Mike and Diane and Tribe

WELCOME HOME!

2011-11-28T07:25:00.005-06:00

Mike and Matthew made it home safely on Thursday. We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Matthew is a perfect fit for our family and such a amazing little guy. He is a lot of fun and his siblings are enjoying his antics.

The kids and I went to Chicago to wait for the plane to land. According to the site, it was going to be almost 2 hours early...so we got the airport early. Well, their plane was early, but just about an hour which left us waiting and waiting and waiting. We met some nice people there who were very excited to learn about our newest addition and even hung around to see him arrive.

We made a quick stop at my mother's house to have some turkey and introduce her and my sister and her family to our little man. It was a quick visit since 24 hours of traveling wore out Mike and Matthew.

The ride home was uneventful. He did fine in the carseat and took a little rest. He was terrified of the dogs at first. He would scream at the top of his lungs and I swear he called Rosie "Godzilla" (after all, she is as big as he is!)

Matthew got into the swing of things immediately. He watched the other kids to see what they were doing, and followed suit. He likes the routine and loves having other kids to play with.

He really is a perfect match for our family!

US Consulate and Red Couch

2011-11-22T23:22:00.004-06:00

Yesterday (or today in the US because of the 14 hour time difference and the International Date Line thing and all) was our appointment at the US Consulate. Mike and Matthew and the other 20+ families had their swearing in ceremony and got everything ready for the visa to be issued. Since we are a "Hague" family, all of our paperwork has been filed already (and we both had signed it) and submitted it before we our Travel Approval was issued. This saved a lot of time and hassle. All the fees were paid. All the forms were processed already, and Mike did not need to fill out a lot of papers. This is a good thing since I am the one who has done it all for the last 5 kids. I went over everything with him before I left just in case he was asked for something or needed to provide them with one of the additional documents I brought. It was all good. He raised his right hand, took the oath, and once Matthew lands on US soil (and goes through immigration) he is a citizen.

This is Matthew on the steps of the US Consulate. We have pictures of the other two standing on the steps as well. (I am sad that I am not in this one because I am in Owen's and Lily's too.)

Traditionally, the families have their pictures taken on the "Red Couch" at the White Swan Hotel on Consulate Day. We have lovely "Red Couch" pictures of Owen (crying) and Lily (with a scowl on her face) and all their fellow adopted friends. Unfortunately, the White Swan is closed for construction and families are no longer staying there. However, what we did not know, is that the restaurant is open...and the infamous "Red Couch" is on the same floor as the restaurant! What a lucky find!

Mike took Matthew over to the White Swan the other day to get the pictures. Since he is not staying on the island, he decided to get Matthew's "Red Couch" picture when he had the chance earlier this week. I am OK with that! At least we have one!

The visa will be ready to be picked up on Wednesday and then Mike and Matthew are headed home. I can not wait until we are all under the same roof!

Safari Park

2011-11-19T20:15:00.008-06:00

I finally made it to the Safari Park in Guangzhou. Last time we were in China, I skipped the trip because of the hour long drive and Lily and I were not feeling so well. When I saw Mike's pictures I instantly regretted staying back at the hotel and vowed that if I ever had the opportunity to go, I would. And, I did!

This place was amazing. The rules in China are a bit more "relaxed" to say the least. To start off with, you take a motorized tour around the park. The animals get close to the vehicle in some areas and in other areas you can see the animals from a pretty short distance away. It was something else. Then you take the walking tour. This is where the excitement begins.

Being China, they have a lot of pandas. More pandas than I could count. At this time they did not have any babies, but they do have a panda nursery where they have incubators for the babies. They showed us the panda kitchen and we saw many different types of pandas. We were just a few feet away from these amazing creatures. Mike loved the pandas!

Owen's middle name is Hu, which is the Chinese word for tiger. It was the name they gave him when he arrived at the orphanage. We were told he had beautiful eyes and a round face like a tiger. It is also the name of the president of China, and they consider the tiger to be the king of the animals...Owen had a very important name in China. Mike and I were also born in the year of the tiger so you can probably guess that tigers hold some significance for our family. We loved the tiger section of the park. Matthew was so excited to see the tigers. He wanted to play with them. We saw white tigers, we saw golden tigers, we saw tigers of every color and size. We did get to see many baby tigers, and one that was teeny tiny and in an incubator. The white tigers are simply beautiful.

Now you might not know how much I love giraffes, but I do. They are my favorite animal by far. There is an area of this park where you can feed the giraffes. Not just one giraffe, a whole heard of them. I told Mike that if I did not see anything else in this place that I did not care-- I was going to feed those giraffes! I even was able to touch a giraffe. They have kind of stubble on their faces. And, I got spit on by a giraffe. How many people can say that?

It was certainly the experience of a lifetime!

Filling in the blanks

2011-11-19T08:56:00.007-06:00

(This is the BEST notary in China!)

Sorry that I was absent a few days! Things go very busy and there was just no time to sit down and compose a decent entry. But, now I can fill in all the blanks and share some pictures.

On Wednesday we had to go to the PSP (Passport Services) to apply for Matthew's Chinese passport. Both our other children had theirs issued already at the time of adoption, so this was new for us.

In the van over to the PSP, our guide explained that she heard we had a nice chat with the notary yesterday. I said, "oh yes, he was a lot of fun." Then she said that Holt (our adoption agency) got a call from him that morning. Uh Oh. My heart sank. What did we do wrong? Mike thought that he might have wanted us to come to dinner or something. Well, it turns out that in all that conversation the day before, that the notary forgot to have us sign the paperwork. Oooppps. That is kind of important. So, we learned that we would have to go to his office (not the civil affairs office) and sign the paperwork so they could process Matthew's adoption. Too funny.

Our guide had us meeting her "early" as she called it so we could be first in line. The office did not open until 3, and we got there just a bit before that. We certainly were first! We also had to wait about an hour. The other families started arriving, and then they had to wait too. Once it was our turn, it took one minute. Literally, we were at the desk for one minute and then we left and went on to the notary's office.

When we arrived, we were greeted with a big smile and the paperwork we needed to sign. That took all of one minute (plus 3 more minutes of joking and laughing with the notary) and we were done.

For dinner, we decided that we would head to "The Island" (Shaiman Island) and get some of our shopping done as well. We went to Lucy's- not because we liked the food, but for tradition. Matthew needed his picture taken at the table at Lucy's just like we have from the past two Chinese adoptions. He ate so much food that I am still not sure where he managed to put it all.

By the way, the White Swan Hotel is still "open" during construction. So, future adoptive families-- take note. You CAN get to the red couch, and you can get to the bathrooms. Very handy when you do not want to use a squatty potty.

In Hong Kong (Again)

2011-11-17T19:33:00.002-06:00

Just a quick update to let you know that Owen and I left Mike and Matthew last night and made it safely to Hong Kong.
We are waiting for our flight home...20 hours until we finally make it back.
Once we are home. I will share all the details from the past few days and pictures. So much to share!
Half way around the world...and headed home!

Owen is a big brother again!

2011-11-14T22:56:00.001-06:00

It is official, we completed the paperwork today and Matthew is now ours!

Things went smoothly this morning and pretty quickly considering how many families were there today. The best part was when we were interviewed by the Notary Offical. He was a riot. He asked us all the necessary questions to process the adoption. Then he joked with us about how young we were and how we could still have more children (even though he thought we had a huge family already.) He kept laughing and we kept laughing. Our guide said that he is one who likes to talk. That is an understatement! He was impressed with Mike and his career choice. It is a big deal here in China to be a police officer, and the notary made sure everyone knew that Mike was a police officer.

Tomorrow we apply for Matthew's passport and then we can work on the rest of the immigration process.

This evening we plan to take a cab to the Island and get our shopping done. My students sent me with a list of items they want me to bring back, and Mike and I have a few things on our list as well. Maybe we will visit The Cow and Bridge for some Chinese/Thai food for dinner. Mmmmmm!

The days are just flying by. My trip is half over now. Wow.

We have him!

2011-11-14T05:08:00.000-06:00

Today was Meet Matthew Day and went better than expected. We met the representatives from Holt at 10:30 this morning so that they could collect our paperwork and make sure that we had everything we needed. Then we took a trip to the Carrefor in a cab (by ourselves I might add) to get snacks and water since we have learned that it is hard to leave your room for the first 12-24 hours after placement and we needed to be prepared. That is always an adventure. People stop and stare at us. They look at Mike, then me, then Owen and then try to figure it all out. We just smile because it is pretty funny. We like being famous!

We made it back in time for a quick bite to eat and then it was off to the Civil Affairs building. There were a lot of families meeting their children. Most of them were adopting young children and the vast majority were girls. There was another toddler boy being adopted as well. This is the first adoption where we were part of a large group receiving our child. Such a unique experience. Lily was delivered to our hotel room. Owen was the only child being adopted from his province at that time and was one of the first (number 6 we heard) from his orphange. I did like seeing all the other families being formed. It is such an initmate moment and we were lucky to be a part of another family's special day.

At first, Matthew was excited to meet us. Then he was sad that he could not go see his foster parents. He was screaming for a few minutes and flailing his legs. Everyone was staring at us...which has been happening all day today so that did not bother me. The problem was that Matthew's screaming was bothering the other children. It was also bothering the civil affairs people because were were allowed to take him back to our hotel room in a big hurry leaving the other families and their babies in our dust. Then he was downright mad when he learned that he had to stay in the hotel. He kept saying "no, no" to our guide and stomped his feet.

We were asked if this was the worst reaction we had from one of our newly placed children. Heck no! That was nothing, as the crying only lasted about an hour. THEN, he discovered how fun it was to have a big brother to watch TV with, eat pizza with (no kidding) and to play Lego with! Whatever Owen does, he does and just laughs. We have heard him say Matthew, pizza, Owen and let us know when he had to go potty. He looked at me and just laughed. Guess I look funny. He also speaks these long sentences in Mandarin. I bet he is pretty darn funny and I wish I knew what he was telling us.

Mike went to the front desk and got some help ordering pizza for dinner. Matthew ate 2 pieces and had some Sprite. He just kept laughing and watching Owen. He showed no hesitation to trying a new food. I doubt that he ever had pizza before, but you never know I guess.

Matthew came to us with a little back pack. Inside was a letter from the socail worker at the orphanage asking for updates and pictures on him once he gets home. It also had his report cards from school and samples of his work. They expect a lot from children in 4K in China. And, he seems to do well. He also came to us with both the photo books we sent him- one was clearly in his possession because he drew on it and it looked well worn. He has a bit of a cough, but other than that seems OK.

Another perfect match for our family. We can not wait to introduce you to our newest family member! He really is something special.

Thought this was fun!

2011-11-13T20:08:00.001-06:00

Cooking our lunch! :)

Pictures?

2011-11-13T05:08:00.001-06:00

I am trying to send these from China...someone can e-mail me and let me know if you see pictures!

We Are HERE!

2011-11-13T05:05:00.001-06:00

Sara:
if you are reading this...I keep getting the e-mails I send to you kicked back. Can you e-mail me please and update me on the kiddos??

For the rest of you: We made it to China! That flight to Hong Kong is LONG! For the last 4 hours of the 16 hour flight I was ready to jump out of my skin. All I could think of is that I could not wait to get off that plane and stand in line at Immigration Services. (How insane is that??)

Our stay in Hong Kong was short, and we got a little nap in and then we were back at the airport to go to Guangzhou. We all have stamps from Hong Kong in our passports now. That was the highlight of the detour to Hong Kong! The flight to Guangzhou took all of 38 minutes, which I think is shorter that Milwaukee to Chicago. This time there was someone from our agency with a sign to meet us! We sailed through immigration again (and we were sent to the "Special People" line again. Traveling to China with a Chinese child has proven to be a blessing when it comes to Immigration as we are always pulled from line and sent to the diplomat line.)

Our room is very nice. We have plenty of space and everything is glass and metal. Not exactly child friendly, but the weather is nice, so we plan to go to Shaiman Island and walk around once Matthew is adjusted. Our guide was impressed with our knowledge of Guangzhou and called me smart. She also was impressed that I could work full time and be a mom to 5 children. In China the grandparents stay with their children and help raise their grandchildren. She wanted to know if we lived with our parents (in China it would be Mike's parents) and we said "no, we live by ourselves." It is always fun to see people's reactions to the size of our family! In China, we would be like the Duggars, since the Chinese families usually only have one child, maybe two children tops.

Owen has developed a Starbuck's addiction (to tea) and is loving the food here. We ate at the Chinese restaurant in our hotel. We sampled some Dim Sum- which is filled steamed buns, he shared some dumplings with Mike and I had to try the lemon chicken since it was so good last time. For the record, it was just OK this time, and I was not impressed.

We learned that we will not be meeting Matthew until late Monday afternoon. We had hoped to meet him earlier, but that is just not how it is happening. Since we skipped the Beijing portion of the trip, we missed the orientation from our agency. That means we missed getting an update on Matthew. We still do not know if he stayed at the foster family ot if her was returned to the orphange. We have no idea how prepared he is for what is about to happen to him. I hope that seeing Owen helps his transition, and we REALLY hope his first day with us is less traumatic for all of us than Megan's first day with us. That was rough.

I am going to work on getting some pictures put up with the help of Grace. Until then, picture us happy and well rested because we just took a 5 hour nap in the middle of the day here! :)

Oh, and I am sending this through e-mail, so I apologize for any advertisements that come after this sentence...

This is it!

2011-11-11T05:31:00.002-06:00

We are beginning the LONG day and night of travel to Hong Kong in just a bit. Mike was worried that we only have 2 suitcases for the 4 of us (plus one bin of supplies for the orphanage.) Well, if we don't have it, I guess we do not need it! And, this will seriously limit what we can bring back-- which is probably a good thing.

I slept pretty well last night for a few hours. Wish I could have gotten more, but I am a little anxious and a lot excited to take this trip and meet my son.

Yesterday I went back and read all the post from Lily's adoption. The day before I left I wrote my dad a letter in heaven. I miss him at times like this. I think I am far less stressed about this trip than I was 2 years ago. Guess by the 5th time you have experienced it all and know what to expect!

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Pray for our safety, health and that things go smoothly. Pray that Matthew is not scared and that he finds comfort in our arms. Pray for our children here at home and with friends.

Talk to you all when we get to Hong Kong.

The Final Countdown

2011-11-09T18:20:00.003-06:00

We are down to mere hours before we take off for the journey of a lifetime-- or 5 lifetimes as the case may be for us.

Not looking forward to the 16 hours in a plane, but I have friends who have endured more than 16 hours of labor with intense physical pain, nausea and fatigue. So, my "labor" will be much easier than that. We get fed. We get to watch movies. I can read a book (heck, maybe two!) And, the best part is Mike and I will be at the same place at the same time for more than 5 minutes.

I was joking that the day before I leave is my "spa day." I wish.
The To-Do List includes:
Confirm flights
Book Hotel in Hong Kong(oops forgot to do that)
Confirm dogs' reservation at Pet Resort-- at least they get a resort stay!
Clean house (Sara can not know how we REALLY live)
Check Diane, Mike and Owen have all medications- refill those that are due
Let daycare know Lily is not coming
Let school know new emergency contact info
And, did I mention we are not packed yet??? I started it though!

We intend to blog from China. And, Grace, my "adoptive" mom has agreed to post pictures for us. I hope she behaves herself! LOL

One more post from the US...

2 weeks until we take off

2011-10-27T19:47:00.004-05:00

And the packing is well underway.

We have decided that Owen is joining us for this trip too. He loves China-- HIS China, and is a great traveler as he showed us when he came along for Lily's adoption.

Mike and I also made the decision that I will return to the US (with Owen) after one week. With 4 children at home and not to mention Thanksgiving, it just made sense. While we both would like to be able to stay for the entire time, the reality is we just can't see that working out well for anyone. So, Mike and Matthew will stay in China to complete the medical, visa and immigration paperwork. They will be home on Thanksgiving and the rest of the kiddos and I will welcome them home!

We are working on the details for our trip but have our tickets and have spoken with the travel company that our agency uses to arrange all the details of the trip in China. They are reserving our hotel room, guide and transportation to and from the airport and adoption related business.

Matthew Day is November 14th. In 18 days we get to meet our little man...we can not wait!

Holy Canoli-- We have a TA

2011-10-17T19:23:00.003-05:00

Oh yes, it happened today! I kind of knew it would. I told Mike this morning before I left for work that we needed to discuss how this whole travel thing was going to play out if our TA arrived today. And, it did.

We could possibly leave in 2 1/2 weeks. Oh my.
Once we get our consulate appointment in the next two days we will know when we are to be in China.

Owen said that he "had so much joy that he could cry" when he heard we got out TA. He is such an amazing boy.

So much joy in our house tonight- and a few tears too! (Happy ones!)

The Last Step...

2011-10-15T18:48:00.005-05:00

Our Article 5 was issued and delivered to the CCCWA (formerly known as the CCAA) and now we are in the final step before we are able to go to China to bring Matthew home...waiting for our TA or Travel Approval.

Once we have this our agency, who we love by the way, will be able to set our consulate appointment and we can buy our tickets and get on that plane. And we are so not ready! The house is a mess, I have almost nothing packed- including clothes for Matthew. I feel so far behind already. Sigh.

For those of you who know me and have followed me on adoption journeys in the past, I would normally have a suitcase packed with all the necessary stuff ready to go as well as my carry on stuffed until the zipper screamed. However, being back to work full time and being a mom to 5 young children has taken away all my "free" time to pack. I plan to get some done this weekend.

A few weeks ago we got an update on Matthew and his size. If those measurements are correct, he a little guy slightly bigger than Lily and a touch smaller than our Jackson. I am going with a couple 3T and 4T outfits and plan to get what we need in China. Since we will be in Guangzhou the whole trip, I know what we can find and where we can go...so no worries!

My students have been asking about my trip to China and they will be sending me with a list of items to bring back. I also plan to create a separate blog for them to follow with my sub.

Our children will be staying here with a friend of mine. If she survives this experience, she will be a candidate for sainthood. She is bringing her 3 children to our home...You do the math. I know she can handle it though. She has been a foster mom to many children with many challenges over the years. And, she is my friend- which you know makes her fabulous because I am only friends with fabulous people! :)

So here is to the next week bringing us a TA and a date with destiny to meet our son and the newest member of our Tribe. Cheers!

Getting Closer now!

2011-09-19T18:16:00.005-05:00

Well, we are down to the last few steps here before we leave for China to bring our son home. Our I 800 was approved and sent to the US Consulate in Guangzhou. Now we are waiting for an Article 5 and then our Travel Approval.

According to the current wait times and averages, we should have our TA in about 5 weeks. Our agency said that we should plan on leaving for China in 3-5 weeks after that (sometimes sooner) so I guess I need to start thinking about getting ready to go!

The packing will begin...

New Pictrues!

