Created from the Heart

We wanted to bring something to the orphanage on our first trip- something we could leave with our child, something that would have our scent on it, something that he or she could hold and hug until we return, something he or she can bring home with.

So, today we took a trip to Build-A-Bear. We picked out a cute non-gender specific bear that we stuffed with love, and two hearts. For those of you who don't know the routine of making a Build-A-Bear, after stuffing the bear, you take a heart and you kiss it, making a wish for who the bear is for. Well, for me, this was the moment I got all teary eyed...well, that moment, along with the moment later in the car when we shared our wishes with each other. We wished for a our child to be happy, healthy, and to come home soon!

We then got to pick out an outfit for our bear. We decided to get a Phillies T-shirt for now- afterall, the shirt tells a little about where we are from, and where our baby/child will be spending a lot of fun times in the future!

When we got to the birth certificate part, we decided to hold off for now. We will be able to bring the bear back and have a birth certificate created either when we have our child home, or when we get a referral. The kind lady who made our experience so special even told us there is a Build-A-Bear store in Russia! I have since tried to look it up on line...but the page to that store is written in Russian...so I don't know which city or region it is in.

It feels so good to know that whenever I want to hug or hold our child, I can just pick up the teddy bear for now, and hopefully, after we give the bear to our child, he or she will be able to hug it whenever he or she wants to hug us. :) (insert teary eyes here...again!)

Here is  Тэдди Бир  (Russian for Teddy Bear...I think!)