Loos Locos~The Crazy 8

2011-10-11T01:51:00.003-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-03T09:06:00.001-05:00

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch yesterday. Jeff and I must be getting old because we were both completely worn out afterwards. The kids? Not so much.

Itinerary and Travel Journal Link

2011-10-01T22:08:00.004-05:00

Here's our itinerary. We meet HuiLan on Sunday the 9th. It's Sunday in China right now so that means I am only ONE WEEK away from finally having her in my arms.. Well, I say 'finally' (and anyone who has read the blog knows my struggle with adoption impatience) but honestly, looking back now this process has been somewhat of a whirlwind. It just seems like forever when you don't know when you are going to meet your child and you have no control over choices being made for them and you aren't there to comfort them. I think the reality of not traveling to China has hit Jeff a little. It's very bittersweet to meet our daughter without him being there. I know it was the best choice; though of course not perfect. I have started a travel journal at You Belong. It's youbelong.net/loosclan I've been having technical difficulties with my journal, so I may just use the blog to update.

Here's our itinerary:

Thursday, October 6th: Leave for China!

Saturday, Oct.8: Fly from Seoul to Xi’an

Sunday, Oct.9: Meet child at Civil Affairs Bureau.

Monday, Oct.10: Conduct adoption registration paperwork and notarization formalities.

Tuesday, Oct.11: Apply for Child's passport.

Wednesday, Oct.12: Free time.

Thursday, Oct.13: Sightseeing in Xi’an.

Friday, Oct.14: Fly to Guangzhou.

Saturday, Oct.15: Have child’s visa photos taken and go through the physical examination in the morning.

Sunday, Oct.16: Sightseeing in Guangzhou: Safari park.

Monday, Oct.17: Check TB test result.

Tuesday, Oct.18: At 10:00am, family goes to US Consulate to submit orphan visa petition documents and do oath-taking ceremony.

Wednesday, Oct.19: Family goes to US Consulate to pick up visa in the afternoon.

Thursday,Oct.20: Leave for home.

Our family is growing again!

2011-09-26T11:40:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Cameron and his girlfriend Charity went to Fall Creek Falls where he proposed. She said YES! We are so thrilled for them both. Charity is an amazing girl and we could not have asked for a better person for Cameron to spend the rest of his life with. God is good!

The Room

2011-09-26T11:28:00.003-05:00

We are finally getting HuiLan's room together. EXCITING! Now I have a place to go and touch her things and dream about having her here with us. Weird, huh? It's just something I do. I remember going into Allie's room when we were waiting for her and pulling her little outfits out of the closet and rearranging them. It just made me feel close to her.

This was the room last Monday morning...

This is Monday afternoon. Whoa, a little brighter on the wall than I expected.

On Monday night and Tuesday, I worked on the crib and on Tuesday night Jeff deep cleaned the carpet.

On Thursday, I put together the bookshelf and then I opened the dresser box to find that there were no instructions. After four very long calls to Target.com, we were nowhere. They don't carry the dresser anymore and don't have any manuals to send. I just bought the dresser last month! Thankfully, God blessed me with a mechanically minded son (who is newly engaged! WOOT!) that was able to figure out how the 8 million pieces of the dresser fit together. So here is the room this morning. We still have work to do but I am not sure much more will be done before we leave. I want to get a wall decal for behind the crib but I am not sure what I want it to say. I've seen a few things that I would like to try and make for the other walls, so you can expect them to be done about the time she starts ~~Kindergarten~~ high school.

I even packed a little this morning. Ten days until Cameron and I leave and I am starting to get EXCITED!

Beyond Blessed

2011-09-21T17:50:00.005-05:00

We sent some questions about HuiLan to the orphanage. Here are their answers...

What's the meaning of her name and why was it chosen for her?
There's no special meaning to her name; we all call her HuiLan

Is she close to anyone? Does she have a best friend?
We have shifts here due to the nature of our work, so HuiLan is close to her nannies. She plays well with other kids, no special best friends.

What's her personality like?
Her personality is quite vivacious. (UH OH) She loves to play and loves to laugh.

Does she have a favorite food?
Nothing special. She's not picky. (Hallelujah!)

What's her favorite activity?
She likes her aunties playing toys with her and holding her hands walking around.

How does she like to be comforted?
She likes to be held and hugged. (AWWWW!)

and the best part of all.................

Is she crawling? Is she able to stand unassisted? If so, has she taken any steps?
She can crawl, can stand and can walk. (God is so good!)

I am so ready to go get her!

Flights are booked!

2011-09-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

I guess we are going to China!!! Cameron and I leave on Thursday, October 6. That's 24 days if you are keeping count. We'll get to Xi'an a day early (early am on Saturday 10/8), but that's the best situation the travel agent could work out. We don't have our in country itinerary from ASIA yet, but from what they've told us, we should meet Cecilia on Monday, October 9th. Four weeks from today! On one hand, it seems so close and on the other, it seems so far away! I.can't.wait.

Coralie has something to say...

2011-09-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

Patience & Faith

2011-09-07T15:09:00.000-05:00

I need to read this EVERY DAY until I go to China to get Cecilia. Every. Day.

Source: myconcretesky.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Coralie Day!

2011-09-01T21:18:00.002-05:00

note: I was with Brady at the hospital on the official anniversary of Coralie Day so this post is a few days late.

I can't believe it's been a year. This first year with Coralie has gone by so quickly. I can't explain to those who don't know Coralie what a special child she is and to those who know her, I don't have to. If I had been able to tell God exactly what we wanted in our next child, we could have never come close to the actual child we were given. She is amazing. We are so blessed. Once again.

On the day we met Coralie, we were one of the first families to get to the Civil Affairs office. We were the very last to meet our child. they brought Coralie in amidst the chaos and joy of other families being formed. She was whisked into another room.

Our first glimpse..

then they brought her out, but not really TO us...

She was NOT impressed with her new family. AT ALL. She walked around the room trying to get as far away from me as she could. I had to bribe her with a yogurt drink to get her to come near me.

She was quite devastated by the entire experience. My heart broke for her. It also fell hard for her. I was madly and deeply in love from the moment we met.

The first few days were really hard. She rocked constantly and beat her head against the wall. She screamed something in Cantonese that mean she didn't like what was going on. She grieved her life at the orphanage. It was all she had ever known.

Our little shell shocked baby girl. I thought she might never be happy again. I felt guilt for taking her away from the life she'd known. I questioned whether we were doing the right thing.

Then we visited her orphanage. We saw a glimpse of her true self chattering away with her friends. She was like a little rock star when we were there. The kids were so happy to have her back.

We met her little friend Pei and I realized that Coralie could be heartbroken because she left or she could be heartbroken because she was left behind.

After the orphanage visit, we saw a change in Coralie.

Maybe we weren't THAT bad.

and then it happened...

and we've been stuck like glue ever since.

We love you Coco!

Little Man has Surgery...again!

2011-09-01T20:30:00.000-05:00

My little trouper had a fistula repair on Tuesday. We were told to get to the hospital at 9:00am but they didn't get him into surgery until after 4:00pm. Poor little guy was starving! Whenever he has surgery, I bring along a bag of fun stuff for him. This time I threw in a new game for his DSi. It was our saving grace. Without it, he would have been climbing the walls after lying in that bed all those hours. He was so good. His surgery lasted about an hour and a half. The doctor was pleased with the result. I may be crazy, but it really seems that his speech is more clear and less nasally already. We came home early on Wednesday and Brady was back to 100% almost immediately. He can't go back to school until next Tuesday and he is bored to death all day while Allie and AnnaClaire are at school. He asks constantly when Ryan and the girls will be home. We go back to the doctor in October to see how the repair is healing and see where we go from here. Hopefully, he'll get a break from surgeries for a while. Two in four months is a lot for a little guy...unless you score a DSi game each time. :)

Do you know what this is?

2011-08-28T15:22:00.000-05:00

This is a big brother leaving for college. This is how much his sisters (especially) and brother (a little!) will miss him. This is LOVE.

I've read and heard many times of people who are interested in adoption but worry about how it will affect their biological children. This is a picture of how it will affect them. They will be loved and adored and they will love and adore in return. I've seen no greater love in my life than the love my bigs & littles have for each other.

Do it Anyway

2011-08-27T22:35:00.005-05:00

I love this!

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

-this version is credited to Mother Teresa

Back to School

2011-08-18T19:40:00.002-05:00

The middles (and Ryan) started back to school on Monday. Here are the obligatory 1st day of school pictures.

Allie's first day of 3rd grade:

AnnaClaire's first day of 1st grade:

Brady's first day of 1st grade:

and Coralie's 'you got the camera out so you must want a picture of me' picture:

I almost didn't post them because...well, they stink. I usually take first day of school pictures on the front porch, but the sprinklers were running and I literally had 2 seconds before we had to leave to drive to school, park a mile away and hike to their classrooms before the bell. So the steps were a quick option 2. Not a really good option now that I see the ginormous shadows, but I guess that's more operator error than the location. I just wasn't blessed with the photography gene-either getting a good shot or actually remembering to take pictures of important events. We were at the beach last week. I took 2 cameras and about 14 pictures. None of which were on the beach. Actually, I think all 14 pictures were taken in the room. Seriously. I need help!

