Kisses in the Wind~

This past weekend I was talking to Kami about our adoption and how things were going.  We both realized that our girls will probably be about the same age when ours joins our family.  You see, we have about 1 and 1/2 years, they say, before we bring our little girl home.  She will probably be about 2 years old at that time...which is how old Addison will be!  We are praying for this to be true, as it will be so good for our little girl to have a friend her age right next door ;)

The next day, I was looking at several other blogs, and came across this poem/prayer.  I thought it was perfect, as our daughter is probably already born~

KISSES IN THE WIND

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

~Unknown

Log-in Date~

I got an email from Tiffany stating our dossier was sent to China on July 5, 2012.  It was off to Beijing to be submitted to CCCWA and to expect a log-in date in 3-4 weeks.  Our official log-in date with CCCWA was July 19, 2012!!  We are now in the database...what a huge relief, as we have been waiting for this date to come since September of last year ;)

Here are the packets of our dossier went sent over to China~

Also, with this being done, we found out the wait for a healthy baby girl is now 6 years.  So we have considered a special needs child.  With much thought and discussion with Michelle, we decided on a little girl with a hole in her heart~ either a VSD or ASD.  So, we will wait....impatiently....

I-800A Letter of Approval!

We finally got the last approval needed here in the States to move forward! Once this is authenticated in Washington, DC, our entire dossier is off to China.  After a few weeks, we will be logged into China as a family available to adopt a little girl.  Very exciting news for us~ and for me personally, as this marks the end of the paperwork portion of our adoption!

Dates to add to the list:

April 18, 2012~ FBI fingerprinting done at the Immigration Office
May 10, 2012~ Letter of Approval from I800A

Many Prayers

Last night Scott and I went to dinner, again at Tutti Santi...our favorite date night restaurant!  As we were waiting for our dinner, Scott asked me, " Do you think our daughter is born yet? "  I said, " I don't really know, maybe."  Then Scott continued, " Well, I pray for her."   At that moment, I broke down in tears.  It was just nice to hear him say that, and to think that she could have been left somewhere for someone to find her just breaks my heart.  Scott assured me that she would be very well taken care of  by her own " Carrie Sue. " 

At this point in our adoption process, we are just about done with the paperwork.  Woo-hoo!  Here's an update of our journey thus far...

September 19, 2011~ Signed Contract with All God's Children
November 14, 2011~ First Home Study
November 28, 2011~ Second Home Study
January 10, 2012~ Home Study sent to Court
February 18, 2012~ Dossier sent to AGCI for Authetication
February 27, 2012~ Home Study approved by the Court
March 12, 2012~ Dossier Authenticated in WA, DC

Currently, I am wrapping up the Immigration packet.  Once this is approved, our Dossier is sent to China!

Happy Chinese New Year~

This year, in honor of our one-day little girl, we began to celebrate the Chinese New Year!  I hope we can carry on this tradition all year long, participating in various festivals, etc.  This way, the boys can also learn about her culture.  Well, we enjoyed a great Chinese dinner from Tao Kitchen.  I had Cashew Chicken and Scott had Mongolian Beef.  Meanwhile, Connor practiced using chop sticks ;)

This year is the year of the Dragon.  The year of the Dragon is considered the luckiest of the Chinese years, and only occurs once every 12 years!  People all over the world are hoping for good luck, success and happiness in this Dragon year.

Here are a few pictures taken in Beijing~



Christmas Stockings~

This year we hung an extra stocking with mommy's.  When you ask Connor whose stocking this is, he says "my baby sister's."

The Start of a Lifebook~

So far in our journey, we have been fortuante enough to come in contact with some really great people.  Peggy being one and also Dr. Seaton, the psychologist we visited. They both removed us from the paperwork mindset to thinking about our daughter's feelings as her world will be turned upside down.  Initally, attachment may be difficult for her.  Later, she may mourn.  To help her later with mourning, or to help answer any questions about her past, lifebooks are often made to give to the child.

A lifebook is just what the name says.  It is a compilation of any information about our daughter's life in China.  Letters from birthparents or cavegivers, pictures of her home city and orphanage, stories of her birth, medical documents and birth certificate.  Basically, anything we can get our hands on that will help her later in life to figure out her history.  Obviously, I will be able to gather this information the closer we are to getting her, but I have found the most beautiful paper to use in her Lifebook that I wanted to share~