Our Journey to Mya

Miss Independent

2010-02-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

One little monkey jumping on the bed...

Mya likes to dress herself, no matter how long it takes! Notice her sleeve is on her foot.

Mya likes to shampoo her hair and create her very own mohawks!

Mya has turned yet another month older, and once again we marvel at how time really does fly! It seems like every day Mya has learned something new (both good and evil). It is such a joy to watch our little darlin grow and change. What a special gift we have been given!!

Late again!!

2010-01-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

Our little Mya turned 25 months on the 19th, and once again, I missed posting it. She has really been enjoying being two years old and boy does it show! She is a singing, dancing fool who is always up for a good time. Her favorite past time is copying anything and everything that her eight year old brother does, not excluding daredevil stunts of the furniture. Life around her is never boring, which is just the way we like it! Thanks for bringing a little more laughter into our lives little miss!!

Our Big Birthday Girl!

2009-12-20T21:00:00.001-08:00

So, this is what a two year old looks like. I suppose it could be much worse! Mya enjoys "dressing up" in other family members clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. This is a piece from her Winter line. The shirt with no pants look really completes the outfit!

Mya loves Elmo and to have him on her birthday cake was a real treat for her! She had at least three helpings of ice cream. That's my girl!

Mya received lots of wonderful presents. It is really fun to play with her now because she is into dolls, "cooking", puzzles, and many other things that mommy likes to play with. Mya is turning into a little girl right before our very eyes. We feel so blessed to have such a delightful daughter in our lives and thank God for helping us to find each other!

23 months old!

2009-11-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

Poor Mya missed Halloween (again) due to a nasty ear infection, but at least we had a good time picking out pumpkins and getting lost in the corn maze.

Mya takes great pride in pulling out her hair pretties. Apparently, she prefers the "wild" look! I remember when she was a baby and I couldn't wait to put her hair in a pony tail. Now that it is finally long enough, the little stinker won't leave them in!

Happy 23 months little miss- its hard to believe your almost 2!!

22 months!

2009-10-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Our little girl is growing up so fast! We have finally come to accept that she is no longer our little baby. She is a full blown toddler- complete with all the lovely behaviors of a 2 year old! Her new favorite words are "mine" and "don't". She also loves to hear herself scream and practices that skill on a daily basis. Mya can indeed be a challenge at times, but she can also be sweet and kind. She even asks me if I'm ok ( repeatedly) when I cough. Life would be a complete bore without her!

21 months and counting!

2009-09-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mya got to go on her first camping trip this past month. She had a great time exploring around the campground and the lake, but didn't enjoy sleeping in the pop-up tent so much. I'm sure our fellow campers didn't enjoy it so much either!! Needless to say, Mya and I cut our trip a little short and let the boys stay to fish. Cade is quite the little fisherman! Maybe by next summer, Mya will be more into sleeping in the great outdoors.

Happy 21st month birthday Mya!

Happy "Gotcha Day!"

2009-09-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

A year ago today, we met our beautiful little daughter for the very first time! I remember that day as if it was only yesterday. This morning, I sat Mya on our bed and let her watch the video of the moment we met. As always, she was completely enthralled by what she was watching. Somehow she knows what an important event it was, you can see it on her face. We gave her a little purse from Vietnam to commemorate the occasion, and she insisted on carrying it everywhere with her this morning. Always the "girlie girl," she adores her purses, shoes, jewelry, and nail polish so I knew the purse would be a big hit!
We love you My!!

Late! (again)

2009-08-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

At the beach with Daddy

Totally enjoying her chocolate pudding!

I did it again! I totally missed posting on Mya's 20 month "birthday". Apparently I won't be winning the blogger of the year award after all!

It is so amazing to think that we have had our little ball of fire for almost a year now. On the one hand, it seems like just yesterday that we travelled to Vietnam to meet her, but on the other hand, it feels like she has always been with us. She is growing up so fast. I wish that I could stop time and keep her our little baby forever, but somehow I don't think she is going to go for that!

19 months!

2009-07-19T08:29:00.001-07:00

We traveled to the Oregon Coast with some friends and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Mya wasn't very excited about playing with (or touching) the sand, but after a while, I couldn't keep her out of it! She had a great time digging with her brother and was pretty good at throwing sand as well. It was really nice to get away from our home improvement projects and spend time relaxing with family and friends.

Happy 19 months My My!!

18 months!

