October 20th, 2007

We are up at 4:30 am to get ready to leave. Our bell boy will be at our door at quarter to 6 to take our suitcase down to the van. We get a breakfast to go from the coffee shop at the White Swan. I can't eat it on the way to the airport, which is a 45 minute drive. I am so sad and crying about leaving China. I am trying to memorize all the sights of China. The palm trees, the mountains, it is so beautiful! China is truly a part of my soul and will have a place in my heart forever.

We barely make our plane after having to go through customs and security. After having to fill our a declaration from with our the passport number of all 5 of us and stating what we are bringing home from China, we barely make our plane. The flight from Guangzhou to Tokyo is uneventful, except for having to pass Meizi across the isle to Scott and I, back and forth. She is playing a game and is bored sitting with just one of us, unless I am feeding her. I lay her across my lap and Kelly's to change her diaper. I'm not going to attempt to change her in the unbelievably tiny bathroom where one person can barely turn around, let alone change a baby on the flip-down changing table, that is designed for a preemie baby.
The flight from Tokyo to home is not as pleasant. We experience a lot of turbulence. They delay serving Lunch/dinner because of it and when they do start serving, there is a panicked rush to get the food our and returned before the pilot comes on and says in a half hour we will be experiencing turbulence that will make you "uncomfortable", which is putting it mildly. I pray the wings don't tear off from the jerking from side to side and the dropping. To make it worse, the kids are uncomfortable and can't sleep sitting up in the tiny, confined seats. There is a couple in their 30's who don't have any kids and are very "Kissy Face". I don't know why they didn't request 1st class but they complain to the flight attendant that our kids are making too much noise and are kicking their seats. She comes back and tells us we have to keep the kids from kicking the seats in front of us, they are getting complaints. She isn't kind, thoughtful or tactful, just plain rude and mean. I once again am in tears and in a panic every time Meizi whimpers, thinking they are going to complain again. This couple reclined their seats and didn't but them up the whole flight, even when we were eating. They were so insensitive and thoughtless. I asked Scott to walk the isles with Meizi when she woke up because she was so uncomfortable. He tried standing at the back of the plane with her and a male flight attendant told him he couldn't do that because of security reasons. What was he going to to with a year and a half old baby? When the flight from hell finally ended, we were across the line from all the flight attendants, waiting to go through customs and the same rude attendants were trying to play with Meizi and Jade Lin, who were cranky and sleep deprived. I had a look on my face like, you have to be kidding!
We won't fly Northwest ever again for a long flight like that one.

We made it home and were thrilled to see Scott's sister, parents, our two nephews and Jesse waiting for us when we made it our of customs. Meizi threw up in the van on the way home, I'm sure from the long flight and then the half hour drive back home. She was fine after that.

I hope you all enjoyed reading and sharing our journey to bring Meizi home! We are truly blessed to have her and all of you in our lives!
Blessings from the Milless Family!

October 19th, 2007

We finished up our shopping today and packed all our suitcase to get ready to leave tomorrow morning. We have to take our oath at the Consulate today at 3:00pm. Peter is coming to take us with 7 other families. We are all riding the same bus together. I am really sad about leaving. We will celebrate our last night in China by eating from Lucy's, our favorite eating place.

The bus was full on our trip to the Consulate and I didn't think there would be enough seats for everyone. There were all small babies except for one couple who was adopting an older girl, I say about 9 years old. There were a couple special needs babies too. We were congratulated by an American Official who was from the Bronks, in New York. It was so funny to be half way around the world and see Americans working in China. His congratulatory speech was very touching and when we raised our right hands to take the oath, I couldn't help but tear up thinking of the journey we had taken to bring Meizi home and all the months of waiting and preparing for her, wondering who she would be and what she would be like. A dream has truly come true for us and we can't imaging our life without Meizi in it. She is truly a part of us and will be part of our family forever! We love her so after such a short period of time. It just feels and seems like she was meant to be part of our family and our daughter!

October16th, 2007

Hello everyone! We miss you and hope you are all well!

Meizi is now walking on the floor, back and forth to Scott and I as we sit on the floor. She is changing by leaps and bounds, everyday. She is still only taking bottles but the way it's going, I'm expecting her to be eating solid foods soon. We gave her a sucker yesterday and she took one lick on the sucker and then turned it around and sucked on the stick;-) Oh well, it was worth a try.

Yesterday we took a trip to the local zoo in Guangzhou. It is a half hour drive and the trip there and back proved to be very interesting again. We learned from Peter, our guide that people in China have to take 3 months of driving instruction and studies before they can get their license. It is hard to believe that when you see how people drive.

We had a really fun time at the zoo with Grace, our guide, Dave, Kristen and their little girl. It is a very large zoo and we could have spent another day there just to see it all but it was dinner time by the time we left and we were concerned that we would push the babies too long and they would get tired and hungry and ruin a good thing so we left a 5pm. We saw a large tiger being fed and watched it crouch down and pounce on the cage, waiting for the zoo hands to give him his food. We heard him roar, which is different from anything you will ever hear on TV. It was terrifying and deafening. The most surprising animal we saw were dogs in cages. We aren't use to seeing dogs in cages and it didn't make much sense to any of us. Grace, our guide said they do that to show the different breeds of dogs? Our main reason for visiting the zoo in China was to see the large Pandas. The one Panda that was out of his den was very lazy, and hot. He crawled around a little then laid down to take a nap. It was a little disapointing not to see him swimming or playing but he was beautiful, none the less! I've only seen photos of Pandas or seen them on TV so once again, it was a very surreal experience for me!

Last night we ate at "The Rose" restaurant which is right on the Pearl River. The tables were outside right next to the river. There were red lanterns in the trees that were all lit up and boats cruising the river that were also lit up. It was such a beautiful sight and such a perfect night, again warm, calm and so gorgeous.I still couldn't believe our good fortune at being in China again and once again had to pinch myself, to make sure it wasn't a dream. I will miss this about China, there is so much I will miss about China when we go back home.
Jade Lin and Kelly loved the Chinese food. It is so good and so different from what we call Chinese food in the US.

We did more shopping today and had to buy an extra suitcase just to bring home all of the gifts we have bought. We also visited the near by park again where Meizi and Jade Lin looked like all the other children and Scott, Kelly and I drew all the stares. We are considered a large family in China and a family with a teenage son and two Chinese daughters drew a lot of attention but everyone was so kind and welcoming.

Meizi Meilin is officially our daughter! The only thing we have to do is take the oath at the American Consulate on the 18th. We are waiting for Meizi's visa now. We are all doing well and having a great time! I was a little sad and depressed yesterday, knowing we will be leaving soon, but missing everyone at home too. It is very hard to describe the feelings and emotions I am experiencing. I just pray we will be able to return to China, someday, in the near future, when the girls are older and Meizi will be old enough to remember the journey. I think it is so beneficial for the girls to see the Country there were born in. I hope and pray they will develop a love of China, the way I have.

October 14th, 2007 in China

Last night we really saw Meizi come out of her shell. She was walking to the four of us on the bed. We guarded the three sides to keep her from falling off. It was so exciting to see her walking finally!! She was smiling and laughing the whole time. On the bus ride to the pier for our dinner cruise, she was waving to the people out the window and yelling "Ai Ya, all smiles and cooing at Jade Lin and Kelly. It was so adorable! We have wonderful photos of the cruise along the Pearl River that I hope to share soon.

Today we went to the Banyan Buddhist Temple and the Chen Family Museum. Both were beautiful and extremely old, historical and very interesting with very detailed and intricate architecture, most of which was carved by hand. We all had a great time and are meeting Dave and Kristen at Lucy's for dinner tonight. We are looking forward to visiting and getting to know them better.

Meizi is still only drinking formula bottles with cereal. She won't try anything from a spoon or from her fingers. I know that in time she will eat from a spoon. I'm sure we will continue to see big changes in her when we get her home.

Miss you all!
Blessings
Scott, Jodi, Kelly, Jade Lin and Meizi Meilin

October 13th, 2007

I have to wish my brother, Craig a Happy Birthday today!

last night, I doubled up a feather bed and laid it on the floor for Meizi. She is terrified of the crib and won't sleep in it. I find out that the babies from Meizi's orphanage were tied into their cribs because of the size of the infant cribs, they were able to climb out and there were only 5 nannies for 20 babies. Meizi sleeps wonderfully on the feather bed and sleeps all through the night, which is such a comfort to us. I put a pillow in front of the night stand so she wouldn't hit her head and she slept like an angel;-)

Today we met up with the other couple from our agency that lives in Mankato, Dave and Kristen. Their daughter, Meili, just turned two and is adorable! They are in the photos at the medical exam with us. We took them shopping in the little stores along the streets near our hotel. We shopped for summer dresses for the girls since it was still so warm in Guangzhou and the clothes I brought for Meizi were much to big. She is only the size of a year old and the clothes I brought were all 24 mo and larger. The store that we bought the girl's dresses at were having a super sale. We got the little dresses for about 3.50 US dollars. We also showed Dave and Kristen the little grocery store that we had been buying all of our water and supplies at. They are conveniently next door to the dress shop.

Before shopping we all walked to get the girl's photos taken that would go on their Visas and from there walked to the medical exam. It was a very simple exam and quick. The girls were weighed, their sight and hearing were checked by shaking rattles to see how they would respond. Their temperatures were taken and the doctors listened to the girl's hearts and lungs. There was only one moment where I panicked. We were told by our guide, Peter to bring the medical report we have received on Meizi's special need that came with our referral but we weren't told that the doctors would want the original in Chinese and I didn't have it! I panicked and told Peter we would have to have Crossroads fax one over to China. The doctor seeing how upset I had become, took the English report and stamped her forms. We were done and out of there.

Tonight we are all going on a dinner, boat cruise along the Pearl River with Dave, Kristen, Meili and Peter, our guide. I can't wait, I have been looking forward to this cruise since we were in China in 2002. We didn't go then and I have always regretted it. The view of the river with all the boats and buildings lit up was just beautiful! It was a perfect night, warm and calm.

