Daddy took us to Jamaica!

We had a long weekend in Jamaica -- MON!  We were whisked away Thursday am to Negril, Jamaica to celebrate our 20th anniversary.  The rum runners were great... the company even better... the scenery was breathtaking. The only thing missing was Maran.  Luke found some cute stuff at the gift shops and wanted to get his "sister a gift".  It was too cute.  David even pointed out a dress and said "Our daughter would look cute in that".  How incredible that she already is a part of us although she is not with us.  As we said before we loved her when we decided to adopt for a second time.  We think of her all the time and worry about her too.  We know she is being taken care of but we want her with us.  Selfish I know but it is the truth.  I can not wait till Christmas as we pray that by then we will have her home with us.  Waiting for her is like waiting for Christmas but worth every moment of it!

View from our Villa.  Blue waters...white sandy beaches!

Article 5 to China -- Confirmed

Received word today that our Article 5 was sent to China and is now at the US CONSULATE in CHINA.  We are told it takes a few weeks for the US CONSULATE to process it and then it goes to the China Center for Adoption Affairs where it takes roughly three weeks.  We will then SUPPOSEDLY get our TA (Travel Authorization) and from there our Consulate appointment.  THESE ARE JUST PROJECTIONS based on the TYPICAL TIME FRAMES of recent paperwork that we have seen from others.  The journey continues and we become more excited each day.  I must truly start on her room.  Her new MINNIE MOUSE luggage came in the other day.  It is way too cute I must say.  Her name is on it.  I also got her another name tag that is a purple and pink cupcake.  Pretty sure she will love cupcakes as much as I do! 

Mommy & Daddy have been Married for 20 Years!

While we are using our BLOG to share our thoughts about Maran and our journey to her we are also using it as one of her LIFE BOOKS.  (I really need to get popping on her actual hands-on Life Book).  I already have many things to put in it and need for that FIRE to pop under me so that I will get it done.  I work SO MUCH better under extreme pressure... ONE CHARACTERISTIC I truly wish I didn't have.  That being said I am posting for Maran a picture of her FOREVER MOMMY and DADDY on their wedding day.  To this day we can truly say that it was one of the funnest days of our lives.  We had an incredible party the night before hosted by David's parents and believe me they know not only how to throw a party but how to host one as well.  Despite the fact that we were hardly moving the day of our wedding is irrelevant. Our wedding could not have been any better.  Sure more money could have been spent but why?  My mother pulled off an incredible event and she was the party.  She spent more than she had in order to give me the wedding she wanted me to have and knew that I wanted. She was the type mom that EVERYONE loved and rightfully so.  There probably has not been a sweeter person on earth than what she was.  She did without so her children would not have to do so.  She was nice to everyone...even the kids at school that were not nice to my sister and I.  When the Lord reached down to grab her and take her to heaven he got perhaps the best ANGEL ever.  She now is watching us and our GROWING FAMILY from the best seat in the house.  I miss that she will never get to see Luke and how adorable he is.  (Even though she was completely blind when she died). When he was young and I rocked him to sleep I cried thinking of her and how she would tell me to be patient with him.  I know that she would have stayed up with him all night long and NEVER once complain.  When I am sick and just want to roll over and sleep I hear her voice telling me to "SUCK IT UP...you're a mommy and you just have to deal with it".  I cry writing this as I miss her every day.  In six years NOT ONE day has passed that I don't think about her or speak to her.  I wanted so badly for her to be there to hold me when I was having my miscarriage(s).  I wanted her to be there for David and I when we lost our daughter Sophie (who we were going to adopt and who is Luke's twin sister) when she died.   I wish that she was there the day that my sister and I went to her doctor and got the news that she (my sister)  has  Multiple Sclerosis. That said, CALL YOUR MOTHER... tell her you love her and  thank her for making your life what it is today.  I can only hope that I AM HALF the mother that my mom was and then my children will be very lucky.  Thank you Mom for creating incredible memories for me not only on my wedding day but every day.  I am blessed to have had such a mother! 