2009-06-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

Mya is such a hard subject to take a picture of. Most of the ones I have of her are a total blur. This little girl is always on the move! It seems that the only good picture I can get of her is when her cousin Brooke catches her. Thank you Brooke!! Now that we are all out for summer vacation, I have made it my mission to get some good pictures of our little miss before she grows up any faster.
Happy 18 months my sweet girl!!

17 months and busy, busy, busy!

2009-05-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Mya has been quite busy the last few months happily exploring her world and causing trouble along the way. This girl gets into everything! Her favorite naughty things to do are as follows: get into mommy's makeup powder, put the kitty's food in his water dish, throw kitty litter, try and confiscate the knives from the dishwasher, mess up the tv remote, somehow manage to get into the kid proofed entertainment center, rearrange the dvds, flush things down the toilet, and poop in the tub! By the end of the day we are all exhausted, but happy. Mya keeps life interesting!!

Bad Mama!!

2009-04-20T19:32:00.001-07:00

I am such a bad mother! I totally missed posting on Mya's 16 month "birthday". I am going to have to blame it on the fact that I was so busy taking care of my sweet little girl that I had completely forgot. Our poor Mya had a bad reaction to a shot she got on Thursday and was miserable all weekend. When Mya is miserable, she likes to make sure everyone else is feeling that way as well! It is hard to believe that such a tiny little girl can have such a huge set of lungs!! Thank goodness she is almost back to her old sweet self today!

Happy 15 months!!

2009-03-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Our little bird on her nest

Mya loves Cade's Star Wars helmet, now if she could just see out of it!

Caught red handed- Mya's naughty face!!

Cade and Mya- what a pair!!

Despite the occasional case of the sniffles, everyone seems to be healthy and happy at the Bryan house. Cade and Mya have been quite busy entertaining all of us with their funny antics. They have completely opposite personalities, yet amazingly, share the same sense of humor. Things can get pretty wild around here, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

What a month!

2009-02-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Not Happy!!

Tough Guy!

This past month has been a tough one for the Bryan family. Poor Cade had to have an emergency appendectomy, and Mya spent her fourteen month "birthday" yesterday suffering with an ear and sinus infection. It breaks my heart to see my kids so sick! Luckily, Cade has made a speedy recovery and I am hopeful that Mya will too.

13 months!

2009-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that an entire month has passed since Mya's birthday! Our kids are growing up so fast. Cade will turn seven on Thursday and big brother Zack will be twenty this Spring. I wish that I could stop time!!

Mya has adjusted well to the new babysitter, much better than mommy has adjusted to returning to work. Luckily, my little kindergartners keep me so busy that I don't have time to worry much about Mya. I just wish the little stinker would sleep better at night so that I could function a little bit better at school. Mya is lucky she is so darn cute (even at three in the morning) or I might have to send her away to baby boot camp or call Nanny 911 or something. Let's hope this is the month she starts sleeping better!!

Christmas in America!

2009-01-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Judging by the look on her face, Mya wasn't too impressed with this present!

Yippee! Elmo, Mya's favorite!!

Mya is always so entertained by all of her cousins!

We had such a wonderful Christmas surrounded by family and friends! It was extra special this year because Mya was with us. I remember being so sad last Christmas because we still hadn't heard anything about who our sweet little baby would be. That seems like so long ago!

I have really enjoyed spending the last three months at home with Mya, but sadly it must come to an end. I have to return to work on Monday. I have missed my kids at school and am anxious to be their teacher again, I just wish Mya could go with me. Is a one year old to young to be in kindergarten? I'm sure she's gifted, maybe I'll have her tested and get her enrolled in my class! Luckily, we have a wonderful child care provider so I know Mya will be in the best of hands.

Birthday Girl!

2008-12-19T19:39:00.001-08:00

Patiently waiting for her guests to arrive

Making a wish!

"Can't I open these as well, mommy?"

Our sweet little daughter turned one today! We celebrated the event with a small dinner party with family and will have her "big" party on Sunday. I was impressed that Mya knew exactly what to do with all of the gift bags. She knew there were treasures inside them and she wasted no time ripping them out of there. That's my girl!

Mya wasn't quite so sure what to think about the cake. She liked the frosting (who doesn't) but proceeded to throw all of her cake, piece by little piece, onto her brother's plate!

It was a special day for all of us, as we were reminded how lucky we are that Mya was born into this world and into our family!