Tomorrow we are touring the Chen Family Museum and the Banyan Buddhist Temple together. I'm sure we will have many more beautiful photos to share;-)

Today was Meizi's best day. We saw how happy and active she can be and it was really fun! We taped her as she giggled and crawled all over the bed. We heard her say her 1st word, which was Baba (Daddy in Mandarin) I was hoping it would be Mama but that's ok;-)

Somethings wrong with Meizi! October Tuesday Oct. 9th 2007

In the morning on Tuesday we return to the Civil Affairs Dept. to do the adoption registration. We are to bring the money and gifts for the notaries and are to be interviewed after only having Meizi for less then 24 hrs, we are to decide if she is perfect for us and we are happy with her. I am having reservations because of her behavior. Is she just delayed or is there something else going on? We tell the officials that we are happy with her and we want to adopt this child. I am nervous about the interviews which there are two of, by two different officials, on two different floors, that ask us the same exact questions. We aren't sure why this is but offer our gifts and answer their questions and take our daughter back to the hotel. With in just a matter of an hour, we are now legally responsible for this little girl and there is no celebration or fan fare like there was for our 1st adoption. I am a little depressed and sad about this even though Meizi isn't up for it and I know we have to find out why she is or isn't acting the way I expect an almost two year old should be acting.

After only having Meizi for hours, I realize that she is still adjusting to us and it is normal to act the way she is, especially for expecting a three month delay for every month she was in the orphanage but I'm getting really worried. She will hardly sit on her own, isn't making any noise but whining like she is in pain. She is constipated because the orphanage didn't give us any of the formula she was on so I have been feeding her our American formula that is chalk full of iron, vitamins and minerals and adding rice cereal with bananas, like the director told me she is use to getting in her formula. Now she is constipated and crying and doesn't want to be put down. I tell Scott this isn't normal behavior and something is wrong. We decide to take her to the Dr. at the Clinic in the hotel on Tuesday, after we return to the Civil Affairs Dept to do the adoption registration. The Clinic is on the third floor and I have to call the front desk to find this out, it isn't listed in any of the information in our room.
the front desk tells us it is on the 4th floor and when we get off the elevator, an attendant looks at us like she doesn't know what we are looking for, then tells us the clinic is on the 4th floor. We finally find it and the door is locked? After a couple of seconds talking and wondering what do we do now, the door opens. We are led into a small waiting room that is connected to a small examining room. An older female doctor is told by a younger, Chinese assistant that translates Meizi's symptoms, that she is lethargic, not playing, not pooping, has a slight fever and fussing all the time. Turns our Meizi is teething and her huge eye teeth are coming in. She also has tonsillitis and we are given the anti-biotic Cipro to mix with a liquid, anti-viral drug. We are to give it to her three times a day for three days, along with baby Tylenol for the fever and pain. By the 2nd day she is a completely different baby. She is standing on the bed, smiling, giggling and starting to play with us. I am so relieved to see the changes in her.

WE FINALLY MEET MEIZI! October 8th 2007

We woke on the morning of October 8th, the day we would finally see our daughter we had been waiting for since December of 2006! I was so anxious with anticipation!!

We went down for breakfast and shopped in the little stores around the hotel. We bought our lunch at a little grocery store by the hotel but I couldn't eat. My stomach was so upset and nervous about seeing Meizi. Our guide, Peter was coming to take us to the Civil Affairs Department in Guangzhou, at 3pm, to finally see our daughter! I was worried about how it would all go. How would she react when she saw us? Would she cry and scream when I take her from her nanny or would she withdraw and not make a sound?
I prepared a diaper bag with everything I could think of that might comfort her or that she might need. A formula bottle, juice bottle, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, toys, a soft doll that my friend had given us before we left for China, Cherrios (which she wouldn't touch, she was only eating from a bottle) and a sippy cup (which she wouldn't drink from either)
The drive to the Civil Affairs office was more terrifying then the plane flight. I worried that we were going to hit one of the pedestrians that would walk out into traffic at any time, with no notice, or that someone would hit us. Our driver, Lu, was very good and neither of those things happened. There are no traffic or diving rules, per say in China. Cars go where ever they want, in all directions and there are no lanes to stay in or signal from. I gasped many times during the half hour drive to the Civil Affairs Department and had to close my eyes a few times. All I could do was giggle nervously as we pulled into the dive way, in relief, we had made it!
There were many families there that had just received their very young babies, under a year old. They left shortly after we arrived and I was thankful that we would meet Meizi for the 1st time, alone. In what seemed like an eternity but was really only 10-15 minutes, I saw the staff from the orhanage, Meizi's nanny and the director of the orphange walk through the door. The nanny was carrying a tiny, tiny baby. I asked Scott, "Is that her?" Meizi was so tiny, I didn't recognise her at first. I knew from her reports that she was going to be small but seeing her in person, paled by comparison and I was alarmed at how small she was. I walked up to her and her nanny, immediately and said "Mama" as I held out my hands and took her. She reacted the very way I had thought she would. There was no crying or screaming and she went to me, complacently, without a fight or fuss. This made me concerned since I knew that babies that are attached to their caregivers will normally cry. Meizi didn't utter a sound. Kelly, my 14 year old son, taped our 1st meeting with Meizi and I'm sure you can see and hear the alarm in my voice.
The exchanging of our donation and gifts were also very different from our experience with Jade Lin, 5 years earlier. When we adopted Jade Lin, the money donation was given and discreetly disappeared, along with the gifts that we gave, they were never seen. When we gave our money donation and gifts to Mr. Wu, he counted the money in front of us and Peter, which made me uncomfortable and the nanny looked like she was going to tear into the gifts at any moment. She had a smile on her face so I knew the candy and reading glasses that we were giving along with two Vikings hats, would be greatly appreciated.
We had time for one quick photo of us with Meizi, after being able to ask questions to the nanny and director on Meizi's habits and care. I had a list of questions prepared but couldn't find them in the bottomless diaper bag, I had packed and only remembered a few questions, " Was she allergic to anything?", "How did she like to be put to bed?" I was told no, she wasn't allergic to anything and she went to bed with all the lights out. I was also told she was very "sneaky" and climbed out of her crib all the time, which made me realize that was why she was tied to her crib at nap time and night time, along with all the other babies that were crawling or walking. I saw photos of this right before we traveled so I knew this was true and Meizi sported the circular mark on her ankle to prove this. She hated the crib at the hotel and I ended up laying a down comforter on the floor for her to sleep on. I was told she took formula bottles with cereal and liked them very warm, hot actually.
After the 5 minutes of questions and answers, I snapped the photo of Scott, Kelly, Jade Lin and Meizi. There was no time for a second photo with me. I was a little annoyed at our guide, Peter for not being more sensitive and understanding at wanting to document this 1st meeting with our new daughter and would complain about his impatience and shortness, later to our Chinese Liason who hired him.
We have the two photos of our 1st day anyway and the video tape to look back on, thankfully!
The orphanage director told us she liked pork soup with vegitables too but I don't think Meizi ever ate soup unless they blended it and put it in a bottle for her. She wouldn't take anything but a bottle. We tried finger foods on her, congee, anything soft even though she had a mouth full of teeth and she refused it all. She was the size of a one year old baby and wasn't walking. She would only stand for a few seconds on her own before plopping down on her bottom. She didn't know how to play with toys and had no interest in blankets, stuffed animals or the toys I brought, which was very different from the way Jade Lin behaved at a year old. I knew that her additional year in the orphanage, compared to Jade Lin's one year, made a huge difference and that we would have to work with her. I felt blessed, happy and truly thankful for our new daughter! Praise God for her! Our dream had come true and we had our little girl in our arms!

October 6th 11:30pm, We Arrive In China!!!!!

I wasn't able to up-date my blog from China for some reason so I'm doing all the up-dating now. We took off for China on schedule and weren't delayed by the weather. It was as if our friends and families prayers for our travel had been answered. The clouds broke and the sun started to come out as we were heading for the airport.

Kelly and Jade Lin traveled very well on the plane. The portable DVD player, DS Light, hand-held poker game and back-pack filled with things to keep Jade Lin busy, were a God send! I wouldn't travel without them! The take-off and landing were extremely hard on me, even with the prescription for Xanax. We hit the Typhoon traveling from Tokyo to Guangzhou and there was more turbulence then I was comfortable with.
We arrive in China early, at 10:05 pm and wait for our guide, Grace, who is late. She thought we were delayed by the weather and was waiting for us at another door. It is a 45 minute drive to the hotel and I slept the whole way, so tired from no sleep on the plane. I forgot that it would be light all the way to China. The flight attendants closed the windows at 6pm, to help the passengers sleep. Of course, us not being use to the time change, we played cards and the kids didn't fall asleep till after 10:00pm. The flight attendants opened up the windows and started serving breakfast at 12 midnight, our time so the kids only had about three hours sleep.
Scott celebrated his birthday on the plane. By the time we got to our hotel room it was after 11:30pm. Kelly and I took showers and fell asleep right away. Scott was so tired he fell asleep in his clothes.

We were all awake at 6am, on October 7th,because of the time difference. We showed the kids around the hotel. Saw both of the beautiful outdoor pools and peeked inside the windows of the game room, which didn't open till 5:30pm, every night. We had a fantastic breakfast buffet in the coffee shop. I had so been looking forward to eating there after 5 years! The view of the Pearl River is amazing and the food is really good. After breakfast we shopped at the little stores along the streets, around the hotel. After a couple of hours we were back at the hotel and fell asleep till 6:30pm. The jet lag hit us all hard this time. I didn't remember it being as hard when we were in China in 2002 to bring Jade Lin home. We walked to "Lucy's" for dinner and barely made it through the meal, we were all so tired. We were asleep by 10:00 pm but were up at 3am;-(
I couldn't stop thinking about the next day, when we would meet Meizi! I was excited and nervous and for some reason didn't think she would scream when she saw us, like Jade Lin did. It would be a very momentous and special day and I couldn't wait!

Just hours before travel to bring Meizi Meilin home!

Well, it's 4:56am on Friday morning and I have been awake for hours. I'm the only one up because of the storm. Flights were delayed by more then three hours on Tuesday due to the weather and I'm afraid the same thing will happen today. If we are delayed we will miss our connecting flight from Tokyo to Guangzhou. I know we can take another flight but I just want to get some rest before we meet Meizi and we only left ourselves a day and a half to rest and regroup before getting her. I just want to be in China and make sure we are there to hold her on Monday!