2011-09-09T19:28:00.006-05:00

Today started out pretty rough. I am now working full time again, which is a huge adjustment for me, and the rest of the family...including the dogs. I showered with a spider (and you know how much I like spiders!) and then I slipped in a puddle of dog pee pee and got it all over my pants. Then I had a hard time finding a new outfit since most of my pants are too small-- too much eating junk this summer. I was limited by my lack of shoes and unshaven legs. Gasp!! All of the stuff fell off the shelf in the laundry room when the wind blew the door shut and I set off the car alarm getting my things out of it waking up all of my neighbors. Sorry guys. When I finally made it to work, I left my mug of tea (Tazo Calm by the way) in the car and had to walk all the way back to get it. I was a bit overwhelmed, but I made it through the rest of the day unscathed.

When I came home, I was surprised by an e-mail from our agency with 12 new pictures of Matthew. We had asked the to get an updated height and weight. And, since we got pictures just a couple of months ago, I did not ask for or expect to get new ones. So, it was very, very exciting to open them up and see him. Made the whole day worthwhile!

I also called USCIS to find out what the deal is with our I 800 approval. I had hoped to see it in the mailbox this evening. No such luck. However, it has been provisionally approved and is on the way. SO, it turned out to be a good day after all.

Since Matthew is such a cute kiddo, I just have to share a few pictures.
Enjoy!

Now that the dust has settled...

2011-08-22T20:12:00.005-05:00

To say we were SHOCKED to receive the call that our LOA had arrived, would be an understatement. I mean we expected 3 more months of waiting and in my conversation with the staff at Holt the day before we all believed that we would be waiting a bit longer.

My friend Brooke and I were on the phone when the call came in. She was asking about what she could do now for her dossier. You see, she is just starting the process to adopt a little girl from China. Many of you know that I met her boys in Ethiopia before she adopted them and we have been able to be a support to her and Rick through an adoption before. (I think I am somehow responsible for their adoption from Ethiopia, but she is the one to ask about that!)

Anyways, at 4:43pm I saw "Holt International" on caller ID and for a moment debated if I should answer it or not. I assumed it was a follow up call from the day before. We has sent in some paperwork that I overlooked, ahem- well, forgot, to send them earlier in the process and wanted to make sure that it would not be holding up our LOA or anything like that. I figured I would answer it quickly and get back to talking adoption with Brooke.

Mike was sitting on the couch with me because he took the day off for Owen's surgery- which went very well by the way. After I said, "Hello" the woman on the other line told me that our LOA arrived. I am not sure what else I said to her at that point. I do know that I looked over at Mike and said, "Our LOA came."

I went back to Brooke and told her our good news! I know she was excited for us too. This is a big step! This is considered the OFFICIAL referral for Matthew and we are getting so close to bringing him home.

We have a few more steps to go before he is home. I already filled out and sent our DS 230, I 800, I 864W, signed copies of LOA and LOI to the appropriate people/places. We wait for our I 800 approval, and from there I get confused, but we get a letter from the NVC, get "cabled" and then an article 5 is issued and picked up...Even though we went through this once before, I am still clueless as to how it all works. But, 73-90 days is average until T A or Travel Approval. Once we have that we get on a plane and go meet our little man!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, we DID accept the referral!

L O A

2011-08-18T17:40:00.003-05:00

Um, yeah.
We got the call a few minutes ago. Our LOA is in Oregon, and will soon be in an envelope to us.

Still in shock...

So, here is a picture of our little man so you can see how adorable he is.
We should be in China in about 3 months or so to bring him home.

Here's Matthew

While we wait...

2011-08-17T20:06:00.004-05:00

We are about 30 days into the long wait for our LOA. This document is the official match or referral for our dearest Matthew in China. We sent our dossier to China in June and it took a month to get logged in. It got slowed down a bit along the way, but at least it is there and logged in.

Since we waited a long 4 months for Lily's to arrive (when most families were waiting about 60-70 days at that time, but I digress,) I was hoping that we would end up in the fast line this time around. After a conversation with our agency this afternoon, I learned we could be in for another 4 month wait. This is the longest and the hardest wait in the Chinese adoption process if you ask me. I consider myself and expert in International Adoption at this point, so believe me this wait is hard!

The Tribe and I made a lovely photo book for Matthew and our agency sent it to China for him to look at with his foster family to get to know us a little better. I hope he was not overwhelmed by the number of pictures (or people in this family!) we chose. I wanted to make sure he got to really see who we are as a family and how well he will fit into it.

I think it turned out great and I hope he likes it.

So, I guess I will have to find a few more projects to keep me busy for the next 3 months while we wait for that LOA. Stay tuned. I will keep you posted!

How did we get here?

2011-06-27T08:40:00.004-05:00

We are currently waiting for our agency to let us know that we have a LID or log in date. Our dossier (well, a copy of our last dossier plus the three new documents we needed) was sent to China on June 10th. Should be any day now provided that there are no major glitches.

So, you are all probably wondering how we got to this point since we said we were DONE adopting when we brought Lily home. Mike and I were sitting at a table in Guangzhou with Owen and Lily and looked at each other, hot, tired, ready to come home and I said something along the lines of, "This is it. We are done adopting. We are too old for this." Mike responded with something along the lines of. "Yes we are." And, we assumed we were done. The financial and emotional costs of adoption are high and we have been in the middle of an adoption since were were married in 2004. And the paper chase (all the work you need to do before you actually bring a child home) is daunting. We really were done. So that was it, we were done...Well...Not exactly.

A friend of Mine, Maria, led me to a site (Reece's Rainbow) that listed children who were waiting for their families. Most of the children listed were children with Down Syndrome. With the needs of the children in our home, we knew we were not prepared to bring a child home that was listed on that site, but it did get us thinking about all the beautiful children STILL waiting for their families. So, an e-mail to our previous agency led to an interesting turn of events for us.

I asked if there was any possible way for us to be able to adopt from China again. We technically have the maximum number of children in our family that is allowed by China in order for them to permit a family to adopt. However, we learned that since we were only considering adopting a waiting child, or a child that is considered to have a special need, China makes exceptions for larger families. OK. This was good to know. And, we also learned that since we had adopted Lily within the last 12 months, China would allow us to reuse our dossier (huge stack of paperwork) and we would just need to update a couple of documents. BIG news here!

So, within a week of that e-mail, we were off and running again. Our search for our Matthew had started. We knew we only wanted to adopt a boy, and we wanted a child that would fit in between Adam and Lily. Lily is a good baby in the family and we are over the baby stages. We have gotten rid of the baby stuff twice now, so we do not want to have to go through that a third time! LOL.

We looked at the children that were listed with our previous agency, and they were not the right fit for us in terms of age or needs. So, we decided that we would probably have to use a new agency. One phone call to our new agency and we were convinced that we were supposed to have them help us find our son. We were sent files of several children, and at first none of them seemed to be a good match. I say "at first" because the file for the boy that will be our Matthew is one of the first ones we looked at.

I am embarrassed to say that I took one quick glance over his paperwork and said, "no" and put it aside. However, I could not stop thinking about that child. I went so far as to send his file to a specialist at the Children's Hospital for review. Something kept drawing me in. Our conversations about adoption came back to him. His information was old, like 18 months old. A lot can change in 18 months. That was like half his life. So, Mike and I called the agency and asked if they could get some new information on this child. We had no idea if we would get anything back, but we were hopeful we could at least get updated height and weight and how his overall health was. About a week later we were surprised with 8 new pictures of this boy and some really good information about him!

Later that day, we decided that he in fact WAS going to be our son and started the process to request to be matched with him.

So, here we are, waiting for our LID to bring Matthew home!

Almost done with paperwork!

2011-05-29T18:22:00.002-05:00

We received our long awaited Immigration Approval in the mail and I sent it to the State for a seal...it will next journey to Chicago with two other papers to get another seal (Authentication) from the Chinese Consulate. And, then, drum roll please, off to China- after a short stop in Washington!

As soon as we are DTC or Dossier To China I will let you know all about our newest addition and how this adoption came to be.

Fingerprints DONE!

2011-05-13T19:46:00.005-05:00

I tried to post yesterday, but Blogger would not let me on.

Here I am inspecting my fingerprints outside the USCIS office to see if they look any different from the last 5 times...

My friend Brooke (who is also an adoptive mommy and hoping to add to her family through adoption again) shared with me that there had been a couple of posts on a Yahoo Group about our local USCIS office allowing people to "walk in" and get their fingerprints taken early. We figured we would give it a try. Worst that happens would be that they send us home and we wast 90 minutes and some gas-- which would be bad with the insane prices, but I digress. Best case, we get them done two weeks early and maybe speed things up a bit.

We went to USICS yesterday morning with our fingerprint appointment sheets which were dated May 24th. They let us in and told us “no guarantee that they can fit you in.” We knew that and were willing to wait and see.

Mike and I walked over to the fingerprint area and stated why were there and kindly asked to be printed early if possible. Then we were asked if we had a referral. We said yes, because we do in fact have one. She asked for proof. Well, we were not prepared for this so we did not take any of our documents or anything from our agency stating we had a referral. We told her that we did not know we needed it, but assured her we did have a referral.

She was very gracious and allowed us to wait. It was about 20 minutes and then they did in fact let us get fingerprinted. The officer also asked that we share with our agency and other families that they will do whatever they can to accommodate families with a referral. We got a break this time!

When I called USCIS yesterday to let them know we had our fingerprints done already, I learned that we do not have an officer assigned to us yet. I was not expecting one to be. She also shared that they are 45-47 days out from the date they receive your application, so I imagine in a week or so we should have an officer. Once we do, I will call him or her and find out how long until we can be reviewed and get our I 797 C approval so we can send it to China and officially begin the wait for LOA/LSC ("Official approval" from China to adopt our son!)and TA ("The Come and Get Your Son" Paper!)

Fingerprint appointment scheduled

2011-04-29T17:21:00.004-05:00

Well, it is that time again folks. The almost annual drive to the USCIS office to get fingerprinted for our adoption!

Does anyone know if your fingerprints change over time?? Mine appear to be the same, but then again I have never really looked that closely at them. At any rate, we will go and have them captured and sent off to make sure we do not show up in any database of people who do or did naughty things and got in trouble.

And the journey continues.

Something seems a bit off here

2011-04-05T16:16:00.006-05:00

We were one of those "lucky" families that got selected for review when we filed our taxes this year. Oh well. We did not fudge any of our numbers, claimed only what we were allowed to, reported income, interest and all that good stuff. We had no concerns about our tax return.

That is until we got a letter from the I.R.S. Not only did they want copies of our receipts-- which we had, they wanted canceled checks and credit card statements all the way back from our adoption in 2006. What????

I love a task and went to work gathering what we had in the house. I made calls. I ordered checks and statements and copies of what we needed. I sorted and organized and put it all together. I did exactly what the letter told me to, wrote a statement of each expense and what it was for and then added my "proof" that we paid each expense. When it was all said and done, almost 200 pages were mailed off. I stood back and looked at what we were sending. *shakes head*

So this is what it takes to adopt a child...(a dossier)

And this what it takes to prove to the IRS that you actually adopted a child...(our response to the request for more information- aka AUDIT.)

Something seems a bit off here...I am just sayin'

SOOOOO- what have we learned here folks? Keep a copy of everything. And, keep it for a good long time because you never know when you might need to send 200 pages of it to the government for review.

I 800 A on the Way to USCIS

2011-03-31T13:24:00.002-05:00

This morning the two little ones and I went to the post office to mail our I 800A to USCIS. We get to go to the city and get fingerprinted again, although I am pretty sure mine have not changed since the last 5 times immigration services has taken mine. And, Mike's appear to all be there too...but the process is what it is, and we have to go get them done.

I also mailed our notarized application letter and our new and improved home study to the State for their "seal" on the documents. Once I have those back I will send them to the Chinese consulate for their seal as well. We only need to send 3 documents in addition to the copy of Lily's dossier to China. This paper pregnancy was pretty easy I must say.

Tomorrow our little guy will turn 4 years old. This should his very last birthday without a mom and a dad! I hope his foster family celebrates or does something special with him! We know he is well cared for and we are so happy that he is in a foster family where he can get more individualized attention. From the pictures and the video we have of his foster home, it looks very nice. It is clean and spacious and the furnishings are very modern.

Here's to hoping for a quick fingerprint appointment and an even quicker I 797 C approval form so we can get in line for Letter of Approval from China and get the ball rolling so we can bring this boy home!

Special Needs or Just Special?

2011-03-07T13:32:00.005-06:00

Well, there has been some discussion about adopting children with special needs, and why a family would chose to adopt a child with known issues rather than adopt a child that is considered "healthy." There seems to be a stigma attached to these families and these children, and for the life of me, I can not tell you why. Another adoptive momma wrote about her children on her blog and has invited families to share their stories too.

Those of you who personally know me and know my children can attest to the fact that we are like most families. There is a mountain of laundry that needs to be done, there are dirty dishes in my sink, and there are children in my house laughing and playing and just being kids. There is nothing out of the ordinary here...unless you think that 5 adopted children, most of whom have a "special need" is extraordinary. For us, it is just our family.

Too many people are not able to look past the label of "special needs" when it comes to adoption. SO, I want to show you my children. They are SPECIAL in every which way and not just children with "special needs!" But these are the faces of special needs adoption!

Yeah, I don't get it either. They are pretty amazing, aren't they?! They certainly are more than a label, that's for sure.

Well...We are GROWING!

2011-03-05T16:39:00.002-06:00

Yes, we are adding another member to this tribe! Mike and I are excited to announce that we have been granted a PA (preapproval) to adopt again from China.

Somehow I missed this, but in September, the CCAA made some changes to their special needs program and created a special category for children who have more moderate needs or who have been waiting to find their families for a longer period of time. Had I known this, Mike and I would have discussed this option sooner...but in late January we came to discover this information in a very round about manner (that I will share later on in our journey) and decided to do some research.

What we learned is that the CCAA has designated these children as "special focus" children and have relaxed some of their rules for families wishing to adopt a child under this designation. Families can now use their previously used dossier as long as you submit a letter of intent prior to the 12 month mark since your last adoption from China. You can also adopt two children at once as long as one of the children is a special focus child, which is also nice for families who know they want to adopt more than one child from China.

We are going this route as our new addition is considered special focus and we only have to submit a copy of the dossier we used for Lily. Good thing I made an extra copy of it before I sent it off to Texas last summer! Making a dossier is a lot of work, so I am glad we do not have to do that again. We need to update our home study and get approval from USCIS again, neither of which are challenging tasks.

We had until April to sign on with an agency, locate a child whose needs we felt prepared to handle and would be a nice fit with the other 5 kiddos we have at home, submit a LOI (letter of intent) and start this roller coaster ride one more time. We were worried that we might not have enough time to make it, but we did not need to stress because we found HIM! Another boy will be joining this family!

We chose to use a different agency for this adoption than we did for Owen and Lily's adoption. We had no real issues with our previous China agency, but we really felt led to go a different direction this time and are glad we did because they matched us with our little man.

When we received his file, we noticed that his information was really old, like over 18 months old. Our agency asked for an update and we had only one question for the SWI(orphanage) because nothing else really mattered at that point- we were pretty sure he was meant to be ours but we wanted to make sure in the last 18 months there had not been any significant changes to his health or development. We were elated to receive 8 more pictures, an update on his development and a 2 paragraph answer to our question with many specific details. Want to know what one question we asked?? "Does he get along well with other children?" :) In short, he does!

So, that night we wrote our LOI and sent it off to our agency. They submitted it on Monday and we received our PA (preapproval) on Friday--only took 4 days. We expected it to take longer since we are using a new agency, have more than 4 children at home, and most families were waiting 10-12 days to hear back from the CCAA...but looks like we were in the fast lane this time.

I bet you want to know about this boy! Well, he is almost 4 years old and in Guangdong Province. White Swan, Lucy's and Cow and Bridge here we come! We both said that if we went back to China that we would want to stay in Guangdong the whole time. His birthday is in April (so we now have the first 6 months of the year covered with birthdays- one each month!) He looks like Owen's "mini me" according to everyone who has seen his picture. Once we get more steps of our journey complete, we will share his picture with you. You might agree that he does resemble Owen quite a bit!

Follow us to China and back and our journey to bring home our son.

LONG overdue update!

2010-09-10T20:00:00.007-05:00

Wow! Where has the time gone? We just has our meeting with our social worker to complete our 6 month post placement report...I can not believe that in a couple of weeks that we will have had Lily for 6 months!

These past few months have been busy to say the least. Getting ready for school, summer activities, Jackson's therapy, and daily life with 5 children ages 6 and under...Well, let's just say at the end of the day I am exhausted!

Mike took Liliana to see the specialists in Cincinnati at the Children's Hopsital there for an evaluation while I stayed home with the other 4 children and took care of the myriad of other duties at home. I am jealous that they got to eat at Skyline Chili and sleep in Sleep Number Beds, but they also spent 3 days at the hospital getting tests done and a lot of medical "stuff" happening.

We had been working with the team there since we received the referral information for Lily and have communicated through e-mail, phone and the US Postal Service to prepare ourselves and our family for what challenges we might face due to Lily's medical condition. We did our research prior to the adoption and discovered that Cincinnati has the best team of doctors in the country for Lily's special need. We have been pleased with them and the care that we have received from day one.

Well, it turns out that her condition was fully corrected in China (the doctor that headed up the team in Cincinnati gave the surgeon in China an A- for his work! LOL) There will be no further surgery or follow up procedures necessary. We were prepared for a complicated future, but have been BEYOND blessed by this news. Everything is where it should be and how it should be and working properly! Liliana is just fine! How wonderful is that?!

We have adjusted to being a family of 7 rather quickly. Megan had the hardest time in the beginning but has now started to enjoy the benefits of having a sister. Jackson took to Lily right away and the two of them have formed a very, very special bond. Owen loves that he has a sibling that is also Chinese and we know that as they grow older a shared heritage and history will continue to be important to both of them. Adam and Lily are working on sharing and playing nicely. It will happen- but I hope it happens before they are 18 and away at college! Sigh.

I had waited such a long time to be the mommy of a little girl from China. Each one of my children is special to me and have been very much wanted and loved even before we knew them. They were sought out and deliberately chosen and worked incredibly hard for. But those of you who have been a part of my life since before Mike and I even met, know that my true desire to build a family through adoption stated as a dream for a little girl from China. Lily's arrival into our home is really beyond explanation for so many reasons and on so many levels. Our journey to complete our family has been exciting and unexpected and simply amazing (even with all of the twists and turns and bumps in the road it has taken over the past six years.)

So, there you have it. I will work on getting updates posted a little more frequently.

Time for an update!

2010-05-26T19:37:00.004-05:00

I am well over due to update everyone on our Liliana and her adjustment into our family. Sorry! It is not because things have been rough or that we have been struggling. Not at all- in fact it is just the opposite. She is fitting in perfectly and everything here (with ALL the children) is going well. Much better than we ever could have expected or imagined.

We have had some really rough moments in the past when we have brought our children home. Those of you who have known us through the previous 4 adoptions have seen what we have faced. Mike and I have suffered from lack of sleep. We have been rejected. We have been hit, yelled at, peed on, had our child avoid eye contact with us, pull away from us, scream when we held or comforted them...you name it we have experienced it. Transitions are hard. And, they are even harder for a child that has lost everything they have ever known and are now living with strangers who speak a different language and look and smell and feel different. We did our homework and tried to prepare ourselves the best we could for what we might face. Not that knowing that this is "typical" behavior make it any easier when you are the ones going through it. It still hurts when your child does these things and acts this way.