Guess what???

2011-08-16T15:15:00.001-05:00

I have good news. :) Here are a few hints...

Any guesses?

We've been cabled!!!

It took 12 days, which is above the average and I may have a few extra gray hairs (and enemies at the NVC) to show for it. We also received the .pdf of the letter by email so we were able to send it to our agency. They said they will be dropping off our DS230 tomorrow and our Article 5 will be picked up August 31st. After that, we will officially be waiting for TA.

I still have so much to do!

School? Already???

2011-08-14T09:07:00.003-05:00

Funny how our wait for LOA seemed to take such a long time, but in actuality the summer flew by.

Yesterday Brandon headed back to college. Last year we helped him take all his stuff up to campus and took it all up to his room for him. This year he headed out on his own while Allie sobbed and I wiped away a few tears. Why do they have to grow up so fast? It seems that we were butting heads over 2nd grade homework not too long ago.

Tomorrow the middles (With six kids, we had bigs and littles. Now with Coralie and Cecilia added we have bigs, littles and middles.) and Ryan start their school year. We went on Friday to meet AnnaClaire's and Brady's teachers. In typical fashion, Brady buzzed about his classroom touching everything and AnnaClaire stood silently with her head down in hopes no one would speak to her. It's hard to believe they are starting first grade. They were my babies just yesterday.

Where the kids go to school, they have Primary and Intermediate schools. Primary is K-2 and Intermediate is 3-5. That means Allie will start a new school this year and won't be at the same school as AnnaClaire and Brady. That's like a big fat exclamation point on the fact that she's growing up. Way.too.fast.

So right about the time that I finally convinced Coralie that it's okay to get more than 10 feet away from me and play with her siblings, they'll be gone. All day. I'd drown my sorrows in some chocolate but I also start my diet tomorrow. Yep, I like to torture myself all at once. That's just how I roll.

Birthday Pictures!

2011-08-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

I was just headed to bed and decided to check my email one last time just in case we got some birthday pictures. Jackpot!

This is the exact same look I get when I eat cake...Yummmm...

Yeah, this cake stuff is alright...

Cake is pretty much a favorite around here, too, baby girl. You are going to fit in just fine. :) LOL at the little hand coming in from the left.

I800 APPROVED!

2011-08-04T16:45:00.000-05:00

We are moving right along and I am so excited. Our USCIS officer was out of the office all week and won't be back until the 8th. I thought that might cost us some time but another officer was working on our officer's caseload and she approved us today-16 days after mailing! Not bad. Now we wait to be cabled. Hopefully that will happen in a week or so. As exciting as it all is to make progress, it may not matter that things go quickly for us due to the way our agency travels. They travel in groups the last weekend of the month. With the first of October being a holiday, the September group will go early so we can't make that group. With the trade fair in October, they may not send a group so we'd have to wait until the end of November (shoot me now). I really hope we can go the end of October. That would put us meeting Cecilia on Halloween. I hate to miss Halloween with my littles but there's nothing more important right now than getting CeCe home with us! We are getting closer!

Right now in China...

2011-08-02T19:37:00.001-05:00

there is a beautiful little girl turning two years old. It's the morning of August the 3rd in China and Miss Cecilia is now TWO! This is the first time we've missed a birthday that we've known about. We had Allie and AnnaClaire home before their first birthdays and we were matched with Brady and Coralie shortly after their birthdays and had them home before the next. We sent CeCe a birthday cake through Ladybugs n Love so hopefully in the next few days or weeks we will have some new pictures of her. If nothing else, we know that she'll never have another birthday come along that she isn't celebrated. Next year she'll be surrounded by family as she opens the way too many gifts that she'll receive. We love you, Cecilia Faith and we wish you were home to celebrate with us but we know that you are right where God wants you to be today and we find comfort in that. Enjoy your cake, baby!

A Beautiful Girl with a Beautiful Heart

2011-07-27T07:49:00.007-05:00

9-year-old girl’s clean water wish takes off after her death

Charity: Water

More Blessings!!!

2011-07-22T10:21:00.002-05:00

A wonderful Baoji mother was in China recently adopting her beautiful daughter from Chongqing. Before they met their daughter, they took their son back to Baoji to see his birthplace. She tried very hard to get pictures of the waiting babies, but they wouldn't let her in the orphanage. The orphanage had requested a new camera a few months before so several parents chipped in and bought them one. When Branda delivered the camera the orphanage promised to take pictures of the babies she inquired about and email them to her. Honestly, I wasn't hopeful that we'd ever see those pictures. Imagine my joy when I opened my email today to see an email titled 'pictures of the Baoji babies'. Check out my little one with 'weak legs'. She's standing! Thank you, Lord! \o/

Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-21T20:43:00.006-05:00

On July 19, 2010 we received TA for Coralie. If you had told us that exactly one year from that date we would receive LOA for another child, we would have told you that you were CRAZY! Life is full of surprises, though, and here we are celebrating LOA for Little Miss Hui Lan! God is SO GOOD to us. Whenever I stop and think about the blessings He has given our family I always start to tear up because we don't deserve any blessings yet He continues to heap them on.

WE.ARE.SO.BLESSED.

Our God is Greater

2011-07-17T17:29:00.001-05:00

It seems that with each adoption, God gives me a song for encouragement. This adoption, it is 'Our God is Greater'. When I first realized that was 'the' song, I didn't really know how much I would need to hear Romans 8:31 over and over during this process. On July 8th, our agency received LOAs for our LID date. Everyone's except ours. We are reusing our dossier and that seems to be a Russian Roulette process. Some sail through and some wait and wait. When our LOA didn't come, I realized that we were probably going to be one of the families that waits...and waits. There's a sense of hopelessness in that. I've seen families who've waited over 100 days for LOA and families close to 100 days with no LOA in sight. I've had to adjust my hope that she'd be home for Christmas (which I originally felt was highly likely) to preparing myself emotionally that we may not even meet her this year. It's hard having a child across the world and not being able to go to them. It's harder having a child in need of medical care and knowing they won't get it until they are home with you. Fortunately for me, I have an Awesome God. A God who is always in control. And so I say...

If God is for us, who can be against us?

I know that God has this all planned out in the way it should be. Not my way, not China's way...HIS way. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Potty Training

2011-06-30T13:14:00.004-05:00

You'd think by # 7 it would be a bit easier to train a kid, but nope. That's not happening with Miss Coralie. She knows where the potty is, she knows what it is for and she even uses it on occasion but she much prefers to use her diaper. She doesn't even like pull-ups. A few weeks ago, I put her in panties and it was going great. She stayed dry all morning and used the potty a few times (probably because I was asking every 2 minutes if she needed to go). Naively, I let myself get a little bit excited. I thought maybe I'd be getting a break from diapers for a few months until Cecilia comes home. Not so fast, my friend. Little Miss decided she'd had enough of that and put her panties in the dirty clothes and went and got a diaper. She's not at all interested in training. Not.At.All.

This morning Brandon was giving her a pep talk about it...

Brandon: Coralie, don't you want to use the potty? If you use the potty all the time, Mommy will get you a toy.
Coralie: I already have one.

Ooookay. This one might be a hard nut to crack.

Boys, Boys, Boys

2011-06-21T23:10:00.002-05:00

I watched this video and it made me sad. I have 4 boys and they bring me so much happiness. I can't imagine why people wouldn't want a son. After watching this video, I don't know how people could see it and not start looking for their son immediately. Be still my heart!

Bring Our Children Home

2011-06-21T16:49:00.001-05:00

When we cannot see you moving
When it seems the dark has won
May you find us still believing
That you want this more than us
You will finish what you started
And your plans for us are good
Help us cling to what you promised
You are faithful, You are sure

Um, I think I need a new blog header

2011-06-15T07:24:00.003-05:00

Brady boy turned 6 yesterday. I know! 6!!! It's mind boggling to me how fast my babies are growing up even when I've vowed not to let it pass by as quickly as it did for the older boys. Kids grow up. Quickly. TOO quickly. (excuse me while I go get a tissue) Miss Coralie is 3 AND A HALF officially today. Only 6 months until she is 4. Ack! How does it all happen in a blink of an eye? Anyway, about the header. Look at Ryan. That one really cracks me up. Dude is now over 6 feet tall and he's an itty bitty guy in that group shot. Brady's not even in the group shot! Coralie isn't in the header at all. I really need to work on a new header. Maybe if I mention it here, I'll actually start doing something about it instead of filing it on my mile long 'to do someday' list.

Time to let it go...again

2011-06-08T22:51:00.007-05:00

Anyone who has followed my blog during one of our adoption waits knows what a hard time I have handing the adoption wait stress over to God. I trust Him completely when He plants the seed for another adoption in our hearts and I trust that He'll provide the funds we need for the adoption each time...but I always have a hard time trusting that His timeline is better than mine. How crazy is that?

I can look back at each adoption and think of things I thought would be better done my way and see how wrong I was. I have proof living under my roof of how wonderful God is. I have children that would not be mine had I not listened to God and followed His plan. How come I can't relax and let Him control this adoption? It's a struggle. I give it to Him and then wrestle it back. Repeatedly.