Little Miss Mischief!

2008-12-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

Guess what Mya discovered today? You guessed it- toliet paper!! I knew something was up when Mya suddenly got very quiet. She had a great time unrolling it! I'm sure she would have gone through the entire roll if I would have let her. I always seem to spoil her fun!!

Wow! 11 months old already?

2008-11-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe how fast our little darling is growing up. Mya is eleven months old today! We feel so fortunate to be able to celebrate each of these little milestones with her. She's a real blessing!!

Photo shoot!

2008-11-06T10:33:00.001-08:00

My friend Julie came over the other day to take some pictures of the kids. It was Mya's first "official" photo shoot. I now know why people say not to work with babies and animals. Mya was not any easy subject to shoot! That just goes to show you what a good photographer Julie is because she somehow managed to get some really great pictures regardless! Here are a few of my favorites.

Our happy little 10 month old!

2008-10-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Our sweet baby girl turned 10 months old today! Mya is really learning a lot of new things and now that she is completely healthy, her personality has really begun to emerge. She is such a mimic and even copies us when we yell at our naughty puppy, Bentley. It is so funny!! She has a wonderful sense of humor, but can also be extremely serious. There really doesn't seem to be an in-between with that child! We love all of Mya's little quirks and absolutely adore her. We just simply can't imagine life without her!!

Feeling Better!

2008-10-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

With a lot of medicine, and even more TLC, Mya has finally started to feel better! The smiles and giggles have returned and we are so very thankful. She might even get to go to her brother's school for show and tell tomorrow!!

Poor Little Baby!

2008-09-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

After our doctor's visit yesterday, we now have a better understanding of why our happy little baby has been so miserable for the past few days. Mya doesn't just have a cold as we had thought, she has a ear infection, sinus infection, and RSV. We have started her on antibiotics and breathing treatments and hope that she will recover quickly. It breaks our hearts to see her so sick!

Home Sweet Home!

2008-09-28T17:29:00.001-07:00

The boys meet their little sister!

We are so happy to finally be home! The long flight home was tough on all of us, escpecially Mya. She ended up coming down with a horrible cold and has been really sick all weekend. Poor baby! We are off to the doctor's office tomorrow in hopes of "making her all better".

Done!

2008-09-25T03:58:00.001-07:00

While we have really enjoyed our time here in Vietnam, we are excited to be returning home in the morning. We miss our family and can't wait for them to meet their new sister/grandbaby/ niece/cousin. See you soon!

Almost done!

2008-09-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy day yesterday! Mya is now the proud owner of her very own passport and she got to vsit her friends at the SOS clinic again. Mya's visa medical exam went very well and she especially enjoyed playing peekaboo with the nurse. Our visa interview is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00, and then we should be finished with the adoption process. We have changed our airline tickets and will be coming home this Friday. Yipee!!

Getting to know Mya

2008-09-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

MYA TRIVIA

1. She weighs almost 16 lbs and is 27 inches long- just a little peanut!

2. She has two teeth on the bottom (one is adorably crooked) and one tooth on the top. She is also getting another tooth on the top and it seems to bother her quite a bit. She chews on everything, just like a puppy!

3. She has the softest hair I've ever felt!

4. She loves people! Everywhere we go she makes new friends.

5. She can dance, crawl, and is quite a busy little girl.

6. She smiles and giggles all the time, just not when I'm trying to take her picture. She has a real "thing" about cameras.

7. She can have the most serious face and silliest face all at the same time!

8. She likes food- a lot! (she takes after her mama)

9. She can say "ba" (bottle) and "may" (mama).

10. She is a beautiful child both inside and out and we feel so fortunate that she is our daughter!

A trip to remember!

2008-09-20T03:10:00.000-07:00

Even though we had to endure a 3 1/2 hour bus ride, unbelievable heat and humidity, and a baby who woke up hourly during the night, we had an utterly fantastic time at Ha Long Bay. It is so breathtakingly beautiful that no words can even begin to describe it. Our pictures definetly don't do it justice! We feel so fortunate to have been able to see such an amazing sight! It is a far cry from the expanse of wheat fields of Eastern Oregon. Mya was a champ through most of our trip, but did have a very difficult time sleeping on the boat. We are all happily exhausted and anxious to get a good nights sleep!

