I can hardly believe that it has been 4 weeks today since our precious beautiful daughter was placed in my arms. The tiny and scared baby who cried ALOT, now has her forever family and is very very happy. I love to hear her belly laughs and those sweet sweet smiles she gives. I love to watch her discover new toys and how they work. I love to see her sway her head to music and smile.
Its hard to believe that 5 1/2 weeks ago we started our travel journey to bring home Katie. In those 5 1/2 weeks we have traveled through 17 timezones, twice, been united with our adorable daughter, gone through many appointments in China and lived in a hotel for 2 weeks, 5 out of 8 of us got the stomach flu, Katie had surgery, and then 3 out of 8 got colds to boot!! It really has been quite a month to say the least. We are so grateful to have our daughter home with us to celebrate the best time of the year. Christmas. The time we celebrate our Saviors birth and His gift to us.
I haven't posted an update on Katies surgery as we have just had too much going on. Katie had surgery on 12-3. The plastic surgeon was unable to do all she hoped to. Katie has a very wide cleft lip and palate. The original plan was to do a lip adhesion, repair her soft palate, and ear tubes. Her soft palate was not able to be started. She now has what looks like half of an upper denture, of course with no teeth. The orthodontist will make changes to this every 1-2 weeks. The purpose of this is to mold her gums closer together. Her cleft is just too wide to repair and it needs to come closer. The plastic surgeon told us she has only had 2 1 yo have this. One suceeded and 1 did not. The one that suceeded was surgically put in with pins, and the other one , well the baby wouldn't leave it in their mouth. So far so good, although it is very difficult to put it in. Just try and picture putting a denture in a 12 month olds mouth. haha I know it sounds pretty funny doesn't it. I had a really hard time getting it in and took a break for awhile. Jeff was holding her as I had tried. So later that evening I tried on my own, on my first try I was unable to do it. I prayed "God please help me to do this, she needs this to help her palate", yes I alone was able to do it. Praise God!! So the PS hopes to do her next surgery in 2 months. We love the PS. She is also Brookes PS and is amazing. We have seen her on discovery health 3 times now for different cases. One of the reasons she didn't want to repair her soft palate was she felt it would affect her speech and if we can get things to move it is so much to Katies benefit in the longrun.
If you're wondering what is a lip adhesion is, well basically her nose has been put into place and the area under her nose is together. Her lip itself is not, so she looks like she has a split lip, or some may call it , an incomplete cleft lip. She is wearing the no no's, aka, arm restraints, but only at night and naps for the most part. The purpose for those is to keep her from touch the surgery site, as well as pulling out her ortho device.
We can hardly remember what life was like before Katie was with us. She has made huge milestones as far acclimating to family life. She loves all of us, and we all love her so much. We are still trying to get her to gain weight, as she hasn't gained much since coming home. We're still working on that one, but know in time she will catch up. She use to be tiny proportionally, however now she is not. She is 25-50% for her height, head & chest, however -3% for her weight. The Dr.s aren't too concerned at this point, but are keeping an eye on that.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
And the world was perfect........
at least for a few minutes, to me. Katie and I were on the floor in her room when she crawled over to me, reached her arms up to be picked up, we went to the rocking chair and I held her as she stared into my eyes, we rocked, and she went to sleep.
Monday, November 24, 2008
We're Home!
We made it home safely. Jeff was feeling better, not great, but much better. Katie did very well on the flights/ She cried for less then a minute on only two occasions on our flight to Tokyo. She slept a bit, but was pretty happy. On the Tokyo to Detroit she did pretty good too. She cried a little bit, but nothing compared to what we were expecting. We were almost home free, 3 hours to go when I(Shannon) got what Jeff had. We thought he had eaten something bad to make him sick, but no, he must have had the stomach flu. Our flight was full of turbulance which made it even worse. I seriously have never been so happy to be home in my life. Jeff took such good care of us, even though he too was still not feeling back to normal, not to mention the jet lag. It is now Monday at 3am, and I am feeling much much better. Katie and Brooke were both up, just 1 hour after we went to bed. So I am letting Jeff get some very well deserved sleep. The girls are now sleeping but here I am wide awake.
Seeing our boys as we passed the exit doors was a sight for sore eyes let me tell you. They all seem to have grown in 2 weeks. They did such a good job while we were gone. We had some very dear friends of ours bring over a huge casserole dish of various barbcue for them one night, and other then that they cooked dinner for themselves everynight, and did the laundry, and cleaned the house. Our oldest son even had to take one of the younger boys to the dr. as his throat was hurting. I am truly blessed to have them. Proud is an understatement.
Today we have 2 dr appts for Katie. The pediatrician, and the plastic surgeon. Tomorrow we have an echocardiogram, ortho, and the ent. Even though I was sick our first 2 days home, today, or should I say yesterday I was able to spend alot more time with Katie. Let me tell you, she is adjusting so well. She absolutely loves each of her brothers and shows no fear. She is very curious and likes to look around at everything she has never seen before, and she loves all her new toys. She is sleeping well in her crib, although still getting use to the new time zone, which we all are. She even liked her car seat, which Brooke absolutely hated, and screamed all the way home from the airport. Katie is very antimated and has alot of expression. She wasn't too sure about our pets, we have 2 dogs, and 2 cats. Our dachshund is always wanting to give her kisses, and she is now starting to like the dogs.
I want to close this post by saying thank you to all of you who sent kind and encouraging words to us. Thank you for all your prayers. This journey was much different then our last journey to China. For all of our experiences we had we have learned so much, and are stronger people for it.
Seeing our boys as we passed the exit doors was a sight for sore eyes let me tell you. They all seem to have grown in 2 weeks. They did such a good job while we were gone. We had some very dear friends of ours bring over a huge casserole dish of various barbcue for them one night, and other then that they cooked dinner for themselves everynight, and did the laundry, and cleaned the house. Our oldest son even had to take one of the younger boys to the dr. as his throat was hurting. I am truly blessed to have them. Proud is an understatement.
Today we have 2 dr appts for Katie. The pediatrician, and the plastic surgeon. Tomorrow we have an echocardiogram, ortho, and the ent. Even though I was sick our first 2 days home, today, or should I say yesterday I was able to spend alot more time with Katie. Let me tell you, she is adjusting so well. She absolutely loves each of her brothers and shows no fear. She is very curious and likes to look around at everything she has never seen before, and she loves all her new toys. She is sleeping well in her crib, although still getting use to the new time zone, which we all are. She even liked her car seat, which Brooke absolutely hated, and screamed all the way home from the airport. Katie is very antimated and has alot of expression. She wasn't too sure about our pets, we have 2 dogs, and 2 cats. Our dachshund is always wanting to give her kisses, and she is now starting to like the dogs.
I want to close this post by saying thank you to all of you who sent kind and encouraging words to us. Thank you for all your prayers. This journey was much different then our last journey to China. For all of our experiences we had we have learned so much, and are stronger people for it.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Last post from China, the good, the bad and the ugly
Its Thursday night November 20th in China. I titled this the good the bad and the ugly. Let me tell you some good. I've packed about everything, the girls have had their baths and are sleeping, and we are coming home tomorrow. Yesterday was Katies birthday and we had a little party with some families coming to our guide Amys room. My heart was so full of thankfulness to God for allowing us to be with her. For those who don't know this already we thought we would get a referral call for a 3-4 yo. Mostly because our agency had told us most families are asking 0-2 and we were asking up to age 5. So we were very surprised to find out at our referral call that our daughter was 7 months. That day I prayed and have prayed often that since we left our age open to the Lord to match us perfectly with the daughter He chose that He would allow us to be with her for her first birthday, and God answered that prayer. I am so thankful for that. Our God is an awesome God and wants to give us the desire of our hearts.
The bad & ugly seem to run neck and neck, so I guess I will put it all out there. Wednesday evening approx 7 pm Jeff starting getting sick. He was violently ill with vomiting and diarrhea all night and most of today. The antibiotic the Dr. gave us at home Jeff had an allergic reaction to, he was not allergic to this as of a couple of years ago though. We know he is dehydrated and we are doing what we know to do. He must be better for us to fly tomorrow. We are still planning on it, as if he continues and shows no improvement this could be very bad. If you are a praying person please pray for all of us, and especially Jeff to get better asap.
When we adopted Brooke her transition was fairly easy to us. She was pretty happy go lucky most of the time, well except for the flight home. She cried almost the whole time. Katie is not so happy go lucky. She doesn't like to be held, unless you are feeding her her bottle. She doesn't want to be carried, and much more prefers the stroller. She does make eye contact and touches our faces and laughs and smiles, but we know her transition to attachment to us is not as easy as Brookes was. Today when we were at the U.S. Consulate our guide was holding her while I did some paperwork. Katie was leaning to me reaching her arms and started to cry for me, that was a good sign. I brought a sling carrier with me, however that hasn't worked well at all. Alot of the time when I hold her she stiffens up, cries and kicks. We really need alot of prayer. She will not allow us to try and rock her to sleep, she will lay down and start to bang her head on the crib floor. We rub her head and whisper gently to her, "no no Katie." At this point she will stop, however we may go through this several times until she goes to sleep. We aren't rookie parents here, but I can tell you we are definitely on survival mode. I feel very sorry for the people on the plane, as when we are on the bus that is some of the worst times. She doesn't like the confinement, she wants to be free to move around and thats not possible. Katie also still will not eat any solid food, we are lucky to get a couple little spoons of baby food, and shes not too happy with that.
