Beyond the Room Transformation

After nearly two weeks of preparing and sending paperwork and WAITING, we finally received word last Friday that we were LID (logged-in) to China's system through our new agency, Lifeline.  Our LOI (letter of intent) could not be submitted until the transfer took place.  So, our LOI was submitted last Friday.  The response from this submission is called a PA (provisional or preliminary approval).  Typically, a family can expect to receive this back in a week or two at the most.  However, there are several national holidays in China this week, so the Chinese adoption offices are officially closed all week.  We are very hopeful that we will receive PA next week, or the week after at the latest.  We feel confident about our request and it is in process, we just will feel SO much better when we have that official notice!  We have SO many adorable pictures we can share once the PA is issued.

We are also excited to share that we have a name picked out for him, Jaxson Lee.  I wanted to use a name with an "x" in it to match Alexis, and we also loved the idea of using Jason's initials.  My father's middle name is Lee, and Jason's youngest brother shares that middle name as well.  The name means "God has been gracious," which we think is most appropriate for this little one! 

This week is our Fall Break, and since we are both teachers, we enjoy a week as a family together.  Sometimes we have taken small trips, but this time we decided to work on various projects around the house and just enjoy some family time.  We went to Lexington on Monday to sell some remaining items from a weekend yard sale, and made a stop at Boyd Orchards on the way home.  We had such a wonderful time!  Tuesday we started the transformation from "spare room" to "little boy room."  We are so proud of the new room!  It has many unfinished projects and finishing touches that need to be completed, but that will give me several fun projects to work on throughout the colder months.  We knew, with the holidays approaching and school commitments, we needed to prepare the room now!  Plus, we've had so much stress with the adoption over the last 6 weeks, so it was fun to work on something as a family.  The process of preparing a room made Alexis' impending birth seem more "real," and our experience preparing Jaxson's room resulted in the same effect.  We already love this little guy, and we wanted to make him feel a part of our physical home - not just our hearts.

The theme for his room is based of the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.  As an elementary teacher, I am a huge fan of Carle's books, and Jason is a fan of anything that isn't too girly and feminine!  Pottery Barn has a new line of Eric Carle decor, so I was so excited when I found it on sale last week!  As we were decorating, I found a card attached to one of the caterpillar stuffed animals, that read...

This book is more than a story...it is a story of HOPE.  I hope that as you go through your life, you will grow,  change and emerge into something beautiful like a butterfly.  

 - Eric Carle

I absolutely loved this inspirational anecdote that the author shared.  How appropriate for our son!  We hope that he will not dwell upon an unpleasant past, but will grow into the beautiful person he was created to be.  We are just excited to be part of his metamorphosis!

I have attached some pictures of Alexis "helping" us (she is so excited to be a big sister) and some of the final product (as it is right now...it won't be "finished" for a while).

I kind of think of our whole adoption experience like a caterpillar's journey.  We have been slowly "inching" our way and gaining ground closer to our own metamorphosis as a family!