NVC Letter Received --I -800 Cabeled to China

After a full day of traveling from San Francisco back to North Carolina it was nice to meet some GOOD NEWS that appeared in our mail box.  (David was on his way back from Chicago so we met up at the airport and rode home together). I had the "WEARY TRAVELER BLUES" today.  David had the "I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE" syndrome.  As his plane was crossing the runway he looked out the window and saw another plane coming at them.  The other plane aborted landing in order to not crash into them.  Can we all say..shhhewwwww?

Tomorrow will be our 20th Anniversary.  I never thought I would be 20 years old let alone married for 20 years.. but here it is.  Good thing is that we both signed up for another year.   With that plane incident was David trying to get out of his contract with me?  UHM......What a ROAD it has been.  From getting married after college and having NO NICKELS to rub together to caring for a very ailing and sick parent for eight years to infertility issues that were beyond our wildest dreams to adopting the most PRECIOUS little boy from Guatemala and now waiting on Miss Sassafras from China I can say that our life has been anything but boring. 

So what does this mean?  Not much more than the heading.  David (the keeper of paperwork and most organized human ever in regards to our adoption and forms and so forth) says that in a nutshell, we now wait for our ARTICLE 5 and TA.  I must be honest and will say that after this process I want to have a period of time with NO ACRONYMS in my life!  HA HA.  I won't say the amount of days we are guessing but our friends say that the baby pool will start soon.  Quite frankly I really am ready for my water to break.  Delivering a 3 year old toddler should be interesting...another HA there!

Tomorrow we will celebrate our anniversary by letting Luke pick our place to dine.  Should be interesting. I think it will be something along the lines of getting Mexican Take Out and going to a quaint picnic area close to the train tracks so Luke can watch the trains go by and wave to the conductors.  I can not think of a better way to spend our 20th Anniversary and would not change ANY of  it for the world. 

I met a Taxi Driver --- IS THIS FATE?

Being the shy person that I am is often quite challenging.  So when I landed in San Francisco today it was a pleasant surprise to get an INCREDIBLY NICE AND HANDSOME CHINESE Cab Driver. (Joking by the way about being shy).  Turns out he came from an area VERY CLOSE TO where Maran is and was so informative.  He told me that we will still get the "LOOKS" that we get often when we are in public with Luke.... the looks like "Oh you two have a baby that doesn't look so Anglo-Saxon".  That type look.  That said he explained that it would be fine.  He stated that people understand the situation with babies in China .... especially girls.  He told me that she would LOVE being in America as he does.  He went on to tell me how proud he is to be an American and he is even prouder that his children are American.  He also told me that he cries on the 4th of July.... you know what.....I do too.  Is it fate that I met him?    What a joy and relief it was talking to him.  I don't know why it was such a relief because I have not been nervous about any of this process....well except the wait and that's a whole different issue.  I am sure it was because he was from somewhere that is SO REMOTELY close to where she is.  He was such an inspiration.  I explained how I want Maran' to know where she is from and embrace her heritage but also have an appreciation for where she will be.  He said "That's what my parents did and that's all you can do".  Today gets a SUPER WOW from me.  I love how all this "CHINESE" continues to pop up in our lives.... is it fate?  It's that and
A LOT more!! 

I-800 Approval!! WOW.... A GREAT WEEK!

We are totally psyched that we got our I-800 approval within 9 days of submittal but were informed of it at the 21 day mark.  This means (IN A NUTSHELL) we are about at the 60 day travel mark.... IF ALL CONTINUES TO GO ACCORDING TO PLAN and to stats and all that other stuff I truly don't want to think about.  WHAT'S NEXT????  Getting our Visa.  This means that Maran's Visa gets sent to the US consulate for them to process our paperwork.... ALL I CAN SAY IS.... GO MARAN or aka SI HUI LONG (her Chinese name).  Wow..... what an emotional roller-coaster.  We still pray that our friends in Alabama get their approval soon!  They had a set back but we hope that it doesn't make them fall behind.  They are such a wonderful family and deserve to get to CHINA ASAP .....of course we feel that we should be able to get there too....  what a BLESSING it would be to get there together...after all our daughters are BFF's in the orphanage!  Hugs to all ----

We got Updated Pictures -- Prayers are Answered!

