Friday, September 23, 2005

The 1 month mark (6 to go)

Today is the 1 month mark for our paperwork being logged into the CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) and what an appropriate package I found in the mailbox when I returned home from work....(I purchased it and knew it was coming) but it's kinda special that it arrived today) :)



I am going to attempt to learn some of my daughters language. I can't guarantee how it will go considering I wasn't very good with other languages in school - but I'll give it the 'Ol Harvard try (and I didn't even go to Harvard. I did visit once though).

Thursday, September 22, 2005

It's official - I did it!!



I did it. I said I wasn't going to....but I did it. I bought Emily her first outfit!!

At this point, I don't have any idea what size she'll be when we get her, but this was just too adorable to pass up!! Don't you agree??? :)


Friday, September 16, 2005

Prayer request for Baby Gwen

Please say a prayer for Baby Gwen. Her adoption is one I have been following (link in sidebar) and today it was posted that her Mom & Dad had to take her to the hospital in China for severe dehydration. The poor little baby has been quite sick lately, and she needs your prayers. Also, please include Karen and Scott (her parents) in your prayers. They need rest and strength to get through this tough time. Thank you.

Precious Little Baby Gwen

Thursday, September 15, 2005

New baby in the family

I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to my brother Doug and sister-in-law Amy....and welcome the newest member of their family: Rex Everything!!! Isn't he just the cutest?!?!?

Check it out - BLOG BLING!!!

DUB's for Emily!!! ROFL

Our Adoption Timeline

10/26/04 - Requested info from His Kids Adoptions International
11/13/04 - Set-up Homestudy meetings with Social Worker (SW)
11/17/04 - Application sent to His Kids Adoptions International
11/19/04 - Sent requests for marriage and birth certificates
11/22/04 - 1st Homestudy meeting with SW (Topeka)
11/26/04 - Sent off for SRS and police background checks
11/27/04 - Received Dawn's birth certificate
11/29/04 - 2nd Homestudy meeting with SW (Topeka)
12/03/04 - Received John's birth certificate and marriage certificate
12/06/04 - 3rd Homestudy meeting with SW (Topeka)
12/23/04 - Home visit and seperate/together interviews
01/22/05 - Attended 'Different But Equal' Adoption Education class
01/29/05 - Received copy of Homestudy report
02/03/05 - Received certificate of completion for 'DBE' adoption class
04/08/05 - Got passport photos taken
04/08/05 - Sent off for passports
04/26/05 - Received passports
05/23/05 - I-600A fingerprint appointment
06/24/05 - Received I-171 approval
06/27/05 - Submitted updated revisions for Homestudy
06/29/05 - Dossier overnighted to His Kids Adoptions International
07/15/05 - Received updated revisions to Homestudy (for our files)
07/27/05 - Dossier to China (DTC) !!!!
08/11/05 - Infamous brown envelope from China arrives
08/23/05 - Official LID (log in date at CCAA) !!!!

As of today: Waiting for Referral (approx. 6-7 months)
(once referral is received and accepted)
1. We will then wait for travel authorization (1-2 months)
2. Trip to China (2 weeks in country)
3. Home!!!

100 Good Wishes Quilt

Calling all family and friends!!

While we are waiting for Emily to arrive home, we are collecting "squares" to make a 100 Wishes Quilt for her, and we request your participation in this project.

"What is a 100 Good Wishes Quilt?" you may be asking....let me explain:

To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or 100 Good Wishes Quilt. It is a custom to invite 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the prayers, blessings, and good wishes from all the family and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. (For those of you that are familiar with the quilt, you may have noticed that I changed luck to prayers, and energy to blessings. I like those much better.) The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation. We would really love it if you would join us in this project and send us a square.

WHAT TO DO:

1. Select a fabric that you like, or that is meaningful to you that could work for either a boy or girl. It can be new or "used and meaningful" fabric. 100% cotton is best, as it washes and wears better. Please pre-wash the fabric so it has done all the shrinking it is going to do before you cut it.