Our day

2008-09-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning shopping and seeing the sights. We ate lunch at a great little place and I had myself a good old American cheeseburger and fries (almost). We spent the rest of the day back in the hotel room playing and just taking it easy. We are off tomorrow for an overnight stay at the beautiful Ha Long Bay. I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as we get back!

Venturing Out!

2008-09-17T06:20:00.001-07:00

We had a great day today seeing some of the many wonderful sights of the city. Mya really enjoyed walking around and being a part of the hustle and bustle that is Hanoi. We all risked death several times today as we learned how to cross the streets in this town. Trust me, it is not as easy as it sounds! We found Hoan Kiem lake and the surrounding grounds to be absolutely beautiful. There are many neat resturaunts and shops nearby and we had a great (but sweaty) time exploring it all. We were able to find Vietnam Quilts and we bought a cute little quilt for Mya's room. She was a real trooper on our adventure, so much so that we are doing it all again tomorrow!!

Lucky!

2008-09-15T20:11:00.001-07:00

Wow! What an eventful and amazing beginning to our trip of a lifetime. Our 24 hour delay in Taipai was extremely comical, yet stressful. Nobody, including the airlines knew what the heck was going on. We barely made our flight, and our airlines was even in charge of getting us there on time! I think we even lost a passenger in a wheelchair on the way-no lie!
We finally arrived in Hanoi and at our hotel at 12:15 and found out that we could still make it to the orphanage to get Mya at 1:00. The bad news was that our room wasn't ready yet, and we couldn't change the clothes that we had been wearing for three days, or get the gifts ready for the nannies. We were finally allowed into our room, with 15 minutes until we left for the orphanage. Boy, did we scramble!! We did pretty well and ended up only forgetting to grab the gifts for the orphanage directors. We were quite frazzled when we arrived at Dong Anh (which might explain the poor photography on my part) but by God we made it!! Our sweet baby girl was waiting for us when we arrived and all of the stress and worry simply faded away. She is a dream come true! We love the way she squeezes us tightly, rubs her cheek against ours, and kisses us smack dab on the lips!! My heart absolutely melted today when we took Mya to the SOS clinic to get checked out. When the Vietnamese nurse took Mya to weigh and measure her, she began to cry huge crocodile tears. As soon as she was returned to me she instantly stopped and gave me a big hug. We just feel so grateful and blessed to have finally been united with our beautiful daughter. I have been trying to post the video of getting Mya, but am having some trouble doing so. I'll keep trying!

Guess Who We Have?

2008-09-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

We are so in love! Mya is sweet, cuddly, and easy going. She is aboslutely perfect!! I can't wait for all my family and friends to meet her!!! I promise I will post more once I am actually awake!

So close, but yet so far!

2008-09-14T03:08:00.000-07:00

After an 8 1/2 hour layover, and a 13 hour flight, we finally arrived in Taipai! Too bad our connecting flight to Hanoi was delayed as well. We should be there tomorrow morning at 10:50 (Vietnam time). We are not sure if we can still go to the orphanage then or not. I sure hope so because we just can't wait to get our hands on our little baby girl!!

Typhoon, what typhoon?

2008-09-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

We a little setback on our journey. Our flight to Taipai has been delayed until tomorrow due to a typhoon. Once there, we are not even sure of when we can get a flight to Hanoi. We might not make it to the orphange on Monday after all. Stay tuned- we'll keep you posted and soon as we know anything!

Holy Cow!!

2008-09-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

We can't believe this day has finally come. We are flying out tonight and will have our sweet baby girl in our arms on Monday. It is like a dream come true!! Cade wishes he were going as well, and suggested that we put him in Daddy's duffel bag. We will really miss the boys, but we know that they are in very good hands while we are gone. Thank you Grandma Carol, Grandma Karen and Aunt Cathy!! Watch out Vietnam- here we come!!!

We've Got Tickets!

2008-09-04T18:35:00.001-07:00

Yipee! We got our airline tickets today!! We will leave on September 12th and will arrive back home "around" September 30th. We are giddy with exitement and have been busy making all kinds of arrangements. Only 8 more days to go!!!!!!

Life is Good!

2008-09-02T05:31:00.001-07:00

"Hang Loose, Dude!!"

Mya seems to know that we are coming for her soon because she definitely looks "chilled" in these pictures. I'm especially loving the top one with her belly hanging out!! She already looks like one of the Bryans! Thank you Hanes family for the adorable pictures.

Mya is coming home!