Lately we have been "DRAGGING" and have been more impatient than normal regarding the 'WAIT' for our daughter.  With the I-800 in process we should feel a sigh of relief but it really doesn't seem that way.  We simply want to hold her and want to do so now.  We want to laugh and cry with her and can't wait to try to figure out what she wants or needs since we will clearly have a language barrier... at least for a short while.  Our excitement is overflowing.  Our family is becoming more excited each day too.  Luke asks nearly every day "Have they called us to come and get my sister yet"?  We expected pictures about 3 weeks ago and never got them.  Delays happen but when you are told that you will get them and they arrive 19 days later... that is a little trying. 

The pictures came today.  I had JUST e-mailed the agency with my new e-mail address and within minutes new photos were received.  I immediately called my friend in Alabama to tell her I had pictures of  "our girls".  She was so happy.  She told me how she had cried in the shower this morning and was wanting some type of sign that 'things will be ok'.  She had been praying and now she has received her sign.  Albeit small  (in the grand scheme of adoption) -- it is GRAND in our HEARTS.  Just seeing how much they have grown and seeing that they are happy is an unbelievable feeling.  Many people don't understand how you can love someone that you have never met.  It is a love that is unlike any other.  We loved our daughter before we even knew about her.  Sounds weird but it is true.  When we decided to adopt again we knew we wanted a daughter and we loved her from that moment on.  We love her more and more each day and each day makes us yearn to hold her that much more.  We worry about her.  We pray for her.  We pray for her well being as well as that of her care takers and friends.  Maran's BFF is Alice.  Alice will live in Alabama.  How uncanny that our two girls are joined at the hip in the orphanage and once they start their lives in America they will be so close.  What a comfort. 

We received a video of Maran also.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  We now know how she walks which has been something we have wondered about all along.  We were told before that she had a "skip".  She is a SPECIAL NEEDS child who has club feet and so far has had one operation to try to correct her legs/feet.  We are relieved to see that she gets around so well and sad at the same time for her.  We have 100 percent confidence in our Ankle/Leg surgeon here in America.  We know that he will do what it takes to make her better and help her to have as normal a life as possible. 

Quite possibly she is the most beautiful little girl ever.  She has beautiful skin and a smile that could make anyone be at her beck and call.  How precious a gift we are getting.  It was meant to be that she is our little girl.  She became our little girl the morning she was born.  I know in my heart that her birth mother knew that she would be found and cared for.  We know in our hearts she is getting good care and is being loved but we can't wait to get her home.  We want to hear her voice and her laugh!  Children are a gift and although we are going about making our family in a 'not so traditional way' we still know that this is one of the best gifts ever.

Hugs ---

Maran is holding the Doll Luke picked out for her for her birthday.  We sent her this outfit too.

She has on her BFF's dress but the new sandals we sent to her.  Thankfully we guessed the 'almost correct' size.

"THE GANG's ALL HERE".  We have received a few pictures of Maran with her friends and the same children are in them.  They must all be inseparable. 

Lounging around with her Dora Doll.

Too cute for words... ALL OF THEM!

I -800 Still Waiting

Ok we still like our nice person at the I-800 office.  We got a notice stating "if there is anything wrong with the below let us know". Ok so nothing is wrong.   How LONG do they wait for us to decide if something is indeed wrong?  I respect the process and all the paperwork but all I can say right now is "Really"? 