We have been waiting so long for Meizi, since December when we started our adoption journey that it still seems so surreal that we are packing and just hours from traveling to bring her home. The long, long, long, long plane flight and leaving Jesse, Cory, Magan and James behind has me sad and anyone that knows me, knows that I worry. I know I will be ecstatic and so very excited, once we land in China but right now I really miss the kids. We are taking Jesse in to school late this morning to have breakfast together and to be near him, hug him and in case him with our love, and hopefully our reassurance. I bought an ecallChina, calling card so hopefully it will be much easier on him this time, knowing he can call us whenever he wants and talk to us as long as he wants.

I purchased a journal to record our journey, just as I did for Jade Lin. Writing has always comforted me and I know the girls will be so thankful to have their journals when they are older.

I'm hoping Scott can figure out how to add larger photos on the blog. They are so small now and I want to capture all the fine details when we hold Meizi for the first time, to share with everyone.

Please keep us in your prayers as we travel to bring our little Mei-mei home.
Blessings
Jodi

We have our Travel Approval!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!

I received a call at work on September 6th. We have our Travel Approval to bring Meizi home! Our social worker, Heather says we received it in "record time".
We should have our definite dates next week and should be able to shop around for our plane tickets. We have to apply for our Visa's too and still have a travel meeting to attend. There is so much to do and we travel in about three weeks. I was up all night last night and couldn't sleep. I was so excited but also anxious about all we have to get done before we travel.

We started this journey in December and it has seemed like the wait has taken forever. Now that we are finally traveling in three weeks and we are going to see our new baby daughter, time is flying by.

AUGUST 22ND, WE GET THE CALL, YIPEEE!!!!!!

On Wednesday, on the anniversary date of our referral for Jade Lin, we got the call from our social worker that our letter of acceptance arrived! We were accepted to adopt Meizi Meilin!!! I was at work when the call came in and all I heard was "This is the call you have been waiting for" when I burst out in tears. My friends and co-workers were crying, cheering and clapping for me with hugs from all, even my office manager. I have only known them for three months and they were so sweet and happy for us. They brought me flowers the next day.
All the fear, worry and anxiety were lifted from my shoulders when I got the call and the relief flowed from me with my tears. I was over joyed too but mostly relieved. I was expecting the worst after not hearing anything for 120 days. My fear was that we were going to be denied to adopt Meizi Meilin and I don't know how I would have handled that. Thank God, it didn't turn out that way and we will be traveling in 6-8 weeks. We have to wait for our travel approval now, which will take four weeks, then we travel 2-4 weeks after that, which puts us in China on my birthday again;-) We could be holding Meizi Meilin for the 1st time on October 28th, my birthday;-) could God be planning this more perfectly?;-)

Now we prepare for our journey. We have to pack and prepare the kids for our journey. Hopefully, we will be taking our 14 year old son, Kelly and Jade Lin. I really am excited for them to see the "Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and take the Hutong Tour, which takes us through the old part of Beijing in a bike-drawn carriage. It was so much fun and I would love for the kids to follow the same journey we made when we brought Jade Lin home.

There is one other family at our agency that received their letter of acceptance the same day we did and I can't wait to e-mail them and meet them. It will be so much fun to have another family to travel with. We could even travel with group 92 from our agency. They are waiting for referrals and could receive them any day. Either way, alone, with another family or with a large group, we will be thrilled to be traveling to China and bringing Meizi Meilin home. It can't come soon enough for me!! Our daughter is 11 months older then the photo we have of her and I know she will have changed so much but a mother knows her child, no matter what age they are. Even though Jade Lin was 6 months older then her photo, I would know her little heart shaped mouth, any where;-)

Now Please! hurry, hurry, hurry TA (travel approval)!! Meizi Meilin is waiting!

110th day and STILL WAITING!

I haven't posted for so long and so much has happened.
My friend left on Thursday to bring her little, three year old son home from China.
It is the 110th day since we sent in our letter of intent to adopt Meizi Meilin from China, who was 16 months at the time and is now 20 months old. Our social worker sent us an up-date on our dossier and letter and told us that we made it past the first review and are into the 2nd review now. I found out from another parent who works with waiting children's families that our dossier is in the matching room with the Waiting Child director in China and if he approves our dossier and match of Gao Shao Qiao (Meizi Meilin)then we should receive our Letter Of Acceptance to adopt her in a week or two.
That would add a month to travel approval which would bring us into September and then we would travel 2-4 weeks after our travel approval, which would bring us into October before we would leave for China to bring Meizi Meilin home. The wait has been indescribable and seeing parent's with the same Log in Date as us, getting their LOA and Travel approval, weeks before us is unbelievably hard!

The girl's new window went in yesterday and Scott has been staining the trim to finish the window today. We will have the shades and valance hung back up and I'm painting the shelf with the pocket-rod that goes over their window today. I'm positive all this nesting will bring on our Letter Of Acceptance this week or next. I just have to believe that and have faith that it is going to happen or I don't know how I will deal with news to the contrary.

We have to school shop for the kids supplies and a new outfit or two, back packs and shoes and we don't want to spend a cent until we are finished paying for the adoption, except for our airfare and hotel lodgings in China. Hopefully we will know soon what we will have left to pay and what kind of airfare we are looking at so we will know whether we can take Jade Lin and Kelly. Then theres the decision on what to do with Jesse. Who will he stay with or who will stay with him when he is in school? So much is still up in the air which leaves me with so much anxiety. I just have to believe it will all work out or I wouldn't be able to get up in the morning and function and go to work.
Please pray that all works out the way God has intended and we hear good news soon!

Day 90 tomorrow and no LOA for us yet ;-(

I have been down and blue seeing other parent's with the same dossier log in date, receiving their letters of acceptance to adopt their waiting children, from China and there has been no word for us. We are painting the girl's room this weekend and are praying the "Feng Shui" good vibes, bring our "Letter Of Acceptance" when we are finished!

I love the main color of the walls! It is a warm, sunny, creamy, buttery yellow and so cheerful and comforting. I can see the cheery room, filled with our two daughter's, this winter and even in the coldest, darkest day, it will still be warm, sunny and cheerful;-) The light rose, stripes on the top of the wall, will go on tomorrow, to coordinate with the Chinese lantern boarder. I can't wait to see it finished! I think the walls will remind me of happy memories on a carnival, merry-go-round and I hope the room brings the girl's as much joy.

We want to get the girl's room done as soon as possible so we can move Jesse into his new room. He is so excited. The two boys are at Scout camp this week and the house will be so quiet without them. I miss them already and they just left today. Thank-God I will have the two rooms to keep my busy, after work. I'm usually so exhausted after the eight-hour day that I'm hoping I will be too tired to miss them. Somehow, I don't think it will matter.

My friend received her "Travel Approval" to bring her little boy home from China. She leaves in August and will be home before school starts in September. I was secretly wishing we would be traveling together, but with the delay in us receiving our "Letter Of Acceptance to adopt and then having to wait another month for our "Travel Approval", there will be no chance of that;-(

Please pray that we hear good news to bring our little girl home. She is 19 months now and getting older by the month. The wait is excruciating and getting harder by the week.

My friend received her LOA after 109 days!!!

I just found out on Friday, after getting home from work that my friend received her letter of acceptance to adopt a little three year old boy from China! We traveled with her husband when we brought Jade Lin and their daughter home from China in 2002 and have become good friends. The girls have been in preschool together and dance since they were 4 years old. They should be traveling in August sometime. I'm so happy for them! She has waited longer then most, 109 days for her Letter of acceptance and I'm thrilled she finally received it! If we get our letter of acceptance this week or next, to adopt Meizi Meilin, we could be traveling together! We are with the same agency and it would be a dream come true, if we could travel with friends!

The letters of acceptance that were received by other families went up to April 19th, that I've heard of and I pray we get our call this week! My mother's birthday is on June 28th and our dossier to adopt Jade Lin, went over to China on her birthday, 5 years ago. It would be so special if we received our letter to adopt Meizi on the same day. One can only hope and pray.

I'm taking the kids to a movie today. We haven't done it for years, as a family and now that I'm finally working, full time, we can afford to do it and it is a nice reward for being away from home all week and the boys doing so well on their own;-)

WE COULD BE NEXT!!!!!

It's day 59 in the wait for our LOA (letter of acceptance) to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose. I read on my April, special needs group that an agency received LOA's for parents that had a "log in date" of April 18th! We have a log in date of April 24! WE COULD BE NEXT! I'm praying we get a call this week from our agency! I keep my cell phone in my pocket and it's on all the time, when I'm at work. When it rings, My heart jumps and my adrenaline races.

I finished my first week at work and by Friday, I was feeling much better about placing customer's orders and answering questions about our stock of eye wear. I stuck gold when I landed this job! The 6 women I work with are so nice and go out of their way to help me and the two owners that I have met are such nice people. In between calls, we visit and catch up on everyones lives. I am so blessed to have found this position in this company. I found out this week, there are three owners and they aren't such a small company and they are in the process of buying another company so it is a great time to get in with this company, as it expands and grows. I don't know how I was so fortunate to be hired but I think God had a hand in this also. This job will afford us to adopt Meizi, sell our home and buy a larger one (which we will need with our growing family) move into a better neighborhood and put our kids through college. It is such a blessing!

Hopefully this will be our week to receive our LOA and we will know for sure that Meizi Meilin Rose will be our new daughter. Jade Lin is talking about her and her coming home, every day and she is so excited and tired of waiting for her too. Hurry up, LOA, I have a little one here who can't wait to be a big sister to her little Mei-Mei (little sister);-)

Day 56! 2nd day of working full time

I finished my 2nd day of working full time and I feel better then I did yesterday. my work is extremely busy on Mondays, which is good for business but a little hairy when you are starting work for the first day and trying to absorb all you can. I went to sleep thinking about what I was suppose to remember from that day. I know after a week, I will remember how to enter orders, I just have to give myself a break and realize, it just takes time. It was only my 2nd day and my 1st day of entering orders and I made a mistake, which I felt awful about. I have a way of being really hard on myself about making mistakes and just hate it when I do. I know I'm going to after one day but I'm a perfectionist and really take it hard. I'm really excited to be working and I know I'm really going to like the people I work with, they are so nice and really helpful, it's just learning and feeling comfortable with what I'm suppose to know. I met the 2nd owner today and he is great too. I couldn't find a more wonderful place to work.

