Wednesday, May 1, 2013

I made you something

I'm not crafty.  I can't sew a button.  I am super left-brained...when it comes time to each E how to work on a new puzzle, I've got that covered.  But some of the craft projects I've come up with for her are entirely amusing.  I'm a cook--not a baker--so when I see moms who make homemade 3-dimensional Dora cakes I'm floored.  But I can only rest on my "I-used-to-be-a-clinical-researcher" status for so long.  I'm a stay-at-home-mom now, and stay-at-home-moms do these things, right?

Sometime in January I decided I had to come up with something crafty I could do.  I decided I'd try making E a hairbow.  Four hours, a pound of hot glue, 3 burns, and some tears later and I came up with this:


Lopsided, not particularly pretty, and definitely not worth the effort.  But, E loved it.  I felt terrible, making one for E, and not one for R.  She was so far away, both in distance and in time, but it felt sad not making one for her, so I did, and decided whenever I made E a bow, I'd make one for R.

February came, and it was time to come up with something for Valentine's Day.  People were talking about expediting thalassemia adoptions and getting them done in 4 months, start to finish.  Would R be here to share some sweet treats and be our Valentine along with E?  No, but I made her a bow, anyways, knowing next year would be the sweetest ever with both of our daughters.


In March, we were getting frustrated with all of the delays we seemed to be having.  We finally received our LOA after 75 long days.  St. Patrick's Day was coming up, and I knew R wouldn't be here to bring her Baba his annual Guinness to celebrate the day.  But, next year she would be, and since Baba would have two little princesses bringing him his treat, she'd need a bow, too.


As the month came to an end, our frustration hit an all-time high as some paperwork hit a bunch of unnecessary snags.  I wanted R here to get her basket from the Easter Bunny so badly, instead of watching it sit there untouched.  But I made her a bow anyways, and we celebrated a beautiful day with E, and smiled through our frustration.


April was off to a rocky start with more paperwork delays.  There were a couple of days I took calls from the agency in the car and had to pull to the side of the road to cry.  But Spring was springing, and E was having fun outside playing and catching ladybugs.  On April 18, we finally got our TA and I actually started to believe that the delays were behind us, and we'd have our sweet R in our arms soon.  Would she love ladybugs like her jie jie?  I wouldn't know for awhile yet, but it was getting closer...



Over time, the bows got easier to make.  And, more fun to make.  Not because I was getting better at it, but because I knew both of my daughters would be wearing them soon.  It also became very cathartic for me.  Rather than spending sleepless nights hitting "refresh" on my email or furiously tracking a package, I was doing something with my own hands, from my own heart for my girls.  There were a lot of sleepless nights, and I ended up with a lot of bows.  Maybe I'm crafty after all!


So, now, comes the really fun part.  Deciding which ones will go in our suitcase tonight, to travel half-way around the globe to China tomorrow.  And, we're hoping that they didn't shave R's beautiful hair (like they did with E) so she can actually wear them!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice job! and start selling them on Etsty.com right now! lol

I am amazed how some people sell these bows at $9.50 each, and they can sell 5-6 bows each day on Etsy.

Congrats on your new daughter, wish you all a beautiful spring and smooth journey to China.

likeschocolate said...

Congratulations! So excited for you! Hope all goes well!

Ben and Brandy said...

Hello! My husband and I have loved your blog so much; your first gotcha day experience description helped us so much in our own preparations and for expectations. We feel privileged to be able follow along with your newest addition and I can't wait until we are able to add again to our family. Thank you for sharing!

Lilly said...

as my daughter says, a girl cannot have too many bows and they are so beautiful! can't wait to follow your journey once again to china and back! safe travels and enjoy the adventures of a lifetime!

Pattie and Joe said...

T,P,&E - Beautiful bows for beautiful girls from a beautiful Mom with a beautiful heart - and a beautiful family!

The Jiu Jiu said...

So far, I haven't made anything for the Pipsqueak (but there's one heck of a doll house halfway complete in my basement for when she's another year or two older)... I'm actually jealous of that crop of bows you made for your girls! I'll be traveling right along with y'all (at least in my mind, LOL) -- buen viaje!

Fannie said...

What a cute story!!! I'm SOOOO glad you guys are finally on your way to get your girl!! Can't wait to follow along too. :)