We have grieved, been angry, questioned God's plan for us and wondered what in the heck we did to ourselves and if we would ever feel "normal" again. We have also seen our children grow and change and find their place in our home and flourish-- and we have experienced the joys and blessings of being parents! It is amazing. Really amazing!

By far, Lily's transition into our family has been the easiest. My mother said that by the 5th one, we have become more relaxed and know how to handle things. While that is true, I think that Lily gets all the credit though because she is one special little girl. She came home from China after traveling for 24 hours, went to sleep in her crib that first night, slept until 11am the next day and has been a part of the routine here ever since. She is not a picky eater at all...slow, but not picky! She sleeps well and I think she likes sharing a room with her big sister. She lets us brush her teeth and wipe her hands and face with no problem. She just follows her siblings to the table, to the car, to the living room....and plays so nicely with them! She likes to cuddle and sit with me on the couch. We have fun watching Lily and Megan have tea parties and brush the dolls' hair. She and Owen and Adam play trains together and Jackson holds her hand and walks her around the house with a huge smile on his face.

Lily giggles when we buckle her into her car seat or when we tickle her toes and belly. She will come up to us and give us a giant smile and her eyes just disappear...Then she walks away laughing. She is full of joy that is for sure! Her curls fit her personality perfectly. We had to laugh when we discovered that our Chinese daughter had giant curls. Before we adopted Owen, I once said that I wanted a curly haired Chinese daughter, not thinking that it was even possible! Who knew?!

So, we have been blessed with one amazing child. I can not wait to see what her future holds and how she will touch the lives of many other in a positive way!

The Journey Home

2010-05-12T04:59:00.004-05:00

So, as you know Mike and Owen were scheduled to come home on the 9th and Lily and I were not supposed to come home until the 13th because our US Consulate appointment was originally the 10th and we would have had her visa before the night of the 12th. Since we were able to complete all of the paperwork and medical stuff early, and we were miraculously able to get an earlier consulate appointment for the 5th, we were "done" early.

Now I would have been OK if I had to stay the extra few days in China, but I really wanted to come home. I was not feeling really well and the kids missed us. The dog was really sick and Mike was tired. I sent an e-mail to our travel agent to see if Lily and I could change our tickets to come home with Mike and Owen. I believe that I explained that mess in a previous post. There was no way we could or would pay $2,500. Plus that flight was over sold. I could have used our tickets to come home through Hong Kong, but with the change fess and the hotel expense that I would have incurred, that was not an option either. I attempted to use my frequent flier miles to buy a new ticket from Hong Kong in order to see if we could do this cheaper, but the dates were blacked out and we would still have to change Lily's ticket anyways. It did not seem that there was any way to get us home early. Yep, I was going to have stay in China and come home on the 13th as planned.

I decided to check out Orbitz just to see what the cost would be to buy a new ticket on a different airline. I assumed that since it was so late in the game that there was nothing that I would be able to find or afford for that matter, but was I wrong! There were several options that came up for Saturday and Sunday. The fees for Saturday were a couple hundred dollars less than Sunday (which is when Mike and Owen were leaving) so we discussed Lily and I coming home a day earlier than Mike and Owen and how we would arrange my pick up in Chicago and a ride home to Wisconsin. I waited to do anything for one more day- because we had to determine really if this was worth it and could we afford it. I was glad I did because the next day the fees for the Sunday flight dropped and it was VERY cheap top buy two new tickets. And the best part was that our flight landed 34 minutes after Mike and Owen's did on Sunday. I booked them! Now I had to fly from Guangzhou to Shanghai and there was over 6 hours between the flights, but it was worth it to sit in Shanghai for 6 hours in order to get home at the same time as my husband and son.

Since the flights were so cheap and I booked them through a Chinese airline, I was not convinced that this would all work out. Plus, I had never booked through Orbitz before. We chose not to tell the kids (or anyone other than my mother and Mike's brother in law who was picking us up.) We wanted to surprise the kids and in case it did not work out, we did not want them to be disappointed.

Everything was just fine! The flights were nice, the Shanghai airport was clean and comfortable and we made it home safely. Lily slept a lot on the flight home which was so nice. I watched a couple of movies and chatted with the crew (turned out to be an American Airlines flight) and some other passengers. Everyone was amazed at how well Lily was doing on the plane! And for only knowing me for 2 weeks, how closely she was bonded to me.

Immigration and customs in Chicago proved to be the biggest hassle of this entire trip. Let me just say that Lily and I were not importing any contraband and my daughter is not on a terrorist watch list. We do not treat foreigners as nicely as we could when they come to the US. Now I know there were a couple of incidents while we were gone, but how much harm can a 2 year old and her frazzled US citizen mother do? This is my 4th international adoption trip and I have been through DC and Chicago before and never had as much trouble as I did this time. But, we made it through, the one officer had mercy on me and decided not to hand search my bags saving me some time, and Lily is now officially a US citizen! We met Mike and Owen on the "other side" of the doors and were all united once again. Our ride arrived shortly after we did and we picked up 3 very excited children when we got home!

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. It meant a lot to us!

We are ALL home!

2010-05-09T22:54:00.002-05:00

All 7 of us are sleeping under the same roof tonight. We just got in and I am really tired, so I will explain it all later. But, we made it home safely. Thanks for the prayers, good thoughts, positive energy and well wishes. We appreciated them all!

Visa, "Brown Envelope" and the Barbie Doll

2010-05-07T07:50:00.002-05:00

This evening our guide delivered Liliana's passport with her immigrant visa in it. She also handed over the "brown envelope" that contains all the documents that we need to give to the Immigration Officer in Chicago when we land. We can not open it. The immigration officer who is lucky enough to process us when we get to Chicago will have to be the one to open it. It has Liliana's immigrant medical exam, our immigration and visa paperwork. I hear it has a birth certificate and adoption decree copy in it too. (I am not exactly sure what all is in there to be perfectly honest.) All I know is that we need it and we have it in our possession now. This is what we have been working and waiting for in the months before we left for China and the past couple of weeks here. We are now free to leave China with our daughter.

We also got our "Going Home Barbie" today. This is a gift from Mattel to adoptive families that stay at the White Swan Hotel in Guangzhou. Owen has one too. It is a nice little souvenir to have. The Barbie doll is a blonde Caucasian woman and she is holding a black haired Chinese baby girl...say what you may, but I think it is a nice gesture.

Many families that we have been here with for the past two weeks went home tonight. Most of the other families will leave tomorrow morning. It has been wonderful to experience this journey with so many other amazing people. Some families will be part of our lives for a long time after we return home. Others have left their mark on our hearts and we will part ways never to be seen again on this side of heaven. We have shared a miracle with them...finally meeting the child of your dreams.

Mike and I need to get things organized and packed up too. We have to decide what he and Owen will be taking with them on their flight home and what Lily and I will be taking on our flight home. We are coming home with more stuff then when we arrived, and we gave away a lot of clothes and ate a lot of snacks we brought. Now how does this happen?? I am hoping that we do not need to go buy another suitcase! But, it would not be the first time we have had to do that.

I tried to change our tickets so we all could come home together on the same flight, but that flight is fully booked and we were not able to change our tickets to be able to join them. For the record, and for those of you planning your adoption trip, the airline charges a huge penalty to change flights. We knew about this when we booked the tickets so I am not upset. We chose to purchase the cheapest, non refundable tickets and were told that it would be at least $300 to change our tickets. Also, we would have had to pay the difference in fares from the original ticket. All of this would have added up to over $1,000 per person. And, in case you were wondering, Lily's original ticket was a couple of hundred dollars less than that. If we had purchased refundable tickets, it might have been easier to change the tickets. So, keep that in mind when you book your flights. Things change. Who knew?

We would like for you to pray for safe travels and continued health for all of us. The next few days will be taxing and we are already run down and tired. We have been very blessed so far to not get sick from any of the foods we are eating here and not gotten too much tap water in our mouths. Also, we still have flights on Chinese airlines with safety standards that are not exactly the same as US airlines. I know that God has called us here and will see us through. We also know that our God likes to answer prayers!

Safari and Swearing In Ceremony

2010-05-06T08:59:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Owen and Mike went to the Safari Park with another family while Liliana and I did a little bit of shopping and took a nap. I have some kind of upper respiratory thing going on and she clearly needs more sleep then she has been getting. (We have to wake her up at 8:30 for breakfast so we can meet the group for our tours and appointments.)

Mike and Owen first ended up at the wrong place. It was some kind of international circus. They quickly discovered this error and they found the right park. They got to feed a giraffe and elephant. Mike said that it was so cool to be able to pet a giraffe. I am a bit jealous as the giraffe is my FAVORITE animal, but I am glad that Owen and Mike got to experience it. There were 10 Panda Bears in the park as well...which is a lot of Pandas! There are some very cool pictures that we will post for you to see. This was certainly a highlight of our time in Guangzhou.

Today was the official swearing in ceremony for the immigration/visa paperwork. We were able to move up our consulate appointment after an interesting discussion with the adoption officer at the US Consulate. It was not easy and not something that they typically do, but because I am not feeling well, they had mercy on us and let us move it up. Also, all of our paperwork was in order and ready to go. Lily's medical exam was done. Her vaccines were administered. Her TB was done, read and came back negative. Again, not something that they usually do, or even can do, but it all worked out.

There were 31 families including us and there were 32 children that were adopted and ready to become US citizens. We waited to be called and signed the visa application that we filed a few months ago that had to be cabled some place and then sent back and forth a couple more times before it landed on the desk of the lovely man I spoke to to get our appointment moved up. He told us that when they were processing Lily's visa that everyone in his office said how beautiful she was. Now I know I am biased, but this child IS beautiful. People stop us all day long no matter where we are to tell us how beautiful Lily is. Chinese, American, European, no matter who we meet. Our guide wants to take her picture to place over her bed so she can look at it in hopes of having a beautiful child herself. (She is pregnant and the Chinese tradition is that a pregnant woman hangs a picture of a beautiful child over her sleeping bed so that her child is born beautiful too.) Just wait until you meet her. She has a personality to match those good looks!

The officer asked how many families were on their 2nd adoption and a lot of people raised their hands...3rd adoption...a few people raised their hands...4th adoption...and a couple of people raised their hands...5th adoption...you can guess which 2 people raised their hands...Yep. Mike and I. She said that if anyone wanted information on international adoption to come talk to us! Then we took the oath that basically said that everything we provided to them was true to the best of our knowledge and we were out of there.

Our guide will pick up Liliana's passport with her visa in it tomorrow. That is all we need to do while in China. We have successfully completed all of the steps that we need to in order to adopt a child from China and bring her home to the US with us. Woo hoo!

So, what is going on?

2010-05-04T03:39:00.003-05:00

Sorry for not posting much since we arrived in Guangzhou, but we have been busy!

We completed Lily's medical exam and TB test. All of our adoption paperwork is now in order and we have requested that we be able to move up our consulate appointment so Liliana and I can come home with Mike and Owen.

Yesterday we visited a temple and then stopped at the grocery store for some snacks and water. We have done a little bit of shopping too and I am having fun bargaining. We have not bought too much stuff-- hey, we don't have the room in our suitcases! Since nothing I brought fits Lily we had to get her some clothes. She now has 5 dresses. That should get us though the rest of the trip. We got Owen some "Crocs" shoes and a bible that is in Chinese and English. We are still looking for some things for our kids and Owen's friends at school. We have a few more days to get that done.

Mike and I were able to get laundry done too. It is so nice to have clean clothes on. I am still washing some things in the sink, but far less than what I was doing in Inner Mongolia. I can not see paying money for things that are so easily washed by hand.

Mike had some iced coffee drink at Starbucks yesterday. It tasted just like the one you can get in the US. They gave us all a sample of a black bean kiwi tart that was actually pretty good. Lily seems to like Starbucks. Maybe I can get her to become a Caribou Coffee Convert...there are not any of those around here, so maybe she just doesn't know any better yet!

We skipped the tour of the Six Banyan Trees Temple today so that we could sleep in. Little Lily likes to sleep in very late in the mornings, so we have been waking her up so we can join the groups for the tours and appointments. It was nice to be able to take our time today and get some extra sleep.

Tomorrow we are supposed to go to the Safari Park. They have twin Koala Bears and several Pandas there. That should be a lot of fun.

I will have Kimberly post some pictures for our devoted fans...

The Island

2010-05-01T07:29:00.003-05:00

We made it to Guangzhou!

We took a flight on Shenzhen Airlines that I had never heard of before we boarded the flight. We thought we were headed directly here, but we soon discovered that we had to make a stop in Baotou. I was so very confused as to where exactly we were going and kept trying to find out which province that was in. Turns out, we only traveled west into Inner Mongolia a bit, but it was late in the day and I was tired and not thinking clearly! I was worried about navigating though a small airport in the middle of China with my lack of knowledge of Mandarin, but we did just fine. We just followed the crowd as most of the people were headed to Guangzhou too. We got off the airplane, walked to some chairs a few feet away and sat there for about 30 minutes until we got back on the plane (and the same seats!) and we were finally on our way.

They fed us well on the flight...a nice chicken and rice dish. Mike and I hesitated for a moment as we were not sure if the meal was "safe" to eat, but all the other people (every single one of them Chinese by the way) were enjoying it and it smelled yummy. Lily devoured it. It really was good for airplane food. US airlines can learn a lot about service from the Chinese Airlines...Both Mike and I said that this was by far the best flight of the trip so far. Smooth landing and attentive flight attendants.

We arrived in Guangzhou around 11:30pm and were at the hotel by 1:00 in the morning. By the way, Lily did NOT sleep at all on the flight and I hope that it was not a preview of what I will face on the 14 hour flight home!

We were so excited to be able to go outside and walk around. Did a little shopping this morning and had lunch at Lucy's. Owen wanted a hot dog. I checked the in room dining menu just to see how much it would cost. At our hotel, the price is equivalent to about $20 USD. Yes, 20 bucks for a hot dog. There is no way we will pay that, so we will not be eating in the hotel other than the "free" breakfast that is included in the price of the room. It is not a good as the buffet at the Shangri-La, but still has some great things to eat. I found pizza this morning to go with my hard boiled egg and yogurt. Yummy!

Dinner was at the Cow and Bridge Thai place. So nice not to have to make meals with the water pot in the hotel room. We had two other families join us for dinner. I love having someone else to talk to. They both adopted boys. I remember when adopting a boy was not all that common and Owen was one of the only boys in Guangzhou. My how things have changed in 5 years!

The entire island is under construction. You would not believe how much construction. The sidewalks and streets are all torn up and the buildings have people working on them. Very noisy and dirty. That will NOT stop us though. We had a great day. We went to Shamian Park and took a few pictures by the Pearl River.

Lily is afraid of trucks, loud noises and man hole covers. However, she is not afraid of big steps or strangers. She is full of personality that is for sure! She is warming up to Mike and Owen which is a good thing. My arms are getting a little bit of a rest when Mike is able to carry her for a few minutes.

Tomorrow we see how many vaccinations Lily will need before we get her visa. They will also do her TB test so they can read it in 3 days (and have enough time before our consulate appointment.) So, those of you who pray- say some prayers for us and Lily. We need a negative TB test and hopefully she will not need many vaccines.

Police Station

2010-04-29T16:19:00.002-05:00

Today we had to travel to the police station to get Liliana's passport. We did not have to do this last time, so this is all new to us. Our guide said that Inner Mongolia is very different than all the other provinces, probably because they do not do many adoptions here. We drove to this big, beautiful government building with guards stationed outside. They pointed us to the place we were supposed to go and we found the passport pick up. That was all well and fine, but we were at the wrong police station. Apparently this one only has the passports for the people of Huhhot. Liliana is from Bayan Nur. So, we needed to find out where we needed to go. Our guide made a couple of calls and found out the location of the correct police station and went on our way. We learned that the police in China all wear the same uniform. That is A LOT of people wearing the same clothes. They also get to take their police car home with them-- it is theirs. Grace (our guide) told us that she once drove her father's police car. We knew her father was a police officer from the last time we met her during Owen's adoption. Also, most of the police officers that you see here do NOT carry guns. I guess only the detectives do. And, most of the police cars do not have computers in them like the ones in the United States do. Interesting stuff.

Once we finally made it to the right police station, the guards made us register before we could enter the building. We were escorted in and taken to the floor where they were holding Lily's passport. After a few minutes and a very careful checking of our documents, we were given her passport. (The woman kept looking at the visa and stamp from 5 years ago, and not the current one...which they needed to verify. Oooops. We did copy the right one for her records though.) Woo Hoo. We can officially leave Inner Mongolia now. They needed to keep some of our documents to send to the central office, so Grace told us that she would go back and claim them later.

On the ride home I saw an advertisement for Ghengis Khan wine. It is made in Inner Mongolia. So, of course, I wanted to see if we could get a bottle. Grace said she would ask to see if it was available near our hotel, and by golly it was! She wrote it down on a piece of paper for us in Mandarin and told us to show that to the person at the market when we went. On the way to the market people were once again VERY interested in us. They look and smile and point. One man darn near fell over when he tripped on an uneven spot on the sidewalk because he was so busy looking at us! We were able to make it to the market with out anyone else falling over themselves to see us and got the wine we were in search of. We also go a sippy cup for Lily. While she is able to drink from a cup, she likes to walk around the room with it and spill the contents on the rug. We figure this will work until we get home and teach her "that drinks stay in the kitchen" and we do not walk around with them.

Tonight we leave for Guangzhou. I can hardly wait. Owen is getting very whiney and I think that once we get to the White Swan and can walk around and eat outside of the hotel he will be much better. 9 more days for Mike and Owen and 13 more days until Lily and I will be headed home.

Inner Mongolia

2010-04-27T14:56:00.003-05:00

Inner Mongolia is not as "modern" as many other parts of China. While the hotel we are staying at is very modern and luxurious, most of the city is older and not as nice. They are building a new super train from Beijing to Hohhot (the capital city in Inner Mongolia where we are staying) and it is supposed to take an hour to get here as opposed to the 3 hours it currently takes by train. Once that happens, more people will be able to come here and then more businesses will start to appear and the city should see some drastic changes.

There are not many "sanitary" places to eat and it is very cold. Snow has been falling everyday since we arrive. Nothing is sticking, but the wind is terrible and Liliana and Owen are not really happy once we get outside. Makes Wisconsin seem like the tropics this time of year! So we have decided to make the most of it and stay inside the hotel for the rest of our time in Inner Mongolia in a room stocked with plenty of snacks and enough food to make lunch and dinner until we head to Gunagzhou. Breakfast is included in charge for the room, and we are loving the buffet here. They have fruits and sweets, yogurt, eggs, cereal, and a nice selection of Chinese food. I told Lily not to get used to this because we will not be eating this well once we get home!

