Package

I am waiting to see if my agency was able to get more information about little Tyson. As soon as I get that information, no matter what, I will be sending him a Christmas package. For those who don't know, there are these ladies with who usually have US and Chinese connections, and they do care packages, letters, and phone calls to orphanages. You order the care package, then they are mailed within China. It saves so much on postage. You can order snacks/tea for the orphanage workers, and then send things to your child. For now, Tyson will get a blanket, a stuffed animal, and a book. The orphanage nannies are getting snacks and tea, and I am also writing a letter with a return envelope, hoping some of my questions will be answered. Then in January we'll send him another package for Chinese New Year. I am planning to send about 1 package every month to month and a half. They are not cheap, but if you were in an orphanage waiting for your parents, wouldn't you want some presents and to know you are loved? We cannot wait for Tyson to be home with us. I can't wait to show you all his cute picture. You will agree, he is beautiful, and I know he's going to just fit in with us great. I am hoping to see him pester his big sister A LOT! It will be joy to my eyes and ears. God is so good!

Frustrated!

The National Benefits Center has now had my I-800A form for three months. THREE MONTHS! It hasn't even made it off of the shelf. We had to do some extra paperwork, so that was sent 1-2 weeks ago. I called Tuesday to see if it made it....NOPE! I'm calling Monday. They also said my paperwork probably wouldn't be reviewed until AFTER Thanksgiving. No, that is not OK. This whole process is hurry up and wait. It's not like they are going to read my homestudy and approve it all at once. Oh no. It can't be that easy. I'm sure I will get a letter or phone call saying they still need x, y, and z information. I am frustrated beyond words!

Pray for us

To anyone who reads this: please cover our family in prayer. We need it. Things are getting better, but your prayers really help. Thank you!

New info!

I don't think anyone is reading this...yet...but I'm still posting knowing that someday I'll be glad I did and that it will help someone out there.

We got our update. Long story short, from what I can see, he's still small but growing! He has his own little growth curve going. He's 16 months now, and he is walking when holding onto things. In China, for kids in orphanages, walking happens between 15-18 months, so he's right on target. We also know he is playing with his peers his age, which is great news. God is putting all reservations to rest. We know it will not be an easy road, but it will be worth it. God has matched us with this little boy. We know he will need speech therapy, surgeries, etc... We will be using sign language to communicate because remember, he has to learn English too!

Next week we will talk to an international adoption doctor to see what her take is on the updated information. Hopefully it will be positive and we can get this ball (and this house!) rolling!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

In 2003 we started the family tradition of going to the pumpkin patch to get our fall pumpkins. We ride out in a covered wagon pulled by a tractor, and we go out and find the perfect pumpkin for each of us. Kacie's rule is that she has to get a pumpkin that she can carry! Each year her pumpkins are a little bigger. Then we go back to the main area and wash our pumpkins, and then Kacie likes to go through the hay maze.

Hopefully next year we'll have a new little one in the family to continue our tradition with! I mentioned that to Kacie, and she just smiled!

The Longest Week

Well, I've been keeping it in for too long...I'm going crazy!

What started out as a journey for a "healthy" baby girl from China has taken a turn. If you've read my date list, you know that we have changed to adopting a boy with special needs. We currently are reviewing a file for a little boy right now! If he does turn out to be our son, we will share more info as we can. We had to wait longer because it was a holiday in China last week. Talk about the longest week ever!

It is amazing when you "Let go" and "Let God" direct your path. God's timing is perfect, and we know everything will work out. God will not give us what we can't handle, but at the same time, the road will not be an easy one. God has a plan, and we are letting it unfold as we take this giant leap of faith.

The more we think about having a boy, the more excited we are! At first Kacie was a little disappointed, as she had always assumed she would have a baby sister. But now, she is so happy to have a brother. It is so hard to not get ahead of ourselves, but with every passing day, we just know that all will work out.

I wish I could share more, but at this time, that's all I'm comfortable posting publicly until we know if we will be accepting this referral.

More Dates

April 08: Decided to look into special needs adoptions.

May 08: Found out we needed clearances from when Dan was in the Military. Huh? What?

Summer 08....waited for clearances and just became numb to the whole process, thinking it would never happen. Had a girls weekend in Tahoe/Sacramento; Family trip to Disneyland; Flew to Anchorage AK and drove back with my sister. I stayed busy!

Mid Aug. 08: Call from Home Study social worker. We may be at the end of this clearance stuff!

Mid Aug. 08: Home Study Complete! The ball is officially rolling again.

Aug. 27 08: I-8o0A received at NBC/USCIS (paperwork for immigration, requesting to bring our child into the US based on our citizenship)

Sept 6 08: Sent final pictures and paperwork

Sept 11 08: Officially decided to adopt a child with special needs, and it will most likely be a boy!

Sept 18th: Fingerprint appointment at Dept. Homeland Security; possible referral?

Significant Dates

3/21/08: Met with Adoption Agency and met our home study service provider. Began the "paper chase"

3/26/08: Ordered Passports; First Home Study Visit

4/1/08: Blood Work
4/2/08: Medical Appointments

4/12/08: Passports arrived (wow!)

4/21/08: Finished International Adoption Classes (a new Hague requirement)

4/24/08: In the process of scheduling the next home study visit.

The First Blog!

I decided to start this blog because the adoption process is so long, confusing, and exciting! It's hard to communicate all that we are going through and have done. I will say that I believe it will be at least three years until we have our baby, but we are putting our faith in God, and He will direct our path.

So how did we end up here? Well, long story short, we are most likely not able to have any more children biologically without medical intervention. We found that out at the end of February 2008, so we had some serious thinking to do. Would Kacie be our only child? Would we try in-vitro? Would we adopt, and if so, domestically (US) or internationally, and if internationally, from where?

I believe that God put China on my heart back in 1994. In college I was in an Anthro of the Non-Western World Class, and China was one of our topics. It was there I learned so much, and I have always dreamed of adopting a girl from China. So now, 14 years later, we have begun to make our dream a reality. Feel free to check back on the blog to see how the process is going. I hope you will join us on our journey to China to bring home our daughter, and pray for us as we go through the hoops and emotions of this ride known as adoption.