It all seems much more serious this time. Little Cece needs to be home. She needs medical care. Each day that she waits makes her chance of ever walking a bit less likely. And we are okay with that. But we want her to have every opportunity to walk, if possible. So time is our enemy. When we were reviewing her file, all the information we got was bad news. News that typically would have sent us fleeing. News that was far worse than issues in other files that we felt we couldn't handle. But it was different this time because she was our daughter. Honestly, it was one thing after another. As soon as we felt we could handle something another serious issue would come up with another doctor. Funny, but it got to the point that they were making me angry because this was my child they were saying these things about. I knew then and there that I would go to the ends of the earth for this little girl. That we would take her even if worst case would be her (and our) reality. And I'd be thankful for the honor and privilege of being her mama.

So these past few days of realizing how reusing our dossier may make our wait to go get our daughter even longer have really frustrated me. I am having a hard time focusing on the One who is in control. I am ashamed of that. I need to remember what I said here on this blog when waiting for Coralie. God loves Cecilia even more than we do. He created her just the way she is and He knows what's best for her. If He plans for her to walk, it doesn't matter if we get her next month or next year. Why am I questioning His timing??? He has never let me down. Ever. So this is my typical adoption process 'letting go' post.

It's yours, God. I don't want to carry the burden when You've already got it under control. I am tired of beating my head against the wall when all I need is to trust You.

Ahhhh...That feels so much better. :)

Little Miss Cheesy

2011-06-08T20:31:00.013-05:00

Little Miss was watching Blue's Clues the other day. Apparently, I am missing something when I watch because she was laughing her cute little head off. I personally don't find Steve that funny (this was a pre-Joe DVD). After a few minutes I realized that I needed to get my camera to catch her in her cuteness. We all know how that works. Camera comes out. Laughing stops. Blank stare emerges. So I tell her to smile big for me and this is what I get...

Seriously? What a goober. Gracious, I love this kid. She's the reason I get out of bed in the morning. Literally. She starts screaming for me about 7:30 am. Every.stinkin'.day. And only mommy will do. Definitely mommy's girl which kills her daddy. Too bad, so sad bubba. She's MINE!

Check out Allie's new endeavor.Allie is daddy's girl. He's the one who takes her to her lessons each week. What a great dad. Although he did draw the line at letting her bring home one of the barn kittens. :)

So far she loves it. A lot.

Reason #8,509,222 that I love my husband

2011-05-31T19:25:00.004-05:00

Jeff's company had a going away event tonight for someone who was leaving the company. When Jeff got home he told me that there was a guy there that he didn't know asking him a million questions like 'Why did you adopt from China?' and 'Why do you have so many kids?' I asked Jeff what he said to the guy and he told me that he said, 'I got to the point in my life where I realized what was really important.' Thank You God, for blessing me with a man who sees the world the way that I do. Love him!

A fellow Baoji Mom's Fundraiser

2011-05-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

This beautiful family has a son from Baoji, where Cecilia is. He came home in 2007 and they are now in the process of adopting a beautiful little girl. When they travel to adopt her they will be visiting Baoji. Branda has offered to take pictures of babies who have been matched to families. I am so hoping that she's able to get us a picture of our sweet Cece! Check out her giveaway. She has some great things!

Days Made of Now: BIG giveaway!: "This has been fun, very fun . Initially this whole giveaway started out small, with just a couple of items, and I was good with that. But so..."

Formally Introducing...

2011-05-20T21:30:00.008-05:00

We finally have a name...

We bounced from Isabel to Cecilia to Arabella but the kids kept calling her Cece so we went back to Cecilia. Faith is was an obvious choice because this adoption is a walk in faith. I love that we have 'by grace through faith' (Allie's middle name and Cecilia's middle name). We didn't plan it this way but the other three have middle names from the bible...Elizabeth, Daniel & Selah. I love that!

We received some updated measurements today from our agency. At 21 months, Cecilia is 22 pounds and just under 30 inches. She has 12 teeth. At 41 months, Coralie is about 22 pounds and 33.5 inches. They are very close in size. Cecilia may surpass Coralie before we get her home!

We also received our log in date this week-5/17 (Brady's adoption day!). It took longer than we'd hoped but at least we are logged in and have a date to start counting from. My agency is hopeful we'll get LOA in 4 weeks but I am thinking it will be more like 8 or 9. We know it's all in God's Hands and we know His timing is perfect. Please Lord, let me learn patience during this adoption because I really don't want to have to go through this again. I love adoption and I really love my blessings but I am so weary of the adoption process and all the angst that comes with it.

Depraved Indifference

2011-05-04T16:01:00.001-05:00

This really spoke to me.

Care Package and New Pictures!

2011-04-25T21:14:00.010-05:00

I ordered Hui Lan (who may never have a name...sigh) the same care package we sent Coralie. Coralie's orphanage gave us the items when we adopted her. She sleeps with the blanket every night. It will be nice if we get the items back for Hui Lan also but I really sent the package to get pictures. :)

So I ordered the package and waited...and waited...and waited. I told myself that it wasn't a big deal because we had pictures of Hui Lan from February and really, how much could she have changed in 2 months?!? Then we got the updated pictures and I guess the answer is 'a lot!' At first I wasn't sure it was the same child, but you can tell because of her teeny tiny nose and her very distinctive mouth. I am not sure what she'll look like when she's finally in my arms.

Holy Chunky Monkey! Hard to believe she's almost 20 months younger than Coralie!

Here's a comparison collage of pictures we've received of her...

I think her eyes are a little swollen from crying in the last pictures that we received. :(

Watch this and then meet our 'One Less'

2011-04-12T10:24:00.006-05:00

We are blessed to announce that God has once again called us to open our hearts and expand our family. This is Hui Lan...

She is 20 months old and lives in Shaanxi province. Her special need is Spina Bifida (Lipomyelomeningocele). We are working hard to bring her home.

Brady's Surgery

2011-04-11T19:14:00.005-05:00

Since I showed embarrassing pictures of Coralie before her procedure, it's only fair to show Brady after he had the Versed. :)

Brady had P flap surgery on the 5th. He was a sore little fella for several days but we are hopeful that this will help him with his speech issues.

Bring on the Versed!

2011-04-04T19:55:00.005-05:00

Last month, Coralie had to have surgery to clip her tongue. I wasn't as concerned about the anesthesia as I was about her reaction to them taking her from me. She is VERY, VERY, VEEERRRYYY attached to mama. They gave her Versed before the procedure and it worked like a charm. They came and took her from me and she ddn't make a peep. Although she did have a funny look on her face. The nurse said she had a look of 'I feel like I should be upset about this but for some reason I am not'. Her recovery was fast. She was back to eating like a champ a few hours later. They gave her some Tylenol with Codeine for the pain and it is my greatest hope that she NEVER need that again. Can you say MONSTER BABY?!?! Aye yi yi! She was not pleasant while taking that. By the end of the week, I had my sweet (bossy, stubborn, rotten....) girl back.

Not sure what they just gave me, but I feel pretty good....

Life is good....

Um, Mom, why can't I sit up?

Third Day Rocks!

2011-03-20T20:22:00.003-05:00

I've always loved Third Day and the fact that they have a heart for adoption makes it even sweeter. This video is so simple yet so powerful. The best part is that my littles (especially Brady) love to sing along.

'We are the saints

We are the children

We've been redeemed

We've been forgiven

We are the sons and daughters of our God'

Proud Mama :)

2011-02-14T13:41:00.002-05:00

This is Brady with his special toy that he picked out as a reward for not getting his card pulled for the entire month of January. That may not seem like a big deal; but to Brady it is a HUGE deal. He was getting his card pulled at least twice a week. He was not listening (not ever, according to his teacher), not following directions, not controlling his impulses and not keeping his hands to himself. We know these things are a struggle for Brady. He was diagnosed with ADHD in the fall. He's now got a little help and he's trying extra hard to behave the way he should. He WANTS to behave. I am so proud of the effort that I have seen at home and his teacher has nothing but praise for him these days. Such a little trouper!

A warm day, Chinese New Year, total cuteness...

2011-01-30T16:03:00.009-05:00

Today is a beautiful day here. About 65 degrees which is much needed after all the 20 degree weather we've been having. Jeff and I did a little yard work while the little ones played. So nice to get them out of the house for a bit! Hope they sleep well tonight.

Yesterday we drove up to Kingsport to go to the Chinese New Year celebration with Our China Angels (that's the group name, not our kids ;) ) We are so incredibly blessed to have such a God centered CNY celebration so close to us. The last two years, we have had Orphans from Living Hope orphanages come to perform for us. Last night they performed to the song 'No Orphans of God' which is an emotional song as it is. During their performance, one of the little boys runs to Jesus and Jesus scoops him up and carries him onstage. By the end of the song, all the children onstage are worshiping at His feet. I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it. Beautiful! These are kids that are unadoptable and will remain in China but they are being taught about God's love for them and they will be such bright lights in China. You can sponsor one of these children for $25 a month. Here's the link: http://www.livinghopeintl.org/ Allie and AnnaClaire picked out our child. A beautiful little girl named Emma in Fuzhou.

