)

I had fun sorting through some clothes- another mom from Evan's playgroup gave me a bag of clothes for Lina today! :) Added to some other hand-me-downs we've received from my sweet friend Jen as well as other clothes passed back through the family.... and my few splurges on clearance sales at the outlets ;) Lina is acquiring quite the wardrobe! :) I'm also hoping I can fit the big shopping bag full of new clothes for the orphanage into our suitcase when it's time to travel!

Lina's country just re-opened this week from the holidays, so we are praying and praying for a prompt court date.  Praying our paperwork gets processed in a timely manner so we can move on to the next step of this process to bring home our babygirl. <3 We love you, Lina!!