If you are wondering why I'm sharing these things with you, its not to whine and cry, but to share with those who haven't btdt that its not always easy, even for those who have done this before. Also to ask for your prayers. We know the power of prayer and so much need those now.
God willing we will fly tomorrow to Tokyo to Detroit. I will give a post when we have arrived home, after I spend some family time.
Love to you all,
Shannon
The bad & ugly seem to run neck and neck, so I guess I will put it all out there. Wednesday evening approx 7 pm Jeff starting getting sick. He was violently ill with vomiting and diarrhea all night and most of today. The antibiotic the Dr. gave us at home Jeff had an allergic reaction to, he was not allergic to this as of a couple of years ago though. We know he is dehydrated and we are doing what we know to do. He must be better for us to fly tomorrow. We are still planning on it, as if he continues and shows no improvement this could be very bad. If you are a praying person please pray for all of us, and especially Jeff to get better asap.
When we adopted Brooke her transition was fairly easy to us. She was pretty happy go lucky most of the time, well except for the flight home. She cried almost the whole time. Katie is not so happy go lucky. She doesn't like to be held, unless you are feeding her her bottle. She doesn't want to be carried, and much more prefers the stroller. She does make eye contact and touches our faces and laughs and smiles, but we know her transition to attachment to us is not as easy as Brookes was. Today when we were at the U.S. Consulate our guide was holding her while I did some paperwork. Katie was leaning to me reaching her arms and started to cry for me, that was a good sign. I brought a sling carrier with me, however that hasn't worked well at all. Alot of the time when I hold her she stiffens up, cries and kicks. We really need alot of prayer. She will not allow us to try and rock her to sleep, she will lay down and start to bang her head on the crib floor. We rub her head and whisper gently to her, "no no Katie." At this point she will stop, however we may go through this several times until she goes to sleep. We aren't rookie parents here, but I can tell you we are definitely on survival mode. I feel very sorry for the people on the plane, as when we are on the bus that is some of the worst times. She doesn't like the confinement, she wants to be free to move around and thats not possible. Katie also still will not eat any solid food, we are lucky to get a couple little spoons of baby food, and shes not too happy with that.
If you are wondering why I'm sharing these things with you, its not to whine and cry, but to share with those who haven't btdt that its not always easy, even for those who have done this before. Also to ask for your prayers. We know the power of prayer and so much need those now.
God willing we will fly tomorrow to Tokyo to Detroit. I will give a post when we have arrived home, after I spend some family time.
Love to you all,
Shannon
Monday, November 17, 2008
OUR LAST DAY TOGETHER WITH THE ENTIRE GROUP
11/18/2008
Is the last day our entire group will be together, all but four families fly out tomorrow. Even Lineker flies home in the morning. We will always remember these families.
PICTURES FROM 11/18/2008
PICTURE 1 - SISTERS ARE A BLESSING
PICTURE 2 - KATIE, HUDSON, EMMA
PICTURE 3 - KATIE & EMMA
PICTURE 2 - KATIE, HUDSON, EMMA
PICTURE 3 - KATIE & EMMA
Monday Nov 17
We had a great day today. We were up early, but took our time getting ready for the breakfast buffet. Then we planned to go to a park with a few families from AWAA. We went to the same park we went to in 2001, only this time there is a new underground walkway, last time we played frogger, and we were the frogs. haha We rented peddle boats, and poor Jeff did most of the peddling! Some of our group played hackeysack (sp?). This is a fun game that we have seen the older people playing. Alot of the locals were staring, probably wondering what these strange people were trying to do. haha We then walked to the hotel and got ready to go back to Shamien Island for lunch and more shopping. We ate at a place called Lucys! They serve pretty good American food. We had great fellowship time with some other families. Our cokes , a total of 3 cost almost as much as a meal, but worth it:) We then attempted to go shopping, that is until some men decided to go shopping for a Rol*x, or several. So we moms said we have to go back and do shopping for us, as the men took all of our time. So we will probably go back tomorrow for lunch again at Lucys and more shopping. We are going to take group pictures tomorrow morning. Most of our group is leaving Wednesday morning. Its been so great getting to know the other families. As much as we miss home, we will definitly miss these people. We hope to stay in contact. We really have been blessed with a great group of families whom we will never forget.
Miss Katie is doing better everyday. We have had her 1 week today!! That went so fast. Its already feeling like we don't remember life without her. She is pretty happy, but if mama isn't holding her and she sees me she will cry. She is definitley a mommies girl, at least for now. Tonight was the first time she enjoyed her bath. She laughed and splashed the water. Its so good to see her happy and secure. Even going to sleep tonight was much easier.
Its still is strange that we have a 20 yo and a 1 yo, but we know that since we had asked for a range of 0-5, praying for God to bring us the child He chose for us, that regardless of how old she was it was His will, we know everything will be fine. Katie will keep us young, or at least we'll be trying. haha We feel so blessed to have our 6 children. I don't know why when I say 6 it seems so much higher then 5, its only 1 more. I joked with my family that I wanted to title our blog cheaper by the half dozen, but Jeff didn't think that was too funny. haha I remember as a child watching the brady bunch and thinking how neat that would be to have 6 children, well now I have it, but I need Alice to help out. haha
I thought we were all finally adjusting to the time zone here, but it seems that its only me. Jeff was sleeping at 7pm!! I feel so sorry for him. We get home Friday afternoon, and he is off work until Monday night, and Tuesday night he goes back to midnights. That will be very hard on his body trying to adjust twice in a few days. He says hes not worried, that he'll be fine. He is quite amazing to me how he can adjust his sleep. I don't think its as easy as he says. I know it wouldn't be for me.
Miss Katie is doing better everyday. We have had her 1 week today!! That went so fast. Its already feeling like we don't remember life without her. She is pretty happy, but if mama isn't holding her and she sees me she will cry. She is definitley a mommies girl, at least for now. Tonight was the first time she enjoyed her bath. She laughed and splashed the water. Its so good to see her happy and secure. Even going to sleep tonight was much easier.
Its still is strange that we have a 20 yo and a 1 yo, but we know that since we had asked for a range of 0-5, praying for God to bring us the child He chose for us, that regardless of how old she was it was His will, we know everything will be fine. Katie will keep us young, or at least we'll be trying. haha We feel so blessed to have our 6 children. I don't know why when I say 6 it seems so much higher then 5, its only 1 more. I joked with my family that I wanted to title our blog cheaper by the half dozen, but Jeff didn't think that was too funny. haha I remember as a child watching the brady bunch and thinking how neat that would be to have 6 children, well now I have it, but I need Alice to help out. haha
I thought we were all finally adjusting to the time zone here, but it seems that its only me. Jeff was sleeping at 7pm!! I feel so sorry for him. We get home Friday afternoon, and he is off work until Monday night, and Tuesday night he goes back to midnights. That will be very hard on his body trying to adjust twice in a few days. He says hes not worried, that he'll be fine. He is quite amazing to me how he can adjust his sleep. I don't think its as easy as he says. I know it wouldn't be for me.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sunday
Last night most of our group went to a Japanese restaurant in our hotel. We didn't go as we knew Brooke was very tired and wouldn't eat much if anything. She is still going to sleep by 7 and sleeping until almost 7. We heard it was great and really wish we could have gone but had to do what was best for Brooke.
Today we went to the Guangzhou folk art museum. We saw some very interesting things such as some wood beds! The Chinese believe the harder the bed the better it is for your back. Our bus driver also had to do some pretty fancy driving to get out of the parking lot. Seriously we were blocked in by 2 rows of buses. The drivers were found and you really had to see it to believe it. He did it though and we all applauded him.
After that we went to a tea house. I bought a beautiful teapot and some white tea. We tried many kinds of tea and would have liked to bring several kinds home. Maybe I can find some in Chinatown as some were great. The tea is all fresh.
While we were driving I noticed some people walking with bird cages and little birds in them. These people weren't walking together. So I asked Amy our guide about this. She said the retired people will take their birds for walks in the park to give them fresh air!! How sweet is that!!
Katie will now eat about 1/4 of a jar of baby food, and not all that willingly. But we do get some in her. We have tried putting food on her high chair tray at breakfast but she just plays with it and drops it on the ground.
Last night was a break through in getting her to sleep. I held her tightly against me and patted her bottom. She cried and kicked and tried pulling away, but I was eventually able to get her calmed down and to sleep. We'll see how tonight goes:)
Tomorrow we are going as a group to Shamien Island to go shopping. We met a man named Jordan who owns his own shop. He told us he is a Chris*ian!! We will be going back to his shop again. We will also get to eat at Lucys. Its a restaurant that serves American food. We actually had been seated the other day there but then I realized I forgot the formula for Katie at the hotel and we had to go back. We are pretty tired of McDonalds and sandwiches at starbucks. We aren't very adventurous, especially with Brooke with us this time.
Today we went to the Guangzhou folk art museum. We saw some very interesting things such as some wood beds! The Chinese believe the harder the bed the better it is for your back. Our bus driver also had to do some pretty fancy driving to get out of the parking lot. Seriously we were blocked in by 2 rows of buses. The drivers were found and you really had to see it to believe it. He did it though and we all applauded him.
After that we went to a tea house. I bought a beautiful teapot and some white tea. We tried many kinds of tea and would have liked to bring several kinds home. Maybe I can find some in Chinatown as some were great. The tea is all fresh.
