have you ever seen those ‘one line a day’ books? i recently almost purchased one just so i would have somewhere to write down bits of what comes out of lulu’s mouth each day. but then i thought..hey, i can just jot these down on a word doc and then incorporate them into lu’s 2012 album. way cuter. of course she says a million things a day that are funny. it is a matter of remembering at least one thing and jotting it down.

i just started a few days ago..but here are the lines i have so far.

5/3/2012: ‘lets name the new baby sparkles. we can call her spark for short’

5/4/2012: ‘did you know that space is underneath the ground’

5/5/2012: i am doing laundry a few rooms away and she yells ‘mommy, this is a GREAT life’

5/8/2012: ‘you are the best mommy in the planet’..awww thanks, why lu?…’b/c you just gave me ice cream’..hum, not the answer i was reaching for there..

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adoption stuff..had our third and final homestudy meeting last night. just waiting on a few documents to come in and then she can write up the report. so excited to have that checked off the list. next we fly to LA and then start the wait. yay!

work stuff: 2 weddings into my string of 5 right here together. i love love capturing weddings so much. i really think it is the direction i am heading long term. will try with all my might to get up sneak peeks!

(that is what lulu draws nowadays. unicorns, butterflies and fairies. she draws rainbows too.)

yes, we are adopting again. it feels really good to be able to type that out. so far the homestudy application has been sent off. and we have booked our trip to LA for the adoption conference. as of june 14th, we should be officially waiting! im excited. and grateful. really i could burst from happiness. i have already daydreamed a million hours of having a new baby in our home. a tiny little baby. im also scared. domestic adoption is so very different then international. we could hold a baby and then it could be taken away. ok, im not scared..i am terrified. how do you protect your heart after you have held a child? but i think it is all just a matter of being strong and having faith.and i do have faith. and i have lots of it.

i started this blog all those years ago as we started our first adoption. i titled the blog ‘looking for lulu’. i so treasure all of those post. from the very first one (the day we sent our application off!) to our journey to vietnam. the blog changed to ‘adventures of small fry’ once lu came home. and eventually this became my photography blog. but, lets be honest, i have never been a fan of posting sneak peeks. i only post sneak peeks of wedding and i do even post all of those (slap on the hand). this blog is still 90% all about motherhood, life with my baby girl, notes to her, her life documented through words + pictures. my plan is to document everything with this second babe as well. this blog has had many lives and is about to have a new one:)

thank you all for being so happy for us. i feel such joy when i tell people we are adopting again. everyone knows we have wanted to grow our family for a very, very long time.

it is time friends!

i am in the middle of a busy wedding season. and not much will happen with the adoption process for awhile, but i will try to keep a journal here of the entire process.

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also, just wanted to point out that this past week was national infertility week. everyone handle emotions differently. but i encourage any of you with friends struggling to reach out. those long months of waiting can be intense. even having gone through 8 years of negative pregnancy test…i am still not sure what i would say to a friend struggling. but i think it is always better to say something then nothing. i know firsthand that it just feels good to have someone acknowledge the struggle.

http://www.resolve.org/national-infertility-awareness-week/home-page.html

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you went to bed four. and woke up five. the first thing you asked me is if that meant your feet were bigger. i said yes. then you asked how much.

we had your party this weekend. you picked out a VERY pink barbie cake. when i said we could get it you told me, ‘mommy, it is like my dreams just came true’. you are always so enthusiastic. especially when it comes to anything pink.

i was at the park with a friend yesterday. she had her little baby in her sling. she told me her baby weighs 18 pounds. that is two pounds more then when i first held you. you were so little. and i remember thinking you were so big. i was so worried about how much you were growing during those seven months of waiting..you in vietnam. me here. but finally we were united. and ever since then i have been blessed to watch you grow. and nothing fulfills me more then watching you..the way you love. the way you play. watching you create. being so proud of you. i will never understand how i was lucky enough to be your mom. you are perfect to me. and we were matched so perfectly. perfectly perfect.

i wanted a sibling for you the minute you came home. i thought about it everyday. how can it happen. when will it happen. and time dragged on with no progress. and it often made me sad. a few times i couldnt hide the tears and you asked why i was crying. and how could i begin to tell you why. i would just explain that i had a boo boo. that you understood. but i will forever be grateful for how everything turned out…the fact that there were too many barriers for us to add another child. because it meant i have had four years of just us. you and me. you and me and daddy and lloyd (and wendy and the snail.) i feel that i have been so present for your life. we are best friends.

good things have happened to us on the 17th. we started the process for your adoption on the 17th. we received your referral on the 17th. we held you for the first time on the 17th. we celebrate your birth on the 17th. and now we have another fun 17th to add. today i am sending off our application to adopt domestically. its time to get started again. time to make you a big sister. and i know that it could take years, but what a great day to start. i had you kiss the envelope and off it went. the first step.

my lu, you are five. and you have bigger feet today. and we love you to the moon and back. and then some.

and then some more.

the corey family landed two new pets this  weekend. wendy the fish. and a snail (still nameless). we started out the weekend talking about getting a dog. but no..lloyd is enough. so then we thought maybe a lizard or a gecko. but the thought of feeding the little guy live crickets..no thank you. so basically the animals got smaller and smaller until we ended up with the fish and snail. and the aquarium decor…well, guess who picked it out?:) a unicorn and pink castle…its a good thing wendy is a girl!

to celebrate our new animal, lee made pancakes on sunday in the shape of fish!

they sleep together every night. she thinks he will help her if the monsters decide to stop by for a visit. it is really quite gross. big old mutt on top of pretty pink bedding. but it makes her happy. it makes him happy. so that is that!

i started hearing about william very early in the year. they were not in the same class, but they would meet up at lunch bunch everyday and the playground afterwards. when lulu talks about W her face lights up. not kidding. the teachers reported they kissed under the climbing wall. and lulu confessed to a smooch in the mulch. oh boy. so when this little guy came over for a playdate it was very supervised:) even though i knew it would make them mad if i brought out my camera..well, i had to b/c i always want to remember lu’s first boyfriend (yes, she calls him her boyfriend.)

{treasured underwater photo of lu + me | deb schwedhelm photography}

just felt like posting this photograph today.  it feels so symbolic.  building our family…an on going/ hard fought  journey.

i love that kid.

lulu informed me that it was mine’s birthday last week. and my girl wanted to give her lovey a party. so we did. we cut out crowns and bought cupcakes and balloons. and all of mine’s friends were there to celebrate:) we all love mine..even if she is incredibly stinky!

yesterday was parent observation day at lu’s ballet class. i live for these things. really i was excited allll day! i was so close to just using my iphone and leaving big girl camera at home (it always stays home)..but so grateful i grabbed it at the last minute. that tiny little person in a pink leotard..it needed to be captured before she gr ewone more bit.

she continued to show off her moves for a few minutes when we got home. then it was time for pizza and milk. a nice days work.

lee has been out of town pretty much for three weeks straight. lulu and i are in a good routine..but so dang happy he is coming home tonight. we have lots of things planned this weekend…INCLUDING a party for mine (her lovey). we have been cutting out crowns all week for her animals to celebrate. stay tuned for the party of the year:)

{a picture a day | day twenty nine}

THE END!