Gotcha Day - Three Years Later! July 26, 2007

To say time flies is so blah but oh how much truth this saying holds. It's hard to believe that three years ago today we got our son Luke from Guatemala. A day we will ALL remember. It was emotional, exhausting, scarey, and incredibly happy. We will never forget him being brought into the hotel to us. I will never forget my first glimpse of him or the smile he had when he was put into his daddys arms. Along with those memories we won't forget how scared he was and how he cried when his foster mom wasn't near his side. Boy did he cry. He had on many layers of clothing. There were five of us waiting for him. His new mom and dad, his Tia Lisa who made the trip with us (AND THANKFULLY SO) and our two attorneys. (Actually our attorney's daughter and son who were young and very nice to have around). He smelled like pancake syrup. His large chocolate eyes were piercing and he had such a serious look on his face. So serious that it was almost like we shouldn't "COO" to him or do any of the baby things. He was 10 months old. We were told he weighed about 18 pounds but he really weighed about 12. We were told that he had eczyma. When we took him to our room I stripped him down to his diaper. He didn't have eczyma he had a severe heat rash. He came to us with : three layers of clothing of which the undershirt was extremely tattered and you could tell the foster mom had clearly used it for many babies. Booties that had Winnie the Pooh on them. Socks that had some blue in them. Blue striped pants and a few other shirt layers. He had no bottle, a toy and a blankie we had sent to him and a nasty ear infection. He was hungry. We had been left with him and had no idea what kind of formula to get or what to try to feed him. We were told to buy the baby food from the area and we did. My sister took a cab to a few different places and with her knowing some Spanish she was able to communicate to the cab driver who then took it as a personal mission to find us this special formula for our new child. He loved the milk. We mixed the antibiotic that our Pediatrician THANKFULLY had sent to us and started trying to make him happy. Meanwhile the new Daddy comes down with the flu and goes into quarantine for 24 hours. Luke screams because all he wants is daddy so Tia and I had to try to calm him down. Meanwhile Tia Lisa is having what we find out later to be a flare up of Multiple Sclerosis (she was diagnosed 90 days later with MS). I paced the room holding him in my arms for about 3 1/2 hours straight. We strolled him up and down the hall. I realize that I had forgotten almost all the nursery rhymes and quickly learn one from Tia Lisa that I still sing to him today --of course my own version that is. He was screaming bloody murder the entire time. We finally get him to sleep and I then can't sleep because I am afraid he will stop breathing. We made it through the first day. It was happy, scarey, tiring and one of the best days ever. Now 1096 days later (add Leap Year Day) we are at it again. As we wait for Maran we relish the memories from our FIRST GOTCHA DAY three years ago.

Shhh..Don't tell but we met a nice lady at the I-800 office

OK, as we all muddle through the continuing adoption paperwork and wait for the dreaded "THIS IS WRONG" e-mail or message to appear which then makes us realize that we have to wait longer and spend more money to make it right. (IN THE END IT IS WORTH IT...going through it with Luke we can vouch for that) it is nice when you encounter someone who "PUSHES THE PAPER" and is nice.  A few weeks back I had to go to Raleigh to get some papers "RE-AUTHENTICATED".  The lady in the processing office was like a drill Sergeant.  I was extremely polite to her and I told her that I had driven in from Charlotte and that I would be waiting for them.  This was 8 am.  She told me to return at 11.  I returned at 11 after driving around my old stomping ground of NC STATE UNIVERSITY.   When I walked up to the counter she saw me... looked at me... didn't acknowledge me but kept on opening her mountain of FED- EX packages.  I patiently waited.  I waited and I waited longer.  After about 10 minutes I decided to go the water fountain.  I returned and she said "YOU LEFT".  I said, "Yes I had a frog in my throat and got some water".  Five more minutes pass and she  finally calls to the back.   She then tells me that they will be out in a few minutes.  Twenty minutes later another lady approaches with the envelope.  Ms. Fed-EX says "Aren't you going to open it".  I say "No, I trust you and thank you for being so nice" and I left.  So much for that.  Move forward to last week and we were following up on our I 800.  David (hubby) found an INCREDIBLY NICE LADY who replied to the inquiry and said "I don't have it yet but I will e-mail you the moment I get it".   WOW....excuse me but you are NOT SUPPOSED TO BE NICE and accommodating (well let's not misconstrue that but we all know that not everyone we encounter in the paperwork process has the candy and lollipops attitude).  David wanted to say "Isn't it your job to make me antsy and wonder if you ever will get the form"...but he didn't and that's a good thing.  He wouldn't go there but I probably would have as I am a small talk kind of person.  So as we encounter bumps and hurdles..... it is nice to know that there are those out there working to help us get through this and actually don't mind helping to ease our minds.... It is too bad they are not dealt with every day! 