Coralie loved dancing along to the Chinese music. I think she's done this before. The outfit she is wearing is one we had custom made for Allie when she was 9 months old. Coralie is an itty bitty.

And last, I must share another picture of our tiniest blessing because she's so stinkin' precious. When God started to speak to our hearts last fall about adopting again, never in our wildest dreams did we think it would go so seamlessly. I can't tell you how much we ADORE this kid! If we could just break her of her 'Signing Time' addiction, she'd be about perfect. :)

One Less!

2011-01-22T13:06:00.003-05:00

This is powerful stuff...

One Less by Matthew West (The Story Behind The Song) from emicmg on Vimeo.

Davids is ONE LESS! He has a family!!!!

Here is their blog:

http://kilgore6.blogspot.com/2011/01/blessed.html

Check out the picture of him when he learns he has a family coming for him. Now go grab some Kleenex to wipe those tears from your eyes. :)

Davids' Story: URGENT NEED!!!

2011-01-11T09:58:00.002-05:00

Please read about this precious boy...and PRAY! It will take a miracle for him-thankfully God is in the miracle business! The thought of a child aging out of the system is hard enough to bear but the thought of a child being told that a family is coming for them and to have them change their minds at the last minute is unbearable. What must this poor boy be feeling?

I Will Be A Carrier: Davids' Story: URGENT NEED!!!: "Earlier today I posted 'a plea for a boy in Latvia,' and later received more information about his story. It is heartbreaking, and he ..."

I love this song!

2011-01-10T22:18:00.001-05:00

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T19:04:00.001-05:00

I love you

2010-11-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

Amen, sister!

2010-11-23T12:13:00.001-05:00

Say Yes!

2010-11-18T14:43:00.001-05:00

Orphan Sunday Video

2010-11-17T14:09:00.001-05:00

Orphan Sunday 2010 from Matthew Wilson on Vimeo.

Coralie's Popeye Face

2010-11-16T22:59:00.001-05:00

Brady's first Day of K ~a bit delayed ;)

2010-09-16T13:13:00.002-05:00

Misty needs a home!

2010-08-24T16:24:00.002-05:00

Click below to check out Misty, who is a HEALTHY 9 year old listed with ASIA (our agency). Her file is ready to be returned if she doesn't find a family. BREAKS.MY.HEART.

Cornbread and Chopsticks: Misty: "Please everyone take one last look at sweet Misty. Her file is to go back probably today. She is a beautiful, healthy, fun loving li..."

First Day(s) of School

2010-08-21T08:17:00.005-05:00

Already? It seems so soon, but school is in full swing for Ryan and Allie. Ryan says his new school is 'stupid'. He's still mourning the move and wishing we were back in JC. It's hard to be the cause of your child's unhappiness. :( Allie seems to be doing well. She loved her 1st grade teacher so much that I was worried no one else would be able to hold a candle, but she seems to be liking 2nd grade so far. Of course, 'good' is the most I can get out of her so I can't be sure. Maybe one day my kids will start to answer my questions with actual sentences instead of just a grunted word. AnnaClaire had her first day (sort of, they do a staggered start here so she only goes one day a week with 4 other kids) of Kindergarten yesterday. Her teacher said she did great and AnnaClaire said she liked it. At pick up, I saw her gabbing away with another little girl in her class, so I am glad she made a friend before we take her to China. I hate that she'll essentially be 'the new kid' from the very start of her school career. Brady's first day is Monday. He's excited but starting to get a bit bummer that AnnaClaire always seems to get to do the fun stuff before him. Jeff and I met Brandon for lunch between classes earlier this week. He seems to be enjoying college life and, of course, asked for money. Again. Boy, get a job! He's on the 12th floor at Carrick just like I was. Here is the view from his room...

and here we are after walking up 12 flights of stairs with his stuff. I was sure I was going to have a heart attack.

Cameron turned 21 yesterday. It's hard to wrap my mind around that fact. Weirder is that my kids range in age from 2-21 and when I was 21 I had a 2 year old. ACK!

Itinerary

2010-08-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

Friday, August 27-Sunday August 29

Fly from LA to Guangzhou (CZ328, arriving at 06:20AM)

Monday, August 30

Meet child in Guangzhou.

Tuesday, August 31

Conduct adoption registration paperwork and notarization formalities and apply for child’s passport.

Wednesday, September 1

Wait for child’s passport to be issued.
Have child’s visa photos taken and go through the physical examination in the morning.

Thursday, September 2

Visit Foshan orphanage.

Friday, September 3

Pick up adopted child’s passport.
Check TB test result.

Jeff and AnnaClaire fly to LA on China Southern Airlines flight (CZ327, departs at 21:00).
No lunch and dinner included.

Saturday, September 4

Free time.

Jeff and AnnaClaire arrive home.

Sunday, September 5

Sightseeing in Guangzhou in the afternoon.
Group lunch or dinner.

Monday, September 6

Safari park.
Group lunch or dinner.

Tuesday, September 7

At 09:30am, Local guide goes to US Consulate to submit orphan visa petition documents.
Free time in the afternoon.

Wednesday, September 8

Free time in the morning.
Go to US Consulate for the oath-taking ceremony in the afternoon.

Thursday, September 9

Go to US Consulate to pick up visa in the afternoon.

Friday, September 10

Fly to LA on China Southern Airlines flight (CZ327, departs at 21:00).

Saturday, September 11

Lisa and Coralie arrive home

Ch..ch..ch..changes

2010-08-02T10:24:00.005-05:00

It been forever since I posted about what's going on with our family. We've really had a crazy summer. Jeff started a new job at the beginning of May. The job meant that we would be moving back to Knoxville after 8.5 years in Johnson City. Since we'd had the house on the market from September 08-September 09 and couldn't sell it, we figured that we'd be in Johnson City for a few more years while we tried to sell the house and Jeff would spent part of the week in Johnson City and part of the week in Knoxville. Not ideal, but you do what you gotta do, right? We put the house on the market in late April. By late May it was sold. We were shocked. It's truly been a whirlwind of finding a house big enough for a family of 9, packing, moving, submitting Supplement 3's for the adoption (1 for the job change and then one for the move), finding a new church, finding new doctors (not to mention a trip to urgent care for Brady's ruptured eardrum), registering the kids at their new schools (4 HOURS to register Ryan), getting prepared to say good-bye to Cameron and Brandon as they both will soon leave to live on campus at their colleges...oh, and preparing to go to CHINA! Jeff, AnnaClaire and I leave on Friday, August 27 and arrive in China on Sunday, August 29th. We'll get Coralie on Monday, the 30th. When you wake up 4 weeks from today, we will have her!!! Not that I am excited or anything. ;)

I should also note that Mr. Brady is finally 5. He had to wait 3 long months after AnnaClaire turned 5 to be able to say that he was also 5. That was really hard for him. Brandon turned 19 a few weeks ago. Where does the time go? Cameron will soon be 21.

I need to dig out my camera and get some new shots of the littles. It's been a while.

Urgent Situation

2010-07-29T21:42:00.005-05:00

UPDATE: A FAMILY HAS COME FORWARD FOR THIS PRECIOUS GIRL! PRAISE THE LORD!

Please click below to read about this precious girl who needs a family to commit to her by Sunday or her chance at a family will most likely be lost forever. Wasatch has her file and there is a $1000 grant towards her adoption.

Cornbread and Chopsticks: Urgent Situation: "I know I just published my Waiting Kids post just yesterday but today I was asked to post about a beautiful little girl who only has until S..."

Children's Day!

2010-06-11T12:29:00.007-05:00

I had Ann at Red Thread send a cake to Coralie's orphanage for Children's Day. I didn't expect that we'd get new pictures but I sure HOPED we would. In my wildest dreams I never thought we'd get so many. Behold the cuteness...

The Graduate!

2010-06-08T16:50:00.009-05:00

Brandon graduated on Saturday, May 29th. We are so proud. :) We were happy to celebrate with family.

Brandon

Brandon with Brady, Allie, AnnaClaire & Mason

Cameron & Charity

Jeff, Brandon & Popaw (my dad)

w/ Popaw & MeeAll (my mom)

w/ Grandma & Grandpa (Jeff's parents)

w/ Uncle Mike (Jeff's brother) and Aunt Shelly

w/ Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Connie (my aunt & uncle)

w/ Cameron & Ryan

w/Ryan and Mom (me)

w/ Ryan

w/ Brady

and a perfect picture of our family life. Check out Allie and Brady...

700 Club Controversy Over Christians and Adoption

2010-05-20T15:23:00.003-05:00

Click this to see the video:

700 Club Controversy Over Christians and Adoption

Posted using ShareThis

Wow. Just wow. Count the cost? I counted the cost when I decided to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, knowing that there would be hard times, ridicule, and that I may be led to do things that were out of my comfort zone or maybe even seemed unreasonable. I am so glad that when God kept pressing adoption-specifically China adoption-on my heart that I didn't say to Him, 'You know, God, I realize that you've done a lot for me and I really appreciate it but I just feel the emotional cost of adopting an orphan is too much for my family.' Yeah right. And there IS cost. Bringing home a child who has been neglected, or bounced around from place to place, possibly abused...it's HARD. Life changing hard. But it is worth every tear and all the hard work. The families in the video were a great example of how out family feels adoption has blessed us. The teenager talking about how having adopted siblings has enriched his life and the mom saying that she is the lucky one...they are telling our story. The story of so many families who took that leap of faith and were blessed by adoption. I have a long way to go in my walk, but I am confident that when I get to heaven that God isn't going to chastise me for not counting the cost as we chose to go where he led our family.

