[x] So! We had an in-home visit with Sunshine this past Thursday, and without saying anything definitively, placement looks very promising (in, say, mid-May if all goes well). She spent a good five hours with us (along with her nurse) and all three kids took to her right away. Beauty kept saying, "Oh! Sunshine is so beautiful!" and wanted to sit close to her while she was napping in my arms. Bear talked to her a ton (shocking, right? ;) and selected DVDs he thought she might like. LF bonded with Sunshine right away. I was really floored by it all as I didn't expect too much interaction between the two of them (keep in mind, LF is only 18 months old *and* visually impaired). I *swear* Sunshine and LF were communicating in their own way, though. And LF was very "hands on"--definitely a good thing. She was very gentle in touching Sunshine. Perhaps she somehow senses Sunshine's visual impairment? And Sunshine seemed very receptive to LF. Really, we couldn't have asked for a better visit. I know I'm biased but my kids are just so great and loving and sensitive--I had a feeling Sunshine would blend in seamlessly.

Once things are "set in stone", as you will--as much as they can be in adoption--we'll let the proverbial cat out of the bag. As I mentioned in a previous entry, we have certain people on the "first tier" of knowledge (the ones we'll tell first--some of our family members, LF's first mom and first family, etc.). We probably won't say anything on fbook, etc., until she's actually here and a part of our family. Because parental rights have already been terminated, once placement is complete, Sunshine's social worker says disruption is virtually impossible. This makes me feel much more secure in welcoming another child into our home. The kids form attachments so quickly. I want them to be secure in their attachment to Sunshine. And selfishly, I want the same for K. and myself.

I am full of hope and love. I miss her terribly, but I know she'll be back soon (tick, tock).

[x] LF has been killing me with her cuteness lately. I mean, she always does, but lately, her personality has really started to blossom. She's having a bit of separation anxiety; she doesn't like when I leave the room for *any* reason. I don't mind it at all, really. These moments are so precious, especially because there will come a time when she says, "Mom, I've got this. Go home" as I fuss about her first apartment, etc. :) One of the biggest pros to adopting Sunshine is her age. It is very important to us that LF stays "the baby" of the family. She is, for all intents and purposes, *the* baby. It's a good spot to have, let me tell you. There's not too much she can't get with her smile and cuddles. I always felt deep in my heart that LF would be my last "baby" and I've had the privilege of sharing my life with her since she was almost four months old. Bear has always been taken with her, and recently, Beauty has really started to bond with LF. She loves to make her baby sister laugh and wants to play and share and talk. I hope they keep this up as they get older. ;) Beauty has really taken to being the big sister and LF is loving every second of it. Man, I've got some great kids.

I know, I know. All parents think that, and really, we're all right. We all do have great kids. But at the same time, it's so easy to lose sight of just how great they are--individually and as a team. K.'s been on shift since 6PM Friday night and isn't due back until tomorrow morning. All things being considered, we've had a great weekend (even though we miss[ed] him terribly, of course). The kids have been so loving toward each other and so very harmonious in their play. It's all so very precious. These are the moments--the "nothing" moments--I wish I could ingrain on my brain forever. On Friday night, we rented a movie from On Demand and I wound up carrying a sleeping Beauty (pun intended ;) off to her bed halfway through. Bear stuck it out with me and crashed out in my bed. Yesterday, I cleaned the house from top to bottom, did all the laundry, etc. Today, we made cream puffs (using my grandmother's recipe) and spent a great deal of the afternoon on craft projects. A nothing weekend. A boring old, plain jane weekend. Perfection, I tell you.

[x] We're in for some HUGE storms tonight, so I'm already anticipating a night where I'll be up. A lot. Actually, it will really depend. My girls could sleep through anything, for the most part, and Bear usually sleeps pretty soundly when it's storming. I hope it's not TOO terrible, although it's predicted to be quite awful indeed. We shall see.

[x] Btw, if you're wondering how the cream puffs were received by my kids, I can say quite clearly they were a resounding success. I'm pretty certain LF would've eaten about a gallon of the "cream" (she wasn't too keen on the "puff") had I let her. ;) Ditto for her big brother. The only one who loved the cream puffs start to finish? My will-eat-anything-girl. Hey, one outta three ain't bad, right?

All right, time to wrap it up. I've been writing this entry for the past 24 hours, adding bits and pieces at a time. Gotta get a move on and rock the Sunday night. <3