While we were driving I noticed some people walking with bird cages and little birds in them. These people weren't walking together. So I asked Amy our guide about this. She said the retired people will take their birds for walks in the park to give them fresh air!! How sweet is that!!
Katie will now eat about 1/4 of a jar of baby food, and not all that willingly. But we do get some in her. We have tried putting food on her high chair tray at breakfast but she just plays with it and drops it on the ground.
Last night was a break through in getting her to sleep. I held her tightly against me and patted her bottom. She cried and kicked and tried pulling away, but I was eventually able to get her calmed down and to sleep. We'll see how tonight goes:)
Tomorrow we are going as a group to Shamien Island to go shopping. We met a man named Jordan who owns his own shop. He told us he is a Chris*ian!! We will be going back to his shop again. We will also get to eat at Lucys. Its a restaurant that serves American food. We actually had been seated the other day there but then I realized I forgot the formula for Katie at the hotel and we had to go back. We are pretty tired of McDonalds and sandwiches at starbucks. We aren't very adventurous, especially with Brooke with us this time.
Friday, November 14, 2008
DSW is up in our room with two DD's, she has not been feeling well the past two days. I was not feeling well either so I took Cipro and had an allergic reaction. We went to the zoo yesterday it was very nice. Brooke had a great time especially with our guide AMY. Katie cried for the entire 2 hours. Then we went to Pizza Hut, and it was pretty good. Today we went to the Island and did some shopping. We tried a stroller for the first time, and Katie loved it. We were there for 3 hours with no crying. Then we went to McDonalds, again :(.
We saw one of the families we met in Beijing, we are excited about seeing all the babies. Tomorrow is the doctors appointments with all the families. Seven more days to go until we go home. We can't wait we miss you boys, and we were so happy to talk to all 4 of you this morning.
We saw one of the families we met in Beijing, we are excited about seeing all the babies. Tomorrow is the doctors appointments with all the families. Seven more days to go until we go home. We can't wait we miss you boys, and we were so happy to talk to all 4 of you this morning.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
More on Katie
My post yesterday covered alot so I thought I would give some more info on Katie. She has such a cute smile, we have yet to hear a belly laugh but know it will come soon. We have concerns about her lack of eating. She drinks her bottle well and we mix rice cereal in it as that is what the orphanage did. Our guide told us she should be eating some baby food, that formula is not enough, which is what we had also thought. She will have nothing to do with it. Not baby food or rice conjee, which is what babies eat in China. She is very cautious of touching anything. This morning at breakfast was the first time she has held something in her hand, her ladybug brush which she loves. She loves when we brush her hair. She will touch her head and wait for us to brush it. It has turned into a game. We've had her 2 nights now and she has slept through the night both of them. We wake up and can hear her stirring but she sleeps well. She hasn't pulled herself up yet but can crawl. Brooke is absolutely loving being a big sister.
We are missing our boys so much at home. We are ready to come home already. Don't get me wrong, we are enjoying the people and sights, but miss our boys and can't wait to come home and be a family, ALL of us together. The time we have here is good though as we have so much together time with little responsibilites/chores, so we can focus on Katie and earning her trust.
Jeff and Brooke are having a really hard time with the time change. It was a struggle to keep Brooke up until 6:30 last night and Jeff almost made it to 7. This leaves mom and Katie. Katie goes to sleep on her own approx 8 pm. When I say on her own I mean she cries when I try and rock her. We have rocked all 5 of our babies to sleep and didn't think differently about #6, however at this stage Katie will have nothing to do with it.I know that as time goes on things will probably change after she has her surgeries, or maybe not. Her nanny said she is very stubborn and we can see that. So we have now another stubborn Walker. haha
Thank you for your emails and prayers, we really appreciate them. Its funny how we can be half way around the world and feel some closeness from home.
We are missing our boys so much at home. We are ready to come home already. Don't get me wrong, we are enjoying the people and sights, but miss our boys and can't wait to come home and be a family, ALL of us together. The time we have here is good though as we have so much together time with little responsibilites/chores, so we can focus on Katie and earning her trust.
Jeff and Brooke are having a really hard time with the time change. It was a struggle to keep Brooke up until 6:30 last night and Jeff almost made it to 7. This leaves mom and Katie. Katie goes to sleep on her own approx 8 pm. When I say on her own I mean she cries when I try and rock her. We have rocked all 5 of our babies to sleep and didn't think differently about #6, however at this stage Katie will have nothing to do with it.I know that as time goes on things will probably change after she has her surgeries, or maybe not. Her nanny said she is very stubborn and we can see that. So we have now another stubborn Walker. haha
Thank you for your emails and prayers, we really appreciate them. Its funny how we can be half way around the world and feel some closeness from home.
Gotcha Day
Gotcha day!!!
We are unable to get on blogspot right now so I have asked my sons at
home to post this for me.I need to recap from Sunday first. We went to the Beijing International Christian Church. We were so amazed to walk in and here the worship music playing. The same songs we sing at our church. We felt at home half way around the world. We also were told by our local guide that most Americans think and are told that you cannot be a Christian in China and that is not true. In China you can choose your religion, however 50% have no religion, and the rest consist of Buddism which has the highest and then there is Christian, Jewish, and one more, I just can't think of right this second. After that we went to a pearl factory, which let me say with the American dollar losing its value we did not get the deals we got last time. We did do some Christmas shopping there though as well as bought Katie her pearls for her wedding day as we bought the boys, Brooke and myself pearls last time. After that we went to lunch and then to jade store. After that it was the Great Wall! Brooke loved climbing all those stairs with another families daughter Marla, who let me say is the sweetest 14 yo girl! She has been so good to Brooke and all the other younger children, she will be a great big sister to her new little sister. Daddy climbed the wall, but mommy stayed behind for the majority, I just was too tired. We(I) slept very little,I am having a difficult time adjusting to the time. We then went for dinner, went back to the hotel room for a quick 15 minute nap, and I'm not kidding, we had 25 minutes from the time we got to the hotel till we had to be back on the bus, so 15 minutes is what we got. Everyone was so tired but the Chinese Acrobat show is amazing, everyone in our group had a hard time staying awake, and some didn't, including Brooke. We got back to the hotel at approx 8:40 and had to have our luggage ready at 10 pm, as it was going ahead of us. We all except a couple of families had to be ready to go to the airport at 5:30 a.m. We were all so excited and nervous, and crying tears of joy! We met and flew with another family from our agency who adopted their precious 3 yo son last week from Beijing and were heading to Guangzhou to finish everything before leaving this coming Saturday. When we arrived we were so excited to be greeted by our guide Amy!! She was our guide last time and is now married to Linaker our national guide. So have a darling 13 month old daughter. Amy filled us in on what was happening and we checked into the hotel, grabbed our paperwork and $ needed and headed to the Civil Affairs office. We were the first ones there. We actually saw the babies come in!! After awhile of waiting which really wasn't that long but seemed like it they started to call us by family name. When we saw Katie we couldn't believe how small she was. She wasn't sure at all about us. Her nannies, 1 in particular you could tell loves her very much. She is older and knew alot about Yin Yin as they call her. She wanted to hold her once again before they left of which Katie was very happy about and not too happy to come back to mama. She was very confused and scared we could tell. When we got onto the elevator she cried so hard. Our hearts broke for her and I just prayed for God to hold her tightly and give her some peace that this really is ok. As soon as we got off the elevator she was fine, but cried all the way back to the hotel. We thought oh no, we had prepared ourselves for the worst and hoped for the best. She took a nap which was great. We thought she then would be hungry, but refused her bottle. I walked the halls of the hotel with her and then she started to change a bit. She drank a bottle and then we saw a couple of smiles. She loves her big sister, and Brooke loves being a big sister. I had a hard time getting her to sleep last night. Daddy and Brooke were sound asleep and never heard a word from her. Once I got her to sleep she slept ALL night, a full 10 hours!! I had left her in her clothes that she was brought to us in, only 1 layer, and this morning she had a bath and is wearing a cute winnie the pooh dress. She is only 14.52lbs. The size 3 diapers I brought are too big. We went to the store today and I bought size 2 which fit great. She is wearing a size 9 months perfectly now. Her feet are so tiny. She is very petite. She has no teeth yet but can crawl and tries to stand but we're not sure yet if she can.She loves her photo album and her favorite picture is Robby. She won't hold anything in her hand so far and is only drinking a bottle with rice cereal in it. We bought some baby food today to see if she will start eating something. We tried yogurt this morning and she would have nothing to do with it. She is so precious. She was going to both Jeff and I, but now is preferring me to him so he has her now while I'm writing this. The adoption is final as of today!! Tomorrow we go to the police station to do her passport paperwork and Thursday we are going to the zoo. The rest of our group joins us on Friday. I'm very excited to meet back up with the other famiies and meet their new children. Please continue to pray for us. We can tell that Katie is grieving which is good, that tells us she was attached to her nannies, and thus she will attach to us, but in the meantime it breaks our hearts seeing her sad and confused. I will try and attach pictures but am not sure if I can.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!
I am posting for DSW (Dear Sweet Wife) while she tries to get some rest. It's wake up time at 4:00 am, and we leave for the airport at 5:30 am.
Our last post we had just arrived in Beijing. Saturday morning came very early. It was great to see Lineker and Sherry again. They are the same guides we had in 2001, with Brooke. After breakfast it was time to go to Forbidden City, Pearl Factory, and Summer Palace. Brooke is having a hard time with the food thankfully we have a good breakfast buffet and french fries at dinner. On the ride to the Hotel at night Brooke and I passed out.
