Travel Approval!!

I just got an email & a phone call from our China coordinator -- we have official approval from the Chinese government to travel to China!!! This is the necessary "Travel Approval" that we needed so that we can book a September appointment with the US Consulate in China. Once our China coordinator secures us an appointment with the US Consulate, we will be able to book our flights & confirm travel dates. I feel like this travel approval came back to us lightening fast ... after everything going so slow for so long, finally something fast!!!!!!

Meet My Precious First Grader!!!!

I cannot believe my Hannah is an offical first grader!!!!! Hannah was very ready for the school day except a "little" tired from problems she had sleeping last night. Poor girl slept from 8:45 - 10:45pm and then was awake until 1:37AM!!!!! Needless to say, she did not have any problem fallling asleep tonight! :-)

I love her teacher - she is a TREASURE! I really could not have asked for a more wonderful, kind, caring 1st grade teacher. I am so thankful to the Lord for the match between her & Hannah. I know Hannah is going to thrive in her classroom!

Meanwhile, I have being doing laundry and having fun doing "Lily Loads". I am washing some of Hannah's old stuff and all the new stuff we have purchased. Thank you to Diana at www.1diamond1ruby1pearl.blogspot.com for the suggestions to me on what sizes to buy for Lily & what diaper sizes she will probably be wearing. I have followed Diana's blog for probably 2 years & have been so blessed to watch her journey to China & back. She has a daughter close to Hannah's age + a pumpkin of a girl from China!! Her little daughter from China, Ruby, has given me so much hope to keep waiting all this time for our Lily. I will forever be thankful for this family sharing their adoption journey online. Ruby really has played a key role in allowing my heart to keep waiting & keep hoping!

If all goes well, we will be receiving Lily Sha Hope in our arms in exactly 28 days ... 4 weeks!!!!!!! I am so excited and truly I feel like the "old me" again. I have laughed more & been more relaxed in these last few weeks than I have been in 2years. It is amazing how much joy little Lily has already brought to my heart.

All God's best!

9 Days Staring At a Beautiful Face

Well, it has been over a week since we first saw sweet Lily's face & I have to say my heart hasn't felt such happiness in a long time. It seems to have finally sunk into my brain that this darling little girl is our daughter. I just can't wait to go get her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went back & read my journal that I have been keeping for Lily for the past 2 years. In my first entry I prayed that Lily would be happy & filled with joy. By the look of her sweet face, I'd have to say that the Lord truly answered my prayer!

I found out last week, from an adoptive mom in Colorado, that our Lily is actually in foster care. This mom contacted me because she recognized Lily from my blog as the foster sister of her daughter that she adopted in June. She had 2 pictures of our Lily with her sweet little girl she adopted! Our daughters are foster sisters! I can't begin to thank this wonderful woman for reaching out to me & for emailing me pictures of Lily that were taken before her referral pictures (or "referral glamor shots", as my friend calls them!). Lily looks so content & happy with her foster family. I am so thankful to the Lord for the way he has protected her & nurtured her during this first year of her life.

We mailed a package to Lily with a stuffed animal / blanket kind of thing, a picture book of our family and 2 disposable cameras. I think the package has arrived by now. I hope to get the cameras back with more pictures of her life now but we will see what her foster family does.

I've been having fun shopping a bit (well, maybe more than a bit!) for my little China princess! It was hilarious when I went in to register at 2 places, the sales clerks looked at me like I was crazy b/c I didn't look like I was expecting a baby! I had to pull out my proof pictures to make sure they didn't think I'd lost my mind.

This is truly a wonderful time of getting ready for Lily & celebrating our referral with friends. Thank you to everyone that has left us so many kind & caring comments. I am overwhelmed by the love in the adoption community & beyond!

All God's best!

Lily Sha Hope

 

I can't stop staring at the pictures of this precious bundle of joy! She reminds me completely of Hannah when she was a baby ... happy & sweet!!

We met with our wonderful China coordinator tonight at a Starbuck's (yes, Starbucks!). She provided all the translated documents regarding Lily. Her current Chinese name is Sha Qu.

Here is some of the information we received tonight about our sweet girl:
Her personality is animated. She likes to listen to music and watch TV, play toys with her little friends. She likes to smile, and she can distinguish between acquaintances and strangers. She can say some baby words, and she feels excited when seeing food. She wants to touch everything. She is very strong. If someone hugs her and plays with her, she will laugh happily.


We are tentatively going to travel from September 19th - 30th. We will meet Lily & hold her in our arms for the first time on September 22nd....and then we will never let her go!!! Our travel dates could change based on various factors, but as of right now, these are the dates our coordinator is shooting for. If so, only 5 weeks & 4 days without our Lily!!!!

She Couldn't Be Any More Adorable!!

We are sooooo in love with this beautiful girl!!! She is waiting for us in Milou Orphanage in Hunan Province. We will probably travel right after her 1st birthday. She is said to be healthy ... and obviously, happy!!!!

All the months of waiting have just melted away.

Thank you, Lord, for doing above & beyond what we could ever think or imagine!!

It's a GIRL!!

We are on our way out to pick up the picture of our daughter! She was born September 15th, 2007....as soon as we have her photo, I will post it here!

Thank you, Lord!!!!!

Waiting Aggressively By My Phone

Rumor is that one agency in Europe has received referrals. If so, there is a good chance we will get our referral today. As soon as we receive "the call" from our agency, I will post here. We are so excited that this week is finally here!!!

Next Week ...

Referrals are on the way!! They should arrive to the US on Monday or Tuesday. So, one more weekend...hard to believe the waiting is almost over!!

Blessings,

Debbie

Referrals Have Been Sent!!

Rumors are out that referrals have been sent from China. I don't know if we will get our referral tomorrow (Friday) or early next week. It is surreal to think that we are really next & that soon we will see a picture of this precious girl we have been praying for & dreaming of for so long.

Stay tuned .. I will post Lily's picture as soon as we have it!!!!!!

This is the verse today from my "verse of the day" calendar. I thought it was so appropriate for today's wonderful news / rumors:
Psalm 116:7-9
"Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living."

A Look Back

It is looking good for referrals to be sent this week!!!! If so, we will be included. I can't wrap my brain around the fact that we might get Lily's picture this week! I will really believe it when I see her picture. I know all the emotions that I bottled up inside during this wait will come pouring out.

It is hard to believe that it was really THREE SUMMERS AGO that we were paperchasing for China. Is that for real? July 2005 we switched to our current agency & started the process of collecting our paperwork / documents. Life was very different back then - little things & big things:

-- My Hannah was only 3 (yes, 1/2 her life ago!).

-- We had a different dog back in Summer of 2005 -- we had a very energetic yellow lab. Now we have a very energetic beagle! For some reason we seem to attract these types of dogs.

-- My nephew, David, did not have Type I Diabetes back in the summer of 2005. It is hard to remember what life was like for him to not have to check his sugar levels & count his every carb.

-- Back in Summer 2005, my sister-in-law, Roisin, had not been re-diagnosed with breast cancer yet. We enjoyed lots of days by the pool with our girls & weren't talking chemo treatement & funeral plans. Now, my sweet Roisin is in Heaven and although I know she is rejoicing & pain free, I will always miss her. I miss her for me but mostly for the three girls that have to grow up without her.

This wait has been so hard. There aren't words to explain the pain of continual delays & disappointments. I know not many can really understand what it has been like but I know that those who are still waiting know exactly what I am talking about. I have never anticipated anything more in my entire life as I have this referral. Despite all the pain of waiting, I truly know it was for a reason & God has certainly done wonderful things in our lives as we have rested in Him & waited on His timing.