It's day 56 in the wait for our Letter of Acceptance to adopt Meizi. It's coming from China, from the Chinese Center Of Adoptive Affairs and parent's that had Log In Dates of April 1st through April 12th received their letters, so I know they really are being mailed out and our turn should be next! We have a Log In Date of April 24th, so we should be in the next batch, which could be in two weeks! Every time I get an e-mail or a phone call from our agency, I go nuts and my heart skips a beat thinking our agency is calling with our Letter Of Acceptance.

Hopefully, in two weeks, we will have our acceptance and can start waiting for our travel approval!!;-) Come on LOA's!!!!! Meizi is waiting

last week day that I will be home before starting full time work

I start full time work on Monday and today will be the last weekday that I'm home, unless I have to take a PTO day. I'm exhausted just thinking of it but excited to bring in a paycheck and contribute to our income too.

It is day 52 and I'm thinking of how to re-decorate the girl's room. I am having a custom made, wall mural made that I can paint myself. I'm having Elephantsonthewall.com
design it. I asked that they make me up a Chinese influenced, 2' wide mural with panda bears in bamboo, with butterflies and dragonflies flying round. I posted a photo of material that I have that I was thinking of having the mural designed after. It has a yellow backgound and I will be painting the girl's walls a dark pink on the bottom and a lighter pink on the top with a yellow ceiling so I'd like the mural to have a yellow background like the fabric. I think it will be sooo cute! I can't wait to start painting! It will feed my creative side and keep my hands and mind busy while we wait for Meizi;-)

I joined two new groups today. They are both groups for parent's that are adopting special needs children and are DTC or have a LID in April. It is nice to meet other parent's that are waiting for their Letters Of Acceptance and are adopting special needs children too. They sound like close groups and should be comforting and supportive.

I asked Scott if we should use part of Gao Shao Qiao's name, depending on what it means, for her middle name. I thought that Shaolin sounded pretty for a middle name but Scott thought it sounded like the Shaolin Monks. No wonder it sounded so familiar;-)

Happy Father's day to all the Baba's (Mandarin for Daddy) and Baba's that are waiting to become one;-)

What Shao Qiao's name means

My friend, Vicki who is waiting for her "Letter of Acceptance" has noticed that they are arriving about every three weeks so she thinks hers and ours could be here the last week in June. My mom's birthday is June 28th and that was the day our dossier went to China for Jade Lin. It would be so wonderful if we received our Letter of Acceptance to adopt Meizi on that day too! I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying that it will be so!

I just e-mailed our adoption agency to find out what Meizi's Chinese name means. Hopefully Tu, our Liaison can find out from her orphanage what Shao Qiao means. I think we should keep her Chinese first or second name and use it combined with Lin, as her middle name. I love Meizi Meilin Rose but we kept Jade Lin's Chinese name, HuiXiang as her middle name and I would feel bad for Meizi if we didn't keep part of her Chinese name also. Hopefully we find out soon what Shao Qiao means and it means something beautiful or special. I think Shaolin sounds beautiful and would love to keep it as a middle name or combine it with her first name, Meizi Shaolin Rose, it has a nice sound to it doesn't it;-)

Day 51 and no call from our agency again today. I'm thinking my friend is right and we won't hear anything till the end of June. Hopefully we hear something on my Mom's birthday;-)Sweet Meizi, you have no idea how hard everyone is working to bring you home and how loved you are already. I am so thankful for your Jie-Jie Magan (big sister) because of her, I wanted to love and raise more little girls;-)

OHHhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Day 50!!!!

Day 50!! and no word yet from our agency! DHL deliveries were made at 1:00pm so I'm hoping they are contacting people yet;-) Probably wishful thinking but it never hurts to wish;-)

I surprised and made my friend's day when I dropped off her son's comforter and sham set. She loved them and was so surprised which made me really happy, that I could add some happiness to her day. She is on day 100 today in the wait for her "Letter Of Approval" to adopt a little 3 year old boy from China and are two months ahead of us in the process. I really feel for her, they should have had their LOA by now and the wait is sooo hard! Hopefully we will both have good news soon!


Since it is day 50 and there was no news from our agency, I'm sharing Meizi Meilin's growth and development up-date with the world. I miss her so and it is a tribute to her. I never get tired of reading it or thinking of her. She is smaller at 18 1/2 months then Jade Lin was when we got her at a year old. She is 8kg= 17.9 lbs and 76cm=29 inches. Her physical development is normal. She is crawling, sitting and walking alone ( oh how I wish I saw her take her first steps!) Her hands and feet are strong and she can pick up small objects with her thumb and index finger;-)
Her mental development is good, too. She can understand and perform some simple instructions (I'm dreaming of saying "Give mommy a kiss;-) She can say "Mama" and "Baba" in Chinese ( I can't wait to hear that sweet word! Mama!)
She eats 4 meals a day at 7:00, 11:00, 15:00 and 20:00. She likes meat soup made of flour, and ground vegatables ( a meat and potatoes girl, just like her mom;-) She is mainly on formula bottles (Shen Yuan brand) which is why I'm sure she is so tiny yet. We will catch her up when she gets home;-) Plus she is on Henze Rice cereal. She is also given vitamin and calcium supplements.
She has good habits in sleeping (actual wording;-) she could sleep about 14 hours a day (Needs her sleep just like her big sister, Jade Lin who still takes naps at 5 years ;0) She could sleep on her own after taking a bottle. (We will have a dentist visit as soon as we get home) She takes a bath every day at 17:00. She poops once or twice a day (probably more info then you wanted but mommies love knowing this stuff;-)
She is outgoing and active in personality (YEAH! she will fit right in with our family;-)
She likes toys that make noise and playing with her friends in class ( Music toys and a keyboard for her 1st birthday with us;-)
A tribute for you, sweet Meizi Meilin Rose! We love you and miss you!!!!!!!! on this day 50 in our wait for our LOA to bring you home!!!!!

Jade Lin is napping so It's my time to shower and take care of me;-) Hopefully, Meizi
Meilin, we will hear good news today!!!

e-mail from our agency yesterday

I was blogging yesterday when an e-mail came in from our agency. My heart skipped a beat! It must be our pre-approval, I thought! Ohhhhhhhhhhhh! it wasn't, just a notice from our social worker that she would be off all week and another social worker would be taking over, and would let us know if our linking letter/pre-approval came in;-(
I was so disappointed! I'm on pins and needles, waiting to hear something! Something positive and good! I think working away from the house and computer, will be good and keep my mind off of the wait. I know the summer and time will fly by, faster then I want it to. I want to enjoy my time with my children, who are growing too fast. Our son Kelly will be 14 in August, and he keeps teasing me that he will be driving in a year, on a permit;-( not funny! Like I'm not anxious enough, after seeing how people drive. I think we are going to make him wait till he is 18. He is very responsible but there are just too many people who don't know how to drive out there. Scares the dickens out of me, sixteen is just too young to be driving on your own and I would like to sleep someday;-)

I'm dropping off the gift to my friend today, who is adopting a little boy from China. I can't wait to see how she likes the comforter set I made for him;-)
I'm tired of posting what day we are on, in the wait for our pre-approval! Please, God, let it be today. I went to sleep, or I should say, was trying to fall asleep, when my thoughts went to Meizi Meilin. She is in Guangzhou where it is super hot right now. We were going to sleep in a comfortable, air conditioned home and all I could think of was those babies and Meizi Meilin. I hoped the nannies gave the girls a cool bath before bed. Was she comfortable? I wanted her home with us so bad. Her life will be so different here. I want her to have all the comforts of our home and family and not lose her amazing heritage and traditions, that made us fall in love with China. The beauty of the ancient country. When I received Jade Lin's photos of her birth village, which is on the Yangtze River in Wuhan, I saw the most beautiful mountains, I have ever seen! They took my breath away and I wasn't prepared for the reactions the photos enlisted.

Hopefully today will be the day!

Our agencies DHL deliveries come at 11.00 am and 1:00pm

It is day 48 in the wait for our pre-approval and Letter Of Acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose, who will be 19 months on the 24th of June;-( Time is going so fast!
I have heard that other parent's received their pre-approval around day 47, so hopefully this will be our week for good news!

I can't stop thinking about our trip to China with Jade Lin. She was a year old when we traveled to bring her home and my memories of China and her adoption are helping me to make it through the wait for Meizi Meilin. I posted a photo of Scott and I with Jade Lin, next to the Yangtze River in Wuhan. We were at a new park that was being built and drew quite a crowd in Wuhan. They aren't used to seeing Americans there, and Americans who are adopting Chinese babies. Chinese people were coming up to our Liason, Tu and asking her "What are all the Americans doing with Chinese babies"? When she told them we were adopting them and bringing them home to America, they replied that "Our babies were going to heaven" and "Our babies were so lucky and blessed". I asked Tu to tell them that we are the lucky ones. The Chinese people have asked Tu why we want to adopt Chinese babies when we have children of our own? I'm sure that there was some mistrust. Tu after meeting families from America and working with them for years, to bring their children home, can see how loved these children are and there are no other reasons then to love these children, and we do, so much!

I have four beautiful grandchildren, ages 11, two are 6 years and my youngest granddaughter is 2 1/2. I can't wait to see Meizi Meilin playing with my grandchildren. There are no better or happier moments in my life then to be with my children and grandchildren;-)Soon, Meizi baby, soon, you will be home with your big, loving family. What a journey that awaits for you;-)

Day 47! I GOT THE JOB! YEAH!!!!!!

It is day 47 in the wait for our "pre-approval" and "Letter Of Acceptance" to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose who is 18 mo. She will turn 19 months on the 24th of June and time is passing so quickly, she is getting older by the month and I want her home now! I'm tired of the wait and tired of being patient! I couldn't be one of the parent's that are waiting the 19 plus, months for a traditional referral for a healthy, Non-special needs baby. I'm not that strong or patient any more and Jade Lin and I are getting older by the month too. Hopefully this week will be the week we hear good news from our agency and we will be pre-approved to adopt Meizi Meilin!