Chrissie is with Jesus

2010-05-19T17:45:00.002-05:00

About a month ago I asked for prayers for Chrissie, an adorable little 4 year old adopted from Serbia who had a heart condition. Chrissie fought like a warrior but her Father called her home. She has touched more lives in her short time on earth than most of us could ever dream of. Her mother's faith is awesome and we could all learn from her. Grab your tissues and read today's post...

http://allarepreciousinhissight.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-dont-wanna.html

LOA!

2010-05-11T20:31:00.002-05:00

Definitely not how I expected it to play out but I got an email at 5:10 yesterday telling me we had LOA. Since we had only been logged in for 27 days, it didn't seem real. I didn't jump up and down or get all scatterbrained like I did with the girls' referrals or Brady's TA. It was just 'really? oh, okay'. Part of my attitude is based on the fact that I just sent in a Supplement 3 on Thursday to get a new approval because of Jeff's job change. The forms say that I can't send in my I800 application until I get that approval but Marci at my agency says it's no problem to go ahead and send it in. We pay them the big bucks to walk us through this so I am trusting that she knows what she's talking about. I really hope that we aren't held up too much because of the Supplement 3. ASIA is now only sending travel groups once a month with families arriving in province the last Sunday of each month. You must get TA 2 weeks prior or you are bumped to the next month. With that in mind I am expecting to travel either August 27 or September 17 (the September group will travel a week early due to the October holidays) but you never know, it could be later. So far, we've been incredibly blessed with the timing of this adoption. I can only thank God for that. I pray that He continues to bless us and gets our girl home as soon as possible.

"Imperfect moms: Give yourself a break"

2010-05-09T19:34:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day! A friend shared this on Facebook and I wanted to pass it along. :)

I have a confession to make: I forgot my son’s birthday one year. Ben was turning 14, and while no excuse in the universe will ever suffice, his birthday does land at the worst possible time, in the middle of harvest, at the end of July. Also, that summer, my sister and her family were visiting, and when I am with Rebecca I forget that the rest of the world exists.

She and I were sitting in the kitchen that day drinking coffee and talking obsessively in Pennsylvania Dutch, and in the living room I heard one of my nephews softly singing “Happy Birthday.”

The words didn’t penetrate until the second line, and then the terrible, crushing truth closed in — I had completely forgotten Ben’s birthday.

I screamed in horror, hugged him, begged his forgiveness, all but groveled at his feet. He was obviously hurt but graciously forgave me. Now, almost three years later, he laughs about it, but I am convinced there’s still a festering wound deep in his heart that will erupt in quiet sadness the rest of his life, and when his son turns 14 someday, Ben will remember his own pain and rejection and quietly wipe away a tear.

I was going to be the perfect mom, really I was. I was not going to repeat what I saw as my mom’s shortcomings, and I for sure wasn’t going to copy the playground moms who yelled terrible threats when their kids didn’t want to get off the swings. I looked down on acquaintances who didn’t read Dr. Seuss to their toddlers or who made their 10-year-olds take way too much responsibility with the babies.

True, I didn’t repeat the mistakes I observed; I just invented a whole new set of my own. I punished unjustly. I got sucked into talking on the phone with a possessive friend and brushed off my frantic 5-year-old until she burst into frustrated tears. I bought too few Christmas gifts that the children wanted and too many that I thought they ought to want. I didn’t put sunscreen on the children that time they went swimming at a family reunion in the Midwest and fried their little shoulders in the hot sun.

Then, of course, there was the forgotten birthday, and many more dark examples that I can’t bring myself to confess.

So Mother’s Day comes and among the pastel cards and lush bouquets and appreciative words, I feel the gnawing teeth of Regret and the sense that maybe I don’t deserve the gratitude because of everything I got wrong.

That’s when I know I need to remember Kenya.

We spent 3½ months there, six years ago, helping at a school and orphanage for boys. Most had been orphaned by AIDS and suffered worsening circumstances until finally they gravitated to the city and survived on the streets, eating what they could, sleeping on feed sacks, and sniffing chemicals that deluded them into feeling warm and well fed.

Whenever we went downtown, the street kids clustered us with their colorless, torn clothes and their dusty hair and their open, begging hands and their lifeless eyes. The lack of a mother in their lives was like a tangible force around them, and their pain clawed at my own mother-heart with an intensity that took my breath away and still does now, six years later.

The boys who had left the streets and lived at the orphanage seemed happy, most of the time. They were fed well and educated and kept busy. They slept on clean beds and were supervised by young dorm “dads” in their 20s. But sometimes, such as when their eyes filled with years of grief or they scraped their knees or they had a wonderful discovery to share, what they really needed was a mom, and they didn’t have one.

I slowly came to realize, as I watched these boys, that not only did they all need mothers, most of them would have done or given anything to get one.

Furthermore, none of them would have been been picky about what sort they got. She could work too hard, or she could sit around and let the house fall apart. She could be patient or lose her temper. She could be stern and silent or full of fun. Any mom who was there and cared even a little would be an astronomical improvement over what they had.

My accumulation of mistakes was smaller then than it is now, but I was just as hard on myself, and it was when I looked at the eyes of boys on the street and compared them with my children’s eyes — bright, curious, secure, confident — that I first began to give myself some grace. An imperfect mom, I realized, is infinitely, indescribably better than no mom at all.

If not having a mother is like being at sea level, and having a perfect, smiling, patient mom who never forgets to notify the tooth fairy is like being at the top of Mount Hood, then a flawed and scatterbrained mom who makes the kids pack their own lunches and punishes the wrong child now and then is actually about at Timberline Lodge.

I have told myself this many times since and shared it with other moms who feel they never quite get it right: an imperfect mother is really pretty good. Give yourself credit for showing up every day and loving your children and doing the best you can, I tell them, because that in itself makes a huge difference to a child. And, I add, give yourself some grace: We are allowed to make mistakes.

I will always feel sad about the missed birthday, but when I see my son’s eyes and think of the eyes of the orphan boys, I know that I was here, and I did the best I could, and it made all the difference in the world.

Dorcas Smucker is a homemaker and mother of six. She can be reached at letterfromhburg@juno.com.

Bad Dreams

2010-04-22T16:52:00.005-05:00

I had a horrible dream last night. We were in China and they gave us a baby. For some reason it didn't register until the next morning that it wasn't Coralie. I kept thinking that she looked so much older in pictures (man, how clueless are we in dreams?!?!). Then I realized that she didn't have any teeth and according to Coralie's report she has 18. I pulled up her shirt and there was no omphalocele. I absolutely freaked and went the the person in charge who happened to be this woman who used to work at Gymboree who was always really rude to me. She was acting strange but wouldn't tell me anything until a designated time. Then Jeff took me somewhere in a car (yes, he was driving in China) and didn't get me back in time. I was sure that something had happened to Coralie and they were trying to appease me with this cute baby. I don't want just any baby-I want Coralie! At that point I woke up frantic but so thankful it was just a dream. Funny thing is that I really thought I was doing a good job of not dwelling on her too much because it is too hard but apparently she's weighing on my mind in spite of my attempts.

How can it be that we are only on day 9 of our wait for LOA? It seems like 109 at this point. I have to get that LOA before I start dreaming that Coralie turns into a dog and runs down the street like I did when we were waiting for Allie.

Please Pray for Chrissie!

2010-04-22T16:35:00.003-05:00

I can't read this blog without drowning in tears. Please join me in praying for Chrissie.

We are the Truth Adoption Blogger Day

2010-04-15T09:27:00.004-05:00

From the JCICS (Joint Council on International Children Services):

We Are The Truth

A Campaign and Call to Action

The outrageous treatment of Artyem by his adoptive family has rightfully resulted in outrage by the Governments of Russia and the United States and all who care about children. The tragedy has cast a light on intercountry adoption that says it is not safe, the system failed and adopted children cause insurmountable problems. The heartbreak of Artyem Saviliev’s abandonment has once again elevated a singular incident to a level which may result in the suspension of intercountry adoption. Suspending adoption, even temporarily, will only cause thousands of children to suffer the debilitating effects of life in an orphanage.

You, the community of adoptees, adoptive parents, adoptive grandparents, child welfare professionals and child advocates know that the outrageous and indefensible actions of one parent are not indicative of how children are treated by adoptive families. You know that families who encounter difficulties do not simply abandon their child. You know that help is available, that solutions are found and that families can thrive. And you know that suspending adoption does not protect children but only subjects them to the depravity of an institution…and an entire life without a family.

You, the adoption community know the truth.

You live the truth.

You are the truth.

Join our campaign to bring the truth to light and help children in need find a permanent and safe family.

