Taiwan here we come!!
As I write this, my very first blog, there are 96 hours until I am on a plane heading to Taiwan. Heading to a country of 23 million people all squeezing into a country that takes only a day in total to drive across. Heading to a capital (Taipei) that until recently held the title of the world’s tallest building. Heading to a country that has a restaurant themed all about toilets or one all about Hello Kitty (i kid you not !).
But most importantly heading to a country to meet our baby daughter for the very first time.
I'm frantically packing everything but the kitchen sink (no seriously I mean everything and I'm still considering bringing the sink!) I have a suitcase full of pink delicate tiny clothing (and of course a vast assortment of baby toys from our shop (ok maybe more than a few).
I can't find our passports (I'm sure they are here somewhere though), I'm fighting the urge to start at the gym so I look HOT in all our pictures and for when we meet the Birth parents - MAY have left that a bit late. I'm stressing for my son who has been our entire world for almost 4 years and is about to be forced to learn to share us, after so many long hours of teaching him to attach and trust us (he had some special needs). Stressing about my new business (which is being left in more than competent hands). Wondering if she will cry when she meets us, if she will even let us hold her. Trying to think of little questions to ask her birth mother when we meet her that my daughter may want to know when she is older (so far I have what is your favorite colour, how did you choose her Chinese name?). When all I want do is cry and sob that I'm SO sorry you can't keep her and SO happy I get too (good old double edged sword) and of course that I promise to raise her the best I can, someone that when or if they meet again she will be so proud of (Cue the loud sobbing again)
So as you can see I'm just fine, well actually I really am doing better then I thought I would be. It's an emotional roller coaster, Adoption, but worth every second.
It's been a long road, our trip to parenthood, and it's times like this that I reflect just how lucky we are.
You see we have had 3 years to prepare and hope and pray for this moment. 3 long, tiring, expensive, sometimes soul stretching years waiting to become a family of 4. Before that we had 5 years of always hoping, always trusting that we would be blessed with a child that needed a family. And before that we had the 7 years of unexplained infertility, the pleading with the Higher Power, the fertility drugs, the blood tests, the surgeries, the invasion of privacy, the wasted money, the relationship strain, the jealousy when others got pregnant (oops did I say that out loud).. But anyhow I got off track..
So you see, I'm counting down the hours till I get on a big Jet plane that in 9.5 hours will deliver my family and I to a country I love, a country that has become a part of my being, a country that has allowed me to become a mother, a country that has a piece of my children's hearts and heritage. Oh and a pretty fantastic spot of SHOPPING and temple touring (it’s a beautiful country)!
And in 7 days, I'll be in a taxi on my way to my first meeting with my daughter, where we will become a family of 4!
And so I'm inviting you along for the ride, and after we return and things get back to normal (cause they will become somewhat normal won't they?? I mean it can't be that different with two kids can it? ) I'll be returning to growing and building the business and we can journey together along the Lime Tree Kid road.
There will be loads of giveaways (can't wait to share what our first one will be), product reviews, ideas and suggestions on how to enhance play with your child, encourage development and ways to just have fun! Blogs on dealing with children with eczema and food sensitivities, blogs on the trials and tribulations of being a "mumpreneur", balancing work and family and much much more.
So stay tuned for the next exciting walk .... I Love being a Lime Tree Mumma !!!
P.S. when we get home we will have a beautiful new blog layout & features to match our beautiful looking website ;-)