We went back to the grocery store and stocked up on water and juice (and soda for Mike) and bread for sandwiches. We have a jar of peanut butter and blueberry jelly that Owen chose. We also have cheese and hot dogs. They have a very wide variety of flavors of Ramen Noodles here, so we decided to try some new ones. One of the most interesting is chocolate...we bought a couple of packages to see how they are. If they are terrible, then we only spent the equivalent of 5 cents to find that out. You never know, they could be really good and the best 5 cents we spend here. I will let you know how they are!

Yesterday we checked out the new museum. It is in a very beautiful building. We saw the dinosaur exhibit which Liliana was very excited about. She wanted to be lifted up so she could see all the fossils in the cases. Every last one of them. Owen was in heaven when we went to the space exhibit. Most of the signs had English translations which made it easier to explain what we were looking at.

I have been doing laundry in the sink to wash the clothes that got wet during the flight over from San Francisco. Since it is so dry here, things don't take very long to dry out. At this rate, I can have everything done and ready for the warm weather in Guangzhou. Owen has been very concerned about his clothes so it makes him happy to see that things are returning to his suitcase. Also, Lily is much bigger than we thought so we have limited clothing for her. We bought a couple of things for her here, but I have washed some of her stuff too so that we can save money for all the shopping we want to do later in the trip. I bought a bar of Tide to help me get the clothes clean. Yes, a bar like a bar of soap. Experiencing all of this makes me even more glad that I live where I do. With 5 children now, I would never be able to keep up on the laundry if I had to do it all this way!

I will send some pictures to have them posted for you.

It's Official

2010-04-26T04:11:00.001-05:00

Sorry to leave you all hanging yesterday. Those of you who have adopted a toddler probably know what I am talking about when I say that yesterday was a bit rough and we had a couple of hours of serious crying. Those of you who have not, Iam sure you can imagine how a child would react to leaving everything and everyone she has ever known to go home with a couple of strangers. I needed to be with Lily while she was grieving. We did not get much accomplished, but it was worth it in the end. All is well today though!

We are now the parents of the most amazing boy AND the most amazing girl in all of China as we we finalized Liliana's adoption today! After breakfast we met the assistant orphanage director, civil affairs official and the notaries in our hotel business center. (It is very nice not to have to drive all over the place with the baby in the SNOW! Yes, it was snowing here today.) We signed all the paperwork and sealed it with our thumbprints to make it official. We have paid all the fees, provided all the necessary documents and complied with all the regulations of two separate countries and endured countless hours of waiting, hoping and praying to get to this point...Dang Pu Le is now officially known as Liliana Le. According to Owen, we now "have the very best family" and I would have to agree. Lily will make a perfect addition to the tribe!

I am happy to report that Lily is doing remarkably well. She is eating well and sleeping well. She likes Owen very much and he likes her. Lily prefers that I be the only one to take care of her right now. Mike said that he is just happy she is bonding with one of us at this point. She almost held his hand for a minute while we were out shopping today, she reached for his hand, but then she realized who he was and put a stop to that. :) This is normal and we have been down this road before...we are 50/50 with the kids preferring me to Mike at first and the other way around.

We learned the Lily was part of the China Care Foster program. When I get home I will do some research to see if I can learn more about her early months. We received a book of pictures of Lily in the care center and with her foster family. She was loved and cared for and was very happy in her foster home. There are some baby pictures of her that I am sure she will cherish as she gets older and wants to know about her past. Also, we were told that she was very much a favorite baby of many people. One of the men who worked at the care center even sent Lily to us with a silver bracelet. She also came to us with one of the shirts I sent to her and a blanket that was in a care package we sent through our agency. Both the disposable cameras are back in our possession now and I am told that there are many pictures of Liliana on them.

Inner Mongolia is really cold. There is not much here for us to do here since it is really not a place many people visit- and not as modern as other parts of China. We knew this going into it, and are prepared to spend most of the time in the hotel until we get to Guangzhou. It will be good bonding time for us.

I am sending Kimberly some pictures to post. You have to see how beautiful our daughter is!

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The Moment You All Have Been Waiting For...

2010-04-25T04:24:00.002-05:00

We have Liliana!

She is sound asleep right now. It was a big day for her too. She left the SWI very early this morning to make it to Hohhut for our meeting.

We arrived in Inner Mongolia at 9:30 this morning to very cold weather and a nice little rain/snow mix. The rain has stopped, but it still is pretty cold. We went to the market and got some water, milk, bread blueberry jelly for Owen's lunch. (The jelly that I packed did not survive the trip.) We came back and made lunch and then had about 90 minutes until Liliana was due to arrive. Mike wanted to know if we were supposed to go downstairs because it was 10 minutes past the "scheduled" meeting time. Guess he was a bit anxious too.

The phone rang and I jumped up. Mike answered it and we were told to come to the lobby to meet our daughter. Owen was so excited that he left the room without his shoes so we had to come back in to get them! We stepped off the elevator and there she was.

She was very loved and very well cared for. We were given a book of baby pictures and one of the shirts we sent her in a care package. We were handed a box that contained a silver braclet that one of the the men who worked in the Care Center gave to her because she was a favorite. They returned the disposable cameras that we sent as well and I can not wait to see the pictures that are on there.

Our daughter is now awake and crying so I must end here. More to come.

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Great Wall and Forbidden City

2010-04-24T14:25:00.003-05:00

We started out the day pretty early and our group of 9 families headed to the Forbidden City. Wow, what a place! Many buildings and rooms and such a large area to tour. It was a beautiful day to be outside. Sunny and in the 70's. Owen loved the tour, and was having a great time. We missed this part of the tour last time we were in Beijing and we are glad that we can say we have been to the Forbidden City. Many parts are still forbidden to visitors. When you think about how you are standing in the place that you read about in history books, it really is something else.

We are once again in many, many people's pictures. Chinese people that is. We experienced this last time too. The Chinese people want to "prove" that they met a Westerner, so they ask to be in a picture with you. Mike is big and white, so people spot him pretty easily here. The men usually approached him and the women approached me to pose with them. You should see how happy they were once we agreed! It sure is something and we are having a lot of fun with it. It is all about attitude, and we take it in stride. I had to use the infamous squatty potties while out, and truth be told, they are not that bad. Some of the other women in our group were reluctant to attempt such a task. When in Rome, well, when in China...I will have some excellent balance and super strong leg muscles by the end of the 3 weeks here! LOL

Later, had lunch at the Friendship Store. Those of you who have done this before know exactly what that is. You do a 10 minute tour of how they make these copper pieces cloisonne, and then you eat lunch. They want you to shop after lunch. I bought a small piece of cloisonne for Lily. It is very beautiful, but the price prohibited us from buying much more. We are living on a budget here!!

Then it was off to the Great Wall. We did not get there until like 4:00 in the afternoon and I was tired already. I went up a few steps and then came back down to wait for Mike and Owen. Another woman in our group stayed behind with me and we waited for the rest of the group to return from their climb. This time it went much better for me, and I totally OK with not climbing that wall for the second time. Owen wanted to go about 1/2 way up the first section before making up his mind that he was done. He and Mike came back down and several other joined us a few minutes later. It really is spectacular! The fact that the Great Wall was built by hand, and just the vast size and span of is amazing.

I am so glad that Owen was able to make this trip with us and be able to experience his country and his culture. He is doing SO well and even with the long days and crazy schedule-- he is just in heaven here. He had McDonald's for dinner. There is one next to our hotel and he asked for a Happy Meal. That kid is very much Chinese, but also very much American!

We are just 3 hours away from leaving Beijing and heading to Inner Mongolia. It will be cold there, and I am not too excited about that. It will be like 5 degrees celsius and snow flurries are perdicited. However, I am beyond excited about arriving there because Baby Lily will soon be with us! We should meet her shortly after arriving at the hotel. We have the cameras charged and ready to go for the moment we meet her, and I packed my carry on suitcase with a bottle and some diapers so we have her immediate needs met before we are able to unpack and organize in our hotel room.

I will e-mail Kimberly some pictures to post on our blog once we are settled in. I know you are waiting to see the newest member of our tribe too.

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Beijing

2010-04-23T17:33:00.001-05:00

Today we were awake at 4am, which is like 3pm for you all on the other side of the world. Owen and Mike slept from about 9:00 on, and I was awake a few times...but that is typical.

Went to the Wu Mart and bought some water and snacks for the next two days. Owen also got a special toothbrush with a car, and I found some cool looking tea for Kimberly. We at dinner in our hotel and met one of the 10 other Great Wall Families here for their adoptions. Turns out they are also from Wisconsin. That makes 3 of us here today, and it is too bad we had to travel all the way to China to meet them! They are both first time parents- and I remember that very well.

We are in a different hotel than last time, and that is a good thing! It is very nice and HUGE. The room is average size, but no giant beetles in it, which is what we endured 5 years ago.

The flights were fine. Chicago to San Francisco was very full, but the crew was nice. It was not the smoothest flight I have ever been on and the seat belt sign was on a lot. My stomach was "off" just as much. No actual sickness though, thank God! The flight to Beijing was long. We had our seats in the back which I intentinally chose since Owen needs to go potty a lot. It was nice to be able to stand up and walk around in the back often. The last hour was super bumpy and we were being tossed all around. The lady behind me got sick, and I thought I might, but alas, I was spared that fate one more time. I medicated myself before the flight, chewed my ginger gum, and ate lightly. The ride to the hotel almost did me in again, because the traffic in this city is like nothing one has ever seen. Stop. Go. Stop. Honk. Go. Stop. Go.

Aparently, my little Owen is something special. I already knew that, but the Chinese Immigration police also agree. They think he is a VIP. The Immigration police officer was walking the area and doing his job of keeping everyone safe and orderly. He came over to us, looked at Owen, and pointed to the diplomat line. I showed him that we were all traveling on US passports, and he motioned that we go over to the other line. So, we did. It took less 5 minutes to get through. If we had stayed in the line that we were in, it would have been well over an hour. The Chinese love their children, even the ones that now call the United States their home.

So, when we arrived in Beijing, all of our luggage did manage to make it...just not in the same condition that we checked it in at O'Hare. Two of our bags were soaking wet. They looked like someone dropped them in the lake or something. All of the contents were pretty wet. We lost a box of Ho Ho's and now have to wash everything once we get to Inner Mongolia. We do not have the time to get it done here since we only have the one day, and then off to meet Liliana. Also, the man who was supposed to meet us at the airport to pick up the giant boxes of supplies for the orphanage for blind children. So, they came to the hotel with us. He is supposed to come get them today.

We are off to breakfast and The Forbidden City and then The Great Wall. I will attempt to get some pictures up. If I am not successful, then Kimberly will help me from the US. Hang tight, because good things are coming soon! Tomorrow is the day we meet our baby girl, and her world and our world change forever.

More to come...

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We Have Arrived!

2010-04-23T07:55:00.002-05:00

Made it to Beijing!
Owen LOVES China and has been a trooper! We had a small luggage issue that I will share tomorrow after we have had some sleep. Other than that- we appreciate all the prayers and everything is going well.

And away we go!

2010-04-21T18:06:00.004-05:00

So, I thought I would write a letter to my dad. It covers all you would need to know in the final hours before we leave anyways. It is times like these that I miss him the most and wish he could share all these moments with us.

Hey there!
Did you know that I was leaving for China in a few hours! The dogs are dropped off. Mom has Spencer...that should be interesting. The kids will be leaving shortly and it will be just Mike, Owen and me in the house. This house will be so quiet. But, I will finally be able to wash the floor and clean the bathroom sink. I get that from mom...the crazy need to leave a clean house and the OCD about germs. Could be worse I guess.

You should see all the luggage we are taking. In all fairness, I am packing for 4 people, and 2 of us need 3 weeks worth of clothes for two very different climates. Plus, I want Owen to have the comforts of home to minimize the stress on him. We are also taking two large boxes (50 pounds each) to deliver to a man in China that runs an orphanage for children who are blind. I wish we had more time and more money to be able to gather more supplies to bring with us, but I still have ways to get things to orphans in need. You should have seen what we brought to Ethiopia! We had a lot of help getting 2,000 pound of supplies to those who needed it most.

Remember about 5 years ago when we found out about Owen and how excited we were headed to China to pick him up? Do you remember when I got off the plane carrying him in my arms, so sick, so tired, so DONE with all the traveling, not at all excited about what we just experienced and announced that I was never doing that again? Well, I lied! I find myself just hours away from getting on a plane again to bring home another child from China. This time it IS a girl! Imagine that! I did make to Ethiopia and back, not only once, but twice. The two boys we were referred made it home to us OK, and we went back for a daughter. This 13 hour flight to China will be a cake walk compared to the 24+ hours it took to get to Africa. We have a stop in San Francisco from Chicago. It was cheaper and there were more seats available. We did not want to repeat the last time where we did not have seats assigned and almost did not make it on the plane to get our baby.

On the flight to San Francisco I have a window seat. I will wave to you since we will be 30,000 feet closer to heaven. You would have tracked my flight and watched until we landed safely in Beijing. I wonder if you will get to see it live from where you are seated now. My flight to Beijing warrants an aisle seat. I need to be able to get up and move and talk to people. Comes from the years of being a flight attendant I guess!

I would have called you a few times today. I would have asked you about a surge protector and some other technical things that you have far more knowledge about. Mike and I think we have it figured out, but it still would be nice to have someone who knows about this stuff tell us we are right. You would have made a joke about how it was a good thing that our daughter was from the North so she can survive our Wisconsin weather! She will be just fine as it is like 30 degrees warmer here than it is in Inner Mongolia today.

Not sure if you can hear our prayers in heaven, but if you can then you know we have been praying for Liliana. We want her to be safe until we arrive, and we want her to have peace once she meets us. Can you ask God to send her a very special angel to be with her for the transition into our arms? The one He sent Owen was amazing because that boy did so well and has never looked back! He sure did turn out to be a neat kid. I knew it from the moment I saw his picture. I know that Liliana will be something special too. I can see it in her pictures. Also, speaking of angels, if you can ask God to send the strongest angels he has to fly with us in China that would be great. I would like to know that if those crazy Chinese flights we will be on have an "issue" that we will be carried safely to the ground on angels wings. It would also give mom a bit of comfort knowing that we are well protected. She worries a lot.

We are just a few days away from meeting our newest blessing and becoming a family of 7. Remember when I said that I never wanted kids? Well, I sure would have missed out on a lot of wonderful things if I didn't have them.

The Final 4

2010-04-18T13:48:00.004-05:00

Only 4 more days until we get on that plane to bring our baby girl home! This house is filled with stress and excitement. The "To Do" list is getting longer and the time to complete it is getting shorter. The last week before our trips are always overwhelming for me. I tend to cry (a lot) and clean like crazy. Poor Mike! God bless him for putting up with me. We are almost at the point where I will say, "if we don't have it then we don't need it and if it isn't done then it won't get done." I am not quite there yet though. We have the essentials packed and ready and the most important things have been taken care of.

Our trip will bring us to San Francisco for a couple of hours and then on to Beijing. We will spend 2 nights there. We will climb the Great Wall (well, two of us will actually climb it and one of us will take a few steps, pose for a picture and sit at the bottom and wait for the boys to come back down!) This time we hope to make it to the Forbidden City. Last time one of us (me- blushing here!) got so sick after the climb up the Great Wall that we had to skip it and head back to the hotel.

We leave early Sunday morning for Inner Mongolia and we will meet Liliana at our hotel shortly after we arrive. Wooo hooo! I can hardly wait for that moment when we first meet her and get to see her sweet face. We will be there for 6 days, which is needed to complete the adoption and obtain her passport and all the paperwork that we need for her visa and immigration processing.

Then we head south to Guangzhou and will enjoy the sunshine and some company of other adoptive families. We will once again be staying at the infamous White Swan Hotel. This place is pretty amazing and I have no worries about our accommodations what so ever.

Because of Chinese Labor Day, we have to spend 13 days in Guangzhou since the US Consulate and Medical Office will be closed. Mike and Owen will return home to gather up the rest of our children and pets. 4 days later Liliana and I will board that plane headed for the USA. Once she lands she will be the newest United States Citizen.

We plan to post though e-mail to our blog while we are in China. Not sure if we will be able to get pictures up or not...we will see what we can do. Otherwise you will have to wait until we get home and I can update the posts with all the amazing things we saw and did in China!

Going to China!

2010-04-06T09:52:00.004-05:00

Just got the news that we are leaving on April 22nd for China! Could I be more excited??!!

More details to come...but we have about 2 weeks to get everything ready for our trip and our children and pets who are staying home with friends and family.

Today's post is brought to you by the letters...

2010-04-05T11:54:00.004-05:00

YES!! Our Travel Approval (TA) has arrived in Texas and should be here tomorrow~China here we come. Our agency has requested our consulate appointment for us, and since today is a holiday in China, it could be a couple of days before we know our exact travel dates. It is just a matter of weeks now and we will be with our Liliana.

As soon as we have our consulate appointment confirmed, then we can book our flights. Our hope is that we have our consulate appointment on May 10th. We will leave the US on April 22nd, and Mike and Owen will return home on the 8th of May-- a week before Liliana and I do. This could change depending on what the US Consulate in China comes back with, but I am hopeful!

Next post, travel dates and the "packing project" that is well underway now!

The hardest part...

2010-03-14T15:57:00.007-05:00

Can you believe how stinking cute this kid is??

From what we know, we are one week into the official wait for our Travel Approval (TA) to be issued. This is the FINAL piece of paper we need in order to be able to leave for China and complete Liliana's adoption. Yes folks, the end is in sight of my paper pregnancy!

The average wait is between 2-4 weeks from Article 5 until Travel Approval, so we have anywhere from another week to 3 more weeks to go. Right now I have it in my mind that we are leaving at the end of April. Even if we have to wait the full 4 weeks for our TA- since we have been on the long end for every other step of this process it seems, we should still be good to go for an April 28th departure to China.

As you know by now, this is our 4th adoption (Jackson and Adam were a "two for one deal" and came home on the same trip) and we are no strangers to "The Wait." The final stages of the wait are always the hardest! Trust me on this one! You are so close, but yet you still have so much to do and oh so long to wait. We have clothes in the closet, a name for our newest family member, pictures plastered everywhere, yet the crib sits empty in her room, waiting for her to arrive. Her place at our kitchen table is reserved, yet at every meal her chair sits empty. We are simply waiting until she can join us. And it will be soon!

So, I hope to be able to post (very soon) will be that we have our TA and we are going to China to bring our baby girl home! Until then, we continue to wait...

The wait continues

2010-03-02T18:07:00.004-06:00

We just found out that our Article 5 was not picked up last week like we thought, and will not be ready until this Thursday. This "cost" us a couple of weeks, and now has eliminated our chances of traveling in March. Looks like the end of April for us, with a return to the US with Liliana in the middle of May.

As my mother said, this is just a small delay, and we will be in China soon to bring our daughter home.

So, while I can't say that I am not disappointed, because I AM disappointed, I know that travel time will be here before we know it and I will be holding that sweet baby girl in my arms very soon!

