Baby Harrell's First Purchases!

Okay, so while I was at the store shopping for a friend's baby shower this weekend, I stumbled upon these little treasures that I just couldn't pass up for our little one on the way:

First we have an adorable Paul Frank paci set (2 pacifiers and a clip) and then a super soft teddy bear blanket (just big enough for strollers, carseats, etc.).  I just couldn't resist the urge . . . :)

And So It Begins!

The panic has officially begun!  Since the timing of things will be rather unknown (and potentially expedited), I am completely panicking about all the the stuff that needs to get done before we bring our little one home.  When I evaluate my house as a whole, the to-do list is endless; but I have to stay focused on the most important things . . . like the nursery!  I have recruited my fabulous friend, Candace, to help me set up and organize the room along the way (it's far too big a job for just one person) - and if I don't stay organized, I will get completely overwhelmed!  I'm leaning towards designing a gender neutral nursery just so I can make the best use of our time and resources.  Plus, when I think about the fact that this will not be our only adoption experience, I figure it's best to purchase items that can be reused time and time again.  So here are my initial design ideas (click on the image to enlarge):

Baby Harrell's Nursery - Design Phase 1

Bedding

Diaper Stacker

Throw Blanket

A Continued Hope & Renewed Excitement!

We've had 2 very successful meetings with ANLC and I dare say we are finally at the point of commitment!  This is no small thing as it has taken us a VERY long time to get to this point.  So to be able to say with 99.9% confidence that we have found our liason towards bringing a baby home is freakin' amazing!  We've scheduled 1 more meeting with them to discuss the financing program and I believe that once that meeting is over, we'll have all we need to move forward.  The process is so easy it's ridiculous really.  The weeks to follow will be a whirlwind for sure.  Once we mail in the Application, pictures, and money (lol), then we're off to the races!  Their marketing team will spend approximately 2 weeks with us on creating 4 different web pages and our youtube videos.  During that time we'll also be able to jumpstart our homestudy (which will take about 6 weeks).  But the great news is, after the marketing portion is complete, we are officially on the web and are able to be matched with a birthmother immediately at that point.  So even though our homestudy is not yet complete, we are still marketable.  How great is that?!  So we could literally be matched with a birthmother as soon as mid-July (although the expected wait time is 4-6 months).  Either way, we are looking very seriously at bringing our baby home by Christmas.  Holy cow!!!