I wanted to share with everyone what we are including for her. There are a total of three bags; one for the orphanage workers, one for the other children in the orphanage, and one for Maliana.
First Package: This is a letter we are including for the orphanage workers to explain the three packages, as well as candy and a disposable camera.
Second Package: Clothes and some supplies for the children of the orphanage (including Mali). We got all different sizes of sleepers, onesies, and pants to help with the various ages.
Third (and Mali's) Package: This is the photo album to help Mali get used to our faces. And to ready her for her two furry siblings too :)
This is the blanket that we have been cuddling with for the last few weeks. And OF COURSE her first Notre Dame gear, duh! We've actually had this outfit for her for the last couple years, and by the time we get to her, she may have outgrown it. At least if we send it now, it might still fit! We'll have to work on her Browns gear once we get her home, right Grandpa? :)
This is a birthday card we decided to include, last minute.
The story behind it is that Shawn has befriended Annie and Billy Lee (of Billy Lee's Cuisine off of Broad Street - a wonderful Chinese restaurant by the way!) Anyway, they have been so excited for us over the last year or so and have gotten really involved in cheering us on with this adoption. So, upon hearing of our care package, Annie offered to write a message of our choosing in a card for Mali. She said it could help go a long way with the orphanage workers that are caring for Mali. So, basically, we wrote out our message which was "We are excited to meet you and love you already. Hugs and Kisses from Mommy and Daddy." Shawn took it in and Annie and Billy and many of their staff at the restaurant all put their heads together on the translation and were gracious enough to write in the card for us. The translation in Chinese is not exact, so this is what they were able to come up with in Chinese characters "We cannot wait to see you. We wish you come to America faster and to see each other and live together. The person who love you Daddy, Mommy." Not exact, but definitely gets our sentiment across and we are so grateful to Annie and Billy and their crew for helping us. I am sure we will be bringing Mali in for dinners at their restaurant for years to come! Oh, and the little red envelope next to the card has 5 crisp clean $1 bills in it as Annie insisted that "Chinese babies love to play with American money!" and included it for us. I guess we'll have to take her word for it - couldn't hurt, right? :)
And finally, Shawn and I went to Build a Bear at Easton and recorded a message for Mali. This way she can hear and get used to our voices too.
When we were finishing up the bear, they make you pick out a heart for it before they put the stuffing in, and go through all of these things like kissing the heart, rubbing it on your head (so the bear will be smart), hugging it, rubbing it on your belly (so the bear will never be hungry), and making a wish before they put it in your bear. I saw some kids ahead of us doing this and figured it was something special they just do with kids. But when we got up to the front of the line, they made us both do it too (our bear has two hearts, one from Shawn and one from me). Of course, I got all teared up. This whole process is so emotional for me. But I wouldn't have it any other way :)
So now, we are going to head to Fed Ex tomorrow and get her care package shipped off. I just wish we could Fed Ex ourselves over there with it. But, since we can't be there to celebrate her first year on this Earth, at least a part of us will be. We are having all the grandparents over for dinner and a celebration for her birthday, March 6th. We are planning to order Chinese food for dinner and Shawn and I are going to pick up some traditional birthday/celebration cakes and treats from the local Asian market. It should be fun and at least we can all celebrate with her in spirit.
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