UPDATE: We received confirmation that our Article 5 was picked up on March 4th. It will be delivered to the appropriate place very soon and then our TA will be issued. Still looks like travel at the end of April. At least we can plan accordingly now.

We have an "Article 5"

2010-02-25T18:35:00.005-06:00

I still not exactly sure what it is, but we needed it and we HAVE it...

Consular Officer Sends Article 5 Letter to Foreign Central Authority

"After reviewing the visa application, the consular officer sends the Convention country’s Central Authority notification – called an Article 5 Letter – that you are a suitable adoptive parent and that the child will be able to enter and reside permanently in the United States. (The Central Authority is the entity designated by each Convention member country to serve as the central point of contact for Convention adoptions. For the United States, the Central Authority is the Department of State.)"

Did you get all that?? This whole Hague Convention Adoption process has my head spinning!

This is the last step before the CCAA issues our Travel Approval and tells us that we can come to China to get our daughter. Average time from the issue of the Article 5 until the TA is issued takes about 3 weeks. Let the countdown begin!

The Packing is Underway!

2010-02-23T15:46:00.004-06:00

Since I am very much a "Type A" personality, I simply can not wait until the last minute...so I have decided that I needed to start the packing! Owen has his carry on suitcase ready to go. He is so excited and keeps asking "how many more days until China?" He tells us that he is most excited to see the bathrooms in China (which my mother should find rather amusing since Marie and I spent an awful lot of time in the bathrooms every place we went when we were little) and to ride the train (we plan to take the train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong at the end of our trip.) I hope that he is excited to meet Liliana, but those sibling relationships can prove to be a challenge in the beginning!

I have the over the counter medications in Lily's diaper bag right now to take as my "personal item" on the plane, and we have 3 large suitcases in our bedroom with a few items thrown in. This will be an ongoing project and I will pack and repack, and repack AGAIN until we actually have to leave for the airport. What can I say? I need to be doing SOMETHING during the wait.

I hear from our agency that we should have our Article 5 on Thursday. This means that we should have our Travel Approval (TA) in about 3 weeks. We are hoping and praying that we will be able to leave the US during the last week of March. If that is not possible, we will have to wait until the end of April. Yes, folks, one full month more of waiting. SO, say a few prayers for us that everything falls into place and we are able to get on that plane in March!

Our Visas Are Here!

2010-02-11T08:52:00.007-06:00

On Tuesday we received our passports with our Chinese Visas back from Denise at There's Always Hope which means that as soon as we get that Travel Approval from China, we are good to go! We had Denise help us with the visas for the trip to get Owen and highly recommend her. Some of you reading this already know that because I have told you to use her for your visas!

Owen's Chinese Passport came back to us marked "Canceled" and the corner was clipped making it invalid. He really is no longer a Chinese citizen which comes with mixed emotions. Since he was born in China, he will always be a Chinese citizen in my mind and we will always celebrate his culture and history.

Right now we are waiting for our Article 5 to be issued. Since Chinese New Year starts next week (and a week long break for the CCAA in China) we are hoping that we will have that right after they reopen from the holiday and then a speedy Travel Approval.

We are so close now!

Getting Close Now!

2010-01-29T16:01:00.007-06:00

Things are moving right along!

Yesterday we received the letter that states we were "cabled" to China. The next step is our Article 5, and then we should receive our Travel Approval. Hoping for travel at the end of March which works out nicely for everyone's schedules...but we know that it is not in our hands, and we will be in China when we are supposed to be in China.

I have already pulled out a couple of suitcases and gathered a few essential items that we will need to take with us. Since Mike and Owen are joining me now, there is twice as much to remember. No worries though, I am a champion suitcase packer! I used to live out of my suitcase when I was a flight attendant and I know how to maximize space in those bags! On the first adoption trip that Mike and I took to China, we way over packed and ended up not needing half of what we brought. The next two trips we got it right and by now, I have it perfected. Although I am sure once we are in China you will see a post about what I forgot to bring!!

We sent off our passports and visa applications yesterday as well. It always makes me nervous to have such important documents outside of my control, but I completely trust our courier service (we have used them before and did not have any problems what so ever) and know that I will get them back next week. We had to send Owen's Chinese passport too so that they could mark it invalid. I hope that we get that back too because he was so little in that picture.

Stay tuned because our trip to China is just around the corner! I can hardly wait to have my baby girl in my arms.

Another "Good Mail" Day!

2010-01-16T16:10:00.002-06:00

Mike checked the mailbox today and brought me a piece of mail that he was not sure if he could open or not...I ripped into that bad boy and we have received notice that we have been granted a provisional approval on our I 800 form which is what we file to allow Lilana to come to the United States with us!

Things are moving along now, and it should not be too much longer until we have our little girl home.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered!

2010-01-01T18:39:00.006-06:00

The FedEx driver was kind enough to allow us to take his picture when he delivered our package that contained our LSC for Liliana. I was in the back jumping up telling him "that's my baby, that's my baby" while Mike calmly explained that he was holding a package from our adoption agency that contained the paperwork for our daughter and we would like to know if we could take his picture for our baby book. He was puzzled as to why we would want to take his picture and what it all meant. It probably did not help that I was a bit, um...emotional (crazy) and the dogs and children were all making a ton of noise! He was a good sport and we have the infamous delivery picture of our daughter!

In less than 3 seconds I had that envelope opened and the LSC in my hands! It had arrived! I checked it over and grabbed a pen. I also grabbed the "Rainbow Shirt" and put it on for my picture. (Owen and Megan picked out the "Rainbow Shirt" for me at a clothing share we went to, and Owen drew a picture of me in the shirt for school which hangs on our fridge. Mike and I joked that this shirt will make it into Lily's adoption pictures...because, well, it makes a statement to say the least!)

Mike signed it immediately after me thus making it official that we accept the referral of Liliana Le. I then completed the rest of the paperwork that we needed to apply for Lily's visa and immigration approval and sent it off to Texas to be forwarded to China.

Things are moving along now! It will not be long now until I am in China with my baby girl!

Christmas came a little late

2009-12-28T15:36:00.004-06:00

I was beginning to thing that our LSC had fallen off of Santa's Sleigh...but it arrived in Texas today. I hear that it was mailed on Christmas Day. How perfect is that?

What does all this mean you ask? Well, this means that the CCAA has given their OFFICIAL approval to allow us to adopt Baby January! This is our referral of our daughter. WOOOOOOO HOOOOO!

We should be in China in 9-12 weeks meeting our Liliana and completing the adoption and bringing her home to her brothers and sisters.

So, I proudly introduce you to:

Liliana Le
Born on January 30th
Waiting in Inner Mongolia

97 Days and still no LOA

2009-12-02T18:47:00.002-06:00

And, I am getting impatient!

Our LOA (also known as LSC) is a document that is issued to us after the CCAA has reviewed all of our paperwork that we sent to them in our dossier and formally approves us to adopt Baby January- who we will call Liliana or Lily for short. We are still with in the average of 70-100 days, but we are hitting that upper limit. I would like to have it so that we know that we are offically good to go and I can stop worrying that this might not happen. I have been waiting a long time for my little girl from China...a lot longer than 97 days! What is a few more in the grand scheme of things, really?

And the wait continues.........

Happy Adoption Day Owen!

2009-10-14T18:46:00.002-05:00

4 years ago today Mike and I were back in the Civil Affairs office in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China to sign the papers and officially make Owen our son! He was so little and such a beautiful baby. Such wonderful memories for me...It was surreal to see his face when we entered the room on Gotcha Day. He cried, I cried. It was chaos and we were the only family adopting that day. We were handed our son, signed the "harmonious period" papers (you have 24 hours to spend with the child before the adoption is finalized so that you can be 100% sure that you want to make this child yours FOREVER) and were back in the van on the way to the hotel. Wow! What a day.

The next day, we got back in the van and went back to the Civil Affairs Office to finalize Owen's adoption. I remember when they interviewed us for his adoption.
"You like this baby?" the man asked us. "Oh yes, very much," I answered.
"You love this baby?" he questioned. "We do love this baby," we told him.
"You want to adopt this baby?" he continued, and we said, "of course we do."
Then they asked us if we knew about his special need and if we still wanted to adopt a child that had a special need. There was some confusion over his special need- they were not sure if his palate was cleft and repaired or just his lip and I told our guide to tell them that no matter what we wanted to adopt him bring him home.

There were a few phone calls by the officials and orphanage staff and a long wait until the officials felt comfortable with the answers that they were getting regarding his surgery. (This later became an issue at the medical exam in Guangzhou-- but that is a whole new story in and of itself and I will share at a later date!) At that point he could have had two heads or a third eye for all I cared...he was coming home with us and we were committed to loving him forever. We were asked a few more questions about our jobs and home and why we wanted to adopt a child from China. I guess we answered them all correctly because our son Owen is upstairs jumping up and down in the living room with his brother right now!

We signed the papers, put our thumbprints on the official documents, added Owen's foot print in red ink for good measure and walked out as a family.

I can not tell you how lucky we are to have our son Owen. He is such an amazing little boy. Happy Adoption Day Owen~! We love you!

We got an update

2009-09-17T14:15:00.002-05:00

We got an update on our dear Baby January in China...and there were some wonderful new pictures of her. I wish I could share them with you, because she is simply gorgeous, but we must wait a little while longer until we get our official approval from the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA.)

In her updated report they have detailed her daily life including what she likes to eat and how much she sleeps- well how little she sleeps. Sounds like she and Owen are on the same schedule, just 12 hours apart! From reading her report, I KNOW she will fit right into our home. Many of the things she likes to do are the same things that our children like to do- like water the plants. And her favorite foods are the same ones that are favorites here too...guess we will be buying even more bananas each week!

I could not help but laugh when they referred to her as "acting like a spoiled brat" and "sometimes she is very naughty." As you know, one of our other children was described as "very spoiled" before we adopted her, and we have a "very naughty" child as well. Too Funny! I told my friends that I am glad that she is described as spoiled because when she comes home and we spoil her, we can blame her foster parents. Seriously though, I am very grateful that she is in a foster home and has people who are spoiling her. The alternative would be unbearable for me to think about while we are waiting to bring her home...simply having her basic needs met with no individualized attention in an orphanage with hundreds of other children. Far too many children spend their lives like that. Heartbreaking.

I hope that when I get to China and meet my daughter that I will have the opportunity to personally thank her foster parents for opening up their hearts and home to a child, our child, so that she can know what it means to be cared for and loved while she was waiting for us.

We still have a few more months until we can even think/talk about travel, but that will be here before we know it.

DTC

2009-08-21T22:30:00.002-05:00

Today was the day! It is our 5 year anniversary and we finally meet the new regulations and are able to adopt from China once again.

We are officially DTC (Dossier To China!) Jessa, (who is the best dossier consultant by the way) called me yesterday to let me know that she would no longer be babysitting our dossier in Texas--not that she minded hanging out with Baby January though--and she was sending it off to China today. We were elated to hear this news! It will take a couple of days to arrive in China, and it should take a week or two to get logged in. We will know our official log in date (LID) in about a month or so.

We also have some other great news to share. Are you ready for this?? We have received our PA (Pre Approval) to adopt a child. Yes, we have been matched with a child already and the China Center of Adoption Affairs has given us pre approval to adopt her! You did read that right...HER...as in it's a GIRL! Our paperwork and dossier will go through a slightly different process and our file will be matched up with January's file and processed as a special needs adoption. It will be roughly 7-9 months from now until she is home.

As soon as we have our final approval from China we will share pictures and all the details that you are dying to know about baby January. I can tell you that she is just beautiful and there were many things about her that when we saw them in her file, we just knew that she was meant to be ours. By the way, we do plan to choose another name for her, but her birthday is in January.

You Might Be Adopting From China If...

2009-08-20T13:33:00.004-05:00

I borrowed this from another blog. I thought it was pretty funny, and those of you adopting from China will "get it" and have a good laugh...and the rest of you will probably wonder why I thought this was so funny.

You Might Be Adopting From China If:

~You know that I-600, I-800, I-171 and I-797 aren't highways....
~You've been expecting a baby for over 3 years....
~You understand that it's 2006 in some parts of the world....
~You've "paid for" 3 citizenships, but never brought anyone into the U.S with that money ....
~You know that waiting for China has nothing to do with Dillards or dishes...
~Your home study is followed by a number (i.e. #3 or #4)...
~You never know how many days next month will have...
~You know that babies come in batches...
~You've been fingerprinted four times, but never committed a crime...
~You automatically assume everyone who is expecting is having a girl...
~You own new clothing in 3 little sizes for all 4 seasons (because you don't know when or how big)...
~You look twice when you see a lady bug...
~You're more interested in what will happen in March 2006 than in March 2009...
~You know people who understand when you talk about 2 day months & 5 day months...
~Your due date hasn't changed by days, but by years...
~You know who the Rumor Queen is ... AND ... you don't know who she is...
~You know that forecast doesn't have anything to do with the weather...
~You've waited so long, they re-checked your fingerprints to see if they changed...
~Trying to understand why they're printing you again, you study your own fingerprints and wonder if fingerprints grow wrinkles...
~When you speak of "that time of month" you're talking about CCAA updates & referrals...

And finally...You might be adopting from China if you love someone you've never met with all your heart!

On The Way!

2009-08-11T13:42:00.010-05:00

Today was the day! You would think after sending off 5 of these, it would not be such an event...but it is! That is our baby- not to mention months of hard work...blood, sweat and tears LITERALLY go into creating a dossier! We sent our dossier off to Texas so our consultant (Hi Jessa!) can review our documents and then send them on their way across the ocean to China.

And as usual, I was the last one to hold our dossier! I like to be the one to watch it leave our home and begin the journey.

Now we settle in and wait...

Our Dossier is READY to go!

2009-08-05T17:12:00.004-05:00

The seemingly endless paper chase is finally over...
Our dossier is signed, notarized, sealed by the State, authenticated by the Chinese Consulate, copied and ready to be delivered to our agency. We can not submit it to China until August 21st, so I am going to hang onto it for a few more days before sending it on its way. Wooooo Hooooo!

Also, the basement project is coming along nicely. Here are a few pictures of the progress. It is going to be nice when it is all done!

Approved! (again)

2009-07-06T15:20:00.005-05:00

I just got word that we have been approved by the US Government to adopt from China (again.) Things are very different these days, and for our last 3 adoptions I had to stalk the mailman to find out if we had been approved. There was no number to call to see where your file was, who was looking at it, and when you could expect to receive notice. It was frustrating for me to have so little control in the process and to feel so out of touch with what was happening.

Today I got an e-mail from our agency. I had to call our case manager just to be sure she had the right family since we have only been waiting a few days since our fingerprint appointment. She assured me that she has seen a copy of our approval. In case you were wondering, I WILL be stalking our mailman until the official hard copy arrives and I have it in my hands!

This summer has been busy for us. The "Basement Project" is well underway now and phase one is complete. The framing is done. We are waiting for the electrical and heating phases and then we will be onto the finishing details with walls and carpet. By the end of summer we will have twice as much house. I can not believe it!

A few more pieces of paper and we will be DONE with the paper chase for Baby January! I can not believe how quickly it has gone...and how easy it was. I guess when you compile 4 dossiers, you get good at it! We have also learned what we can control and what we can not- and to accept that. It is still quite a project though and I am so excited that it is just about completed.

UPDATE (July 7, 2009)
The official copy of our I 797 C has arrived in our mailbox!

No need to stalk the mailman any more. It has arrived safely!

Fingerprints

2009-06-23T17:45:00.006-05:00

One step closer! Today we went to our local USCIS office (it has become an annual trip for us!!) Things had changed a bit since we were last there, and the officer originally sent us upstairs to the interview room. We waited for about 20 minutes or so before they called our name and told us to go back downstairs, fill out the forms, and wait for our number to be called for fingerprints. No sooner had I finished entering in all my personal details on the form and placed the clipboard on my lap when they called me...#13. Guess it was a lucky number for me! Mike was called a few seconds after later.

I had to laugh, the same man who did my fingerprints for the last two adoptions took mine again this time. He did not remember me (afer all, he does anywhere from 60-120 people's fingerprints each day,) but I remembered him. And, as usual, they had a hard time getting my fingerprints to "pass" so mine took longer than Mike's.

Overall, we were only there an hour. (Too bad I wasted all those extra quarters in the meter to pay for two hours of parking! LOL) We snapped a few pictures in front of the building and went to go pick up the rest of the tribe and went to lunch to celebrate our last step to bring "Baby January" home.

Today we also started construction of two more bedrooms in our lower level. With our ever growing family, we need some more space here. We looked into selling our house, but in this market we never be able to buy another one with all that we would lose by selling now. So, we are making our little house a little bigger. We are very excited that there will soon be room for us to grow!

All that we have to do now is wait for our I 797 C approval form- which we anticipate will be in about 30 days or so and then send a copy of that form for a State Seal and then authentication at the Chinese Consulate. Still hoping for an August 21 DTC (Dossier To China) date.

It's Fingerprint Time!

2009-06-11T14:25:00.010-05:00

Mike said that I needed to update this blog. I told him that I had nothing exciting to share, so no one would want to read anything that I wrote anyways...but, now we have a tiny bit of news to share.

We have filed the I 800 A form which will eventually grant us a pre-approval to bring a child from another country into the United States (in this case, from China) that we legally adopt overseas.

Today we received our fingerprint appointments in the mail. I always love getting mail with a return address from the USCIS! The next piece of mail from them that we receive should be our approval letter. Let's hope that it arrives quickly!

The rest of our dossier is ready to go. Once we have the approval letter, we will make a copy of it, get that notarized, sealed by the state and authenticated at the Chinese Consulate. We will be taking the trip to Chicago again to hand deliver the last document to the Chinese Consulate. Some of you will remember the last time we adopted from China and that experience.

For those of you who were not part of our lives back then-- here is the story. (Disclaimer- I am VERY emotional and it was our first adoption. We had Owen's file for a couple of months and I had his picture all over our house. I wanted him home like yesterday when we went to the consulate in Chicago.)

So, Mike and I decided that we were going to take the train to Chicago and walk to the Chinese Consulate (we were guessing about 5-10 minutes) from the train station. We had read on the website that they accepted walk-ins and that they would return our document to us that same day while we waited. It was a Tuesday that we went to Chicago, so we could overnight the dossier to Great Wall for review on Wednesday so that they could send it to China on Friday- their typical dossier day.

We drove to the train station which was about an hour away...and parked the car and waited for our train. It was early and I was tired...and excited too! The train ride was uneventful and we studied the map one more time to make sure we knew where we were going with the address we had for the Chinese Consulate and started our "short" walk. Apparently, I am directionally challenged and clearly had no idea how long the walk would take. After 30 minutes, in the hot summer sun along the Chicago lake shore, we found the street. Then we saw the address...Woo Hooo...were were there. Well, not exactly. We had gone to the wrong place. Wrong address. Wrong building. SO we asked where were supposed to go, looked at our map and walked for another 20 minutes or so to the right place.