We Are The Truth – an adoption blogger day: To ensure the world knows about every successful adoption, on Thursday, April 15, 2010 blog about your adoption or the adoption of someone you know. It doesn’t matter if your adoption is with Russia, domestic or otherwise international. Let the world know your truth!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's the truth from me. :)

In the mid to late 90's God started to lay adoption on my heart. At the time, I thought it was crazy-not because I didn't think I would love a child that wasn't biologically related to me but because I was sure there was no way we could get through the paperwork and the homestudy. I have ADD and struggled all through school getting my work turned in-even assignments I had done would sit in my locker. I have never been Martha Stewart, I had been a teen mom, a college drop-out. Who would deem me worthy enough to give me a child? God kept on pressing and finally I started mentioning it to Jeff. He thought I was crazy and so I'd push it to the back of my mind. God continued to press and then started laying China on my heart. After many years, Jeff finally said to me that he was ready to adopt. I think when we got on that plane to go get Allie, it finally hit Jeff that we were bringing home a child. I know people hate the sunshine and rainbows adoption stories but if I had to use one word to describe the day we got Allie it would be 'magical'. The morning after we got Allie we were eating breakfast at the White Swan buffet and Jeff looked at her and said, 'Everyone should do this at least once'. I knew then that we would be coming back to China for another child. Six months later we started the process to bring AnnaClaire home. We had some twists and turns in her adoption process which were very hard emotionally. When we got her, she was smiling and her whole body moved with excitement. I was actually worried because she seemed so happy to be given to us but AnnaClaire's transition was even more seamless than Allie's. Then came Brady. :) Brady was 23 months when we brought him home. He had been in orphanage care for 17 months and then moved to foster care for the last 6 before we adopted him. The trip to adopt Brady was the worst 2 weeks of my life. He raged, kicked, screamed, threw things. I was sure we had ruined our family by adopting him. I called my mom from China crying that my life was over. The months after we returned home with Brady are a blur. Every morning when I woke up I had two thoughts, 'Do I really have to live through another day?' and 'Who can I give this kid to?' It was a real struggle for everyone in the family. But we had made a commitment to this child and he was ours and we weren't giving up. I bought every book I could find on parenting hurt children, attachment, bonding, post adoption depression. I joined support groups. I prayed. I talked with those who were going through similar situations or who had been through them and gotten to the other side. I had read so much before we got Brady that I really felt prepared for behaviors he might exhibit and I think I was prepared for those behaviors. What I wasn't prepared for was MY reaction to those behaviors. My head understood why he acted the way he did but my heart was deeply hurt by it all. It's been almost 3 years since we adopted Brady. He still struggles with behavior issues but the progress he has made has been awesome. I truly believe that he loves us deeply and that's something I thought would never come. He is such a funny and smart little guy (and crazy cute, too!). I can't imagine all we would have missed if we hadn't buckled down and done what we had to do to help him understand we were his family and he was safe with us. Last fall, God started placing adoption on our hearts again. At first I was very scared because I never again want to feel those emotions that we felt after we got Brady. But I consider Brady a success story and I feel that we have learned so much after going through our trials with him. God has given me a peace about it all and if we have a similar situation with Coralie, we know we can make it though.

LID!!!!!!!!!!

2010-04-13T17:27:00.002-05:00

We have our LID! Today~4/13/2010~my mom's birthday! :)

Omphalocele

2010-04-12T19:50:00.005-05:00

I debated on whether to post this or not because it's personal for Coralie. I decided to go ahead because when we first had her file I couldn't find much on any of my waiting children adoption boards about her special need. It was a bit overwhelming and I was starting to feel like maybe this wasn't something we could handle. Finally I did a search on Rumor Queen and found one poster asking if anyone had adopted a child with this special need. I contacted her and she was so nice and shared so much about what she had learned about Omphaloceles since she had been matched with her daughter (at the time they hadn't traveled, but they are now home with their gorgeous little girl). I felt such a peace after talking with her and I want to be as open so that if someone else is presented with a child with an Omphalocele, maybe Coralie and I can be an encouragement for them.

This is Coralie's Tummy

*pic removed*

We don't have any pictures of her as an infant but you can click below to see a picture of what an Omphalocele looks like at birth. WARNING: it is graphic so view at your own risk.

Omphalocele at birth

What is omphalocele?

Omphalocele (um-fal-o-seel) occurs when some of the internal organs normally located in the abdomen of a baby are pushed out into the base of the umbilical cord. The abdominal cavity itself may be small and underdeveloped because the organs normally contained in it developed outside of it. The organs pushed out into the umbilical cord may be covered by a membranous sac, or the sac may be ruptured before, during or after delivery. Omphaloceles vary in size from very small to "giant". Small omphalocele's occur in 1 out of every 5,000 to 6,000 births. Large or "giant" omphaloceles occur in 1 out of every 10,000 live births. A small omphalocele involves only a small portion of the intestine outside the body. A giant omphalocele is very large and may have other organs such as liver, spleen and intestines herniated into the umbilical cord. Giant omphaloceles may have a more guarded prognosis.

Up to 50 percent of babies with an omphalocele will have an associated anomaly or birth defect including: cardiac (most commonly seen, found in 19 to 32 percent of cases), neurological, skeletal, chromosomal, urinary tract, or Beckwith-Weidemann syndrome. Omphaloceles associated with other anomalies may also have a more guarded prognosis. Omphaloceles are seen more commonly in mothers over age 35. We do not know the cause of an omphalocele. We do know that during fetal development the intestines will move outside the body for a time and then move back in. For some reason there is a failure or a disruption during this period of development and the intestines fail to migrate back into the abdominal cavity. We know that omphaloceles are not caused by anything the mother ate or did during pregnancy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because the medical information from China is so vague and because some things just don't translate well in the medical files, we really don't know much about Coralie's omphalocele. What we do know is that she is able to eat and defecate normally which are very good signs. What we also know is that we have peace about this adoption and that can only come from God. With Him we can handle whatever comes our way.

We Are the Truth

2010-04-12T18:11:00.001-05:00

Petition

We Are the Truth

Recognizing that the tragic abandonment of Artyem Saviliev is an isolated incident and is not at all indicative of the thousands of successful adoptions between Russia and the Unites States, we, the undersigned:

- Respectfully call on President Medvedev and President Obama to lead an effort to ensure that the rights of children are protected and that every child’s right to a permanent and safe family is not interrupted due to the suspension intercountry adoption services.

- Respectfully call on President Medvedev and President Obama to ensure that their governments aggressively prosecute any individual involved in child abuse to the fullest extent of the law.

Prayers for Safe Travel for our Friends

2010-04-07T11:49:00.003-05:00

This is Nora...

isn't she just adorable? Her mommy and daddy waited a very long time to bring her home. They recently traveled to get her and things are going very well-an answer to much prayer on their behalf. They are leaving China to come home soon and would very much appreciate prayers for safe travel. Nora's sisters and brother didn't travel to China so it will be a very exciting homecoming for her and for them! :)

DTC!

2010-04-06T21:33:00.003-05:00

Even after 4 adoptions, it still surprises me when our dossier arrives at our agency and I have actually done everything right! ASIA received our dossier yesterday afternoon and it was sent to China today. I am so excited and feel very thankful that God has allowed everything to happen as quickly as it has so far. Coralie, we can't wait to have you in our arms!

The Zoo

2010-04-05T11:59:00.008-05:00

Last week AnnaClaire asked me if the zoo was real. After I got over the guilt that my child didn't know that the zoo is indeed real, I decided we must visit...and soon. So we packed up and headed to Knoxville on Saturday.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T15:32:00.002-05:00

He is Risen!

Certified Birth Certificate has left the IL SOS office!

2010-03-26T16:35:00.004-05:00

I started tracking the package last night when it was on it's way to Illinois. Fed Ex picked it up from the Fed Ex place at 6:01-only 2 minutes after I walked into the store. If you are the person I knocked down to get in there before 6:00, I apologize. I am sure you understand...mama bear and all. ;) Anyway, the package arrived in Springfield this morning and a few hours later Delores called to let me know that it had been processed but she was still more concerned that they couldn't find the first one. I told her it didn't matter and thanked her for helping me get it all straightened out. I fully expect a call in the next few weeks that she has found it because I think it has upset her more than it has me. LOL I just checked the tracking and the package is on it's way to Carol, our amazing courier in DC. I sent the other 11 documents to her today too. Now we just wait for USCIS approval to arrive so we can rush that through. Please pray that we have no paperwork issues. If everything goes well, we should have our dossier at our agency around April 6th or so. :)

So THAT's why they tell you to order additional copies!