2008-08-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

We are beyond excited to announce that little miss Mya will be in our arms and not just in our hearts in a matter of a few weeks. We received her approval from immigration early this morning and hope to be in Vietnam by the 13th of September. Stay tuned for future travel plans and thank you so much to all of our family, friends, and adoption buddies for providing such support and encouragement throughout this whole process!

New pictures of Mya

2008-08-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! Our little girl is really growing up. It's amazing to me how much the babies change in only a month. We are very grateful to the Hines family for the recent pictures of Mya. She looks wonderful (and quite serious). We are on business day 16 of our wait for an approval from Immigration. It is so hard to predict when we might receive her approval, some cases clear quickly while others seem to drag on for an eternity. Any day now would be just fine with us!!

8 Months Old!

2008-08-19T07:52:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little Mya is already 8 months old today! We are praying for a speedy approval so that we may spend Mya's 9 month birthday together!!

Our Journey to Mya

2008-08-15T19:33:00.001-07:00

Since I seem to have all this time on my hands, I decided to start working on a slide show of Mya's adoption. I'm pretty new at all this and don't think I will win any awards for this production, but it was fun nonetheless!

Finally Filed!

2008-08-05T01:53:00.001-07:00

Maybe wishes really do come true! At 1:26 in the morning, I awoke to find myself thinking about Mya. I debated about whether or not I should stumble out of bed to check my email , just in case. I am so glad I did because we finally received our email from Immigration stating that they had received our file. Now the "official waiting" process can begin! Let's hope and pray that they don't take the full (or more) 60 business days to issue an approval, but I guess "it will take as long as it's going to take!"

Out of the mouths of babes!

2008-08-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Because it was my birthday today, I thought I would take full advantage of my wishing rights. When I had finished, Cade asked me what I had wished for. I didn't want to tell him in case of making my wish null and void, so I asked him to guess what I had wished for. Without skipping a beat, he said "getting Mya" (to which I would neither confirm nor deny). He then proceeded to tell me "Mom, that's not going to happen. It will take as long as it is going to take". How could this little six year old boy be so full of wisdom, more importantly, how can we be related?
It has been 12 weeks and 6 days since Mya's referral and we still don't know if our paperwork has even been filed with Immigration yet. It has been an unbearable wait with much more to come, but Cade is right. It is going to take as long as it's going to take, and there really is nothing that I can do about it but have faith that everything happens for a reason.

Another Gift!

2008-07-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

"You wanna piece of me?"

We received more new pictures of Mya today. Her personality is really starting to show through. Can't wait to see it for ourselves!!

New pictures of Mya

2008-07-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

We love the pictures we got from our friend Heather today, especially the one of our little darlin giggling her head off! She always seems so serious, but Heather said that she is so "funny" and quite the "little pistol". She will definitely fit right into the Bryan family! It's warms our hearts to see that she is holding the blankie that we had made for her, and playing with the toy that Cade picked out for her. We just love her so much and pray that everything will all work out!!

7 months old!

2008-07-19T06:57:00.001-07:00

Little miss Mya is 7 months old today! We have sent a little "birthday" care package for her- courtesy of my friend Heather who is picking up her daughter at the orphanage on Monday. We can't wait until it is our turn to go!! Please pray for us that our paperwork will finally get submitted and that Mya will be "approved" by Immigration in record time!

Finally Finished!

2008-07-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Even though we will have Mya's crib in our bedroom for a while, I wanted to have her room all ready for her when she arrives. I had so much fun picking out girlie decorations! Unfortunately, Brett didn't have quite as much fun putting up the chair rail and the crown molding! I think his exact words were "never again"!!
There have been some additional delays with Mya's paperwork but we hope to have our I600 filed by next week. Keep your fingers crossed! Sadly, all of these delays mean that we won't be travelling to Vietnam as early as we expected. We are praying for smooth sailing from here on out and hope to get our little darlin sometime this fall.

My sweet boy!

2008-07-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Cade and I were having another one of our discussions about Mya. I was trying to reiterate to him that Mya was going to require a lot of my attention when she gets home, but that I would try and set aside "special time" for he and I. I told him that having a baby sister might be rough at first, but that he would make such a wonderful big brother. Cade in all his sweetness replied "Mom, having a sister is what life is all about". Brett and I are extremely lucky to have been blessed with such wonderful kids!

What a cutie!