Once inside we got in line. The place was packed and the line was long. There were many people holding Chinese passports. I kept looking at the people wondering which one my Owen might look like when he grew up. That made me miss him, so I got a little sad while we waited. Finally, our turn came. We presented our I 171 H form with all the necessary signatures and seals and asked what time we could pick them up. The very nice woman told us that we could not have them back today. We could come back tomorrow for them. That was NOT an option as Mike had to work...and I was not about to drive to the train station, ride the train, walk a bazillion miles, stand in line, pick up my documents and then do the reverse to get home all by myself. So we said, "please mail them to us then." Well, mailing documents costs more money and they did not accept checks like their website said as we were informed while trying to write one for the difference in the costs.

By now I am crying. We needed to get a money order...and we were obviously nowhere near OUR bank. We also needed to get an express mail or FedEx envelope to leave with our paperwork so that they could send it back to us. The FedEx location was not within walking distance and I did not have our account number handy anyways. SO, we ask where the post office is. They also do money orders so we are covered at this point- and we start on another 25 minute walk to the post office. I was really frustrated and yelled at Mike- who was so kind to me through all of this. It was not his fault that things did not go as planned. Sorry Mike! I am crying the whole way there and in line at the post office. People are looking at me like I am insane...(I did not have a tissue either, so my makeup was a runny mess!) We get our money order and the Express envelope and walk back to the consulate in the sun and heat of Chicago in the summer. We get in line again and I am crying again. Our turn comes and we present everything to the man at the window, who tells us to "go home and wait" which makes me cry harder because I am tired of waiting!

We decided to stop to eat lunch and of course I had to tell the waiter why we were there-- since he asked and all. A few more tears, a nice lunch, and we were on our way home. Our documents did arrive at our house two days later and were off to our agency later that day. They made it there by Friday and were on their way to China with the rest of the batch after all!

This time we will be prepared and hopefully there will be a lot less tears!

May 2009

2009-05-20T11:17:00.006-05:00

As I promised, here are some pictures of the kiddos! The boys got their "Summer Haircuts" as Mike called it last night. Aren't they all so sweet?!

China Adoption Update: Yesterday we received word that our home study was APPROVED! That means we can send it to Chicago with our immigration application to get pre-approval to adopt from China! Things are moving along once again. Everything else for our dossier is ready to go with all of their authentications and seals. We still can not submit it to China until August, but at least we will have it ready to send off when August arrives! I read the cutest letter on another blog that I will link (Here) for you to read. She wrote a letter to her immigration approval asking for it to come quickly. It made me laugh when she told the letter that she would jump up and down and hug it close to her chest at the mailbox when it arrived and send it on the journey for state seals and authentications. For those of you who have adopted or are in the process of adopting you know EXACTLY how important that piece of paper is. And, for most of us it is the final piece of our dossier which ultimately brings our child home.

I spoke with Great Wall last week about what we can expect for our wait time. Right now the families that are receiving referrals have waited over 3 years. It can reach 4 years or more at this rate. I have heard rumors that families sending dossiers to China NOW will wait up to 8 years for a referral. Can you imagine?? Some families have chosen to adopt "waiting children" or children with special needs. Many more families are choosing that path these days, and I am so happy that children like my Owen are finding homes quickly. In the past these children often waited a long time to find their families because referrals were coming in 6 months and there was not a lot interest in choosing a waiting child. We are open to many special needs and have expressed that interest to our agency and their waiting child coordinators. I doubt that we will be waiting 8 years or even 3 years to be matched no matter what route or program we ultimately end up on. We can not wait to see which child will be chosen for our family and when! We are willing to wait as long as it takes and know that in God's perfect timing she (or he) will be home with us!

More updates to come as more things start happening here.

Is April almost over?

2009-04-28T18:15:00.010-05:00

I just finished reading A Sane Woman's Guide To Raising A Large Family by Mary Ostyn. She has both biological and adopted children in her home that total 10. I was impressed by how she manages her finances, her laundry, and the day to day issues that arise in her family. I highly recommended her book! We have become a large family in a short time and I think we are more than managing...we are THRIVING! We have had to be creative with space in our house, as well as our finances. Our children do not lack any of the essentials of childhood. They eat plenty of food that is for sure!! Because they all share a room with a sibling, they are learning important life lessons about respect and privacy and how to live with other people. These skills will be important as they go off to college, have roommates and get married and share a home with their spouse. They are pretty lucky that they get to practice this now. And they get plenty of practice!

Well, I hear that this is the week that our agency will review our home study. For those of you who are not adoptive families this means that our case manager (Hi Jessa!) will carefully look at each word in our home study- which is like 15 pages long by the way- and make sure that it contains everything it needs to so that we have the best changes of being granted pre-approval from the US Immigration to bring another child into our home. I am pretty excited because it feels like things are moving again.

We have completed our dossier with the exception of our home study (which will hopefully be approved soon) and our immigration approval (which we need our home study for) and we are good to go. The Chinese Consulate has sealed all of our documents. I can not wait to send that off to China and get it logged in because that means we are officially waiting. I know-- Hurry up and wait! But, with a 36+ month wait, each day could mean another month of waiting. After all, I don't want to be old when our child finally arrives home! :) Ha ha haaaaaaa. (Inside joke and most of you are on the outside. Sorry!)

I just got back from a visit with my friend Maria who lives in Virgina. I had a great little trip (without children) and came home very rested. I was able to get some reading done, sleep in a bit and enjoyed some Ethiopian food at a local Ethiopian restaurant. Here is a picture of us...I have no make up on, but hey, I was going for the natural "relaxed" look! We had a great time together. She also also adopted from Ethiopia and her family is currently at 6 children keeps growing. Two more are on their way home this summer and I know she plans on at least one more after that.

Pictures of the children coming soon, I promise! Here is one of Jackson enjoying his mashed potatoes to hold you over. This child has come so far since we brought him home two years ago. While is still is very challenging to raise and his autism presents several obstacles for him as well as for us as his parents, he still amazes us each day. Oh the joys!

Megan's Birthday!

2009-03-28T10:50:00.004-05:00

Today is Megan's 4th birthday (to the best of our knowledge it is her birthday as we were given several different dates.) I am not certain of the dates of birth for any of my children. Two were placed in a safe area to be found, one lost both his parents to disease and thus all the information surrounding his birthday was lost with them, and one child's documents state several birthdays that we are certain are not correct as there is no way she is a two year old child. So, we have estimates and have done the very best that we can to choose dates that make the most sense. Someone knew the day and time each of these beautiful children were born. Someone was there to hear their fist cries. Someone was there to look into their eyes for the very first time. We think of you often and are so thankful beyond words for your selflessness and love for your child. We love you dear birth mothers!

I am thinking a lot about the woman who gave birth to my daughter. The woman who was so brave and selfless and trusted complete strangers who live on the other side of the world to raise her daughter for her. Thank you for the gift you have given us.

Megan is still not sure what this all means, but I bet next year she will REALLY be excited to be having a birthday. We are trying to explain to her that she is no longer 3 fingers, but four fingers when someone asks how old she is. And, we just got her to say "three" so I can imagine the confusion in her little mind! :)

So, we will say a special prayer for Megan's birth mother today and remember her as we enjoy cake and the fun tonight. We will celebrate that we are a family, and that the members of our family include more people and more love because of the gift of adoption!

Our China adoption is progressing. I have gathered all of the documents for our dossier and had them sealed by the State. This week I faxed copies to Great Wall for their review and once they are approved, I will send them to the Chinese consulate for their authentication. Our home study should be finished soon and then that will be sent off for review before we send the I 800 A application to Chicago. Just a few more steps and we can then send everything to China and start the long wait for our child. Right now the wait for a referral from China through the non-special needs route is 36 months. That could change and become longer (oh, I hope not) or shorter as time goes by.

Updates will be coming soon!

So- where are we at?

2009-02-16T18:38:00.004-06:00

Well...We have the first piece of our dossier here! My employment letter has been notarized and certified by the State of Minnesota. Once we get the next batch of papers certified which include Mike's employment letter, our physicals and our birth and marriage certificates, we will be sending a nice little package to the Chinese Consulate in Chicago for that seal.

Our home study is underway and we have received all the background checks from all the states and counties we have lived in since we were 18 years old. For those of you starting an adoption from a Hague country, be prepared for a few more headaches. Apparently, each state has it own take on the Adam Walsh/Child Abuse Reporting laws and there is no standardized way to obtain or report this information. Be prepared to explain yourself 20 times to 20 people before you reach the right person who can assist you!

We have been very pleased with everyone we have spoken to at Great Wall the past two months. We are looking forward to working with them again! I always tell people that when it comes to choosing your agency, you need to go with your gut. Do your research- talk to families who have used them, call the agency and speak to the program coordinator for the country or countries that you are interested in. Check out the agency's reputation on the Yahoo Groups, and ask your social worker or home study provider who they have had good experiences working with. But at the end of the day, it comes down to who do YOU want to work with for the next 12-36 months? Who do you want on the other end of the phone telling you that you are going to be a mommy?

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at the "Connecting Hearts Through Adoption" conference in Normal, Illinois last week. I left there feeling inspired and was so excited to meet so many wonderful people looking to build their families through adoption. I shared a presentation on the Fears and Fantasies in Adoption. There are so many reasons that people give for not "being able to adopt" and what it really comes down to is fear and loss of control. There are so many things that can and will happen when you make the decision to adopt. It is NOT an easy road, by any stretch of the imagination. However, when I look into the faces of my precious children and see how perfectly they fit into our family...I KNOW that they were chosen for me to bring me joy! They are a blessing!

More updates to come as we navigate the I 800 A and all that fun stuff. We will keep you posted.

Uh Oh!

2009-01-15T18:03:00.005-06:00

My dear friend Sharon has asked me to update everyone...and since it has been a while since I have posted an update on our Tribe, I felt that I would honor her request. Miss you dear friend!

Jackson said his fist words to us the other day. It was "Uh oh!" Both Mike and I were there to hear it, and we have been able to get him to repeat it many times. I dropped something and I said "Uh Oh" and all of a sudden I hear my Little Buddy echo my words. He even said it on the phone for my mother. This is big for him! We are excited that he might actually be able to speak one day. If not, that is OK too. We love him for exactly who he is!

Megan was sick recently, and needed a bath to get all cleaned up. She surprised me and took the washcloth and washed her entire body- and she did a good job. I have been washing her in the tub all this time, not realizing just how self sufficient she is. I guess when you live in an orphanage with so many other kids, you learn how to care for yourself and get your needs met. She continues to amaze us daily. She understands English very well, and will go into these long speeches that are half in English and half in Amharic. I just wish I could understand the other half of her stories because she really gets into them they sound like a lot of fun!

Adoption number 5 is well under way now. We are still working on collecting the background checks, but have made some progress. I can not believe how much paperwork we need for this Chinese adoption! Things sure have changed in 4 years. Our social worker will be making another visit this week to discuss some of the things for our home study. We will discuss the age and gender we are requesting and some other details that need to be included in the documents. Owen wants a brother from China, and he would like to name him "January" which I think is incredibly funny. That kid is something else!

One more update. We DID get Megan's social security card. (See previous post where I was told that we could not get one for her) We received a letter that said one was on the way, and then it arrived. Guess we did have all the paperwork we needed after all. I had a feeling that this would be the case and am relieved that hurdle is over. Now we need a Certificate of Citizenship...sigh...a project for another time. More paperwork, documents are dealings with the government!

I am speaking at an adoption conference in Illinois next month. I will get you more details about that later and if anyone wants to come, you certainly can. There will be a lot of information about adoption (both domestic and international) as well as families that have adopted who will be there to share their stories. Should be very informative and a lot of fun...plus a great way to meet other people who are connected to adoption in some way.

Labor Pains

2008-12-17T13:23:00.004-06:00

I am currently experiencing labor pains. Since Owen let the cat out of the bag, and shared with my mother that we are in fact adopting again...we can announce to all of you that we are headed down the road of adoption one more time!

We have decided to return to China so that Owen will have a sibling that looks like him and shares his heritage. He is a smart cookie and knows that his siblings are Ethiopian and he is not. He also knows that both mom and dad were born in the same state and he was born in China. He is so very proud of being Chinese and has been asking for a sister from China for as long as I can remember. So, our family is growing again!

Anyways, we have started the home study process and since China is now a Hague country, there are many rules that we need to follow and more work we need to do. We need a child abuse clearance for each county that we have lived in since we were 18 years old. Mike and I are lucky in that we have not lived in many places. We knew that the home study process (including these background clearances) will take a long time and our plan is to submit our dossier to China (DTC) in August-- our five year wedding anniversary and one year anniversary with Megan. Good thing we started all of this now! :)

Unfortunately, we have met some road blocks already and I am feeling the frustrations and pains of this process. I was told by the sheriff's department of one counties where I previously lived that I need to hire an attorney, then I was told that I needed to hire a private investigator, and then I was told that it was impossible to get such a clearance. One department of children and family services told me that we needed to get fingerprinted by a certain company in another state and gave us their information. That company said that they can not help us, sent us back to DCFS, and we are caught in a circle. It has been fun! Our home study agency director called us to apologize that things are not easy and we had a good laugh about this mess. This is the reason that agencies are going out of business and families are choosing not to adopt internationally. Sad, really, because there is no reason it needs to be this hard. And, even worse, children will wait longer for their forever families to come bring them home.

So, like any mother, I will work through the pain. I will continue to work hard to get the things done that need to be done because there is a child at the end of all this who will be worth every tear, every struggle, every hassle that we encounter along the way. It is so worth it and you do forget the pain when you see your child's face for the first time.

Please join us for the roller coaster ride to number 5.

Social Security Office?...Sigh.

2008-12-11T21:04:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I decided to head to the nearest social security office to get Megan Ru's social security card. I looked on the website to verify what I needed to bring, and made sure I had everything...Ethiopian Adoption decree, US Adoption decree, Green Card, Passport with US Immigrant Visa stamped by Immigration Services in Chicago and my ID. And, I had all 4 kids with me as Mike was at training.

We waited our turn (about 15 minutes) and took everything to the window with the completed application for a social security number. I gave the nice woman everything that I had. She inspected them, said nothing, and started typing, and typing and typing. Was she sending an e-mail? Was she writing a novel? What was she doing? The kids were getting antsy by now, Megan had to use the potty and Owen wanted to go to a restaurant and eat.

The woman finally speaks, "When was this registered?" she asks holding up Megan's Ethiopian birth certificate. I told her that I had no idea, but the date that it was issued was on the birth certificate. I explained that it was probably registered on that date since this was a NEW birth certificate since she was adopted. More typing.

Finally she tells me that she needs to make copies of everything. 20 minutes later she returns with all my stuff. In the mean time, Megan has used the potty, Owen has thrown all the jackets on the floor and Adam has tried to make a break for it.

I am told that they can not issue a social security card because of our documents. WHAT- are you kidding me??? I tell her that she can and she will. She has enough information there to do it. Megan has a Green Card and an immigrant visa, plus a US Adoption decree. She is eligible to get a social security number. The woman takes everything AGAIN and disappears. Where is she going? Out to lunch? To take a potty break herself? Home for the day?? This is unreal.

When the woman returns she prints out a paper for me to check over and sign and hands me a letter that basically said they need to work on this case and will get back to us in about 4 weeks. Sigh. I just wish that people knew how to do their jobs. We have been through this 3 other times and had issues each time- only to get a social security card sent to us after a phone call stating that we were right all along and they have everything that they need. (Ever heard of training people on how to do these types of applications?!)

When we went to get Owen's card, the woman told us that she had no proof that he immigrated to the US. I held him up and said, "He is right here, is that enough proof?" She had his passport with an IMMIGRANT Visa and a stamp showing he entered the US as an immigrant. Sigh.

As my friend Sharon says, "nothing good ever comes from the social security office."

Oh Happy Adoption Day!

2008-12-03T21:46:00.006-06:00

Well, today was the day that we readopted Megan Ruhama! We can now get her a US birth certificate (well, Certification of Birth Facts) and her Certificate of Citizenship and a US passport. So, this was the first of many more steps we are taking on the journey with our daughter.

The weather was just dreadful. I got stuck in the snow in the street in front of our house on the way to the courthouse. The parking lot was a slushy, wet mess and snow was falling and blowing all over the place.

However, it was a beautiful adoption day. I got to be the one on the witness stand sharing everything we know about Megan, her birth mother and the adoption/immigration process. Mike got to keep Jackson from screaming his head off- which was by far the more difficult task! Owen and Megan sat in the chairs and watched the judge and mommy talk. The order was entered and we each got a Hershey Kiss from the judge to celebrate.

Here are a few pictures.

Waiting for our turn...

Owen and Megan listening to the hearing

Mommy and Megan outside the courthouse. Brrr....

I am officially Megan Ruhama now!

First Snowfall

2008-11-24T09:18:00.011-06:00

Megan saw her first snow fall today. Not too sure what to make of the cold wet stuff under her feet, but she saw her brothers enjoying it and joined in the fun. I can not wait until they are all little bit older when they will be outside building snow forts and throwing snowballs at each other (until one of them comes in crying and Mom makes them stop!)

Day at the Hospital

2008-11-21T14:00:00.005-06:00

Today Jackson had his MRI. We are trying to learn more about the WHY he is so delayed and to see if he has any damage to his brain. His head in not shaped properly (large, flat in spots, bumps in others,) and his doctor wanted to see what was going on. He did really well- they sedated him- and he managed not to scream for the majority of our time at Children's Hospital. Praise God for showing me mercy.

While we were at the hospital, we took a trip up to see Samuel. Wow!! He looks good. He showed me his legs and how he can move them. He was in a good mood, although Carole said he was less that pleasant earlier this morning. Sam was hitting me in the head with his sock monkey, showing off the new whale balloon and just being silly. It was great to see him like that! Jackson and Carole cuddled for a bit, he had some more juice, and then he got cranky so we said goodbye to Carole and Sam and made the trek back home.

As soon as we have the results, we can hopefully learn more about Jackson and his disabilities and what we are facing. Maybe the MRI will not reveal any more than we already know now. No matter what, our love for him will not change, nor will the way that we care for him and his needs.

This is my favorite photo from the week since it is time for another Favorite Photo Friday...this is Adam and his eyelashes after his bath! What good looking kids we have, huh?

Another Favorite Photo Friday

2008-11-14T11:16:00.002-06:00

It has been a week...Where does the time go?
Megan and Jackson are getting along well! I love that my children are so good to each other and that they love each other so much! They will benefit from growing up in a "big" family and will always have each other by their side as they go through life. Who could ask for anything more?

Favorite Photo Friday

2008-11-07T11:43:00.002-06:00

Fall is here

2008-11-04T12:40:00.004-06:00

Check out my beautiful children and the beautiful colors of fall!

437

2008-10-25T21:04:00.011-05:00

Did you know that the average 4 year old asks 437 questions each DAY...

No wonder I am so exhausted! With one 4 year old and one almost 4 year old, that is 874 questions a day that I answer. I am much busier than I thought!

Megan has been identifying pictures in books and objects around the house and I can hardly keep up with her growing knowledge base. She made me laugh the other day when she came up to me with a page from her coloring book that had a picture of a store in it. She proudly announced "Shopping!" She sure does like to shop (which we discovered while still in Ethiopia) and we are going to have our hands full when she is a teenager if this fascination with shopping continues.

