Meet LuLu

Hi Claire!
I am LuLu ... the family puppy. I sure am looking forward to you getting here ... it will be nice to have another playmate! I was born in January of this year. Mommy and Daddy took me home in April, when I was about 8 weeks old. Now I'm six months old. But in dog years, I'm about the same age as you and I think that's pretty cool. SO, I figure that you and I will grow up together! And here's another cool thing ... except for Daddy, all girls live in this house! This is a pretty cool place, and I'm pretty much in charge.

One thing I'm in charge of is waking everyone up in the morning. I hope you like to get up early, cuz I usually wake up Mom and Dad between 5-5:30 am. Even on the weekends. I figure as long as I'm awake, everyone should be awake! Mom and Dad aren't as quick as I am to get up in the morning. In fact, they're usually pretty groggy. Dad especially. But, then he eventually snaps to it and gets up to take me for a morning stroll around the neighborhood, so I can make sure everyone else is up too. Maybe you can come with us and I'll show you around? I sure hope you're a morning person!

I spend most of my day doing two things: play and nap. I gotta tell ya, its a pretty good deal. As soon as we get back from our morning walk, I try to convince Daddy to play with me for a little while. He's usually pretty good about it, but sometimes he has to leave for work early. And then once he's gone, I work on Mommy all day long until she has to go to work. Then when they're gone, I take my naps. I have them both wrapped around my paw. Its pretty easy. Stick with me, and I'll let you in on my secrets.

Basically, it works like this: Wake up. Walk. Play. Eat. Play. Poop. Nap. Play again. Play some more. Nap. Play again. Nap. Eat. Play. Poop. Play. Walk. Sleep for the night. Pretty soon, its 5 am again and time for me to wake everybody up.

Eventually, you'll probably have to go to school. I'll be bummed about that. But when you do, I'll just probably take another nap, just like I am now. (I'm snoozing between Daddy's feet while he writes this. I told him what I wanted him to write for my blog entry ... like I said, I'm pretty much in charge around here).

They've been doing a lot of work in your bedroom. (I gotta be honest ... I was hoping they'd save that room for me ... but I'm OK if they give it to you). Its green and yellow and pink. It looks pretty cool and I think you'll like it. I think I'll like hanging out in there with you. And they're working on a playroom for you too. I've been sniffing around in there ... looks like another cool place to hang out. There's some toys there already, but I can't reach them.

I like to be outside a lot. I either hang out on the deck, or I romp through the yard on my leash. I'd stay out there all day if they let me. I love it when the wind blows in my face, and I love to bury my snout in the the ground and see what I can find. At nighttime, I like to chase lightning bugs. From what Mommy and Daddy tell me, you like to be outside too. So, we can hang out there too, and have a fantastic time together. (they keep saying something about winter .... I'm not quite sure what that means, but I guess we'll find out.)

I'm also a good watchdog (at least, I think I am). When I'm not playing or napping, I hang out by the front door and bark and anyone that walks by. They won't be messing with us, I tell ya! I might be small (I'm only 5 pounds) but I pack a punch. Right now I'm in a dog obedience class. All of the other puppies are way, way, way bigger than I am. But I'm not afraid of any of them. OK ... maybe a couple.

I am one happy puppy when the whole family is home and we're just hanging out together. And I can't wait until you're here and hanging out with us. I have a feeling that you and I are going to be best buddies!

All for now (time to play),
LuLu

Meet Your Dad

Dear Claire,

Mom here! Usually it is Dad who is blogging but I snuck in and decided it was time to tell you a little about your father. After all, it's only fair you learn more about the man you have made the happiest father on the planet!

Your dad has been waiting a really really long time for you. He has talked about you often and wondered what your Chinese name is, how old you are, where you live, what you look like and even what your favorite foods are. For so long, he longed to have a daughter and wondered if it would ever really happen.

Then on June 12, 2008, everything changed. We got the call from our adoption agency Children's Hope and they asked if we would like to adopt a little four year old girl from the city of Guilin - YOU! We said yes, and daddy has been floating on air ever since.

There are a couple of things you should know about daddy. First, he is a master planner/organizer. He loves order and does his best to make sure everything is in its proper place in the house. As soon as he heard you were coming, he ran to our back bedroom (soon to be your room) and starting planning where he would put your bed, where the dresser would go, what pictures we would hang on the wall and what kind lamp would be best on your nightstand. He loves you so much already and wants everything to be perfect for when you arrive home to your forever family!

The second thing you should know about your daddy is that he has a very tender heart. He loves to tell people what they mean to him and is very good at showing people love and concern. He is an excellent husband, friend, son, employee, brother and soon to be father. He has an especially tender heart towards our puppy Lulu. You should see him with her Claire! He gets down on his tummy and plays for her for an hour at a time and she just loves it. She climbs in bed with him at night and he lets her lick his face. He talks to her and takes her for walks and even participates in an obedience class with her every Tuesday night. He is definitely puppy and poodle whipped!

Another thing you have already probably figured out by now is that your father is an excellent writer. It started way back in high school when Grandpa suggested he go down to the local newspaper in Woodstock and apply for a job since he was such a good writer. He did and got the job! From then on, every job dad ever had involved writing. He is very versatile and can pretty much write about anything and everything. Although he writes about business and employee communications at Motorola, his dream is to one day get published as a Christian writer. I think that would make God's heart sing, don't you Claire? One day I'll show you all the emails dad wrote to me while we were dating. I saved them all and put them in a large blue binder because they mean so much to me. Daddy has a wonderful way with words and makes me feel so well loved when he writes to me. I'm sure you'll soon feel the same way.

Daddy has a real heart for God too. He is always striving to be a better person and a man more in tune with God. He recently got involved in a wonderful organization called Dare to Soar. He went on a weekend experiential retreat and came back a changed man! He says he wants to be the best husband, father, friend, son and brother he can be so he meets with other men on a weekly basis who hold him accountable. I'm so proud of him and all he does to grow more into the man God created him to be.

To say that your dad loves ice cream would be an understatement! The man is absolutely crazy about ice cream. He could literally eat it morning, noon and night. He told me how he is going to take you to Oberweis, Dairy Queen, and Dairy Mart when you arrive. Daddy wants to introduce you to all kinds of new flavors you have never tasted before. He even took Lulu to Oberweis one day so she could experience it for herself! Mommy thought that was a little extreme!

Well, there is so much more to tell you about when it comes to Daddy, but you'll discover them for yourself when you arrive. We can't wait for you to get here. We are counting the days and getting your room and our house ready for you. We hope you will feel welcomed and loved as soon as you set foot in the door. Daddy and I already love you so much and can't wait to meet you Claire!

Love,
Mommy