2. Cut one 7" x 7" square and one 1" x 1" square. The smaller square should be attached to your "good wishes" message/card and is how your fabric will be identified within the quilt. If there are several members in your family, please feel free to send more than one square and wish (just please be sure to include the 1" x 1").

THE WISH:

1. Your wish and the way it is presented can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. The wish might be a prayer, a favorite poem, a heart felt random thought or quote, or anything that strikes your fancy. Please remember to sign your wish and include your city and state. Also, if you would like, include why you chose the fabric (what it means to you). I will be making a scrapebook for Emily containing the wishes collected, so that when she gets older, she can see how much love went into this quilt.

I know everyone has very busy schedules, but if you could take a few minutes to help us create this wonderful keepsake, we would be forever grateful.

If you would like to participate, please e-mail me dawns@kc.rr.com and I will provide you our mailing address.

Thank you and may GOD bless you.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Sonogram of Emily


"WHAT?!?!?" you may be saying....but hey, WE'RE PREGNANT!!! Paper pregnant that is. LOL (thanks Dawn B. for that line - I love it!!)

NOTE: If you look real close, you may be able to see her twin Abigail!!

Yes, twin - we've recently started praying and believing that we'll be blessed with twins! (It's happened - and we are approved for two children, so we'll see)

Beginning our journey

A lot of our family and friends know about our decision to adopt, but for those who don’t, I’ll give a brief history of how we began this wonderful journey we are on.

John and I were married in August of ‘97. In October of ‘98, we decided we would start a family. Well, GOD apparently had other plans because it didn’t happen like we thought it would. I imagine there’s a lot of people that don’t consider that when they decide it’s time to start a family, there’s a possibility it won’t happen - I know we didn’t. Anyway, we went along for a couple years thinking that it would eventually happen…but nope, nothing. There was some testing done on both of us, but nothing came back conclusive stating that children were out of the question. A couple more years went by, and having mutually decided that we were not going to go the invitro route, I started surfing the web, and requested adoption information from a ton of different agencies.

When I first approached John about adopting, he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea. He didn’t discount it all together, he just wasn’t as jazzed about it as me. Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted to adopt, but John was hoping to have biological children first.

The requested adoption information started to come in, and there was one agency that really clicked with me, but with so many agency choices (and it being a very important decision) we needed to be in agreement with the choice. I didn’t press the issue with John (ok - not too much anyway) but I gave him a list of agencies and their phone #’s. I wanted him to talk to people and see what kind of response he got. Well, he called a lot them, and we set up an appointment with an agency to see how they did things. I was ecstatic. We were really going to talk to an agency!!!

Ok - long story short regarding the meeting…..it just didn’t click for us. That’s not saying that there was anything wrong with that agency, it’s just that we were hoping to work with a more CHRIST centered one, and we just didn’t feel like that was the right place for us.

On the ride home, I was a bit on the sad side. But as we were discussing how we felt about the whole thing, I asked him if he had called this one particular agency. He said he hadn’t, but that he would call them the next day. Imagine my surprise when I received an excited call from him the following afternoon saying, “That’s the agency we’re using!” He had talked to them, and felt in his spirit (just as I had) that this was the agency we were to use. We were both in agreement, and we started the process that will at long last bring us together with our daughter (or Princess, as I call her - LOL).

I would also like to say here that for anybody that doubts whether or not prayer really works….IT DOES!! I spent a lot of time asking (pleading) for GOD to change John’s heart about adoption, and HE did it!! HE opened John’s eyes to how we are all adopted into GOD’s family - and once this revelation happened, we have been happily plugging along ever since.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

I can't believe it's finally ready!!

WOW!! After working on setting up this site for a couple days, I think it's finally ready to roll....and now it's time for me to go to bed. Whaaaaa!!

Oh well, I'll hit it again tomorrow. I believe I've formed yet another addiction, and it's to this site - so don't fear, I'll return tomorrow with some more info regarding our adoption to date.

I would like to leave you with one of my favorite pictures (he/she makes me laugh).

Good night all!! Goodnight John Boy....Goodnight Mary Ellen (was that one of them??) Now the Brady's, I can name 'em all!! LOL

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