I found out on Friday that I landed a job at OGI Frames in Golden Valley and am so thrilled! They are a small, but very impressive company that has been in business since 1995 and growing by leaps and bounds! They have expos in Paris, Germany, New York and Los Vegas and a distributor in Germany. There are two owners and one of the two owner's, designs the frames. I'm very impressed with the frames and his creativity since many people aren't creative, and being in the line of business that I am,(designing and custom sewing baby and children's comforters) I can appreciate his work. I will be working full time, Mon-Fri 9-5 and will have to keep up with my blogging and sewing in the evenings and on weekends, which I don't think will be too hard. I am a person that loves multi-tasking, being busy and being very organized. I don't procrastinate and when I put my mind to something, can accomplish anything. Pretty good traits for any company, my own business and for my family. I'm used to hard work and having more then one thing to accomplish, at one time so this will be right up my alley;-)

I finished a comforter set for my friend, who I hope doesn't read this till I give it to her this week;-) She is adopting a little three year old boy from China and should travel this summer to bring him home. She is decorating his room in a jungle theme and the comforter and sham set I made for him, turned out soooo cute. I chose a jungle print with monkeys, tigers, snakes, alligators and lots of trees. I chose orange ribbon to sew on the tiger's whiskers and backed it with orange flannel, to match her little boy's walls. I can't wait to see what she thinks of it.

I had my hair done yesterday, as soon as I heard I got the job;-) I wanted to look as young as I feel and the dark roots and gray weren't cutting it;-) I'm a ten year, younger looking strawberry blond for summer and feel so much younger! I love being pampered, twice a year. That's all that I can afford. Maybe, now that I'm working full time, I can afford it three times a year;-)

Hopefully, this is our week to hear some good news Meizi Meilin. I pray we hear soon that we will be bringing you home soon! Working full time will keep mommy very busy and will hopefully take mommy's mind off of the wait and aching for you.

In a half hour it will be day 43 in our wait for our LOA

It is 11:36 pm and I can't sleep. In a half hour it will be day 43 in the wait for our letter of acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose and I wonder if tomorrow will be the day that we receive good news from our agency on our pre-approval to adopt her.

I'm watching the CD with the photos of her orphanage, the surrounding town, countryside and village with the parks, open markets, eating establishments and other stores and city buildings, knowing that Meizi Meilin is waiting in that orphanage for us. I wonder how many nights this CD will help get me through the wait and help me to drift off to sleep, dreaming of her? I purchased it from Asia Threads and it was worth every cent to have a record of where she was born. Who knows if we will every be able to take her back, so she will always have this to treasure when she starts to ask questions about where she came from and where she was born.

I look at the Chinese people in the photos and wonder could one of them be her biological family members? She quite possibly could have older siblings. The temples and parks are so beautiful and it saddens me that we won't see them when we travel to China to bring her home. We will most likely land in Beijing, if we don't cut our trip short and fly into Hong Kong and right to Guangzhou. We didn't see the Great Wall when we traveled to bring Jade Lin home and we always regretted it so we want to make sure that if we fly into Beijing from Tokyo, that we see it. There is a photo of a Christian church in the Gaozhou CD and we are surprised to see it. We didn't think there were any churches in China and it is a nice surprise. We still have so much to learn about China and the villages where our girls came from. Their Villages are a mix of old and new and the comparisons are dramatic. The housing is old and worn but you can tell, respectfully and pridefully taken care of. The orphanages are new and modern which gives me great comfort. The 1st photos I saw of the orphanage, it must have been laundry day because all the cribs were bare except for wood sheets for mattresses. The next photos I saw, the cribs were all filled with what looked like puffy, comfy feather beds.

My posts on this blog are quite long sometimes and I have to apologize, but it is my release and it tires my mind from running a thousand miles a minute;-)

It's now officially 12:09 am and the 43rd day in the wait for our LOA and I think of my oldest daughter, Magan, who is a wonderful mother and daughter. It was because of her that I wanted another daughter to love and raise and why we are adopting Meizi Meilin. She gave me three beautiful grandchildren. I have a little red haired spit fire, sweet as pie, granddaughter from my oldest son, James, who lives in ND. I am truly blessed.
I have a job interview in the morning so I'm going to bed and will hopefully dream of all my children and grand babies ( I was young when I started);-)

Day 42 and still waiting! Shopping in China, not so convenient

It's my son's 23 birthday today. I waited to post hoping for good news from our agency. Hoping our pre-approval would come today.
I did a lot of running around today with Jade Lin, to the ATM machine for Cory's birthday money, to the fabric store to return material that was marked wrong and I paid way too much for, to another fabric store where I had a 40% off coupon and found cuter fabric;-), to get tabs for our van. I had to make real coffee with caffeine, for a pick me up, which I couldn't drink if I were pregnant so I'm thankful I'm only dealing with PAS (Pre-adoption syndrome) and not the real thing;=-)

I laid Meizi Meilin's clothes out last night to take inventory and see what outfits I had and how many leggings. I didn't bring enough warm pants for Jade Lin last time and shopping is very different in China then here in the US. When you buy something, you leave the item with the salesgirl, who gives you a little bill for it. You take the bill to a counter, usually in the center of the floor, and pay the cashier. She gives you a receipt, which you return to the saleslady, who presents you with a wrapped package. Not very convenient when you are shopping with a new 12 month old that just met you days ago and is past her nap and tired of the whole touring thing and it is meal time, so I didn't buy enough warm clothes in China, either. We were never told about this shopping system at our travel meetings and I would have found it very useful to know about this system, ahead of time, so hopefully this will help parent's that are getting ready to travel to China. The best way to shop I guess is get everything you want, then get all the receipts and pay for everything at once. I wanted to buy two pairs of shoes for Jade Lin, after selecting an outfit for her but Scott was already paying for the outfit and I didn't want to go through the whole system again, so needless to say, I didn't get everything I wanted. Just a "heads-up" tip;-)
I need to buy smaller leggings for Meizi Meilin. I kept Jade Lin's, which are a size three but I know Meizi Meilin will drown in them. She is tiny, only 17.8 lbs at 18 mo. so I need 9-12 months and maybe smaller. The girls from Gao Zhou are all tall but with tiny waists. I told Scott I wouldn't buy any more till we got to China but I forgot about the department store, purchasing system and how much I didn't care for it and what a hassle it is, so I'm going to keep hunting for the bargains and big sales and once I land a job, Scott won't object as much;-)I am going to buy a couple of special outfits in China for Meizi Meilin, like I did for Jade Lin. I found a beautiful winter coat and ski pants set that is embroidered with a rose on a red jacket and came with matching ski pants. It is a traditional Chinese design, very warm and very well made. You can see the jacket in my favorite photo of Jade Lin, in China. It was nap time and she was DONE with touring;-) I love that her friend, "Hannah", in the background, is all smiles;-)
Please hurry PA/LOA and give me some relieve from PAS

Jade Lin pulled out her first baby tooth today!

It was a very productive day today. I finished Jade Lin's comforter that matches Meizi Meilin's, both of the girl's matching pillow shams and a matching doll blanket for Meizi Meilin. I was so happy, they turned out so cute! I posted photos of them;-)
It felt soo good doing something with my hands and making something for the girl's room. I'm nesting for Meizi Meilin, just like I would if I was pregnant again (NO CHANCE OF THAT)

Jade Lin lost her first baby tooth today. She is growing up so fast, it is very bitter sweet. I don't know what I would do this Fall when she goes to Kindergarten if I didn't have Meizi Meilin coming home. I think I would be an emotional wreck. I might like the quiet for about a day and get lots of sewing done and then I know I would and will miss her so much. It is so hard letting go of your baby to go to school.

Our oldest son, Cory will be 23 tomorrow!!! LORD HELP ME!!! I'm running for the Kleenex again. I cry at the drop of a hat, must be the pre-adoption, pregnancy syndrome, hormones. I'd swear I was pregnant again but without the weight gain, maternity clothes or morning sickness, other wise it feels exactly the same;-) Lucky Scott;-)

We are on day 41 for our pre-approval/letter of acceptance for Meizi Meilin and hopefully we hear something this week or next on our pre-approval to adopt her. I have a job interview on Wednesday for a customer service position in Golden Valley and the hours are great! Mon-Fri from 9am-5pm, no nights or weekends! Yeah!! I hope the starting wage is decent since I will need full time daycare for Jade Lin! She will only be in Kindergarten half days in the Fall.

Please stop growing so fast my little one! Jade Lin asked if she could start wearing half tops, she is only 5! LORD HELP ME AGAIN;-)

Today is Children's Day in China

Today is children's day in China and I celebrated by sending a care package to Meizi Meilin. I'm so excited! It will arrive at her orphanage in 6-10 days. I sent her a double fleece, fringe tied blanket that I made. It is so adorable! It has toddler and baby shoes and booties on it in bright pink, purple, green, red, orange and blue on a bright yellow background. I backed it with a bright yellow, solid fleece. She loves to sleep with a towel so I think she will love the fringes on her blanket! I also included a little "Corelle" Asian baby doll and a cloth, baby photo album filled with our family photos, the girl's room, our Jack Russel, "Rustie", the front of the house, the backyard with the kids on the wood, swing set and both sets of grandparents (Ye-Ye and Nie-Nie) I put two photos of Meizi Meilin on the 1st two pages so they know who the album and items go to. I sent a short sleeve, cotton legging set in white, mint green, pink and yellow with sparkly butterflies and a pair of matching anklets with little rose buds on them. SOOOO cute!

I was very down yesterday but sending the package today really lifted my spirits again;-) I also received a call from an employment agency that wants to meet with me on Monday for a receptionist position in Plymouth and the pay starts at a decent wage and the hours are great, Mon-Fri, 8am - 5pm! keep your fingers crossed for me and prayers wouldn't hurt either;-)

We are on day 38 in the wait for our LOA(Letter of Acceptance)from China to adopt Meizi Meilin and I read that another women received her PA (pre-approval) to adopt in a month and a half so maybe we will hear something in another couple of weeks!! I pray so!!!

