The most welcomed girl

We're back from the mountains, and I have all sorts of things to catch up on...but the first order of business is gratitude! We arrived home to find on our doorstep a virtual baby shower of packages for Flynn QiuQiu, who is rapidly becoming the most welcomed baby in town! The outpouring of love and good wishes for her new life just brings tears of happiness to my eyes, and I want to thank you all for the good energy that you have sent out to this little girl who has had so little in her young life. I can feel it filling the room as I open these boxes, these lovely letters and sweet wishes full of hope and joy. I can feel it creating a warm and gentle net of good will to catch her as she falls into this new world that will become hers.

The first box I opened was from the ever-stylish Heather of Lanterns and Lotus Blossoms. So many beautiful things toppled out of this magic box that I can't even begin to list them here. Thanks to Heather, QiuQiu (much like the SATC girls) will never want for stylish footwear (I fear for our bank accounts when she turns sixteen!) I have long admired from afar Heather's taste in clothes (as modeled by her two gorgeous girls) and now she has shared a little of that fashion sense with Miss Flynn. I can't wait to have Flynn model these beauties herself!

Next came a package from sweet Juliette in Canada, containing yet MORE exquisite clothing, along with a sweet white whale that will go well with Flynn's growing collection of sea creatures! There's a funny connection here, because when we moved down to Denver, M. was making a concerted attempt to finish Moby Dick, one of the few classics that he has never managed to read cover-to-cover. This book (I can't tell you why) haunts M. the way...well, the way that great white whale haunts Captain Ahab (sorry, I couldn't resist the cheap double-metaphor). It's become a bit of an obsession. Once he took the job at the news station, however, and simultaneously started working toward his MBA, M. ran out of time and Moby Dick went once again by the wayside. So the white whale still haunts him, and needless to say I taunted him just a bit when this white whale arrived in the mail for his daughter (let's just hope she doesn't finish Moby Dick before he does! Now THAT would mean trouble!!)

This one, well I'll have to try and take a better picture of it when the light is better. Maryellen from TBG Happenings sent Flynn what looks to be (correct me if I'm wrong, Maryellen) the most exquisitely-sewn christening gown! You can't see in this picture because the flash blows out the white in the dress, but it is decorated with the tiniest pin-tucks (I can only imagine the fingers of a fairy making anything so small and delicate!), and infinitessimal embroidered flowers in pink and blue. The little sleeves are puffed with the most fragile skiff of lace at the edges.
She also sent a CD of her own daughter's favorite music, with a note saying how Maryellen would sing her some of the songs from this album while she was in the hospital recovering from her surgery. An experienced mom, thinking ahead to what I will need as we nurse Flynn through her own surgeries. This really brought tears to my eyes.

And finally, Janice from PoiWear in California saw on our blog that we were hunting for bib solutions for a dribbly little cleft girl, and was so very kind as to send us this wonderful highchair bib from the PoiWear collection for us to try. It is a full-coverage bib which protects the entire upper body and the lap while the baby is in the highchair. I am so touched and thrilled with this invention, and just can't wait to try it! I also just adore the sea turtle fabric, too, as I'm particularly partial to sea turtles.

Here's a closer look at the fabric. How pretty is that? And in the box was included an extra gift (also seemingly just tailor-made for our girl!) a booklet of waterproof baby-sign flashcards.
Here's a little about PoiWear from their site:

It was a beautiful sunny day as I sat in the kitchen watching my young niece trying to learn to feed herself poi, a traditional Hawaiian food, while sitting in her high chair. She successfully managed to scoop poi onto her spoon, but the food would eventually drop, bypassing her regular bib that ended mid-chest and landing on her lap and legs. Most mealtimes ended with a change of clothes. Neither of us liked that!

The idea for the Hi-Chair Bib™ came out of this experience. Knowing that most children go through this messy stage, I invented a "stage" appropriate full body bib that provides more clothing coverage (especially the lap and legs) for eaters in a high chair. I set out to make the Hi-Chair Bib™ not only a practical option, but a beautiful one as well. Our unique patented design gives parents (and aunties!) peace of mind all while providing a healthier, anxiety-free atmosphere for all!

So...to Janice, Maryellen, Juliette and Heather, my heart has grown three sized today and popped out of its little frame! I am so warmed by the glow of all your good wishes for our daughter, I feel like somehow, far across the oceans, she can feel the warmth of all this love as well, and I imagine it giving her strength!
Kisses...from Flynn QiuQiu'a mom!