We have finally settled into a nice routine and things have been really pleasant these past couple weeks. I am now greeted with "Hi Mom" when I enter a room and a hug when I come home. Megan also is very interested in what Mike is doing and likes to help him fix things. She calls out "Daddy" many times a day just to see where he is and what he is doing. It is very sweet.

On a sad note, we did have to find Laney, our Boxer puppy a new home. It was just too much for all of us and Jackson really did not do well with her. She would try to kiss him (and you know he hates anyone or anything in his large bubble of space) so he would scream LOUDLY and then everyone would be upset including Laney. We found her a very nice home with two boys to play with. They sent us pictures of her, and she looks very well taken care of. We miss her and Adam was very upset when she left and he keeps saying "Laney bye bye" and we keep telling him that she has a new home where they love her a lot. He has no idea what that means, but I hope that one day he will understand that we had to do what was best for all of us, including Laney.

Owen and Megan went to the pumpkin patch with preschool and LOVED it. Mike went with them and I stayed back while Jackson had therapy and Adam took a nap. Here are a couple of pictures. I really do have some good looking kiddos!!

Mike and Owen went fishing last week...Owen was so proud of his "big catch" and had a lot of fun fishing- that is until his hat blew off and went into the lake. It was finally rescued and all is well. Owen has been fascinated with fishing for several months now, and we bought him a fishing pole for his birthday. He was so excited to go down to the lake and he caught 4 fish. (ALL the fish we returned to the lake by the way, and one was immediately scooped up by a seagull after its release back into the lake and taken away for lunch.)

Tagged

2008-10-17T17:43:00.010-05:00

I have been tagged by Kimberly! I think that she just wanted me to visit my own blog and post an update on Miss Megan Ru...but anyways, I am up for the fun and will share the 7 random facts about myself. And since I am here and typing, I will also let you all know how things have been going with our newest family member.

Here are my 7 Random Facts about myself

1. My favorite condiment is sour cream. I put it on and in almost everything including Tonitos Pizza Rolls which is a great snack.

2. I love watching stupid old TV reruns. Most of these shows were not really good in their day in the 80's and 90's, and still are really not worth the time. But, I like them and I will watch them, even if the same episode was on like a week before. Often I stay up way to late (waiting for Mike to come home from work) wasting my time watching these shows.

3. My sister refers to me at "My Mermaid Sister" because I take very long baths at night after my children go to bed. Usually I read in the bathtub...I have also eaten while in the bathtub (many times) and would sleep in there if I could.

4. My major and undergraduate degree in college was English. I went back and got my teaching license and then went back AGAIN and got my special education license for elementary education.

5.I have to open like 7 or 8 dozen cartons of eggs before I put them in my cart. I often trade out what Mike calls "perfectly good" eggs for better ones. I like them to be opaque white with no spots on them.

6.I have an irrational fear of catching and dying from Rabies. I got the Rabies series (3 shots) before I went to Ethiopia in 2007. I was so worried about Rabies while we were in China that I would walk 100 feet out of my way to avoid an encounter with a dog on the street and spent countless hours stressing over it. So, I decided that I would get the shots to give myself a bit of peace of mind. I feel better since I will have a chance at living should a rabid animal cross my path and infect me.

7. I am very sensitive and take things way too personally. Enough said about that one.

There you have it...7 things about me that you probably did not know before!

I am going to tag the following people. I am working on finding 7 people who have not been tagged already.

Check out their blogs, because I do.

Brooke
Carole
Christy
Sharon

Now onto the Megan Ru updates!
We have had a great couple of weeks. We have gotten past the angry outburst where Megan would urinate on the floor. What a relief. She will still refuse to do certain things-- like get ready for bed-- but then again all of my children do and she is pretty normal in that regard.

She is learning a lot of English and will now use that with Mike and I. Just a few minutes ago she came up to me and showed me a picture of a fish in a book and said, "fish" which made her so proud! She will say "yes please" when she is offered something (well, something that she likes) and has learned to ask for juice and water and lunch and dinner. She is still very fond of food and eats large amounts all day long.

We took her to the dentist and she needs one tooth pulled and several more have large cavities that need to be filled. Poor thing. I have bad teeth too and have many fillings and crowns and have had a tooth pulled too so I know what she is going through.

Her teacher at preschool reports to us daily that she is doing really well. She follows the routines and listens to the teachers and cleans up when asked. Megan and Owen are in the same class and they have a great time! They went to the pumpkin patch last week and picked out pumpkins and climbed on the haystacks.

All in all, our adjustment and bonding with Megan has been great! She is a wonderful little girl and we are SO lucky that we get to be her parents. I will continue to share pictures and stories of our Megan Ru.

Samuel Phillipson Fund

2008-10-07T14:12:00.003-05:00

An account is set up at the Premier Bank in Sullivan Wisconsin to help out the Phillipson family during their time of need. Samuel will need many more surgeries over the next few months and he will have a lengthy stay at Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. Plus, they will need to make accommodations to their home and vehicle to allow Samuel to be able to get around in his environment. All of this will come at a hefty price.

We can not imagine what a rough road lies ahead for this wonderful family. We do know that our God will supply all of our needs as He promises in His word. Let's help supply for the needs of Marty and Carole in this time of tragedy.

"The Samuel Phillipson Fund"

Checks can be sent to:
Premier Bank
PO Box 38
Sullivan, WI 53178

In case you are local and want to drop off a donation-
their street address is:
154 Main Street
Sullivan, WI 53178
(262) 593-2227

Checks should be made to Samuel Phillipson Fund or to Carole Phillipson with Samuel Phillipson Fund in the memo portion.

Acts 4:32,34 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. There were no needy persons among them."

This is Samuel Phillipson

Call out for Prayers

2008-10-04T20:53:00.003-05:00

Our dear friends Marty and Carole can use your prayers.

As you know, Marty and Carole brought home two boys, Paul and Samuel from Ethiopia the week before we brought home Megan. They have a daughter from China and a biological daughter as well at home.

Their son Samuel- who is only 3 years old, was in a terrible accident today and is in very serious condition and they need your prayers so that this little one can live. He has already lost part of both his legs, and his left arm is severely damaged at the elbow and shoulder and he is fighting for his life. There is damage to his pelvis, buttocks and back. He has had a colostomy which they hope will be temporary. Praise God that his spine and head were not harmed though!

He was airlifted to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee. He will need many surgeries over the next few days.

Pray for this family. Pray without ceasing.

Bad Blogger!

2008-10-03T08:01:00.012-05:00

I know I have been a bad blogger- and it has been a while since I updated everyone. Sorry! 4 children ages 4 and under really makes life busy! Jackson has had a rough couple of weeks which has made things hard for all of us. We knew he would struggle when Megan came home and he really is. Some of the behaviors we though we had already overcome with him are now back and some new ones have also surfaced.

Jackson...pushing his brother

Our adjustment with Megan has been pretty smooth all things considered. Compared to bringing Adam and Jackson home, ANYTHING would be smoother than those first weeks no matter what! We have seen Megan come into her own here and she has some certain behaviors that we will need to work on. But overall, we must say that we have had a pretty easy month.

Miss Megan has now decided that Dad is the bomb and, well, Mom is just someone who cooks her food and cleans up after her. (Insert Big Deep Sigh here!) She absolutely refuses to look at me or talk to me. She will intentionally turn her head when I ask her to do something- she likes to pretend that I am not there. If I take her by the hand and lead her to the task, she will stomp away, turn on the TV and sit on the sofa. I am thinking about taking the TV out of the living room.

When she is playing with Owen and I am in the other room (and she can not see me,) she uses a lot of English...I am amazed at how much actually. But, when I am in the room- not a single word. She will use English with Mike to get what she wants like juice or a snack. By the way, she is another one who can pack away the food. Seems like she is always hungry (for certain foods though!) and can not get enough to eat.

We have been working with her so that she is not hitting or pushing the boys to get what she wants. She has also started urinate on the floor to show us when she is mad. It is not an accident as sometimes she will actually pull her pants down. This happens only when she is made to do something she does not want to do like pick up toys or go to bed. This is lovely and we now have her help us clean up. Since we started handing her the paper towels that has decreased sharply. She is dry at night and most days there are no messes to clean up. It could be worse as we have heard stories from other adoptive parents that have had more messes to clean up and behaviors to work on.

We have been though this before in varying degrees with all of our children when they joined our family. Owen would not allow me to touch him for 6 weeks when he came home. Adam would scream with all he had in him if Mike even looked in his direction for several weeks after his arrival. Jackson only wanted the person who was feeding him at the time (and he still does in all honesty.) We know not to take any of this personally and that things will get better. Our daughter is trying to comprehend what has happened to her, and she is grieving a huge loss. I think that she is doing pretty well when you think about how traumatic an event she just experienced.

Unfortunately, we had to get Megan a short hair cut. The stylist that was going to braid her hair said that it was really damaged and even after the treatments she put in it, it was a tangled mess. So she is sporting a supermodel short style.

What a smile- like the new do?

Last night I had a dream that I lived in Ethiopia. As some of you know, it would be a dream for me to live in Ethiopia. That probably will not happen anytime soon...but I am thinking that I will be visiting Ethiopia again late fall. The plan is to deliver more supplies and visit with some more children. We will NOT be adopting at this time, but I can see that happening in the future too. I have made a new friend with YWAM and now have their list of needs. SO- if anyone has anything they want to get to Ethiopia for orphans in need, please send it our way! More details to come soon!

Apple Picking

2008-09-19T20:57:00.010-05:00

Megan Ru and Owen went apple picking this week with their preschool class. Mike went with them to make sure that they felt comfortable and that Megan would not be afraid or anything. Megan and Owen are in the same class which has been the best thing for both of them. They are making friends and having a great time.

Megan is adjusting well. She is trying more foods and sleeping really well. We can not believe how quickly she is getting into the swing of things and establishing a routine.

She still will not allow me to style her hair. We have the name of a woman who is going to put some braids in for us...hopefully Megan will keep them in!

It has been such a joy to watch her develop a relationship with her brothers. They play trucks and trains, color together and push each other on the swings. What a special bond they have already and will have forever! Many of you know just how much Owen wanted a sister and how excited he was to hear we were adopting a sister for him. No one can forget the excitement when we told him she was coming home from "Youpia" (Ethiopia) as he calls it! Apparently she was just as excited to learn she was going to have brothers at home. The two of them are inseparable...

Thank you for all of your prayers for a smooth transition...God answered them!

Trip Wrap Up

2008-09-11T14:05:00.017-05:00

OK, here it is!
I have been reading your e-mails begging me to post some pictures of the trip and to give you some more details of what our Ethiopian Experience was like. So here goes.

This will only capture a few details of what we saw and did. As I told Mike last time I returned from Ethiopia and now after being there himself has agreed with me- there really is no way to describe this to someone who was not there.

We arrived in Ethiopia on time- and no one was there to meet us at the airport. Our luggage all arrived and it was not in exactly the same condition that we originally left it in, but it was nothing major.

After several attempts to reach our attorney, we ended up going to the desk for the Sheraton to get some assistance and the nice man there helped us in hiring 2, yes 2 taxis to take us and all the luggage to the hotel. We made it and the luggage made it. I was not so sure because they tied it all to the top of the cars, but nothing was lost or damaged. We ate dinner, took showers and went to bed.

The next day we met our Megan Ruhama and it was wonderful. I have posted about that day already, so I will not go into too many details. She was so brave and it was a perfect day! We brought the bins that were packed for KVI with us and we know that each item in them will be put to good use. We saw where they store their "excess" items and let me tell you there was not much there. We had a great time hanging out with the children at KVI. Each one of them is very special.

The next day we delivered the next batch of donations/supplies to the Thomas Center. I am so thankful to all of you who helped us gather up the requested supplies and brought them to us! You have made a difference in the life of a child.

We went to the embassy, Megan's Visa was processed and we were able to get the German transit Visa. More paperwork! We did some shopping and tried to select some items that will represent our children's culture and heritage. Megan picked out a leather camel. I love it! I hope to be able to celebrate and embrace their history each day as that is so much of who they are and who they will be.

I was able to visit the AWOP Hosanna House and that was quite a trip. In my post that I have titled "The Terrible Beauty" you can read all about the drive there. We were stopped by the police many times along the way. Most looked at me in the back of the van and waived the driver on. One time the van was inspected and the last time we were stopped, the police officer pointed at me and instructed the driver to open the van. I thought I was headed to Ethiopian prison, but after the officer took out all the bins, I assumed that they were being confiscated. Funny thing is, the bins were filled with baby formula, diapers, clothes and school supplies. Nothing terribly exciting- but certainly needed by the orphanage. I said a prayer for their safe delivery and as it turns out, we just had to put the bins on TOP of the van. Not sure of the logic behind that...but we complied and we were on our way. Once I arrived, I was met by children laughing and smiling. This place is filled with so much hope. We delivered the last of the supplies and I was never so glad in my life to be leaving luggage!

One of the hardest things to do on this trip was to meet Megan Ruhama's birth mother. We had the opportunity to meet with her two times. Her story is filled with much sadness as well and we pray that she will be safe and prosper in the future. We have decided not to share those details with anyone right now as there are a lot of things that should remain private. We will share all of it with Megan Ruhama when she is old enough to be handle all that information. For now we will make it clear how much her birth mother loved her and wanted her to have the best. She told us that she wanted Ruhama to be a doctor when she grows up. She and I hugged for a long time. I can not tell you how much respect and love I have for this woman! Her last words to me were "Thank you" and then she said, "I love you too." The absolute hardest thing to witness in my life was when she left the gates of KVI in tears holding her face in her hands.

I will end on a high note here. There is so much that I can choose to say, and some things I will write about in future posts. But, this is worth sharing with all of you- especially those of you who donated money to our mission. Since Lufthansa waived the fees for the extra bags we were taking, we had some money to use in Ethiopia for supplies. We bought formula and baby cereal and soap and used some for the costs associated with hiring the driver and fuel for the trip to Hosanna House to deliver their bins, but we felt led to do something BIG. We asked the director of KVI what he needed for his children and what would make things easier for everyone there. We were prepared to buy food, clothes, whatever. Eyob shared that they really could use a clothes washer. So we asked how much it would cost and it turns out that is EXACTLY what we had left. No kidding. So we went out an happily bought one for KVI. Here are a couple of pictures of that. Can you imagine hand washing clothes for 40 children? Neither can I. Now, they no longer have to. Praise God!

The "Old" way of washing clothes in buckets by hand

The "New" Way of washing clothes in a washer!

Thank you all for your prayers and support during the last few months. We felt the hand of God upon us the entire time. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Our Megan Ru is an amazing child and we know what a gift she is to us.

Adjusting to our new life

2008-09-09T15:53:00.005-05:00

Megan Ru has been getting used to the routine around here. She will say Mama when she wants a treat like a cookie or chocolate, but other than that no English yet. She does not like when I vacuum and will run and hide. She was screaming every time she saw one of the dogs, but now will tolerate them being in the same room. She will allow Mike to be near her too- which is a HUGE relief for all of us. She enjoys her brothers very much...She is also quite "curious" and finding things like the washer very fun to fiddle with. Sigh!

Meals have been very limited for her. She was really only eating bananas, but today we turned a corner. I made tacos with ground chicken and she took the flour tortilla and broke it off and scooped up the meat and ate it in the traditional Ethiopian fashion of using injera to scoop up Ethiopian stews. I had to laugh. You can take the child out of Ethiopia, but you can not take Ethiopia out of the child! She ate quite a bit and I am relieved that I have found something she likes to eat.

Megan Ru has made it VERY clear to me that she will not tolerate me fixing her hair. She loves it free and keeps admiring it in the mirror. Every attempt at styling it has been met with an annoyed look and her promptly and forcefully removing any rubber band, clip, head band, tie, etc from her hair and rearranging the curls so that they are free to be! So, I have decided that my time is better spent on other things. She knows what she likes and I am fine with that.

She and the boys are bonding very well. She likes to play cars and trains with them and climb on the furniture and jump off with them. They were meant to be siblings and it as if they have always been together!

We are all so very excited to have Megan Ru as a part of our family. My mother met us at the airport to welcome Megan to America. She was excited to be a part of it, and she has officially been at the arrival of all 6 of her grandchildren both through birth and adoption. Here they are in Chicago.

I promise I will post about our trip soon. There is so much that I want to share about what we did and saw...Hang tight just a bit longer!

We made it home safely

2008-09-07T12:33:00.007-05:00

Hello!
It is great to be back in the US and to sleep in our own bed. We had a nice trip home, no travel delays and nice flights. Of course, it is always taxing to be on a plane for 20 hours, but other than that things were just fine.

Owen and Adam came home yesterday and Jackson will be delivered later today. Mike will pick up the dogs- who I am sure are READY to come home by now and we all will be together at last.

Megan Ruhama is having a hard time adjusting, but does seem to like her brother Owen quite a bit. She is unsure of what to make of Mike still. We go back and forth between liking him and not.

She did finally eat something this morning...half a doughnut and a few bites of egg. We brought some Mango juice and she had some of that. I am planning to make some Doro Wat later and some Beef Tibs because she ate both of those in Ethiopia. If she does not eat them I can freeze them for another time.

Last night I gave Megan Ru a bath and she loved it. It was the happiest that I have seen her! I washed her hair and put conditioner and spray in it. It looked nice last night...and today, well...you can see from the picture that we have some work to do! I had put a nice headband in her hair that she ripped off. I tried some ponytails in her hair that she is now wearing on her wrist. She however, will not wear the bracelets that we bought for her as a side note here! :)

I will post some thoughts and details about our trip in a bit. I have a lot to share and some great pictures to post. I just wanted everyone to know we made it home!

Ethiopia - The Terrible Beauty

2008-09-04T20:09:00.003-05:00

Mike and I own a DVD of Bob Geldorf in Africa. He refers to Ethiopia as the "Terrible Beauty" and today I discovered why.

We had planned a trip to the Hosanna House, to deliver the last of the donations/supplies we had collected and to snap a few pictures of some children who are coming home to friends of ours.

Since Megan Ruhama has been having a hard time, Mike decided to stay back with her and I chose to go alone on the 4+ hour drive each way and I am so glad that I went.

With the help of the person that Michelle works with in Ethiopia, we arranged for a car and driver to come meet me at the hotel and the secretary of the above mentioned contact accompanied me on the journey. We met at 7:00am and the bins were loaded up and we were on our journey.

Most people do not get to see the Ethiopia that I did today...Along the countryside once you are far enough away from the city of Addis Ababa you can see the green fields with mountains in the background...colors so bold and true that mother nature made Ethiopia her purest painting.You can also see the people of Ethiopia in a way that most will not ever experience...

I was able to see children no older than my boys (4 and 2) tending to the herds of cattle. Babies were strapped to the backs of other children- no more than babies themselves. I saw children bare bottoms, bloated bellies running through the grass and dirt with sticks.