Happy Children's Day, Meizi Meilin Rose! We miss you and love you and can't wait to hold you in our arms!! Wo Ai Ni! Meizi Meilin!( I love you)

Remembering my dad

Yesterday was Memorial Day and we celebrated and honored my father who passed away before Jesse was born, 12 years ago. He was in the Korean war. I miss him so. He was my biggest fan and was so proud of everything I did. I know he would have been ecstatic about us adopting Jade Lin and now Meizi Meilin. He would have been the proud grandfather (Ye Ye) and would have shown their photos to everyone he ran into. He adopted me when I was two, 44 years ago and he would have been so happy for me that I had come full circle. Being adopted and adopting two children would have made him so happy and proud. I'm sad that he never saw this happen but I can feel him every day and I know he is still in our corner and our biggest fan with our adoptions. His presence is felt along with the hand of God in our adoptions and I know he approves.

We took an hour long bike hike yesterday too. We biked along the river by the Coon Rapids Dam where there were many Asian families fishing. We had to make a stop when my husband, Scott needed to use a "Porta Potty". There was an Asian mother holding two twin babies near by, that were under a year old and so beautiful. I couldn't help but stare and smile, smile, smile. The mother looked up and noticed me smiling at the babies and smiled back. When we got back on our bikes to continue the ride, I picked up the pace, urgently. Scott asked what the rush was and I told him, I wanted to get home to our Asian baby. He said, the one at home or the one on paper? I said both but it made me realize that Meizi Meilin is still not real to us yet, she is still a dream and she will probably not feel real till we are holding her in our arms. So we continue dreaming of her and praying for her. The photos we received of her orphanage and the village and town that surround it, helped us to realize that there is such a place. There are real photos and documentation. Adoption is so different then being pregnant, just as wonderful but different. You can feel your baby move inside you and you know it is real, you don't have any idea what your baby will look like or what personality traits it will inherit, but you know there is a child there that will be born soon. With a special needs adoption, you see the face of your child before you ever get to hold them and it makes the process feel so surreal. You love a photo before you ever hold your child, which makes it feel very much like a dream, until they are in your arms. I remember our 1st day in China when we were walking from our hotel room to Tian amen Square and telling Scott to pinch me because I still couldn't believe we were in China and we were going to get our baby in three days. Even once we landed in China, it was still a dream until Jade Lin was handed to me, howling in Mandarin, Ai Ya, Ai Ya, Ai Ya!! ( means big trouble or Oh, No! ) so we will continue to hope, pray and dream of Meizi Meilin until she is on our arms.
Love you and miss you dad!

Bad Mama?

Jade Lin is smitten with the two Vietnamese boys next door who are soooo cute (8 yrs and 6 yrs). I let her stay outside till 10pm Friday night playing with them in the yard and told her yesterday that she would have to come in at 8:30 for a bath. You would have thought I was giving her a bath for the 1st time, which made me think of her 1st bath in China, (blood curdling screams!) I pacified her by letting her eat a "Freeze" in the tub;-) Problem solved;-) I know the neighbors three blocks away must have heard her and I thought they are thinking, "And China is letting them adopt another little girl? ;-)My mind is thinking ahead of the boy years and wondering what I am in for;-);-)AI YA!!!! (big trouble or oh,no in mandarin)

I finished Meizi Meilin's oversized crib comforter today. I posted a photo of it. It turned out so adorable! I can't wait to finish Jade Lin's matching twin size comforter! I am also making Jade Lin a matching standard sham and I have enough material left to make a matching doll comforter. I can't wait to see the whole set done and redecorate their room with the coordinating paint colors, it should be beautiful! It helps me from thinking about the wait and grieving for Meizi Meilin because she isn't home yet. Decorating the girls room will be such a blessing and will keep me busy for a while.

Day 32 in the wait for our LOA

It's day 32 in the wait for our letter of acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose who is getting older by the day, week and month and every day we aren't with her makes my heart ache. I had to do something today after watching the CD with her birth village photos and the photos of her orphanage where she is waiting for us, I was in tears and decided I needed to start sewing the girl's matching comforter sets. I have vowed not to buy Meizi Meilin anything else till we get to China. Shopping makes me happy but I'm using my willpower to wait and shop for her once we get to China. They have adorable "Squeaky Shoes" for the little ones that I can't wait to buy. I bought Jade Lin three pairs when we were in China and I was so sad when she outgrew them. I bought her a pair once we were home when she outgrew the others but by that time she was old enough to look at me with a look that said, What are these and why are you making me wear these;-) It was funny but kind of sad at the same time so I put them away for her to give to her babies when she is older;-)

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Up-date on Meizi Meilin's growth and development on day 30 of our wait for our letter of acceptance;-);-);-)

We received a wonderful gift today!! Our up-date on Meizi Meilin's growth and development! I'm even more in love with her after reading it;-) She is tiny, 17.6 lbs and 29" inches, at 18 months, but I know she will catch up quickly once we get her home and on solid foods. She is eating mostly rice cereal and still on formula bottles.
She is a good sleeper and falls asleep on her own after her bottle and is crawling, sitting and walking on her own! She has 12 teeth!! We will be taking her to the dentist as soon as we get home and start brushing her teeth as soon as we get her. I know Jade Lin will be a big comfort and help to her with this. She can show Meizi Meilin how to brush her teeth by example. Meizi Meilin is saying Mama and Baba (Daddy) in Mandarin and follows simple instructions. She loves toys that make noise and is active and outgoing and loves playing with the kids in her class, which makes me think they must have some sort of preschool class in the orphanage. I was disappointed that we didn't receive any new photos but I'm still hoping we receive them.
What a great surprise and blessing to receive this report on our 30th day of waiting for our letter of acceptance to adopt her!!
Mama and Baba love you so, Meizi Meilin and can't wait to hold you in our arms, sweet little angel!!

Day 29 in the wait for our Letter Of Acceptance to adopt and I'm back to sewing!!

It is day 29 in our wait for our letter of acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin and I'm back to sewing, thank God!! I finished a twin size comforter set for a mother in WI, for her year old son. It is so adorable! She chose a vintage baseball print that I backed with the softest bright blue flannel. I sewed bright blue ribbon and maroon ribbon on the flags that are flying from the baseball stadium. So cute! I will have to post a photo of it. Today I'm finishing a double fleece, fringe tied, twin blanket that has stars and panda bears on it in red, blue and yellow. I bought yellow fleece to back it with and I know the mom that ordered it will be surprised and very happy with it. She asked to be surprised and I can't wait to hear how she likes it. I also just received an order for one of my doll comforters out of the "China girl" print that I posted a photo of. I know it will be so adorable when it is finished.

My blankets and comforters have been keeping me busy but I did check out the airfare for our travel yesterday and I was very surprised. It has gone up so much since we traveled in 2002, I don't know if we will have enough money to take Jade Lin. Even with the Northwest adoption fare discount, we are looking at over 2,000.00 for Scott and I each and between 1800-2,000.00 for Jade Lin who is five. We are praying to travel before Meizi Meilin turns two or we pay a full adult fare for her too. If she is under two, she can sit on my lap and it is a faction of an adult fare, about 250.00.
Still no up-date on Meizi Meilin's growth and development. I did receive 143 photos of her home town, surrounding village and country side and orphanage. The photos are priceless and very emotional. There are photos of Chinese people eating outside, working in the open markets, going to work on bikes and shopping. I couldn't help but wonder if any of the people or children in the photos could be her biological family members. The surrounding country side and housing looks very poor but the new buildings, like the hospital, new orphanage, bank, library, Civil Affairs Department, Police Station and schools looked very modern and gave me some comfort that she is being raised in a beautiful town with gorgeous parks, temples, court yards and squares. I hope that the nannies are able to take the babies outside to the beautiful park nearby. Thoughts like these carry me through the long wait till we can bring hold Meizi Meilin Rose. I'm praying for our letter of acceptance and travel approval to come soon!

Day 25 in the wait for our Letter Of Acceptance

It is day 25 in our wait for our Letter Of Acceptance to bring Meizi Meilin Rose home from China. She is 18 months now and my thoughts, prayers and dreams are filled with her. Other families that are waiting for their Letter Of Acceptance to adopt have waited on average, 72 days. Two and a half months to hear we are accepted to adopt and time seems to be standing still.
We will be moving our children's bedrooms around in July and that will fill my thoughts, for a while, I hope. We will move my son, Jesse into Jade Lin's smaller room and Jade Lin into Jesse's larger room so the two girls will have more room. Jesse is being a trooper about the whole thing and very excited about getting his room redecorated. He wants a army camoflauge bed set with green army netting hanging from the corner of his room. Jade Lin wants girly pink walls and I'm willing to go along with that if is isn't bubble gum pink and will be doing a lot of searching for just the right pink shade;-) Hopefully she will like a soft fushia color that will match the Chinese girl's clothing in the fabric I found to make matching comforters. The new Chinese fabric I found to make the girl's matching comforters with has a fushia pink, cream and jade green print with little Chinese girls, kittens and parasols, it is sooooo adorable! I posted a photo of the fabric. I'm backing the print with an adorable Pink checked flannel with green leaves and white daisies. Too cute to describe! I'm sure the girls will love their new comforters and matching shams and it gives me something to look forward too while waiting for Meizi Meilin;-)

Day 23 in the wait for our LOA

Today is day 23 in the wait for our LOA (Letter Of Acceptance) to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose who is 18 months old and waiting for us in China. I have her photo beside the computer so she gives me inspiration when I'm job hunting and on my sewing machine when I'm custom making my designs and comforters. She is what's keeping me going and my faith that she will be our daughter and we will bring her home from China. The wait seems like it is taking forever when the months are really flying by but when you are counting down the days and waiting for something so important, it seems like time stands still while the world keeps spinning around you.
I received a copy of our home-study for Meizi Meilin's life book today and Heather, our social worker did a fantastic job at describing our family, home and loving, nurturing, caring life style. She described us to a "T" when it came to devoting our selves to our children and marriage. I hope that our home-study translates to show how loving and nurturing we are as parent's and a couple and how much we want and love Meizi Meilin.
Four months to possible travel doesn't sound like so long, in fact it puts me in a panic when I hear it but when you are counting every day of that four plus months, it seems like a life time.
I can only hope and pray that with summer vacation almost upon us, the two boys and Jade Lin will keep me so busy that I won't dwell on the wait. If I find a full time job this summer, I know the summer will fly by and I won't have much time to enjoy it but that is the sacrifice I'm willing to make for peace of mind that we will have enough money to take Jade Lin to China and hopefully Kelly too, who is 13 and so excited about traveling to China. Jesse, our 12 year old son, has no interest in going. He is a home body and loves staying with his Aunt Michele who has a son his age. I wonder if he will regret not going when he is older, if he has the chance.

