Today

Today I got myself a Shamrock Shake.

I also built a toy organizer/bookshelf. Molly helped (AKA got in the way).

One suitcase is packed and ready to go...it's full of clothes, toys, books, supplies, etc. for Shamrock, along with donations for the orphanage and gifts for the workers. Now I just need to pack my stuff!

Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek of Shamrock's bedroom. Not everything is here or up yet (wallpaper border, toy box, pictures in frames, etc.), but the main stuff is ready to go. I'm really happy with how it's turned out. The coloring in this picture is kind of off, but I wanted to share a shot of the people who helped transform the former guest room this weekend...my parents! Thanks Mom and Dad for painting, cleaning, building, fixing, washing, hanging, organizing, shopping, and helping Zack and I get ready to welcome your new grandson into his new home!

My Sunday Morning Shower

I met my friend Emily at a Meetup book club gathering while we were living in Melbourne, Australia. When I heard her American accent, I asked where she was from. Surprise-Denver! Zack and I hung out with her and her husband Adam lots during our time abroad. Now we're all back in Denver, and Emily was kind enough to throw me an adoption shower this weekend while my mom was in town. Here are my mom and I before leaving for the shower (the baby balloon is from the MPB shower).

Emily went all out with the Kyrgyz decorations-it was awesome. Red and yellow (the colors on the Kyrgyz flag), words like "mom" and "family" translated into Kyrgyz hanging from the ceiling, questions for attendees to answer (how many can you get correct?), shamrock cookies, etc. She also had everyone write and bring advice for me, so we read some of those touching comments.

We had a delicious breakfast with an egg dish, fruit, and white chocolate raspberry cake. Oh yeah, and mimosas. So yummy! Emily and I are posing here with some of the spread. Thanks to Laurie and Alena for contributing to the deliciousness.

My girlfriends gave such thoughtful and generous presents. Shamrock got some awesome new clothes, books, toys, and more. Here I am wearing one present (a shirt that says "I'm Not Pregnant but I am Expecting") opening a shamrock shirt for him that says "Mom's Lucky Charm"! 

My mom made two special blankets for him (one large, one small) that perfectly match his bedroom-colors and chevron pattern and all!

I feel so lucky to have such sweet friends to support me through this adoption journey. A special thanks to Emily for organizing, decorating, cooking, and hosting a super special shower. It meant so much to me, and just looking back through the pictures (thanks for those, Katy) makes me smile. What a wonderful Sunday morning!

A Packed Porch

This is what your front porch looks like when you do a huge Amazon order, because you want everything to be here in time for your parents to help put together when they come for the weekend!

Shop 'Til You Drop

On Wednesday night, I went to a HUGE consignment sale. This one was put on by Just Between Friends Denver, and it was at the National Western Complex. I've been to a couple of consignment stores since we found out about our boy, but I've never been to one of these large-scale extravaganzas. It was quite overwhelming! I have never seen so many kids' items in one place. There were rows upon rows of toys, clothes, books, and other supplies.

The sale goes all weekend, but after all the clothes I bought, I'm not sure others will have much to choose from! Luckily, I had a special first-time parent pass to shop a day earlier than the rest of the crowd.

I spent about four hours total at the sale and didn't get home until almost 11pm. Most of my time was spent in the 2T and 3T section. I got some super cute sweaters, summer outfits, jackets, and shoes. This boy is going to be looking good, at least for the next year or two! 

The Magnificent MPB Music Ministry

Back when I first moved to Denver, I started playing my violin at Mass each week at Most Precious Blood (MPB) Catholic Church. There were a few choir members, a couple of instrumentalists, a newly installed priest named Father Pat, and a passionate music director named Teresa.

Fast forward eleven years...Father Pat officiated our wedding in 2008, Teresa has grown the choir to over 100 members with all sorts of instrumentalists, extra Masses have had to be added because of the popularity of MPB, and I work part-time at the school affiliated with the church. But the best part of it all is the supportive and caring community I've found.

Last night, the MPB Music Ministry held a group baby shower before our regular weekly rehearsal. It celebrated our adoption journey along with the recent or upcoming births of other babies of choir members. It was amazing! There was so much yummy food (including shamrock cookies and cupcakes), a delicious cake, shamrock decorations (!), balloons, presents, and lots of love. Everyone was so excited to hear our latest updates and see pictures of Shamrock on my phone.






I was (and am) absolutely floored by the generosity of this group of talented people. They secretly gathered donations to give as a gift, which I'll be able to put toward the stroller I've been wanting to buy for Shamrock. We also received an Okee Dokee Brothers CD (former MPB members-now Grammy winners), and I even got to bring home some tulips and a shamrock plant!

Everyone I talked to told me how excited they are to meet Shamrock. He's actually getting baptized on Easter Sunday at MPB, so they'll be some of the first people to meet our son. What a lucky little boy to already be so loved by such wonderful people!

Winter Park Weekend

This weekend, my friend Kris (my freshman year roommate at Notre Dame) and her husband Kevin visited from Minnesota to go skiing in Colorado. We spent a few nights in Winter Park, but Shamrock was always on my mind.




We ate shamrock-shaped cookies in his honor!













And we went bowling, which our little boy loves!

Our final flights are booked! We leave Denver on March 15, spend St. Patrick's Day visiting him in the orphanage for the last time, and take him out forever on March 18. We don't come home until March 28 because of other appointments and necessary paperwork, but we've got a fun little getaway planned while we're in Kyrgyzstan. More about that later, but boy was it wild to book flights home for three people!