Brooke got up at 2:30 AM Sunday morning and that made for a long day. First it was off to the International Church service. It was awesome and we really felt at home. Then it was off to the Jade Factory, Lunch, and the Great Wall. Brooke has made friends with some of the other girls and she is having a great time. She made it up to the 3rd watch tower on the wall. After dinner we went to the Chinese Acrobat Show. It was excellent even though everyone was so tired and several of our group fell asleep including Brooke.
LESS THAN 8 HOURS LEFT TO WE LEAVE TO GET KATIE. SOMETIMES IT DOES SEEM REAL, WE CAN WAIT.
BOYS WE MISS YOU VERY MUCH AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH. WOW 20 SEEMS LIKE NOT THAT LONG AGO WE WERE BRINGING YOU HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL.
Our last post we had just arrived in Beijing. Saturday morning came very early. It was great to see Lineker and Sherry again. They are the same guides we had in 2001, with Brooke. After breakfast it was time to go to Forbidden City, Pearl Factory, and Summer Palace. Brooke is having a hard time with the food thankfully we have a good breakfast buffet and french fries at dinner. On the ride to the Hotel at night Brooke and I passed out.
Brooke got up at 2:30 AM Sunday morning and that made for a long day. First it was off to the International Church service. It was awesome and we really felt at home. Then it was off to the Jade Factory, Lunch, and the Great Wall. Brooke has made friends with some of the other girls and she is having a great time. She made it up to the 3rd watch tower on the wall. After dinner we went to the Chinese Acrobat Show. It was excellent even though everyone was so tired and several of our group fell asleep including Brooke.
LESS THAN 8 HOURS LEFT TO WE LEAVE TO GET KATIE. SOMETIMES IT DOES SEEM REAL, WE CAN WAIT.
BOYS WE MISS YOU VERY MUCH AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH. WOW 20 SEEMS LIKE NOT THAT LONG AGO WE WERE BRINGING YOU HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL.
Friday, November 7, 2008
We are in Beijing
We made it to Beijing!! We were on the plane in Detroit for 1 1/2 hours after we were to take off. There was a problem with the fuel gauges. That didn't make us feel too good, especially as the pilot would come on the air and tell us things like, they are going to restart the plane, and it didn't work. They kept trying different things. Finally we took off, however we were nervous we wouldn't make our connection in Tokyo.
It is almost midnight here, we are all wide awake but know we must try and sleep as we have a very full day of touring tomorrow.
We love you boys and are missing you already, as in from the time we walked in the airport. Brooke is really missing you too.
It is almost midnight here, we are all wide awake but know we must try and sleep as we have a very full day of touring tomorrow.
We love you boys and are missing you already, as in from the time we walked in the airport. Brooke is really missing you too.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
14 hours till take off
So the time has finally come. The bags are packed, the electronics are charging up one last time. We leave for the airport in 10 hours. I hope I have remembered to pack everything. Tonight will be the last night we sleep here as a family of 7.
I'll try and post when we arrive, however it will be very late and we have an early morning. Please continue to lift our family in prayer.
I'll try and post when we arrive, however it will be very late and we have an early morning. Please continue to lift our family in prayer.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Itinerary
We received our travel itinerary!! Monday we have our 2 hour travel conference call. 5 days till we leave!!
Thursday Nov. 6th Depart for Beijing, changing planes in Tokyo
Friday Nov 7th, arrive in Beijing 21 hours from the time our flight left
Saturday Nov 8th, Our sons 20th birthday!! Happy birthday Josh, we love you!!
Beijing sightseeing, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace
Sunday Nov 9th Beijing sightseeing, Church service & The Great Wall of China
Monday Nov 10th Morning flight to Guangzhou and, "GOTCHA DAY" Miss Katie!! We don't
know what time in the afternoon yet, but then we have our civil affairs
appt.
Tuesday Nov 11th-15th Paperwork, sightseeing and shopping
Sunday Nov 16th Medical exam
Monday Nov 17th Sightseeing and shopping
Tuesday Nov 18th Paperwork party, its really not a party at all. 1 parent from each family
will meet in the guides hotel room to fill out the paperwork for the
U.S. Consulate appt. Last time this took about 2 hours. I think it depends
on how many families are there and how many questions the parents have.
Wednesday Nov 19th Consulate appt
Thursday Nov 20th Pick up Katies visa!!
Friday Nov 21st, Depart from Guangzhou to Tokyo to Detroit!!
The reason we are there so long is it takes several days to process Katies passport and then to process her visa application. When we were in China to bring home Brooke, she was in a different province, so we traveled to 3 cities in China. Katie is in the Guangdong Province, which is where the U.S. Consulate is, thus the the reason for the 2 cities. Guangzhou will start to feel like home after we're there for 12 days.
Please continue to lift our family in prayer. We really appreciate it. I will post at least one more time before we leave.
Thursday Nov. 6th Depart for Beijing, changing planes in Tokyo
Friday Nov 7th, arrive in Beijing 21 hours from the time our flight left
Saturday Nov 8th, Our sons 20th birthday!! Happy birthday Josh, we love you!!
Beijing sightseeing, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace
Sunday Nov 9th Beijing sightseeing, Church service & The Great Wall of China
Monday Nov 10th Morning flight to Guangzhou and, "GOTCHA DAY" Miss Katie!! We don't
know what time in the afternoon yet, but then we have our civil affairs
appt.
Tuesday Nov 11th-15th Paperwork, sightseeing and shopping
Sunday Nov 16th Medical exam
Monday Nov 17th Sightseeing and shopping
Tuesday Nov 18th Paperwork party, its really not a party at all. 1 parent from each family
will meet in the guides hotel room to fill out the paperwork for the
U.S. Consulate appt. Last time this took about 2 hours. I think it depends
on how many families are there and how many questions the parents have.
Wednesday Nov 19th Consulate appt
Thursday Nov 20th Pick up Katies visa!!
Friday Nov 21st, Depart from Guangzhou to Tokyo to Detroit!!
The reason we are there so long is it takes several days to process Katies passport and then to process her visa application. When we were in China to bring home Brooke, she was in a different province, so we traveled to 3 cities in China. Katie is in the Guangdong Province, which is where the U.S. Consulate is, thus the the reason for the 2 cities. Guangzhou will start to feel like home after we're there for 12 days.
Please continue to lift our family in prayer. We really appreciate it. I will post at least one more time before we leave.
Friday, October 31, 2008
6 days till we leave and new pictures
We have less then a week till we leave and I cannot even describe how happy, nervous, excited we are. We have been given an unexpected blessing of 4 new pictures of Katie today!! What a way to start the day.
We have had such a busy week. We have had a revival at our church this week with a wonderful couple encouraging us, singing wonderful music and praying for us. Pastor Dale Freed spoke to us about the story of when the disciples were in the boat and Jesus had left to pray. I know many of you reading this have heard and read the story numerous times, but when I heard it this time I could relate to it in a different way. The bible tells us that Jesus didn't return until the 4th watch, which is between 3 and 6 a.m. , so this tells us they waited, a long time. The waters were rough, it was windy, dark, and probably cold. They probably had wondered where is Jesus, He has left us out here all night in this awful weather, but then He appeared walking on the water, and they were afraid, they thought they had seen a ghost. Then Jesus asked Peter to walk on the water and he did, but when he saw the wind, he was distracted and started to sink, Jesus took his hand and said "you of little faith, why did you doubt?" You see in our adoption journey we have had so much rough water, but Jesus has said to us, come walk on the water with me, keep your eyes on me. At times we have felt we were in a hurricane. It has been difficult to say the least, but we have kept our eyes on Jesus and know as long as we keep our eyes on Him and follow His leading all things will work together for good. No where in the bible does it say it will be an easy road. We have cried many tears, however have felt Jesus holding us. For those of you still waiting for referral, PA, RA or TA, know that Gods timing is always perfect.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
CONFIRMED TRAVEL DATES
Its been a whirlwind of a day, a week for that matter. Today K emailed to confirm our CA and travel dates. We will depart on 11-6 and return 11-21. On top of making flight reservations we had to deal with the seating chart. We first saw when we tried to do our online seat assignments that the long leg of our trip, a mere 13 hours and 20 min there were no 3 or even 2 seats together. We cannot have a 7 yo sitting by herself. I called NW and they very happily gave us 3 seats together!! So on both of the long flights we have 3 seats together, and on the 2 & 4 hours flights both ways only 2 seats are together. We are hoping once on board there may be availability or maybe someone will exchange seats, which they gladly may when they see they get to sit by a 7 yo and a 12 month old:) It is bittersweet joy as we wish our boys were coming with us. I am already missing them so much. It was our hope that our youngest 2 boys would be coming. However they feel that they cannot miss 12 days of school in high school. Our oldest 2 boys are in college and cannot miss. I do think they are a bit excited with having the house with no parents though. Between family, neighbors, and people from our church I know they'll be well watched over and loved.
Monday, October 20, 2008
TA!!!!!!!!