I'm still praying we receive an up-date on Meizi Meilin's growth and developement with photos. Her report is 9 months old as are the photos we received. I'm sure she has grown and changed drastically. Little ones change so much at this age that I'm praying for photos soon and a new weight on her so I can guess at what size clothing to pack for her. Something so little as a new photo and weight would mean the world to us and keep me dreaming while we wait to bring her home.

I bought my self a Mothers Day Gift and sent for a CD from Asia Threads of Meizi Meilin's orphanage, the surrounding town and village and buildings in the village. I can't wait to receive it and remember the impact seeing the spot where Jade Lin was found and the village, had on me. I was moved to tears and over whelmed, not expecting such an emotional reaction. I was so moved by the beautiful mountains and Yangtze River that flowed through Jade Lin's birth village and remember thinking they were born and bred into her and flowed through her veins. Her love of climbing, water and the outdoors surely came from those mountains and river. These photos will always be priceless to us and we are so thankful and grateful to have them. I warn parents to be prepared for the emotional reactions they may bring. I have never been so grateful to be Jade Lin's mother.

Today was a very exhausting day but a hopeful one

Today I drove my mom home to Alexandria, MN. I brought her down to see Jade Lin's dance recital Mothers Day weekend and she loved it;-) It is a 2 hour drive up and a 2 hr. drive back and a challenge with a 5 year old in the back seat. I'm exhausted and wonder how will we survive a 16 hour plane flight to China with a 5 year old. I have decided that no expense will be spared on sewing cards, tracing books, markers, crayons, chalk and a chalk board and "Color Forms", a MP3 player with a little girls favorite songs and new surprises she wasn't expecting, also a medication for mama's flying anxiety and I should be good to go;-) My doctor only gave me three of these wonder pills (Xanax)to get me through a 7 flight itinerary, last trip to bring Jade Lin home and gave me Valium, which I never took because we had Jade Lin by then and I didn't know how Valium would affect me. My poor husband, Scott, took the fall-out from my anxiety and I almost broke his hand on every take-off and landing. If there was any bad weather, I was sure to hold on to Jade Lin for dear life with one hand and had my hooks into Scott with the other hand. Usually Scott loves to fly and it is his favorite part of the trip but I was so nervous that I actually made him sick;-(
Needless to say, I'm exhausted from the trip today to Alex and was rewarded by ending the day with a trip to the dentist to get my gums scraped. I can't describe this cleaning any other way. It isn't a cleaning but a form of torture and my mouth is still sore;-( I only got through it by closing my eyes and dreaming of Meizi Meilin Rose and the moment we will first meet her and get to hold her. That dream is carrying me through all of my toughest days and again Meizi Meilin Rose has no idea how much she means to us.
Still it was a hopeful day because an angel on my "Loving China's Children" group, re-worded my resume for me out of the goodness of her heart and I'm confident that I will have renewed interest in my resume ,which I have faith, will lead to an interview and job position. I can't thank you enough Charlotte! Your an angel!

Mothers Day Sunday May 13th, 2007

It's 12:16 am and it's Mothers Day. Earlier in the evening we went to Jade Lin's dance recital and as I watched her I thanked God for the mother who adopted me 44 years earlier, who was sitting next to me. As I watched Jade Lin dance, I cried tears of joy for the blessing of Jade Lin and said a prayer for her birth mother, who I'm sure thinks of her every day. Jade Lin's birth mother gave her the greatest gift a mother can give her child, a hope, dream and wish for a better life. Jade Lin's birth mother gave her this and the gift of her birth day. She was found with a note that said October 10th was her birthday and this was the only thing Jade Lin's birth mother could give her when she left her, her birth day and the hope for a better life. I say a prayer for Meizi Meilin's birth mother who must be wondering where she is and how she is doing. Even though Meizi Meilin is not with us and waiting for us in China, I am thankful for her birth mother and grateful to her for wishing a better life for her daughter. Mothers Day is a day to celebrate mother's love for their children and the sacrifices they make for their children from this love. Our dossier went to China for Jade Lin on June 28th, 2001 which is my mother's birthday and I first held Jade Lin on my birthday, October 28th, 2002. God surely had a hand in our journey to adopt Jade Lin and I am certain he has a hand in our journey to bring Meizi Meilin home. We have an estimated travel date of October 2007 and I wonder if the first day I hold Meizi Meilin will fall on my birthday. Only time and God will tell;-)

It is the 19th day in the wait for our Letter of Acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin and on this Mothers Day, my heart will ache for her. I think of my self as her mother even though she is not in my arms yet, she is always in my heart and prayers. My wish and prayer for my children is that they are safe, happy and healthy and this I wish for Meizi Meilin on this Mothers Day. I dream of what next years Mother's Day will bring and see a vision of my self holding Jade Lin on one knee and Meizi Meilin on the other and my wish, dream and prayers have come true. I am complete, happy and truly blessed.
Happy Mothers Day

Meizi Meilin's baby doll arrives;-)

Today is the 14th day in the wait for our Pre-approval/linking letter, as our agency calls it and our LOA (Letter Of Acceptance) I was hoping we would hear about our pre-approval letter today. I heard it usually takes two weeks to receive it after sending in your "Letter Of Intent" to adopt a special needs child. We are waiting to see if we will be one of the lucky ones that gets to skip this extra step because our Dossier was logged in the same day that our "Letter of Intent" was received at the CCAA (China Center Of Adoption Affairs). We'll see, maybe we will hear something tomorrow.

One of the highlights today was receiving Meizi Meilin's little Asian baby doll from Charlotte. She is selling these adorable dolls to raise funds for her adoption and you can find her link on my web site. They are so cute and I know Meizi Meilin will love her. Jade Lin has the 15", larger version and I can just picture the two girls playing with their little dolls, what sweet dreams!!;-)

Day 13 in our wait for our Letter Of Acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose

It's day 13, lucky or unlucky number? I look at every day as a lucky day since we have started the adoption process! I'm am blessed and so fortunate to have 6 beautiful, healthy children and about to add a 7th. Nothing gets me down these days, I see sunshine and happiness where ever I look and I walk around like I'm on cloud nine. Which I am. I have a wonderful loving husband who is a great father and have been able to start my own home-based business to raise funds for our adoption. My world couldn't be more right. The only thing missing is Meizi Meilin and my heart aches to hold her and have her home in my arms. I taped a photo of her on my sewing machine to give me inspiration to keep sewing when all I want to do is sit and stare at her photo and dream about her. What is she doing now? Is she sleeping? How is her day going? Is she laughing, having fun? Does she have a full tummy? I took a break to give Jade Lin lunch and play outside today. It is so nice, sun is shinning and it is warm, hurray! I hope it is warm, sunny and beautiful in Guangdong province where my little angel is.
I e-mailed Heather our social worker and asked if she would send us a copy of our home study that was sent to China. I'm hoping it will be fun reading and something to put in Meizi Meilin's life book.
I pray this is the week we receive her up-date with photos!

Day 12 of our Letter Of Acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin

Today is day 12 in the wait for our Letter Of Acceptance from the CCAA (Chinese Center of Adoption Affairs). A women I don't know who read this blog, ordered one of my fleece blankets. Meizi Meilin and our adoption story and journey is touching people and it is so wonderful to see!
I read on one of my China groups that a couple received a referral from China only to be turned down because the husband was on Anti-depressents. The new regulations started May 1st but I heard the dossiers received before that day would be gone over very carefully too. Our dossier was logged in on 4-24-07 so we beat the May 1st deadline which may not make a difference any way. We are not on any kind of Anti-depressent medications and are within all the new guide lines but still this story buts a flutter in my stomach. My mind goes back to when we adopted Jade Lin in 2002 from China. The day that we received Jade Lin we were given a couple of hours to make sure she was truly the baby we were referred and that we were certain we wanted to adopt her. I stayed in our hotel room with Jade Lin while my husband, Scott went to fill out the paper work, which was my job up until that moment. When we were asked how many children we had, he should have said three but he added my two grown children from a previous marriage that our agency said we didn't need to list. When we got to our interview the next day with the officials at the Civil Affairs Department, they questioned how many children we had, even our Chinese liason that worked with our agency didn't know about my two grown children from a previous marriage. All was fine after I explained that they were grown children, not living at home, from a previous marriage but when we got back to the hotel room, I had an anxiety attack, I had never experienced this before. I was terrified that someone was going to knock on our hotel room door and take back our baby! I will make sure this time that my husband knows how many children to put down on the final adoption papers. I can't take for granted that Meizi Meilin Rose is really ours till we receive our PA (Pre-approval) and LOA to adopt and I won't rest easy till Meizi Meilin is in our arms and all the paperwork is finished. My prayer today is that we are approved to adopt Meizi Meilin and China finds no fault with us or reason to deny us. We so love this little girl already and if this were to happen, we would be devastated! Our family and friends have bonded with this little girl just by a small photo and a letter about her personality, sleeping habits, eating habits, likes and her dislikes. We have only known her for a month and it feels like she has been our daughter forever. I know this is hard to understand, it is even harder to explain. It is one of God's miracles that parent's all over the world are falling in love with children from a "Stamp-size" photo;-) It just shows how loving the human race is, how accepting and much these children are wanted.
Mama's prayer is for you today Meizi Meilin. I'm praying the CCAA can see how much we love you, care for you, and want you and will grant us our LOA to adopt you soon!

