Once again, God causes me to take pause and be thankful for many things this week.  Here are some of the things that come to mind as I ponder....

Happy Friday Everyone! Ainsley and I are taking Ruby to get together with a group of Mom's and little girls from China for a play date tomorrow. We are looking to making new friends!!! Jeff and I have a date, and the rest of the weekend will hopefully be getting outside with the girls and the dogs because it is supposed to thaw out around here!

While we were waiting for Ruby Mei we documented what we did each month here. If you are waiting now for your referral, even if it is a longs way off, I encourage you to do the same. Thanks to a Beth Moore book I was reading at the time, and the study of Genesis I was in at BSF, I tried to be more aware of the "God Moments" and the blessings in my/our life while we waited. Recording these caused me to pause each month and reflect on our life as a family of three.

As we approach the one year anniversary of our referral on March 5th I find my mind going back to the way God orchestrated our adoption so perfectly. I love to look back on our monthly journals to see what we were doing. I think about the way I prayed for Ruby Mei, and for Ainsley's relationship with her. God was so faithful in the way he answered.

This past weekend I watched as Ruby followed Ainsley around. How she backed into her to sit on her lap, danced with her, laughed with her and overall just how much they have come to love each other. It really is amazing to sit back and watch.

While we were putting together, "Journey to Ruby Mei," I found this quote:

I have said it before that 'Her Rubiness' is lovingly referred to as the "Tiny Tornado" around our house.  Unfortunately, it sometimes comes at the cost of a bump or bruise for Ruby's head and face...  This weekend she had some rough moments inside at the cabin.  We got to the point on Sunday where we were thinking of a helmet for her inside!  OK maybe that is a bit dramatic, but honestly she can not be out of our site for long, or she is on top of something she shouldn't be!!  At home here it is our kitchen table or the family desk.  At the lake it is the stools that sit at our kitchen island.  On Saturday after her nap she got one serious bruise on the bridge of her nose when she landed face first on Jeff's bedside table.  She was climbing on the pillows why he was changing.  So, if you look closely you will see the lovely light green shiner on her nose....  She is tough though, or just slow to learn.  She just keeps on going back for more!  

Yesterday Julie received the best birthday gift of all! Maddie successfully had her ventilator, catheter, and feeding tubes removed!!!!!! By mid afternoon she was back in her Mommy's arms! Praise God for protecting Madison and for answering our prayers! Todd & Julie are hopeful that she will be moved our of PICU today or tomorrow!

Hi!

Little Mouse Emergency Fund

One year ago today China started to refer families that were logged in to the CCAA in October of 2005. During our journey I was blessed to be part of a "chat" group of Mom's like me who were all logged in during that month. Day by day we encouraged each other, comforted each other, waited on pins and needles for referral batches to come, and celebrated the incredible news each one of us got eventually! We followed each others journeys, and we cried tears of joy as each child was finally placed into the arms of their new parents! It was an incredible time for all of us!

Fast forward one year, and we now get to celebrate the anniversary of the "Stork Landing!"  One of the very special friends I made from this group was Kate Emerson's Mom. I will never forget signing Kim's guestbook, when I saw the post, "We Have a Daughter!" It was so exciting! And, it was so fun to experience Kim's joy.  It wouldn't be long before I would be next!

So to all my fellow RQ friends, congratulations today! And, thank you for sharing such a special part of your lives with me!  It was so fun to catch up with some of you already this morning! New Mom's - Enjoy this very special day as your remember every precious minute of how it felt to learn her name, and see her face!

Blessings for another special year!
Diana


P.S.: Madison Update - After a scare yesterday, Madison's procedure was successful!  Thankfully, she was able to come home last night. Thank you for your prayers yesterday! God clearly protected sweet Maddie! Please continue to pray for her surgery next Friday morning.