Yes, it came!!! I have to recap todays events for you. You may want to read my post from yesterday to fully understand what I'm talking about now. I had emailed our travel coord and asked for a phone call at work to discuss whats going on. I left work early today and no phone call. I of course checked my email when I came home to find an email from K letting me know that they will call as soon as our TA arrives. That it could be another 3 weeks. I had no words really. Many emotions, and anger was at the top. As I left to take our visa apps to the fed ex box I walked down the driveway crunching the leaves on the driveway that had fallen. I love the beautiful colors of the leaves and the way they crunch when you walk on them. I once again talked to God telling Him that as angry and sad as I was I would praise Him. I praised Him for the wonderful colors and also that I am able to walk to hear that crunch when I walk . I am thankful for my vision to see those beautiful leaves. We all have so much to be thankful for.I have so much to be thankful for I told Him. I asked Him to take the anger away and replace those feelings with love. And you know what, He did. I went to the fed ex box, picked up Brooke from school and decided to stop for pop and pizza for the kids for dinner. I just wasn't in the mood for cooking. I had a peaceful feeling that only God can give. And then what happened? I was walking into the pizza store when my cell phone rings and its Jeff to say, "we got it", very calmly I might add. "Got what" I said, "you know, our TA", he says. Aghhhhh!! Are you kidding me? This adoption journey is so full of emotions, but as I mentioned before, it takes alot of faith. And sometimes faith isn't easy, especially when you are in the middle of a very emotional event.
I have many AWAA friends who are still waiting for the LOA. There are no words for what they are going through. It has been almost 4 weeks since the last LOA's came. Please uplift them in prayer. Pray for renewed strength that can only be given by God.
One more thing, our "tentative" travel dates are 11-6-11-21. We will not know for sure until we have our CA(consulate appt). We are hoping that comes very soon, but we KNOW God is in control and ALL things work together for good to them that love God who are called according to His purpose.
I have many AWAA friends who are still waiting for the LOA. There are no words for what they are going through. It has been almost 4 weeks since the last LOA's came. Please uplift them in prayer. Pray for renewed strength that can only be given by God.
One more thing, our "tentative" travel dates are 11-6-11-21. We will not know for sure until we have our CA(consulate appt). We are hoping that comes very soon, but we KNOW God is in control and ALL things work together for good to them that love God who are called according to His purpose.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
11 months and and no TA
It is Sunday afternoon as I write this. On Friday all of my rumor queen buddies within in the U.S. with the same RA date as us received their TA. Everyone but us. Our agency never called. I waited and waited. Everytime the phone rang I knew it had to be them but it never was. Around 2 o'clock Jeff asked me to call the agency to find out if they had come or not. I asked the gentleman who answered the phone and he replied "thats a good question, let me get K for you." I ended up leaving a voicemail however never heard back.
I'm so happy for all of the RQ friends, I truly am. Its funny how you can be so happy for someone and yet so sad for yourself. They are all so excited. Some are making flight plans and packing to leave as soon as this week!! Maybe DHL misplaced our agencies package and it will arrive on Monday I first told myself. Then I have heard that Consulate Appts. are becoming limited due to the sn and nsn TA arriving. Some agencies have already told their families they may not travel until the end of November. So where does that leave us? I have no idea.
Today Katie is 11 months old. Yet another month older and the time for us to get TA & CA appt is getting less and less to be with her for her 1st birthday. The airfare is getting much higher as we approach the holidays. Too many questions and no answers.
Everyday while I was waiting for our LOA I would get up in the morning hoping and praying it would come that day. I would tell God I will praise you all day, and if it comes I will praise you, but aha, the hard part , if it DOESN'T come I WILL praise you. And I did. Friday, when the TA'S starting coming in I said this, and I meant it. I am still praising Him for all He has done and will do. That doesn't mean I'm not sad. The weekend has been probably the hardest times in this process, with the exception of finding out about the tainted formula.
As I close this post I will refer to one of my favorite bible verses,"For all things work together for good to them that love God, who are called according to His purpose." I know that all of these things will work out for the good. Thats not to say that it is not hard. The last time I had said in a post I hope to have good news soon, I did. So I will once again say that hopefully the next time I post all things will have worked out. In the meantime, please lift our family in prayer through this very difficult time.
I'm so happy for all of the RQ friends, I truly am. Its funny how you can be so happy for someone and yet so sad for yourself. They are all so excited. Some are making flight plans and packing to leave as soon as this week!! Maybe DHL misplaced our agencies package and it will arrive on Monday I first told myself. Then I have heard that Consulate Appts. are becoming limited due to the sn and nsn TA arriving. Some agencies have already told their families they may not travel until the end of November. So where does that leave us? I have no idea.
Today Katie is 11 months old. Yet another month older and the time for us to get TA & CA appt is getting less and less to be with her for her 1st birthday. The airfare is getting much higher as we approach the holidays. Too many questions and no answers.
Everyday while I was waiting for our LOA I would get up in the morning hoping and praying it would come that day. I would tell God I will praise you all day, and if it comes I will praise you, but aha, the hard part , if it DOESN'T come I WILL praise you. And I did. Friday, when the TA'S starting coming in I said this, and I meant it. I am still praising Him for all He has done and will do. That doesn't mean I'm not sad. The weekend has been probably the hardest times in this process, with the exception of finding out about the tainted formula.
As I close this post I will refer to one of my favorite bible verses,"For all things work together for good to them that love God, who are called according to His purpose." I know that all of these things will work out for the good. Thats not to say that it is not hard. The last time I had said in a post I hope to have good news soon, I did. So I will once again say that hopefully the next time I post all things will have worked out. In the meantime, please lift our family in prayer through this very difficult time.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
New picture
This picture was taken 3 weeks ago. She is just under 15 lbs here. I have been holding out on a new post praying and hoping to get our TA(travel approval) with news of confirmed dates we would be leaving. Unfortunately this has not happened. Our agency had said we may be able to leave 10/30 if we received our TA by 10/17, so we have 1 more day, however I am doubtful it will come. I am hopeful it will come next week and our agency can then ask for our CA(Consulate appt.) Once we have this we can then book our flights. It looks like we will probably leave 11/13. If we leave any later then this we will not be with Katie for her 1st birthday, but we are not even going to think that.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Katie update & some thoughts
We received our update on Katie. I'm not too sure what to think to be honest. They say she is healthy, praise God for that!! However they also said she has never had the tainted formula, which of course would be great, but thats not what her referral papers say. They said she is drinking Nestle formula, which we know is a safe formula. She has no teeth yet and is starting to crawl. In her pictures she is sitting alone, but she does not look very stable, but she is sitting alone:)
This journey has been full of ups and downs. Sometimes we have seen things that don't make sense or are unfair. I have had the privilege to be on my knees for our brothers and sisters in Christ and their children. I have cried many tears for people I don't know, but only through our agency and our special need family list. I've witnessed a miracle through a little girl who was left to die in a dirty hospital half way around the world, and through the power of prayer she has come home, had extensive heart surgery and is doing exceedingly well. I've seen families paperwork for the approval process come quickly, while others wait and cry out to the Lord, why must they wait?
In a short time we will be in China, to bring home our baby that the Lord perfectly chose to be a Walker. We started this journey not sure of what age to ask for. We were feeling too old for a baby, and had questions about preschool age. We struggled alot with this, when one day Jeff said we need to ask 0-5 and leave it to the Lord. However old she is, God has full control. We truly expected to be called from our agency for a 4 year old, partly because our agency told us the wait would probably be shorter as we were open to an older age then most. Then one day we learned of a little girl age 7, only a few months older then Brooke. We reviewed a partial file and prayed and felt this may be our daughter. I was very excited at the thought of virtual twins, and of course in my head I was already making plans! When we received her complete file and had 2 Dr.'s review it we knew without any doubt we could not proceed with her adoption. We had great peace about this. Some months later we found out she is being adopted and am so greatful to hear that wonderful news. The day we received our phone call about our then 7 month old daughter was a day of many emotions. When I first saw her pictures I had many tears of joy flowing down my face. Of which I received many hugs from the kids as we sat around the computer. I was in shock, ok we both were at how young she was. A friend of mine said to me when I told her how old Katie was that God had a sense of humor. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was our child, picked by God as we surrended Him full control. All I could do was look around my house and see how unbabyproof it is. haha We travel next month and its still unbabyproof, but that will change, very soon!! When we found out about the tainted formula, I can't begin to describe how I felt. I was unable to work for 2 days, praying almost without ceasing for our baby to be ok. She appears to be ok, however will have some tests to go through after coming home to check her kidney levels and check for bladder & kidney stones.
For those who haven't personally gone through the adoption process you have no idea what we waiting parents go through. Adoption is an act of faith. When we found out how young our Katie was, one of my first prayers to God was, ok God, I was obediant in giving you full control over the age of her, now please God, let me be with her for her first birthday. God has answered my prayer. We may only be with her for 1 day before her birthday, but we WILL be with her. It has been so much fun baby shopping. Things have changed alot since 7 years ago. Its different when you are babyshower shopping and you're following someones registry, its almost like a mission. But here we are now babyshopping for us. I think I forgot how many things babies need. haha I have been having so much fun doing this.
Well, this post is probably far too long, but thats what happens when I post in the middle of the night:)
This journey has been full of ups and downs. Sometimes we have seen things that don't make sense or are unfair. I have had the privilege to be on my knees for our brothers and sisters in Christ and their children. I have cried many tears for people I don't know, but only through our agency and our special need family list. I've witnessed a miracle through a little girl who was left to die in a dirty hospital half way around the world, and through the power of prayer she has come home, had extensive heart surgery and is doing exceedingly well. I've seen families paperwork for the approval process come quickly, while others wait and cry out to the Lord, why must they wait?