2010-03-25T17:44:00.002-05:00

I've been calling the Illinois Secretary of State to try and find out what's the hold up with Jeff's birth certificate. Today everyone I talked to told me they couldn't help me and transferred me. Of course, the final destination was someone's voice mail. I was surprised to actually get a call back this afternoon and the lady (Delores) told me that it takes 7-10 business days to get them processed. I told her this was day 9 and she said it hasn't gone out yet but probably would Friday or Monday. When I got off the phone I prayed. Mostly for the ability to continue to trust God and if it was His will to somehow have that birth certificate sent out today. I truly believe those prayers prompted Delores to look around for our package because she called me back and told me that the stuff that had arrived on the 12th (same day as us) had been processed and ours wasn't included. She asked a bunch of questions and said she'd look some more and call back. She actually called back a few times. We know they received the package because it was signed for but it's now MIA. I finally asked if I overnighted her a new birth certificate, could she process (ie. staple a piece of paper to it) tomorrow and get it sent back out. She agreed so I rushed to get a new package ready and made it to the Fed Ex store at 5:59-only one minute to spare. Please pray that it gets there and that she gets it and processes it tomorrow like she said she would. I went ahead and put our courier's address on the return airbill so it will go straight to her. I'll mail the rest of our dossier (minus the approval) to her tomorrow. Now I can relax for 10 minutes before I have to clean my house for the SIX interior shots my agency wants us to send. ACK!

WOOHOO!!!

2010-03-24T15:35:00.004-05:00

I just got the email that our USCIS approval is in the mail! YES! We just need Jeff's birth certificate back from Illinois and we can be DTC SOON! Happy Dance!

Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Increased

2010-03-24T12:41:00.001-05:00

Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Increased

Posted using ShareThis

An Unexpected Adoption

2010-03-24T08:51:00.003-05:00

Beautiful story! I just read this post on the 'Hope for Orphans' blog and it really touched me. I wish every man, woman and child on this earth could know the love of a family.

http://hopefororphansblog.com/2010/03/23/an-unexpected-adoption-story/

Lucy still needs a family

2010-03-20T20:30:00.007-05:00

I posted about Lucy earlier this month.

http://loosclan.blogspot.com/2010/03/three-year-old-heart-baby-needs-family.html

I can't get her off my mind. My agency, ASIA, is the agency who has Lucy's file. The family who was to bring her home lives near me. We even used the same social worker. I feel connected to Lucy and my heart is burdened for her. Lucy still needs a family. She has a pretty severe heart issue and probably needs a heart transplant. She may not live a long life but doesn't she deserve to spend what time she does have here on this earth with a family of her own? Lucy needs a family that is DTC to come forward to adopt her. She's doing well now but needs care that she can't get in China. She needs to be here to get the care she needs. Please join me in praying for little Lucy. And if you feel that you might be her family please contact Marci @ marcisk@asiadopt.org

You can read more about Lucy on ASIA's blog

http://www.asiahope.blogspot.com/

Rita's Italian Ice~FREE regular ice on first day of spring~3/20

2010-03-19T12:59:00.003-05:00

Seriously. It's free. For everyone. And they'll be lined up out the door. We went last year and took the whole crew. I felt kind of guilty walking out of there with 8 free Italian ices...but I shouldn't have. They people at Rita's are GENIUSES! I never would have gone into Rita's had they not that had that promotion but once I had one of their ices, I had to go back for more. Many times. :) If you have a Rita's nearby check it out.

http://www.ritasice.com/events-and-promotions/first-day-of-spring.aspx

Handing it Over

2010-03-18T21:27:00.006-05:00

We headed out bright and early yesterday to make the 3+ hour drive to Charlotte. Our fingerprint appointment wasn't until March 26, but we had been told we could walk in at the Charlotte office. Our schedules worked out to go the 17th so we decided to give it a shot. We walked right in, handed them our fingerprint appointment letters and she gave us the forms to fill out. She never even looked at the appointment date. Big sigh of relief! I was ready to plead my case if they tried to turn us away, but thankfully that wasn't necessary. We were in and out in under 30 minutes and they assured us (insisted) that our fingerprints looked good. I was worried they'd get rejected and we'd have to trek back to Charlotte in a few weeks. When we returned home, I called the NBC (National Benefits Center) to tell them we had gotten fingerprinted early and was disappointed to hear that we haven't even been assigned a case officer yet. Then I called the Illinois Secretary of State to ask about processing time and found out there is a 2 week wait right now. Jeff's birth certificate has been there since the 12th. They said it wouldn't get sent out until late next week. In a matter of minutes, the euphoria of getting fingerprinted was snuffed out by the reality that my timeline isn't going to be met. So I did what I always do and started crunching the numbers estimating our timeline under a thousand different scenarios all the while getting more and more discouraged. I even went to bed early, which I never do. I was pouting. Big time. And feeling really sorry for myself. When I woke up this morning, the first thing on my mind was my timeline. I started to think of the scenarios again and trying to figure out what I could do to speed things up. Then I thought, 'WHY am I wasting all this time trying to control things that I have no control over and not truly trusting the One who IS in control?' Duh! Then when I was in the car this morning, I heard this verse on the radio...Matthew 10:37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Wow. I was totally putting Coralie and my desire to get her home in MY time before God and His plan and His timing. If I trust Him enough to adopt a child when I feel He has led me to do it, why am I not trusting that it will happen in His time? So I let it go. For real this time. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Every day I have on this earth is a gift-even the ones before she comes home. I don't intend to waste those days trying to control things I can't when I have family and responsibilities here that need my attention. Thank you God for being a God that I can trust completely. A God who loves my little girl even more than I do and will do things for her good. I trust you, Lord!

I was talking to a friend about this and she shared this with me...

A friend of mine at church has two sons that are in the military. Last year both of them were overseas fighting. I asked her how she did it and didn't she wish they would just stay home. Her response to me touched me and had really put me at peace with our wait. She said she would rather have her sons overseas in God's will that here in the states in her will.

I love that. Don't we all want our children to be in God's will?

Happy Day!

2010-03-16T09:43:00.004-05:00

We got updated pictures of Coralie!

Time Keeps Tickin'...

2010-03-15T22:46:00.005-05:00

It just occurred to me that today Coralie is 27 months old. Another month without us. Another month without her. :( It's just the way it is and I have to trust that God will unite us in His perfect timing. I really try not to dwell on it like I did when we were waiting for Brady. I think I have done a pretty good job of it so far (probably because I have been too busy with the homestudy and the I-800A application and the dossier and the PA wait, etc.) but when a day like today comes around and you almost miss it before you realize it's a special day...it's just hard. Okay, enough pity party stuff. Let's talk fun stuff. Like care packages. :) This is Coralie's care package that I got through Ann at Red Thread.

Ann has tried to contact the orphanage for updates and pictures but so far they haven't responded. I know some families have gotten pictures in the past from this orphanage so I am hopeful we'll get something.

Also, we got our fingerprint letters today! Our appointments are for 8:00 am Friday, March 26 in Charlotte, NC. No way can we be in Charlotte at 8:00 am-we'd have to leave our house at 4:30 in the morning. Several people have had success with walking in so that's what we plan to do. Stay tuned to see if we are successful.

Happy Birthday AnnaClaire!

2010-03-09T20:40:00.008-05:00

No way my baby is 5! ACK!

Happy Birthday Allie!

2010-03-08T16:08:00.010-05:00

I can't believe my Princess is 7 already! How did that happen?

I have been searching my computer for old pics. Enjoy!

\o/\o/Thanks be to God\o/\o/

2010-03-05T10:25:00.003-05:00

for our newest blessing...

Coralie Selah WenEr Loos
Chinese name: Chan Wen Er
Birthdate: 12/15/2007
Orphanage: Foshan City (Chan Cheng District)

We have PA!

Happy Anniversary

2010-03-04T22:39:00.003-05:00

Twenty one years ago Jeff and I were married. Hard to believe since we're both still so young. ;)

He took me to dinner tonight. Actually, I met him for dinner. I snuck out of the house since the littles were playing nicely together. We I got back home I had this exchange with Brady...

Brady: Why'd you left us?
Me: We went out to dinner because it's Mommy & Daddy's anniversary. Do you know what that is?
Brady: No
Me: It's like a birthday for when you are married.
Brady: But you can't dance!

All this happened after he whispered, 'Mommy, mommy, mommy....I missed you super super much.'

:)

Three year old heart baby needs a family ASAP

2010-03-03T14:38:00.001-05:00

Lucy was sent to a foster family in 2007 where she got along well with the other children in the family. In the summer of 2009 she was moved to the China Care Home, which is managed by Half the Sky Foundation. Lucy has a very serious heart condition and needs a family that can provide all the necessary medical resources for her.
In addition to her heart condition, Lucy has an incompletely-formed left arm and hand with only two fingers. Despite this, she is adept at manipulating even the smallest objects and is very focused when working with tiny spoons, small balls or puzzles. She is fond of books. She doesn’t like a noisy environment. If she listens to music for a while, she will then ask her foster mom to turn it off.
Lucy has a large vocabulary for her age. She knows the names of fruits and animals and can count basic numbers. She recognizes pictures of her friends and speaks their names. She is quite attached to her China Care mom but is also friendly with others. She has two best friends and happily plays with them as long as her foster mom is still in sight.

Lucy needs a family that is already DTC, if possible. If not, she will need to come on a medical visa and get the treatment she needs for her heart. Lucy would benefit most from a forever family, no matter how long her forever might be. If you think you would be interested or know someone who would be please contact Marci at 503-224-1860 or marcisk@asiadopt.org

Feel free to repost this! Lucy needs a family!