2008-07-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

We got some new pictures of our little miss today. Just in time to lift our spirits a bit! We just returned home from getting our fingerprints redone this morning to find these wonderful pictures of Mya waiting for us. Many thanks to the Norquist family for brightening our day! Now if we could just get that darn I600 filed, we would be all set!!

Our little girl is growing up!

2008-06-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Mya is 6 months old today! I wish we could be together to celebrate it. We are still waiting on some of Mya's documents before everything can be filed with immigration. It is hard not to get discouraged about the constant waiting. I just have to reassure myself that someday it will all be worth it!

Oh Happy Day!

2008-06-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to receive a bunch of new pictures of Mya today. We finally have a picture of her smiling. I can't wait to smother that sweet little face with kisses! Our paperwork hasn't been filed yet, as they are waiting on some of Mya's documents. Let's hope it happens soon!

What a big girl!

2008-05-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

Mya is five months old today! We are hoping and praying that the Immigration approval process doesn't take too long so that we may spend these important milestones with our daughter. We can't wait!

Surprise, Surprise!

2008-05-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

We were delighted to wake up this morning to find two new pictures of Mya that were actually taken yesterday. She looks so peaceful in the top picture. In the bottom picture it looks as if she's trying to find the bottle that someone just popped from her mouth. What a cutie! It is so nice to have some pictures with her name on them. I have been looking through some of the orphanage's older photos in search of Mya and have been having a tough time identifying her. What a rotten mother! I have resorted to having my friends and family compare different pictures to see what they think. So far, no matches but I refuse to give up! It has actually turned into quite a fun little game, maybe CSI could use my assistance!

Ask and ye shall receive!

2008-05-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

Exactly nine months to the day of being DTV we were blessed to receive the referral of the baby girl of our dreams. Mya Lan Bryan was born December 19th, 2007 in Hanoi. We are so excited and can hardly wait to hold her in our arms- forever!

9 months DTV

2008-05-07T05:24:00.000-07:00

Sadly, no news to report- zip, nada, nothing. It has been a very rough week for our family and we are in desperate need of some good news.

Hopeful

2008-04-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Although we have not yet received our referral, we have been told that it should be in the next few days. We are so ready! Nine months of being DTV has really taken its toll on our family.

8 months DTV!

2008-04-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still counting! Please oh please let this be the month that we get Mya's referral!

Beauty School

2008-04-05T07:18:00.001-07:00

As a mother of only boys, I haven't had any opportunities (that they know of) to do what I call "girlie hair". So I enlisted the aid of my two good friends to teach me how to do Mya's hair when the time comes. We crimped, we braided, we headbanded and clipped. Now that I think that I might finally have a handle on all of this "hair stuff", Mya will probably turn out to be a baldie! From the sounds of it, we should know soon!

"Here's your sign"

2008-03-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

Last night there were several referrals, and sadly we weren't among them. Nobody can officially tell us what the hold up is for sure and its begun to take its toll. Just when I was starting to doubt whether we would ever have our little baby to hold , God sent me a sign. Today, two of my first graders were playing "hangman" together during free choice and the only three letters they had time to guess were M Y A. They had no idea that they had just spelled our daughter's name, and were tickled pink when I told them. So for now, my hope has been restored. I think God might have something up his sleeve!

7 Months DTV!

2008-03-07T05:57:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to look a little brighter in the world of Vietnam adoptions. Let's hope that we won't have to wait too much longer to see our daughter's sweet little face!

A Heavy Heart

2008-02-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

It has been a week filled with sadness for those of us adopting from Vietnam. Several babies have passed away and many more are sick. One family was denied approval to adopt the little girl of their dreams by our very own government, with little or no explanation. My heart aches for the families affected by these latest tragedies and I am worried for our own little Mya. Please pray for these families and for all of the sweet little babies waiting for us in Vietnam.

Killing Time

2008-02-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to keep myself busy while we wait for news of the adoption- hence the blog makeover. Let's see, now what should I do- a little shopping perhaps?

6 months DTV!

2008-02-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Not only is today an important Holiday in Vietnam, it also marks another milestone for the Bryan family. Six months ago today, our paperwork was sent to Vietnam. It seems like so long ago! We are all very eager to receive Mya's referral and hope that it comes this month. When I was doing some online bill paying the other night, I let out a little whoop and a holler because our home equity line of credit went down a full percentage point. Cade overheard me and came running to the computer to ask if we had just gotten Mya's referral ( I wonder how many other kindergartners know what a referral is?) It was a good reminder that this waiting is hard on all of us, not just me.