In a short time we will be in China, to bring home our baby that the Lord perfectly chose to be a Walker. We started this journey not sure of what age to ask for. We were feeling too old for a baby, and had questions about preschool age. We struggled alot with this, when one day Jeff said we need to ask 0-5 and leave it to the Lord. However old she is, God has full control. We truly expected to be called from our agency for a 4 year old, partly because our agency told us the wait would probably be shorter as we were open to an older age then most. Then one day we learned of a little girl age 7, only a few months older then Brooke. We reviewed a partial file and prayed and felt this may be our daughter. I was very excited at the thought of virtual twins, and of course in my head I was already making plans! When we received her complete file and had 2 Dr.'s review it we knew without any doubt we could not proceed with her adoption. We had great peace about this. Some months later we found out she is being adopted and am so greatful to hear that wonderful news. The day we received our phone call about our then 7 month old daughter was a day of many emotions. When I first saw her pictures I had many tears of joy flowing down my face. Of which I received many hugs from the kids as we sat around the computer. I was in shock, ok we both were at how young she was. A friend of mine said to me when I told her how old Katie was that God had a sense of humor. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was our child, picked by God as we surrended Him full control. All I could do was look around my house and see how unbabyproof it is. haha We travel next month and its still unbabyproof, but that will change, very soon!! When we found out about the tainted formula, I can't begin to describe how I felt. I was unable to work for 2 days, praying almost without ceasing for our baby to be ok. She appears to be ok, however will have some tests to go through after coming home to check her kidney levels and check for bladder & kidney stones.
For those who haven't personally gone through the adoption process you have no idea what we waiting parents go through. Adoption is an act of faith. When we found out how young our Katie was, one of my first prayers to God was, ok God, I was obediant in giving you full control over the age of her, now please God, let me be with her for her first birthday. God has answered my prayer. We may only be with her for 1 day before her birthday, but we WILL be with her. It has been so much fun baby shopping. Things have changed alot since 7 years ago. Its different when you are babyshower shopping and you're following someones registry, its almost like a mission. But here we are now babyshopping for us. I think I forgot how many things babies need. haha I have been having so much fun doing this.
Well, this post is probably far too long, but thats what happens when I post in the middle of the night:)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
LOA!!!!!!
Here she is, our daughter and sister, Katie Marie-SiYin! She is waiting for us in Gaozhou, Guangdong China. We are planning on traveling early November to bring her home.
In this picture she is 7 months old. I have prayed to be with her for her 1st birthday and it looks like that prayer has been answered. We have not received the update from the orphanage, but are hoping to hear in the next few days. They have been very busy making calls from waiting parents since the tainted forumula was made public.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tainted formula,day 72 waiting for LOA
We found out 2 days ago that 22 baby formulas in China have been tainted with melamine. The melamine can cause kidney stones and kidney failure. According to our referral report one of these confirmed tainted baby formulas is what Katie has been drinking, probably her entire life. Our agency is unable to get any information from the CCAA or the orphanage. Our agencies in China staff has done checks on the AWAA children waiting to come home and the finding was none were affected. What does that mean? I'm really not sure, I guess that means none of them have passed away or have been hospitalized. We are using a wonderful comany called Ladybugs and love to do a check on Katie. There is no guarantee the orphanage will give them information, however they have done it before so we pray they will do it again.
It has been 72 long painful days waiting for our LOA. The last 2 have been the worst. Our agency has no idea when our LOA will come. They expect it anytime, however it could take much longer. This is one of the hardest things we have ever gone through. We are helpless a half a world away from our baby. We KNOW God is with her. Please pray for Katie, and all the children who have been affected.
I hope the next time I post I will have some good news:)
It has been 72 long painful days waiting for our LOA. The last 2 have been the worst. Our agency has no idea when our LOA will come. They expect it anytime, however it could take much longer. This is one of the hardest things we have ever gone through. We are helpless a half a world away from our baby. We KNOW God is with her. Please pray for Katie, and all the children who have been affected.
I hope the next time I post I will have some good news:)
Monday, September 1, 2008
Some things not to say to an adoptive family
I have heard from other adoptive parents the top 10 things not to say to an adoptive family. Over the years I myself have had well meaning people say things to me that they should not, or at least reword their question. Please remember we are very open to answering questions, but there is some information that we will not share. Even though our daughters are young, they are listening to what others say, and more importantly how we respond. So if you are reading this please take this to heart, not just for our family, but all adoptive families:)
1. We have 6 children, not 4 of our own and 2 adopted. God has blessed us with 6 children, period.
2. How much did she cost?
Well "she" didn't cost anything. The agency fees, the state dept. fees, the airfare, hotel, visa,
certification, etc. do add up. If you have specific questions I will be happy to discuss this with
you. I mean think about it, if someone is pregnant and gives birth do people ask the new
parents how much did she/he cost? I've yet to meet anyone who didn't have fees to pay
whether it be the Dr., hospital, lab, etc.
3. She'll be beautiful after her surgeries. Her scar hardly shows.
By making this comment my almost 8 year old may be wondering about herself. Her self
worth. She knows she has a scar. Our girls are beautiful. Please don't put emphasis on their
clefts. Love them, pray for them, hug them, but don't make them feel "different".
4. Why is the wait so long, their are so many children waiting for their forever families?
This is a difficult one. I can only say it is due to the paperwork. The amount of paperwork
involved in adoption huge. When there are so many families in the process and so few staff
to process, it takes longer. I can give an example from our experience in the U. S. when we
were trying to to get our I600A, which is giving us permission to adopt internationally. We
have to have our fingerprints done in Detroit at the immigration office. They send our
fingerprints to the FBI to make sure we have no criminal record. Well it takes only minutes
for these to be cleared, yet it took 4 months for us to receive our paperwork .
Yes, it is sad that it takes so long, you don't have to tell us that, but thats the way it is at this
time.
5. Will they be real sisters?
Yes, in every way that counts.
6. The Chinese don't want the girls, and often I hear awful comments that accompany this.
The truth is the Chinese Gov't allows only 1 child per family. Yes there are exceptions, such
if you have twins, if you pay the additional fee to have another child. The additional fees
are usually equal to 1 year of pay, up front in cash. There are some places in China that
allow 2 children, but this is rare.
China doesn't have social security, there are no retirement plans to enroll in. The Chinese
tradition is that the son will marry and he and is wife will live with his parents and care
for them in their old age. If you have a daughter you have noone to care for you. It is
wrong, but this is what the Chinese Gov't has said.
7. Do you know anything about her real parents?
First let me say, we are her real parents. Her biological parents are who you are referring
to. No we do not. In China there isn't an adoption program for biological parents like here
in the U.S. Most of the children in orphanages in China were abandoned. I cannot imagine the
pain of the family when they must leave their precious child. The children are usually left
in a very public place in the very early morning. This may be a market, hospital, police
station, train station, etc. Usually the family member who takes them will hide and wait
for the child to be found. I can only imagine how heart wrenching this is for them. If
anyone is caught abandoning a child, the punishment is severe. So you see the birth
family shows great love in taking the risk of making sure the child is found.
8. Will you tell her shes adopted?
This one cracks me up. Its pretty obvious isn't it? haha But yes, we have shared from
as long as we can remember her adoption story with her.
Please take these things I've said to heart. I know no one means any harm when they say things. We have all said things and then thought to ourselves, why did I say that. We love all of our children, they are all our own.
1. We have 6 children, not 4 of our own and 2 adopted. God has blessed us with 6 children, period.
2. How much did she cost?
Well "she" didn't cost anything. The agency fees, the state dept. fees, the airfare, hotel, visa,
certification, etc. do add up. If you have specific questions I will be happy to discuss this with
you. I mean think about it, if someone is pregnant and gives birth do people ask the new
parents how much did she/he cost? I've yet to meet anyone who didn't have fees to pay
whether it be the Dr., hospital, lab, etc.
3. She'll be beautiful after her surgeries. Her scar hardly shows.
By making this comment my almost 8 year old may be wondering about herself. Her self
worth. She knows she has a scar. Our girls are beautiful. Please don't put emphasis on their
clefts. Love them, pray for them, hug them, but don't make them feel "different".
4. Why is the wait so long, their are so many children waiting for their forever families?
This is a difficult one. I can only say it is due to the paperwork. The amount of paperwork
involved in adoption huge. When there are so many families in the process and so few staff
to process, it takes longer. I can give an example from our experience in the U. S. when we
were trying to to get our I600A, which is giving us permission to adopt internationally. We
have to have our fingerprints done in Detroit at the immigration office. They send our
fingerprints to the FBI to make sure we have no criminal record. Well it takes only minutes
for these to be cleared, yet it took 4 months for us to receive our paperwork .
Yes, it is sad that it takes so long, you don't have to tell us that, but thats the way it is at this
time.
5. Will they be real sisters?
Yes, in every way that counts.
6. The Chinese don't want the girls, and often I hear awful comments that accompany this.
The truth is the Chinese Gov't allows only 1 child per family. Yes there are exceptions, such
if you have twins, if you pay the additional fee to have another child. The additional fees
are usually equal to 1 year of pay, up front in cash. There are some places in China that
allow 2 children, but this is rare.
China doesn't have social security, there are no retirement plans to enroll in. The Chinese
tradition is that the son will marry and he and is wife will live with his parents and care
for them in their old age. If you have a daughter you have noone to care for you. It is
wrong, but this is what the Chinese Gov't has said.