03/03/05

2010-03-03T10:07:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that 5 years have passed since we were logged in for our angel girl. It's even harder to believe that in the 4+ years that she's been home, the CCAA has only sent referrals for 13 months past that LID. I am so thankful that the winding road that we took during AnnaClaire's adoption led to her. She's such a blessing to us!

Three months ago today...

2010-03-02T11:24:00.004-05:00

we first saw the face of the little girl that we hope will be our new daughter. Jeff and I had both realized that God was burdening our hearts for adoption once again. We decided it was God's will for us, but we weren't sure when. Since the process has changed so much since we last adopted, I started emailing agencies and asking questions to try and figure out the timing and the new process and how any of it might affect our timing of when to start. Along the way, I saw some children on Rainbow Kids and some agency lists but they were all dead ends. On December 2, I was sitting at my computer when I received and email from an agency that they had received a new list. Jeff happened to be playing pool with Brandon and standing right next to me. I immediately went to the site and saw an adorable little girl. I called Jeff over and asked if he was interested in inquiring about her. He said yes (to my amazement, actually) and I typed a short and sweet email as fast as I could. Then I scrolled down and saw another precious little girl. Jeff was interested in her too (maybe he should play pool more often!). I shot off another quick email. Both girls were already under review, but we were second in line for both files. The first families had a week to decide-though it seemed like a year if you ask me (and probably even longer to Jeff, who had to live with my emotional frailty that week and Brandee, my adoption friend, who had to listen to all my hopes and fears). When the week was up, we didn't get either girl. Jeff took pity on me, and taking into account the the adoption tax credit was set to expire in December 2010 decided that we could start the process at the end of December. We planned to request to be agency matched. On December 17, I picked up the homestudy packet from our social worker and started filling out the paperwork. Then on Monday, December 21, I got an email that one of the little girls had become available and it asked if we still wanted to review the file. It took about a millisecond to email them back with a YES! A week later we told the agency we wanted her and then we had our first homestudy appointment the next day. Our agency didn't want us to send our LOI (letter of intent, telling China we want this child) until they had our homestudy rough draft. They received our rough draft on 2/15 which was during Chinese New Year so they didn't send our LOI until 2/19. Recently, China has decided that they won't be sending agencies designated lists of children any more and they are taking back files of children that agencies already have. Some files that they have taken back were files that families were reviewing, some had families ready to proceed and some even had families that had sent LOI (like us). As far as we know, our daughter's file has not yet been pulled, but until we receive PA (pre-approval from China) we aren't sure if she'll be ours. We ask that you please pray for God's will in this situation. We are emotionally invested in this child and are looking forward to making her a part of our family.

Adopting Older Children

2010-03-02T11:21:00.001-05:00

I've recently been burdened by the plight of older children who need homes. There is an excellent post about Older Child Adoption on the Love Without Boundaries blog today.

http://www.lwbcommunity.org/adoption-of-older-children

Wo Ai Ni Mommy

2010-03-01T16:18:00.003-05:00

I am looking forward to this documentary. Wo Ai Ni Mommy will have its World Premiere at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. The film will be screened on Sunday, March 14th at 3pm and again on Wednesday, March 17th at 7pm.

God's Heart for Adoption

2010-02-26T10:10:00.001-05:00

If you are like me, you're going to need some tissues. I am still crying.

How have I ever passed a homestudy?

2010-02-24T20:45:00.003-05:00

Mom of the year here. Tonight Jeff had a business dinner, Cameron was working, and Brandon & Ryan had their small group meetings. I have to take Ryan over to the church which is about 25 minutes away from our house, so the little kids and I need to kill about an hour while he is there. Tonight it is snowing and cold. I decided to take the littles to a Mexican restaurant near our church. We couldn't find a close parking spot so I carried Brady into the restaurant while the girls held my hand. When we walked in to the restaurant there was a small area to stand and we waited for the host to seat us. It was really tight in the restaurant and I was trying to push the kids along to the table. When we got back to the table the host points at Brady and said something I didn't understand. I look down at Brady and there he is...BAREFOOT. In the restaurant. So while I am thinking 'um, Jesus, this would be a real good time to come back' the man at the table next to us is laughing so hard that I think he's going to pee himself. At least someone enjoyed it because I was mortified. When the laughing man left, he told me 'Good Luck'. Oh boy.

Ryan no longer has braces!

2010-02-23T22:54:00.003-05:00

He got them off yesterday morning! Isn't he a cutie? ;)

IHOP National Pancake Day - February 23, 2010

2010-02-23T10:37:00.003-05:00

IHOP National Pancake Day - February 23, 2010

We went to IHOP tonight (everyone but Cameron) and had FREE pancakes. Then we donated to a great cause-The Children's Miracle Network. It was fun family time and I recommend it. They do it every year. After we had eaten, Allie turned to me and said, 'Mama, what are you making for dinner?' DUH!

Sweet Little Lin!

2010-02-19T17:56:00.004-05:00

This little one has stolen my heart. I would hate to see his file returned to China. Could he be your son? Please check him out. :)

http://asiahope.blogspot.com/2010/02/anyone-looking-to-adopt-deaf-child.html

I also happen to know that there are at least 3 beautiful boys from Shantou (Brady's Orphanage) that are on the shared list.

Amazing song!

2010-02-06T20:26:00.001-05:00

Another photograph to wrestle in my head
Another sleepless night on concrete featherbed
These thoughts of you like bullets to my soul
We’ve got to find a way to get you home

I’ll find a way to get you here
If it takes my fleeting breath
Another sunrise hits the ground
And it’s a dark lonely sight
Lightyears away I hope you know
There is somebody searching
For the way to get you here
I will get you here

Throw the clocks away and run out to the street
We’ll fly to distant clouds where it’s just you and me
A day will come when all of this is gone
You’ve got to find a way to believe

I’ll find a way to get you here
If it takes my fleeting breath
Another sunrise hits the ground
And it’s a dark lonely sight
Lightyears away I hope you know
There is somebody searching
For the way to get you here
I will get you here

Close your eyes and dream of a better day with me
As angels hold you tight, may you sleep in peace tonight

So dream, dream, dream my child
Hear the whisperings of hope
It’s a song that you can sing, as you sleep in peace tonight

2010-02-06T17:58:00.000-05:00

Gina needs a family!

2010-01-28T14:01:00.002-05:00

In China, once a child turns 14 they can no longer be adopted. For a Chinese orphan, turning 14 is like a door slamming shut. Their hope a family gone forever. Gina is a beautiful 13 year old who will turn 14 in May. She has no family and no family working to bring her home. If you know anyone who has a dossier in China or is nearly DTC, please pass on the information about Gina. Her chance of having a forever family is slipping away. You can click HERE for some pictures and video of Gina.

Here is an email about Gina from the Special Needs coordinator from ASIA, the agency that has her file:

I am writing to try to find a family for one of our waiting children
from our Hope's Journey program who is about to age out in May. We call
her Gina, and you can see more information on our blog, listed below my
signature. We had a family for her, but they are unable to continue with
their adoption for reasons having nothing to do with Gina. It is for
that reason that I'm reaching out to try to help this child's dream of a
family come true. Because she risks aging out so soon, we have to find a
family that is already dossiered or very close to dossier ready to
pursue her. If you have any interest, or know of anyone who could be
interested, please have them contact me. Gina is a sweet 13 year old
girlie girl who likes dolls, is shy and studies hard. She knows some
English already and is seeing many of her peers getting adopted. She
wants a forever family of her own. She is bright, sweet, healthy and
likes reading and sports. We have lots of pictures and videos of Gina,
so please contact me for more information.
Sincerely,

Marci Siegel-Kittrell, MSW
Director of Social Services
Associated Services for International Adoption
215 SW Hooker St. #100
Portland, OR 97201
503-224-1860
marcisk@asiadopt.org
http://www.asiadopt.org/

The Love of a Father

2010-01-20T23:01:00.004-05:00

Amazing what this man did for his children.

click: Man takes matters into his own hands to rescue adopted kids

Happy New Year!

2010-01-11T16:53:00.003-05:00

Yeah, it's the 11th. I am a little late. I am still getting into the hang of blogging again. I totally missed Allie Day, Jeff's Birthday, Ryan's Birthday, My sister's wedding.... I seem to do that every December. AnnaClaire Day is the 5th and she gets a post. Allie Day is the 7th and it goes unposted. Here's a snippet I posted on my Facebook Page on Allie Day:

Six years ago today were learned that dreams do come true when we were given Qiu Xiao Lian, our first daughter. Jeff had been a reluctant adopter and had worries throughout the process but it didn't take long for Miss Allie to take care of that! The morning after we got her he was looking at her from across the table at the White Swan breakfast and said, 'everyone should do this at least once'. One sweet little baby girl was all it took to turn a doubter into an adoption advocate (who adopted twice more!). Today also happens to be Jeff's birthday. What better gift on your birthday than the gift of a child? Our Allie is a precious gift. She came to us with quite the personality and remains a diva to this day...but she also has a HUGE heart. Last night as Jeff, Brandon and Ryan prepared to go shopping for needy families with our church youth, Allie gave Jeff all her money from her bank. Jeff told her that he would take some of it and handed her back part of the money. She pressed it back into his hand and said, 'I want you to take it all'. I love that girl!