She sleeps with a little towel

It's Sunday today and I'm praying that this is the week that we receive an up-date on Meizi Meilin. Our Chinese liason, Tu, who is working with our agency is trying to get a hold of the orphanage director where Meizi Meilin Rose is now living. All last week was a holiday in China so no work was done. The report we received on Meizi Meilin is over 8 months old, as are the photos we received. Once again, I'm dreaming of what she will look like 9 months older. Little ones at this age change so fast in a very short amount of time. When we traveled to China to bring Jade Lin home, Tu handed us a recent photo of her as we stepped off the plane. I was worried that it wasn't the same baby, she had changed drastically! I would know her little heart shaped mouth, any where and it was this that reassured me it was truly our daughter. When she was placed in my arms in Wuhan on October 28th, 2002, on my birthday, she was a year old and again had changed drastically from the photo we had just received but I would know her little mouth any where. It was branded on my heart. That sweet little mouth was now open wide in a mournful howl that would break the coldest heart. This sweet little girl had so many life altering changes at such a young age and my heart went out to her, broke for her. My soul purpose in life suddenly became to make her happy, comfort her and never let any one or anything hurt her. In an instant I became the protective mother panda and I felt a fierce need to shelter her from all the pain and fear she was feeling at that moment. I will never be able to explain in words the magnitude of this moment, mother meeting child for the 1st time. It was a miracle to behold. There is no other explanation for it. I dream every day of what the moment will be like when we 1st hold Meizi Meilin. She will be older then Jade Lin was by almost a year. Jade Lin was crying in Mandarin when we received her, "AI YA!, AI YA, AI YA!!!" We found out later that this means "OH NO" or "BIG TROUBLE" in Mandarin and I'm sure at that moment that is what we were to her, big trouble and oh no, they are taking me away from the only care takers I have known. Will Meizi Meilin mourn and howl this Mandarin saying? or will she smile and embrace my hug? I have heard of these miracles where the baby smiles and doesn't utter a sound when they are handed over to their new parents. How amazing that would be.
I will pray for an up-date on Meizi Meilin this week and pray that she is safe and loved till we can hold her. Pray that someone is holding her when she cries and loving her hurt and fears away. Mama is dreaming and praying for you sweet Meizi Meilin, you have no idea how much you are loved and wanted!

Today we are on day 11 on the wait for our Letter Of Acceptance

Today is the 11th day of our wait for our Letter Of Acceptance to adopt Meizi Meilin. We have been told and have seen the the average wait for this letter is two months. It seems like we have known our daughter for years when it has only been one month. She is one month older and we are one month closer to bringing her home. I am grateful and blessed to be able to share my thoughts on this blog! It is very comforting and helps me to focus on the journey that is ahead. I received my first reply on Meizi Meilin's blog and I lovingly read it and memorized it. It is so heart warming to have the loving support and encouragement of other parents that are adopting. Their positive remarks keep me sane through the long wait. We are all in the same boat, all sharing the same milestones and are all counting down the steps and days that bring us closer to our children. I would be lost without these groups of kind people and am sharing a bond through the internet that I never imagined could be possible. There are people all over the world who are wishing and praying for Meizi Meilin which makes me feel connected on a whole other level. Praise God for these people, they along with my faith will be what carries me through till I can have Meizi Meilin in my arms. Scott and the boys are on a camping trip with the Boy Scouts this weekend and Jade Lin is napping which leaves me to my thoughts and dreams of Meizi Meilin. Jade Lin asks me weekly, "when will Meizi Meilin be here"?. To her 6 months is a life time. How do you explain to a five year old that there are many parents waiting to bring their child home and we have to wait our turn? She is ever the optimist and her love for her sister burns bright and steady. She is very protective of her little sister already. If anyone says something about Meizi Meilin's photo that she feels isn't 100% loving or positive, she says, " That is my little sister and she is cute and you need to be nice to her!" Jade Lin is forming a life long bond with Meizi Meilin just from a photo, just as we did with her. It is mystical and magical!

4-24-07 Our letter of Intent is received in China and so is our dossier!

Another amazingly, exciting day in our adoption journey. Today is a another milestone in bringing Meizi Meilin Rose home! Our dossier is logged in and our letter of intent is received in China!! Now we wait the estimated two months till we have our LOA ( Letter Of Acceptance). This is a very important letter. It says China has accepted us to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose and we are approved to be her new parents. What wonderful words those will be to read, we are accepted and approved to adopt our little angel! There are no sweeter words then those, except for the first time your little one says, "I love you"! I dream all day, everyday of Meizi Meilin Rose. I am barely getting my sewing and house work done. I long to hold her in my arms and the five months that have passed since we decided to adopt have seemed like years. I know the hardest wait is yet to come, waiting for our approval to travel and waiting to get on the plane to bring Meizi Meilin Rose home! Again I have to turn to God and have faith that all will work out the way he has planned. Faith that Meizi Meilin was meant to be our daughter and us her parents. Faith that we will one day soon, hold her and love her. I am blessed to find a group of wonderful, loving parents that have adopted little girls from Meizi Meilin's orphanage. They warmly and excitedly welcome me into their group and the information I learn from them about how their girls were taken care of and what the nannies and orphanage was like, is priceless! A women has just returned from the orphanage with her 8 yr. old daughter and tells me she thinks she has a recent photo of Meizi Meilin! There are two baby and toddler rooms connected with a play room and only one toddler had crossed eyes and fit Meizi Meilin's age. She asks if I would like to see the photo and e-mails me the picture. I am so grateful and tell this kind women that we will be eternally grateful and she has made our year. I call her "Our Angel". Her name is Donna. The same name as my mother, which seems very fitting;-)

4-11-07 DTC!!! We type up our "Letter Of Intent" to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose

We receive a call from Heather, Great news, we are DTC, finally!!! YIPEEE!!!!
Now we have to type our letter of Intent to adopt Meizi Meilin Rose and promise to care for her, love her, never abandon or mistreat her and promise to seek the medical attention that she requires. We promise all this and much more. We are deeply in love with this little girl just from a little photo again. It is mystical and magical. She sleeps with a little towel;-) I know that she will love the comforters and warm, soft fringe blankets that I have been making to fund our adoption! I can't wait to make special blankets for her that I will lovingly choose just for her, just as I did for Jade Lin. All the months of wondering who our daughter would be, how old, where would she come from, what would she look like, how big would she be, all these questions are finally answered and I can sigh a little sigh of relief! We have found our daughter, or maybe she found us. God's plan was taking shape and we have a little peek at the path we will take on this journey. I am reminded of the Chinese Red Thread belief, it along with God's loving gift is showing us our destiny and the journey we are to take to bring Meizi Meilin home. We are excited to see where this journey will lead us!

4-3-07 REFERRAL DAY!!!!!!!!

The new waiting list of special needs children came in. Heather called us on Tuesday afternoon to tell us. There are three girls on the list. One is five years old with a heart condition, one is 16 months with Strabismus (turned in eyes) and one is 10 months old with Hep B. All are from the same orphanage in Guangdong. We tell Heather that we wish to review the two youngest girls files, because we want Jade Lin to be a real big sister, with a younger sister. Heather will be gone on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and we forget to ask our agency for photos, which is the way I know we will make our decision. Friday Heather sends us terrible black and white photos from her home scanner. Scott can see already that the little 16 month old girl is a "Cutie!!" and is drawn to her immediately. I'm not as sure from the bad photos. I tell Heather that we are considering both girls but need better photos. On Sunday, Heather e-mails us beautiful, clear, colored photos. I wonder if she drove into the agency on a Sunday for us and for these two girls and e-mailed the photos on her own time. What an angel! Maybe it was God and his angel but we decide instantly that Gao Shao Qiao, the 16 month little girl is our daughter!!! We are ecstatic!! We e-mail her medical info to the Internationl Adoption Clinic at the U of M and find out that Strabismus is a very curable condition and she with proper medical attention will be better then fine. She may require a minor surgery to align her eyes, maybe some eye patching therapy and maybe glasses but we are prepared, willing and blessed to have her and will do everything we can to help her and love her! The decision is amazingly easy. We find out later that our adoption worker had the same condition and received more postive information and one of the girls in our travel group also had one eye that she had treated for the same condition. It was so wonderful to have such positive information and stories. We knew we were able to provide the care that Gao Shao Qiao would need. We were on top of the world and couldn't wait to share the happy news and photo of our future daugthter!
Jade Lin almost instantly told us, " I want to name her Meizi Meilin Rose" which seemed to fit our daughter, amazingly and the moment I said the name, I knew it was destined to be her chosen name. How fitting that her big sister, Jade Lin would be the loving one to name her;-)

3-17-07

Tonight we attended Kelly's basketball tournament party. His team had a great year and they finished in 1st place. What a great team of boys! We will miss all the parents we have become friends with over the year. Kelly's coach gave him a wonderful tribute as he handed Kelly his trophy. He said" This is for the team member who always listened to me and never gave me any attitude. Who worked his hardest to improve and had the meanest, corner shot"! Kelly's smile lite up his whole face and his father and I couldn't have been prouder of him. We told the other parents that Kelly would have a new little Cheerleader at the games next year and the talk turned to adoption, my favorite subject;-) We were once again Ambassadors of China and the adoption process and educated the other parents on the process and how the well-oiled adoption wheels work in China. Loving the no surprises, consistent, dependable system. It was this system that brought us our 1st adopted daughter and we sang it's praises loudly, just in case there were parents who were pondering the adoption decision. We often found out later, after talking to other couples and parents that they were thinking of adopting internationally but had many questions and reservations till they talked to us and our story inspired them to start the adoption journey, which fulfills me and gives me a sense of purpose. I think adopting Jade Lin has had an impact and influence on many people, just as Rebekkah had on us, that cold winters night in December.

3-16-07

Today our dossier is sent to the Chicago Consulate to be authenticated. It will be mailed back to Crossroads and then on to China, which usually takes two weeks. Then we should be DTC (Dossier To China). That's when the official waiting period starts, it's the launching off of the adoption process in China. Our dossier is then given a log in date in China and we base our referral wait on that log in date. We will guess when our referral will come from that date and we are really in this for the long haul. The estimated time for a healthy infant referral is 18 months! I am not the young, patient parent that I was when waiting for Jade Lin's referral, of course at that time, five years ago, the referral wait was only 12 months. In a year you could be done with the paper process and have your baby home. Now there was a feeling of no end in site and again the sense of urgency consumed me, leaving me wonder where the urgent pull and determination was coming from to get our DTC as soon as possible. Only time will tell and God will reveal his plan in his own way, in his own time. I would have to depend on my faith as I have all my life to get me through and show me God's plan.