The women were washing their clothing in the shallow stream of chocolate milk colored water against large rocks. I saw men and women along the narrow roads carrying loads on their backs that weighed much more than they did.

Cattle and mules and goats were bound at their legs and heads with scraps of rope or cloth to prevent them from leaving or even moving much. Homes were made from sticks and mud and grass in the traditional Toukoul fashion- no electricity, no water, no bigger than one room for the entire family.

So much of what I saw will not be written here as I can not bear to write down what I can only describe as haunting and will forever be a part of my Ethiopian experience.

All of this was strangely beautiful.

Visa and Birth Mother Day

2008-09-03T12:21:00.003-05:00

We started out the day going to get the photo for the visa to take to the German Embassy. In the effort if saving some time, I took a taxi with Megan Ruhama to the only photo place in the city that does passport photos. Seriously, only one.

The front desk manager called and arranged my ride...I probably should have been scared, as I had no idea where I was going or with whom, but it all seemed safe enough. Got it done in no time! She is cute and photographs well.

Then we were picked up at the hotel by our agency driver. We met our attorney and he took us to the German Embassy. I am so glad to be an American citizen- enough said. We filed the paperwork for Ruhama's transit visa and our attorney will pick it up for us tomorrow as we will be on our trip to the Hosanna House.

It took a long time simply because it takes FOREVER to drive anywhere in Ethiopia and then we had to wait and wait for our turn. I think we ended up cutting in line some how. It is done and it was easier than I thought. Then we went back to the hotel for lunch and a nap. We were all very tired and just needed a break in the day.

We received a phone call to be ready at three to go to the Thomas Center. So we got our bag ready and went downstairs. We arrived at the Thomas Center and were told to leave Ruhama there and to get back into the van to go to the office.I kind of had a feeling what was going on, but no one said anything. Ruhama cried when we left her and I felt badly about that. I INSISTED that the driver tell her we would be back and he did.

We got to the office and were told Ruhama's mother was upstairs. I did not have the pictures I wanted to give her and I was dressed in my Goodwill clothes. (At least I had make up on!)Let me just tell you that Ruhama's birth mother is incredibly beautiful. Mike says that if Ruhama looks like her (and she is a spitting image of her by the way) that we are SO in trouble when she becomes a teenager!

We spoke for about 15 minutes and took some pictures. I will not share what I learned as this is Ruhama's story to tell when she gets older, but we learned a lot and I am so very grateful to have had this opportunity.

There is a lovely picture of her birth mother and I hugging that hopefully will comfort Ruhama when she older and is angry that her "real" mother is not the one telling her what to do and that she can see that her birth mother wanted her to be with us.

We are going to let her and Ruhama see each other one last time on Friday before we leave. She asked for that, and while I initially did not want that to happen, on further evaluation, it is going to be important for both of them.

After that emotional event, we went back to the Thomas Center for the celebration and good bye ceremony. It was beautiful and I have some nice pictures.

Unfortunately, Mike's tummy is still "off" so we skipped the dinner party. Ruhama was so tired anyways, so it was best for us to go back to the hotel. I was instructed to call Eyob, who is the director of KVI- the place where Ruhama has been living since January. He shared some details about Ruhama that we did not know and how he prayed for her and that the right mother would adopt her. He said he wants to meet us and we have that set up for Friday as well.

Tomorrow is our big trip to the Hosanna House. I will hopefully be able to tell you all about that when we get back.

Thanks for the prayers and keep them coming,
Diane

Day 3 in Ethiopia ...

2008-09-02T16:29:00.006-05:00

Hello,
First of all, Mike is not feeling well- so say a prayer for him so that we can finish this trip healthy.

Now, on to the Megan Ruhama stuff...

We had one SAD child today, and we were very worried about her. I took her to the embassy with me to file the papers while Mike stayed back at the hotel to rest. She did not want to stay with him and was crying that I was leaving. So, she came with me to the Embassy and sat on my lap for 2 hours.

When we got back, Mike went down to pay for our room and asked if someone could help us speak to Megan Ruhama and ask what we could do to help her. The hotel manager whomw e had become very fond of, came up to ask Megan Ru what was wrong...she was very nice and spoke to Megan Ruhama for a long time. We like this woman very much and she is beautiful!

Guess what? She had NO idea that she was leaving the orphanage for good. She wanted her friend to come get her and bring her back because she missed the other kids. No wonder she was sad. The manager explained that we were her new mom and dad and that this hotel was only temporary. The two chatted for several minutes about the airplane and America and her brothers at home. Immediately we saw a different child!
As a side note here, we have video of Megan Ruhama receiving our care package and being told of us and our family in America and it was translated by the orphanage director. It must be so hard for her to try to understand what that all means though.

We then rested for a few minutes and went to the Embassy. Hooray- her US Visa will be ready tomorrow and then we can get her German Visa and we will be ready to go...

Dinner for Megan Ruhama was french fries and cake with a glass of Mango Juice- HER choice of course. That will stop when we are home, but for now, I am OK with it.

We got back up to the room and she and Mike have been chatting and laughing. Great progress! The other hotel manager/owner got us the Cartoon Network on the TV for Megan Ruhama and has lent us the lap top to use for the night.

Things are looking up. If Mike's tummy is feeling better soon we will be very happy!
Tomorrow is another day at the Thomas Center and the German Visa task. Thursday is the trip to Hosanna House and Friday is the trip home...

Owen and Adam update ...

2008-09-02T10:15:00.007-05:00

Hello! This is Kimberly and I'm doing the posting for Mike and Diane while they are in Ethiopia. Owen is staying with his friends Molly and Brynn and Adam is nearby in the neighborhood staying with his new friends Danny and Maggie. While we're sure that they are missing their mommy and daddy, we are all making sure they are keeping busy and having a great time! They've been to the county fair and we've also had a Labor Day pool party/barbecue! Here are some photos of these little L's ... hopefully they'll hold you over until the photos of the newest little L arrive!

Day Two with Megan Ru ...

2008-09-01T18:44:00.004-05:00

First things First...
We are now at the Jupiter International Hotel. It has hot water, a toilet that you can sit on and two beds. And, a novel idea, you can walk into the bathroom facing forward. It is also much nicer and we have more room to move. We still have most of the supplies as we will not be going to the Hosanna House until Thursday...so we needed a bigger room. Much happier now. :)

We went to the "Old" Thomas Center today which is now the CHI office to do the paperwork. It took forever.Oh, how I wish we were done with the paperwork. The dossier was enough, then then immigration and sponsorship...
and the visas....The women all did the paperwork while the men tended to the children today.

Megan Ru is having attachment issues as we thought she might. She will go to everyone BUT us...and she will deliberately walk away from us to seek out another person's help, hand or affections. She is going through the normal grieving...it is hard for all of us. She told the waitress at lunch that she was scared. Everyone keeps telling her that she is OK. She gets her mad face a lot and gives Mike the "Stink Eye" several times a day. She did let him comfort her when I was laying down (got a bit car sick- as usual) after our trip to Bambi's and the Post Office Stores. As a side note, I have plenty of Dramamine, and will be taking it BEFORE we get in the car from now on! She will let me carry her when we are alone, but when we are with other families or our attorney, she will hold their hands.

We had lunch at the new hotel and then went shopping. We got a few small things before the rain started and we went to Bambi's for some water and snacks.
Nothing exciting to report. Tomorrow is Embassy date. Hopefully that will go well and we will get her Visa so we can go to the German Embassy and get the transit Visa and leave on time. I am ready to get going now. We are tired (it is 2:00 am in Ethiopia and I am still awake) and Megan Ru and Mike are sleeping.

We will keep you posted on our adventures!

We Meet ...

2008-08-31T14:32:00.004-05:00

We have her! What a day! So we get a call at 7:30 from our attorney Abdissa who wants to know what we wanted to do today. I of course ask to see Megan Ruhama. He agrees and says to be ready between 9 and 9:30 and the other family will be with us so we need a bus as they are adopting 3 children and they have their father with them as well.

At 9:15 we are downstairs waiting anxiously and about 9:45 we are picked up and on the way to KVI. We hear 'this is KVI' and I start to cry. Two the other family's kids are at the gate waiting for us jumping up and down. They run into the car and we take pictures for them. It was beautiful and we are so fortunate to be a part of that moment.

Then Abdissa gets out and brings us Ruhama. Our first meeting is in the back of the van. Not how I pictured it would be, but still every bit as wonderful. She sees us and she grabs onto Mike and they hug. She looks confused. Then I hold her and she clings to my neck for dear life. She is wet (splashing in puddles is universal to children!) Her hair smells sweet and her skin is cool and smooth. I can see that she has no idea what is going on, but she is acting brave. She and the nannies speak and she nods and answers with many words. (Just like her mommy- she is a talker!)

We get out of the van and meet the other children- about 30 of them- get a tour, have coffee in the traditional ceremony. We pass out the granola bars we brought and the other family hands out suckers. We give one of the nannies our totes full of donations and we spend a little more time in the main room of the orphanage with all the other children and the nannies. Then we are told we have to leave.

So we ask with or without our children. No one knows at this point what will happen. Mike and I will accept whatever decision is made we know we will have many years with our daughter. Not sure what the rules are and even if she wants to come with us so we wait for direction and are prepared to say goodbye to our daughter for now if need be.

The nannies ask the three other children if they want to leave or stay and they choose leave with their mom and dad. They were so excited and run to the van. I assume Ruhama will want to stay as she is shy and loves the nannies very much...but she grabs my hand and with such affirmation, declares that she too is leaving. I cried.

We walk out the door hand in hand. Picture perfect moment. One of the best ones of my life- right up there with seeing Owen behind the door at the Civil Affairs Building in Shanxi, China, being handed Adam and Jackson in the office of Toukoul Orphanage, marrying Mike in the most beautiful church on the most beautiful day, watching Bennett take his first breath after being born...I am so lucky to have such amazing experiences. My God loves me a lot to allow me such blessings!

We visit the Thomas Center (the CHI Care Center) where we have a snack and soda...Megan Ruhama had about 10 cookies and a Pepsi. Yes, a Pepsi in a family of Coke drinkers...that will have to be worked on once we arrive home! We leave and drop off the other family at their guest house. Megan Ruhama loves their place and the clothes they packed for their two new daughters. We say goodbye and get back into the van.

Then we come back to the hotel. Ruhama is very interested in the suitcases and we show her the dolls we got her and the Wonder Color paints. Then it hits her. She is all alone with two white people in a tiny hotel room and the crying starts. She cries and cries and cries...I try to comfort her but am met with her hands hitting my legs and arms, so I back away knowing she NEEDS to grieve. She allows Mike to pick her up and she calms down for a bit. They color and play with the Barbie doll we packed. I fall asleep on the bed while she and Mike play and bond.

The Wonder Color Markers do not work on other paper, which angers her. Then it starts again. The high pitched cries from in her soul. The cries of a child that just lost everything. I feel a sense of guilt so strong that I think that I should just take her back to KVI so she is at peace again. It will only prolong the grieving process and is really not wise at this point and logic returns. I must do something to comfort her. The sounds pierce my soul in a way that I could not even begin to describe. So, I bring her onto the bed and she shows interest in the Sponge Bob Band-Aids on the side table in the bag of medicines. She is currently wearing two...and she does not have any boo boos which is something that her brother Owen loves to do. I take the photo book we sent as it has her picture on the cover and she looks at it and stops crying. I lay her down on my pillow and she falls asleep...we all do. She is still sleeping in bed now. Not sure what will happen when she awakes- more crying I am sure. She talks a lot- I mean A LOT, but we do not understand her. Maybe that is a good thing at this point as I do not want to hear how much she wants to leave us. She looks at me when I speak to her. I guess she is really 4 as she is so bright and verbal.

We have not attempted to change her yet. She does have the new shoes on (in bed) because her old ones are wet and smelly and WAY too small. So are her clothes and she has boys underwear on as well. I mention this only because I am memorizing the details of today and not to point out that something is wrong. She does not know or care that her clothes are not hers or not the right size. She is happy and healthy and was very loved. We can tell she was loved and that is all that matters.

I will update again soon. We have a busy week planned and I am sure that Megan Ruhama will find some peace and acceptance.

The bags are all packed

2008-08-29T08:41:00.006-05:00

And we are READY TO GO!!!! The day has finally arrived. (Not that this adoption has taken very long in all honesty- but we are anxious to meet our little girl.)

So, we are off to Ethiopia with a stop in Chicago and Germany along the way...soon to meet our amazing daughter and to deliver some desperately needed supplies. We are also going to be the paparazzi for several children who have parents waiting to bring them home. Oh- I am so excited.

Next time we talk it will be from Ethiopia (via Kimberly)

Owen is ready for his vacation trip to Molly's house and to meet his new sister. She is all he talks about! "My sister coming home, and mommy and daddy take plane go get her and I sweep Morry's house! Hooray!"

Our Prayer Requests

2008-08-28T23:06:00.003-05:00

In 12 hours we will be leaving for Chicago to begin the 30+ hour journey to Ethiopia. I can not believe we are leaving. Here we come!

We ask for your prayers while we are gone. We are going to need them

Here is our list of specific prayer requests:

For Health and Safety while traveling and in Ethiopia.

Peace and security for our children who are with three different generous and caring families.

All of our supplies make it to their destination on time and in the original condition that we packed them in- NO lost or damaged luggage!

For Ruhama (Megan) that she is brave and understands what is happening to her and why we are taking her away from her friends.

For Laney (our newest puppy dog) who ate an onion...long story but it can make her sick- really sick- and I worry about her.

Thank you!

We have asked a dear friend to post updates to the blog for us while we are gone. Hopefully we will be able to send her an e-mail or two. We will update everyone as soon as we return with pictures and stories of our travels.

Glimpse of our daughter

2008-08-25T21:49:00.005-05:00

One of the AWOP/CHI families in in Ethiopia right now meeting their son who happens to be at the KVI Care Center with our Ruhama (who now has been named Megan...Yes we did FINALLY agree on a name, thank you very much!)

They are having a wonderful time and were able to post a video of their "Gotcha Day" which included several pictures of our sassy little girl! She is just too cute in her pink sweater and silly smile.

Here is the link to their blog. Here is the video

What a beautiful day for them.

Only four more days until we are on our way. Wooooo Hooooo!

One week to go

2008-08-22T08:32:00.011-05:00

This is our friend Marty loading up his van with the supplies that we brought over for them to deliver to AHOPE for us when they arrive in Ethiopia!

One week to go...
Most of that packing is done for the trip. That is aside from our personal items, everything for the boys who are going to three different places and the dogs who will be at the Pet Resort while we are gone.

Our friends Marty and Carole are leaving tomorrow and we are sending 6 totes with them to deliver to AHOPE as well. We will be seeing them later today and praying with them for a safe trip, peace and courage for their two boys who are joining their family and all the supplies that they are bringing with them that God assists in a safe delivery to the intended places.

We are so amazed at how God has provided in abundance for this trip! It just shows us how His heart really is with the orphans in need and how he cares for each of these precious children.

While I am personally disappointed that we can not take every last item that was donated to us along for this trip, I know that God had a reason. I imagine with in the next couple of months one or both of us will be back on a plane headed to Addis with more supplies. As Mike reminded me, God knows what is needed and WHEN it needs to arrive. God is never slow in keeping His promises. I am excited to see what the plan for the remainder of the clothes and toys we collected. Stay tuned for that update!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and donated items, their time, and their money to get us to this point. You really are a part of something BIG here. Many lives will be forever changed because of your kindness and generosity. God Bless you for what you have done for "the least of these" and know that a child's life is better because of you.

Gathering Supplies

2008-08-06T21:04:00.009-05:00

Update: We will be in Ethiopia from August 30- September 6th.

On this trip we will meet our daughter, go to the US Embassy and complete the immigration and visa paperwork. The adoption, while the most significant reason for our trip, is not the only reason we are going to Ethiopia.

We have the most amazing opportunity to visit several orphanages located throughout the central part of Ethiopia and deliver supplies to them. Mike and I have been collecting items all year actually. We sent some items to Ethiopia with my friend Sharon when she went this spring. We also sent some of the things we collected to Michelle at Kingdom Kids (AWOP) as she is leaving this week for her trip to Ethiopia.

So-- we are back to collecting supplies to take with us, and we will take as much as we possibly can because these kids NEED and DESERVE it. After all, they are just children. They did not choose this fate- to be an orphan with nothing of their own living in an orphanage with hundreds of other children...no mom or dad to kiss them goodnight, to help them when they are sick or hurt...no one to chase away the monsters under the bed when they have a bad dream. They are all precious boys and girls who deserve every basic need to be met, yet because of where they are, don't have that. Heartbreaking.

Will you help us? Will you be the person who changes the life of a child that lives half a world away, yet will be so blessed because you chose to help us gather some things and take them to Ethiopia with us??

Mike and I are HAND DELIVERING each bin to its destination. This will allow us to be certain that they arrive safely and we can see first hand the children that we are helping. We also can ensure that each orphanage gets what they need based on where they are and how many child and what ages they are.

Here is the list of what we are trying to focus on right now. However, feel free to step away form the list and donate what you feel led to. This is just a place to start.

We will meet you half way to pick up items, you can mail them, drop them off, or call us and we can find a way to get them here.

Disposable Diapers
Baby wipes
Powdered formula (any brand)
Packages of underwear (3T and up)
Multi-vitamins for children
Children's games (Memory, Chutes and Ladders, Uno, etc)
Clothes in good condition 3T and up (no holes or stains)
School supplies
Children's Tylenol (or store or generic brand)
Children's Advil (or store or generic brand)
Anti-fungal cream (i.e. Monostat or Tinactin)
Antibiotic ointment (i.e. Neosporin)
Eucerin cream (or similar lotion)
Packages of Socks
Baby wash
Baby lotion

Send us an e-mail if you want to help at this address: mikeanddiane@charter.net

Make a HUGE difference in the life of a child with a small act of kindness.

Oh Happy Day

2008-08-01T13:35:00.006-05:00

Our Daughter

Ruhama's Referral picture

Oh Happy Day!
At 10:41 this morning we got the call...We have a daughter.
I am so very proud and excited to introduce you to Ruhama. This girl is so loved already! We will find out travel information next week and share those details with you. We can not be happier though. We are just as excited as we were when we became parents for the first time.

I was busy stressing and complaining that we had not heard anything, and I KNEW that cases had passed this morning. One of the families with our agency had been in Ethiopia for their court hearing today. They sent an e-mail sharing that they passed. So, we knew that there was court today, the papers from the Ministry of Women's Affairs had arrived and there was electricity and internet access. I was getting tired of waiting and running every time the phone rang. Mike was laughing at me for getting so worked up. Then the phone rang...and Mike answered it. When he passed it to me I thought it was my mother or sister. After all, if it was our agency then they would have told him that we passed, right? When I said hello, Lisa said "Congratulations, you passed court today." I of course screamed and told Lisa that I was SOOOO happy to hear that! That was all the information she had for us, and that is all I needed to know right now. I hung up, and told Mike we passed- but he could obviously tell that we did :) and we proceeded to call our mothers and send a few e-mails to let everyone know that we have a daughter.