We met our State-Side Facilitator/Program Coordinator!

Last night we drove to Greensboro to meet our State-Side Facilitator and our Program Coordinator.   What a joy it was to meet them.  After so many months of speaking to them on the phone and MANY MANY e-mails it was so nice to see that they are as lovely in person as they are on e-mail and via phone.  We had many questions answered about "WHAT NEXT"? This process has been so different from our Guatemala experience.    We learned that Maran is in an area where they indeed encourage and appreciate an orphanage visit.  We could not imagine not seeing where she has grown up so far and visiting with her care takers.  We also now know that we can ask them to stop shaving her head.  We feel differently about the hair situation than many others.  Others, at REFERRAL TIME, request for the hair to stop being shaved.  We did not do this until we received our LOA.  Reason for this is because their heads are shaved not only for more sanitary reasons but to keep order in the orphanage.  Since we are close to the 90 day mark (if all goes according to plan and we stay within the average wait time) we felt it was OK to ask them to let her hair grow. 

October is a BUSY month in China.  We learned that even though there are the PAN AM games and the TRADE SHOW that you can still travel during this time.  It is more expensive but the Consulate appointments are easier to get during this time since they are not as busy.  We told them to "SEND US ON".  My comment was -- and I meant it in a nice way -- "At this point what's a few hundred more dollars"?  We just have to see her and hold her and touch her and we will do so even if China is "BUSY".  If all goes according to plan we very well may be traveling during October.  Bring it on.  As well we were told that we could ask to "TRAVEL with others".  We do hope that our friends from Alabama will go around the same time as us.  Since our daughters are "BFF's" in the orphanage it would be an incredible experience.  We also learned about some pretty places for us to visit while we are there waiting for our Maran to come to us.  We were asked if we are taking Luke and we are up in the air about that.  He is 4.  We believe in bonding time with Maran and all that but also feel that Luke should be a part of it.  We see the many pros and many cons of both sides.  We may get lucky and can have one of our family members come over with Luke to meet us in Hong Kong so we can go to Disney.  We will just have to wait and see. 

Patience is Over-Rated!

Growing up we were always told to be patient.  Probably as much as we were told to be nice to others.  I must say that Patience is Over-Rated!!! When I want something I want it and want it in short order.  The good thing about this adoption process is that when I am not patient David is and vice versa.  While we both can't wait to bring her home and introduce her to Luke (our adopted son from Guatemala who will be 4 in October) there is still SO MUCH TO DO!  The nesting has begun.  Our junk room which is really being used as my closet will become Maran's room.  Not only does it have to be painted but it has to be cleaned out.  Dilemma... what do I do with all the clothes?  OK just because I have clothes from size 4 up in there doesn't mean that they aren't needed right? Wishful thinking on the size 4 I know but they did fit at one time.  Maybe for only a month but I did wear them.  I know when I get to be a size 4 again (LAUGH) they will be out of style and besides if that occurs then not knowing what century it will be I would then deserve new clothes because they will be out of style.  OK so reward myself for getting back down to the size I should have stayed at?  It is time to loose the infertility weight.  It has been three years so needless to say it is long past time.  So now I need to put it on my to do list.  1) Clean Maran's room 2) Clean out the closets 3) Loose Weight.  4) Paint.  Wow... I must get started.