7. Do you know anything about her real parents?
First let me say, we are her real parents. Her biological parents are who you are referring
to. No we do not. In China there isn't an adoption program for biological parents like here
in the U.S. Most of the children in orphanages in China were abandoned. I cannot imagine the
pain of the family when they must leave their precious child. The children are usually left
in a very public place in the very early morning. This may be a market, hospital, police
station, train station, etc. Usually the family member who takes them will hide and wait
for the child to be found. I can only imagine how heart wrenching this is for them. If
anyone is caught abandoning a child, the punishment is severe. So you see the birth
family shows great love in taking the risk of making sure the child is found.
8. Will you tell her shes adopted?
This one cracks me up. Its pretty obvious isn't it? haha But yes, we have shared from
as long as we can remember her adoption story with her.
Please take these things I've said to heart. I know no one means any harm when they say things. We have all said things and then thought to ourselves, why did I say that. We love all of our children, they are all our own.
Friday, August 22, 2008
40 Days of waiting
Well, tomorrow marks 40 days of waiting,in 4 days it will be 6 weeks since our LOI was sent electronically to China. Our agency speculates we will receive our LOA 2 months after LOI. Of course it could be longer, it could be shorter(of which I doubt). We were able to get an update on Katie this week!! She looks very healthy in her pictures, thank you God. She is drinking from a cleft bottle. She sleeps well, isn't crawling yet, but sitting alone. She is very tiny still, only wearing a size 3-6 months clothes. She is a petite 13 1/2 lbs and 26 1/2 inches long. Just a peanut. I've mainly been buying 6-9 months clothes with a few 12 months. I probably won't buy anymore until we have her, with the exception of sleepers, as we have none.
As always, keep praying for all of us, and for our LOA to come sooner then later:)
As always, keep praying for all of us, and for our LOA to come sooner then later:)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Waiting
Today is 5 weeks since we received the phone call that will forever change our lives. We have 4 pictures and a complete referral packet which talks in detail of our Katie, yet she is half way around the world. We must wait for the seemingly never ending paperwork to be processed. We only are given an estimate for the timeframe, which is 1-6 months, but most likely 2 months. Which if it were 2 months we are only 3 more weeks away. Only. Then we must wait for one last round of paperwork to be processed. Our invitation to come to China to meet our Katie, and again more paperwork.
Each day gets harder and harder waiting. I can't help myself but look at the clock and know what she is doing, at least according to her schedule that we have been given. I tell you the truth in that each morning the first thought that comes to my mind is what is Katie doing? Sometimes I am dreaming about her and it takes me a minute to acclimate to the fact that she is not here, sleeping in her crib. The reality sets in that we are still waiting.
Our house is never quite right when one of our children are not here. Over the years we've gotten use to sleepovers, and as our oldest two sons may be gone more then before, however it just seems like something is missing. In our case now, our youngest daughter is. We ache to have her with us. Brooke is practicing holding her with her babies. She talks about her baby sister everyday. Katie is so loved.
The waiting makes me think of how God must feel, waiting for people to come to him. How He loves us so much, and yet people deny Him everyday. They may come to Him during a tragedy, but then get back to "their" lives on their own. We saw this happen as a country after 911.
Each day gets harder and harder waiting. I can't help myself but look at the clock and know what she is doing, at least according to her schedule that we have been given. I tell you the truth in that each morning the first thought that comes to my mind is what is Katie doing? Sometimes I am dreaming about her and it takes me a minute to acclimate to the fact that she is not here, sleeping in her crib. The reality sets in that we are still waiting.
Our house is never quite right when one of our children are not here. Over the years we've gotten use to sleepovers, and as our oldest two sons may be gone more then before, however it just seems like something is missing. In our case now, our youngest daughter is. We ache to have her with us. Brooke is practicing holding her with her babies. She talks about her baby sister everyday. Katie is so loved.
The waiting makes me think of how God must feel, waiting for people to come to him. How He loves us so much, and yet people deny Him everyday. They may come to Him during a tragedy, but then get back to "their" lives on their own. We saw this happen as a country after 911.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
30 days waiting for RA/LOA
Today marks 30 days that we have been waiting for our RA/LOA. Remember, that is the next approval process we are waiting for. This says that the CCAA has the last approval for the adoption, and also the CCAA is asking us, are we sure we want to continue. Of course we are!!
Last Sunday I was talking with a gentleman from our church. I told him how hard it is to wait. How I think of our Katie waiting for us. He told me that I should think of this waiting time as if I were in a room waiting, and Jesus was sitting with me waiting. He knows how hard it is, and I need to remember that His timing is perfect. So as I wait I have been thinking about how Jesus is sitting next to me, and Katie too. It is hard, but I keep my faith in His perfect timing.
My husband was filling in for the senior citizens sunday school class and spoke about how we grow in the valley, not on top of the mountain. I feel I have grown so much during this process. Its something I can't explain. I think differently then I did before. I have been in the valley, and continue to be there. I'm thankful for the vallies, as difficult as they are. They are not fun while we are there, usually they are pretty painful. But as you begin to near the mountain, then climb , and ultimately reach the top, we can praise God for being with us, being patient with us, and loving us. In this particular case with us, we will be on top of the mountain when we are united with Katie, and yet we know there will be vallies again. However we know that God is faithful, and we once again will grow.
Last Sunday I was talking with a gentleman from our church. I told him how hard it is to wait. How I think of our Katie waiting for us. He told me that I should think of this waiting time as if I were in a room waiting, and Jesus was sitting with me waiting. He knows how hard it is, and I need to remember that His timing is perfect. So as I wait I have been thinking about how Jesus is sitting next to me, and Katie too. It is hard, but I keep my faith in His perfect timing.
My husband was filling in for the senior citizens sunday school class and spoke about how we grow in the valley, not on top of the mountain. I feel I have grown so much during this process. Its something I can't explain. I think differently then I did before. I have been in the valley, and continue to be there. I'm thankful for the vallies, as difficult as they are. They are not fun while we are there, usually they are pretty painful. But as you begin to near the mountain, then climb , and ultimately reach the top, we can praise God for being with us, being patient with us, and loving us. In this particular case with us, we will be on top of the mountain when we are united with Katie, and yet we know there will be vallies again. However we know that God is faithful, and we once again will grow.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
PA!!!
Today we were called by our wonderful family coordinator Melissa to tell us they received our PA, which is pre-approval. This means the CCAA has reviewed our nurture and rehabilitation plan along with some other documents from our agency and they have moved us to the next step. We now are waiting for our RA which is our referral acceptance. We were told this can vary greatly from 1-6 months, with the average time 2-3 months.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
More info on Katie
Today our agency sent our LOI(letter of intent) to the CCAA electronically. So now we wait again. In adoption there are alot things, alot of paperwork,alot of waiting,alot of emotions, but most importantly alot of faith in God.
Ok, I know, you're waiting for more info on Katie. I am still limited, but can share some more things about her. She is 7 months old, well almost 8 months. She has an unrepaired cl/cp. She looks alot like Brooke in her referral pictures. She is absolutely gorgeous. We cannot wait to bring her home.
Yesterday Brooke had an appt. with the ENT. Afterwards we went to Target to look at baby things, because of course we have none. We had asked for 0-4, trusting the Lord would match us with the perfect daughter for our family. Had Katie been older, she and Brooke would have gotten bunk beds. We were waiting to buy these until we knew how old Katie was. So now we are needing everything for our new baby. Brooke had so much fun looking at all of the baby things. She picked out a couple of things for her. She is a very proud sister.
Ok, I know, you're waiting for more info on Katie. I am still limited, but can share some more things about her. She is 7 months old, well almost 8 months. She has an unrepaired cl/cp. She looks alot like Brooke in her referral pictures. She is absolutely gorgeous. We cannot wait to bring her home.
Yesterday Brooke had an appt. with the ENT. Afterwards we went to Target to look at baby things, because of course we have none. We had asked for 0-4, trusting the Lord would match us with the perfect daughter for our family. Had Katie been older, she and Brooke would have gotten bunk beds. We were waiting to buy these until we knew how old Katie was. So now we are needing everything for our new baby. Brooke had so much fun looking at all of the baby things. She picked out a couple of things for her. She is a very proud sister.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
REFERRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot even believe I can type that word, referral. I can't say alot, but I think I can tell you some. It is Sunday, July 13th. After church Jeff was sleeping, after working many hours this week. He had worked his 3rd 12 hour shift in a row. He taught sunday school this morning and was so tired after. We did not stay for church. We came home, had lunch and Jeff went to bed, for what we thought was a nice long sleep. I played scene it Nick with our 3 youngest. We had finished playing, not that long when the phone rang. The caller i.d. said America World. Now remember its Sunday. Our agency is a Christian agency and does not work Sundays. They don't work weekends, they are a business with business hours of Monday-Friday. I thought it was our PR director calling. Its not out of the ordinary for Mike to call. Steven Curtis Chapman is coming to our area this week and we had been emailing with Mike about a possible Shaohannahs hope booth. So when I saw America World I immeditely thought it was Mike telling us that yes, they are going to have a Shaohannahs hope booth, which by the way, they are not having at this concert. So I answer the phone thinking its Mike, but no, a female voice cheefully says hi Shannon, its Melissa from America World. At this point I am almost speechless, I'm wondering why is she calling me on Sunday? She quickly says that they are working today to check on the shared referrals and they had an exact match for us!! She then proceeds to tell me of the age and sn of our daughter!! I am in shock and holding back the tears. I cannot even believe what I am hearing. I said can you lock the file now? She tells me we must review the file first. So we excitedly wake up poor Jeff who has only been sleeping about 2 hours at this point. Needless to say he was in shock. He is going to be tired tonight. Who can sleep after hearing you have a new daughter?! We open the email and the most precious face was looking at us. We reviewed her file and called to tell her YES, please lock her file. Tomorrow we will be getting everything together to fax and or email to our agency. They then will do what they do and send our electonic acceptance to the CCAA. We then wait. We will probably first get PA (preapproval) and then wait for our RA(referral acceptance). This is telling us that yes indeed, the CCAA approves us for this adoption, and in turn we must tell them that yes indeed we want to adopt this child. This can take 2-3 months as we were originally logged in as special needs. We then wait for travel approval, which can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks. After travel approval our agency contacts the U. S. Consulate in Guangzhou to schedule our appt. This is the last leg of paperwork for us to do. This is when the will issue Katies passport to come home. So our travel depends on when we can get our appt. at the U.S. Consulate, which must wait on our PA and RA. Generally travel can be 2-6 weeks after TA. We of course know that these dates can fluctuate greatly.
