Nesting

It appears the time is growing closer to when we will be getting Maddie from China. Teri has begun to "nest". Mike and I will be spending all day tomorrow staining the furniture in the baby's room. This includes the baby bed, chest of drawers, toy box, changing station and I think another piece of furniture. Actually, we are looking forward to helping Teri and Josh do this. They live on the southern side of Birmingham so we don't see them as much as we see Tara and her family (who live just 30 minutes away). I am very confident that will change when Maddie gets here.

I, like my Mom, am a packrat. I had kept a box of clothes that Tara and Teri had worn when they were babies. A couple of years ago, the girls went through this box and picked out clothes they wanted their children to wear. A few months ago Teri gave me a sack of clothes to get ready for Maddie. A dress my dad, her most favorite person in the world, had bought for her to wear home from the hospital was in the sack. Except for the fact all the seams have rotted, it is in pretty good condition. I am in the process of sewing the seams back. It is really important to Teri that I get this dress ready for Maddie. The other clothes were in better condition, with the exception of a few stains that I managed to get out, and a few hems that needed to be redone. My main challange was a crocheted jacket I had done over 30 years ago. It was the first thing I had ever made, and it was a granny square pattern ( I hate granny square patterns). I spent all day yesterday sewing seams that had come unraveled but at 10:30 last night I completed the job. Don't know if Maddie will ever wear it, but it is ready for her, and done with a lot of love for her and her Mom.

I don't know if it is tradition or just something this adoption agency has prospective parents do but Teri and Josh are taking gifts to give to the orphanage where Maddie will be from. Gifts for the guides, and others. Teri gave me 6 blankets to embroider (I have a machine) . She decided she wanted a smiley face in red, white and blue with Alabama the beautiful in a semi circle around it. I must say they turned out very nice. There are 8 families in the group with which Teri and Josh will be going. She wanted to do something special for them so we found some bibs that can be embroided and in a few minutes I will be searching the web for the design she wants on them - a ladybug (the symbol of good luck in China) and in a semi-circle "The newest member of the ----------family". So I have my work cut out for me today.

Needless to say, we are all getting excited. Teri has her first shower Nov. 4th and I can hardly wait. Keep them and us in your prayers. Please pray that the Chinese government will not cause any more delays and we will have Maddie by the end of the year. Thanks in advance for you prayers.
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