Retail Therapy

2008-01-17T20:22:00.000-08:00

The beautiful weather that we've been having lately has inspired me to start shopping for Spring/Summer clothes for Mya. I can't wait to see how cute she looks in this sweet little dress! Brett has informed me that she won't be wearing these strappy little numbers when she's a teenager- so she had better enjoy it while she's young. Yeah right!

Waiting, waiting, and more waiting...

2007-12-31T15:47:00.000-08:00

Just got word from our agency that we probably won't receive a referral for another month or two. I'm trying not to think about how many of Mya's new clothes will be out of season by the time we get her. Let's hope one of my friends has a baby girl!
I guess there is one positive thing about not going to Vietnam any time soon. Brett will be able to stay the entire three weeks if we don't go in the spring!

Timing is Everything

2007-12-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

As usual, I have been way off on when the important events in my life will take place. I really thought we would have received Mya's referral by Christmas but I just found out today that that is probably not going to happen. It is so hard not to feel discouraged and disappointed by the continued waiting. I guess I just have to trust that God really does know what he's doing. I just wish he would do it a little faster!

Fingers Crossed

2007-12-02T06:50:00.000-08:00

Several families have received referrals as of late, so keep your fingers crossed that ours will be next! I have been waiting my whole life to have a daughter and its beginning to feel as if my dream might finally become a reality. I can't wait to see your sweet face Little Miss Mya!

Go Yankees!

2007-11-18T14:33:00.000-08:00

Bad news for Grandpa Mick, Zack is determined to brainwash his little sister into becoming another Yankees fan!

Bentley

2007-11-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

We have a new addition to the family! It's not quite the baby we were expecting, but he is very adorable nonetheless! Welcome to our home little Bentley!

Our Sweet, Sweet Boy!

2007-11-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

There is nothing new on the adoption front, so while we wait I have begun to create a movie about Mya's adoption. This is the video of Cade sending a special message to her. Every time I watch Cade talk about his little sister, it brings tears to my eyes. He and Zack will be such great big brothers!

Slumber My Darling

2007-10-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

Brett spent two laborious hours putting together Mya's crib. Apparently, there were some faulty instructions or something (yeah right!) Now, if only we had our little darling to put in it! Many thanks to my friend Jeanine for the use of the crib and the truck load of clothes she brought over for Mya to use.

The Fountain

2007-10-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Cade and I visited our special fountain today in the hopes that it would once again work its magic. I wished that we would get Mya's referral soon, and Cade wished that his sister would be here in two days. Somehow, I don't think that is going to happen!

Little Sailor Girl

2007-10-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

This picture does not do this outfit justice! This is Mya's Giving and Receiving outfit. This ceremony is a very special custom in Vietnam in which Mya officially becomes our little girl!

Hands Off!

2007-10-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, this is probably not politically correct, but I couldn't resist this little onesie. Angelina Jolie can have Brad Pitt- I'll take Mya Bryan!

"Retail Therapy" as I've heard it called, is really quite healing. It helps me pass the time while I wait for word of our little peanut. She has quite the wardrobe already thanks to the ease of online shopping! My friend Lynn has also contributed to this form of "therapy" and Mya has many adorable outfits to show for it. Thanks Lynn!

Referrals

2007-10-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

A referral is the adoption world's fancy way of saying that this is the child that the orphanage has matched your family with. In your referral package, you receive pictures, medical information, and any background information that they may have on the child. Our agency has stated that referrals can take anywhere from 2 to 6 months to get to waiting families. We have waited exactly 2 months today, and I am just giddy with anticipation. I must check my email 20 times a day! (don't tell my principal).

Paperwork, Paperwork, and More Paperwork!

2007-10-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

OK- on almost every adoption blog I have visited (and that has been a lot mind you) the families post a picture of all of their paperwork that they had to submit to Vietnam. Because I am such a follower, here is our picture. Please don't look too closely at my Police Report! LOL!

The Bryan Family Minus One

2007-10-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is the family photo we had to submit with our paperwork to Vietnam. Photo shoots are usually very painful experiences for our family and this was no exception. It is almost impossible to get the boys to stop poking each other long enough to get a genuine smile out of them (Brett included). I think Aunt Tess took a pretty good picture regardless!