At this time we cannot share any specifics on age, sn, name, or where she is. I can only tell you she is adorable and we can't wait to be with her. As soon as we get permission to share details, we will. Until that time we ask for your prayers. Not just for us while we're waiting, but for our dear Katie. Her entire life is going to change.
At this time we cannot share any specifics on age, sn, name, or where she is. I can only tell you she is adorable and we can't wait to be with her. As soon as we get permission to share details, we will. Until that time we ask for your prayers. Not just for us while we're waiting, but for our dear Katie. Her entire life is going to change.
Friday, July 4, 2008
4th of July
Today is the 4th of July. I am thankful everyday for the freedoms we are privileged to have. I remember July 4th 2001. The 6 of us were at a fireworks display. We had spent the late afternoon and early evening enjoying different activities at a very large metropark. At that time we did not know who Brooke was. We were at the same stage we are now waiting for Katie. Waiting to find out who she was. I often think that we take for granted our freedoms we have in the United States. As Jeff and I watched the fireworks that year we were moved to tears and so grateful to be Americans. We are so grateful to all of armed forces and their families. They sacrifice more then we could even begin to imagine. We are also thankful for our police officers and firefighters. These are positions that may not call for deployment to another country or state for long periods of time, however do call for sacrifice from their families and loved ones. They don't do this for the wonderful pay, haha. They do this to protect, honor and serve their country. Jeff has been with the police dept for 22 1/2 years. He has seen alot of things. People often ask me if I'm afraid for him. Afraid is not the right word. When we were dating he told me what he was going to be. I knew then and there I would have to leave him in Gods hands, and I have. Now our oldest son Josh will be starting his second year of college next month. He has recently been hired as a paid on call firefighter for our city. He will be starting fire 1, and will have his associates degree in fire science. He has responded to more calls then any other paid on call firefighter at his firestation. In his short time there, he has already seen so much. He is learning what it is to sacrifice, to serve your city and protect its residents. We are very proud of him. So the next time you see a soldier, give him/her a hug and thank them, thank their family for their sacrifice as well. When you see a firefighter, thank them. You have no idea what goes into their training, not just initially, but career long. For just getting to sleep after working for 10 hours, having been up for 20 hours , and then responding to another call. When you are pulled over by a police officer and given a ticket for speeding, running a yellow light, or not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, remember that this police officer has taken an oath to protect the laws and the people. If you weren't breaking the law to begin with you would not be receiving the ticket. Laws are made to protect people, not hurt them. So lets thank of all of our public service men and women, and their families. They sacrifice 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
No referral news yet
Well we haven't heard from our agency yet. They have received a few shared referrals. What is a shared referral you ask? Its a new way the CCAA has been matching children with their forever families. The way it works is there are approx 50 approved agencies that the CCAA will send via email usually a pretty large list of children from ages of under 1 to about 12. These children may have several sn, maybe their age is their sn. The agencies then review the lists and then review the families they have waiting. They then will call the possible family match. At that point you receive the referral info via email. You are to then have a Dr. review this info asap as you don't know who else may be doing this same thing. Once you have the Dr. review and you are ready to accept this referral you contact your agency and they then lock the file, thus noone else may review. Then your LOI is sent to China and you wait for your final approval. This of course is very time sensitive as you don't know who else could/is reviewing the same file as you are. This varies in the agency individual list. This list is for only 1 agency. The agency will search through their families and match the children after much prayer. The family then has 7 days to review the referral. Not nearly as much of a rush. Our agency has not received an individual list for 3 months now. So we are praying a new one comes soon. Please pray for us and Gods perfect timing. We are still well within the parameters the agency told us for waiting, however it is still very difficult. We have asked for 0-4, but for whatever reason I feel we will be referred a 3-4 yo. We are leaving the age in Gods hands and know He will match us with the right child. Either way we know she is on the other side of the world. We pray for her daily. It is just very hard knowing you have a child on the other side of the world and you can't be together. I think of her in the morning, wondering is she having a snack, getting a story read, brushing her teeth? In the evening I think is she just getting up, having breakfast, going to preschool, or in a walker? Our family has alot of faith in the Lord, and this is one of the times when your faith has got to be strong.
Friday, April 18, 2008
DTC !!!!!
Today 4-18-08 we are DTC, which means dossier to China. This is a huge milestone. The next step is waiting for our agency, AWAA to match us with our Katie. Our agency receives special needs referrals about every 2-3 months. When the referrals are received and the information is translated they begin the matching process with many factors involved. The single most important thing is when the families dossier was logged into the CCAA. Other factors include what special need(s) the child has and matching him/her with a family who has asked for that special need(s). This is a very big responsibility for our agency. They pray for each child and ask God for guidance in matching the family with their child. So now we wait for Gods perfect timing.
Friday, April 4, 2008
I171H Received!!
Wednesday April 2nd we received our I171H. For those who don't know what this is let me explain. When a family is adopting internationally you must get approval from Homeland Security/ Immigration. Once you have an approved homestudy, meaning the social worker knows every detail of your life, starting from the time you were born until the current, as well as your future plans, checks your finances, your marriage stability, oh and of course your home and all of those living there. At that point you overnight the homestudy to Homeland security and wait for a fingerprint appt. Once you are fingerprinted these go to the FBI for anyone in your home 18 years or older for a criminal clearance. Once those are cleared through the FBI the results are forwarded back to Homeland Security and they will issue the I171H. This approves the family as well as starts the paperwork rolling at the U.S. Consulate in Guanzhou China. So that when we have Katie, and the adoption is final in China, China will issue her a Chinese passport, then we will fly to Guangzhou from whatever province Katie was in. At that point we have major paperwork to do to process her visa to come into the U. S. So this document is crucial in the adoption process for many reasons. So now we wait for our dossier(all adoption paperwork) to be returned to us via prepaid fed ex envelope. At that point we will make copies of the authentication page on each document and fed ex our dossier to AWAA. When they receive our dossier, they do the once over again, as each document was faxed to them as they were completed. They will then fed ex it to the CCAA where it will sit in the special needs pile somewhere waiting for us to be matched with our Katie. When our agency calls us with a match we will send the CCAA a LOI(letter of intent), they will then pull our dossier and begin the approval process. At this time it is taking anywhere from 3-6 months for this approval.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Our story
Our story started in 1985, when Jeff and Shannon met. We knew that God has brought us together and our love for each other quickly grew. We married in 1987, and 1 year and 9 months later our first child was born, Joshua David. Little did we know at that time that the Lord had planned a larger family then we thought we would have. Joshua was followed by 3 brothers, Robert , Bryan and Aaron. We were happy and content with our family. With 4 boys we were always going to some sporting event, all year long. The love we had in our family was amazing. There was never a dull moment in our house, but still something was missing from our family. A daughter. We began doing research on adoption, both domestic and international. After much time in prayer we felt God was leading us to China. I began doing much research on adoption agencies and after researching 47 agencies, we finally were led to apply with America China Adoption Association, which is now America World Adoption Association, which not only has adoption programs in China now, but many more countries . We started our adoption process in January 2001. All of our paperwork was in China 4/01 and we began to wait. Little did we know at that time our daughter had already been born. On Christmas Day 2000!! God had led us to our daughter who was on our agencies special needs list. Her special need was she was born with a cleft lip and palate. After much prayer we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God brought this child to us. 3 1/2 months after seeing her face for the first time we were in China, uniting with our daughter Brooke. She has been such a blessing and joy to our family. We did think at that time our family was complete. However once again we felt the calling of the Lord to pursue another adoption. The decision was made in 6/07 , and in 8/07 we once again applied with America World to help us bring our daughter home. The process has changed over the years which is to be expected. We have been on our agencies waiting children's list since 9/07. We hope to be DTC(dossier to China) by 5/08, if not sooner. We are only waiting for the immigration office to process our paperwork, which unfortunately they are very slow at now. Our first time it took 2 weeks, this time its approx 31/2 months. Our faith is in God, and we pray for His perfect timing in all things. Families are asked to request some specifics of the child they are asking for. Example, boy/girl, either, approx age , special need if any. We knew we wanted another daughter who is cleft affected. However we weren't sure on what age to ask for. We knew we wanted her to be the youngest, but weren't quite sure about a baby or preschooler, and after much prayer the answer was very simple. We have asked for 0-4 . We don't want to miss out on a blessing that God has for us, so however old she is, that is who God has planned for our family. We are very excited to be adding once again to our family. We invite you to follow us on our journey.
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