Merry Christmas and Happy LOA!

While we were in Frankenmuth, we received our Letter of Approval from China for Grace - this is a huge step and will have us in China within the next few months!  We also spotted a picture of Grace from our agency's newsletter.  Baby girl is front row center.  She is looking very healthy and such a blessing to keep seeing her face.

More Pictures and Reviewed!!

A few weeks ago a fellow adoptive mom spotted our Grace in some pictures.   It turns out a professional photographer went with our adoption agency to China this past spring and snapped several albums of pictures of the care centers our agency runs.  They just happened to go to Grace's.   We were able to download all these amazing photos along with dozens of other pictures of her nannies and friends.  With Matthew we waited forever er to ever get a picture of him.  I am savorying and so thankful for every little glimpse we get into Grace's life.  

We found out today that our file is currently under review, which means that next big piece of paper should be on its way in a week or so!!! This is good because the government computer system is shutting down for a week at the first of the year.  Grace we are getting closer!!

photos are compliments of Sandy Puc Photography

Updates!

New pictures!! Since we were able to take over Grace's sponsorship, we were able to get pictures from all of her reports this past year.  Little miss is growing - in fact the update indicates she is about 5 pounds heavier than we thought.  They describe her as strong, sturdy and naughty! She will hide her favorite toy in her crib to keep it away from others.  It was also neat to hear that she was speaking and imitating more.  C'mon paperwork - we are ready to bring our Grace home! 

    January 2014

   

 (we have the matching pants to the above outfit- Matthew wore the pants the day we met him)

July 2014

Christmas Fun

Since we aren't in post surgery recovery mode this year, Christmas has been a little more fun.  We started the evening at our favorite hot dog place - Dan's Dogs.  It is such a  sweet little 50's restaurant and their Christmas decorations are the best with antique Christmas bulbs hanging from the ceiling.

We got to go to see the Christmas lights at the drive thru display at the fair grounds.  Complete with a visit from Santa who visited our car.  

We continued our Christmas light ride and even got to see a house that is decorated identical to the Christmas Vacation house.

This morning we attended Adventure Village at church.  I lost a best with my friend Heidi - I bet her that she couldn't get Jeff to dress up in the nativity clothes.  It was worth losing the bet!

Gracie's first outfit

Couldn't resist and bought Gracie her first outfit.  It's starting to feel real,  hopefully we hear some news about our paperwork soon! 

Care package

Next set of paperwork is done and I finally got Grace's care package sent off to China.  When I sent Matthew's, I had such a grand notion about his care package.  I figured the nannies would sit with him and show him his photo album of our family pictures and that the lovey-blanket I sent would be his new favorite security item.  I even pictured all the photos that would get taken with the camera I sent.  None of that happened, the photo album and blanket were untouched and the camera never yielded a picture.  So this time I am a little more in reality.  I know now that the nannies would love to sit with each child, but there usually just always isn't time to share albums and take pictures.  Kids don't usually receive the play things, because it's too hard to keep them clean and sanitary in an institutional environment.    I do pray Grace gets to see pictures of her new mama and daddy and somehow she can process that we are hers, but it would be even nice if just one of her caregivers gave her just a little more attention for the day.  Everything else I hope blesses a little one that needs them the most.

                                    

This adoption process as a whole, is a lot more surreal than last time.  This time I know a little better the sadness and anxiety that awaits Grace.  Ripping someone from everything they know is devestating.  I also know how hard and tiring it can be to adjust your life and family to a new little one who is grieving and doesn't usually understand you.  All the new medical stuff that awaits - ugh... 

However I also know the joy that is coming.  Waiting till we get to finally have Grace in our arms.  Getting to watch her blossom into our family.  Getting to hear I love you for the first time.  Dolls and hair bows ❤️❤️❤️ Best of all, seeing God's hand in her life as her story unfolds in her new home and family.  

Grace

After some deliberation and family discussion we have decided to name our new daughter "Grace". She was almost a Molly, a Isabella or a Hazel.  We actually all voted and came up with Hazel (which was my granny Hite's first name and I really love it), but the name just seemed a little too old for our little pumpkin.  Grace just seems a better fit.  We will also keep her given Chinese name as her middle name, which is Siqi.  

Here is a video of Grace at her orphanage care center.  

Bring on the hair bows!

Sorry I haven't said much on our blog lately.  Waiting is hard and my guess was that you didn't want to hear me wallowing in the wait.  However with much excitement and joy - we would love to introduce you to the newest member of our family...... 

SiQi (which means think of fine jade) turned two in May on our anniversary (which we are happy to share with her!) She is living in an orphanage in Luohe City in Henan province, which is also the same province that Matthew is from.  We have been able to see a couple of videos of her, which is an amazing gift.  She seems very sweet and it looks like we will have the opportunity to sponsor her at the special care center that she resides in at her orphanage until she comes home.  We are still working on her american name (any suggestions??) and we don't have a good idea when we will travel to bring her home.  My best guess is in the spring.  I promise to post more soon. We have some more paperwork to do and a care package to get together!!

Halloween 2014

Matthew and his best buddy Kaden

Matthew at his first preschool Halloween party

Shelby's VW pumpkin

Dossier Logged In (LID)

Found out this morning that our dossier was logged in.  So now we are down to the BIG wait - who is our next child?  I thought for sure we would have been matched with a child by this point, but now nothing is standing in our way, except time. We could hear today or even a year from now, my best guess would be within the next 6 months.  

Dossier to CHINA!

Our paperwork finally left for China on Friday.

Green, my favorite color

Today as we got ready at the bathroom sink - I looked in the mirror and said 

"mommy needs to color her hair."  

Matthew:  what color? How bout Green? It's  your favorite color! 

Dossier Completed!!

After 5 1/2 months all the paperwork we needed to complete our dossier is finally completed!! Matthew was not that impressed with my 20 piles of paperwork I sorted to get ready to send - he just kept asking for ice cream.  How hard it is to stick all that work into an envelope and give it to the post office.  Thankfully it made it safely to its next stop at our adoption agency in Colorado.  

 What's next you ask?? Our paperwork will get checked for accuracy and then be sent to China - when a whole new waiting period commences...  the wait for it to be logged into China's system and the wait to be matched with our next child.  

First day of school & another visit with Ben

This past week marked the first day of school for the kids (well actually Matt's was just an openhouse, but he didn't know any difference).  

Robbie is a 7th grader

So far, Shelby is off to a good start with college. She even had her first home game, she had a blast!  

Lunch at Friendly's after church

First Zips game -Matthew is wearing his new Zips Jersy/dress.

We had the wonderful opportunity to visit with the family of Matthew's crib mate Ben.  What a joy to be able to have a relationship with them.  Ben and Matt really had a fun time playing with each other, they are two peas in a pod.

Woo hoo - i800A and this week in pictures!

We finally got our long awaited immigration paperwork!  Sorry the pictures are all in a weird order, trying to get used to a new phone.  

I decided to do a little nesting and gave my closet a much needed clean out.  First to go - China stroller.  Oh how we will miss the wonderful way that you never could be steered in a straight line.  But what a friend you were to carry our precious cargo through 5 airports across two continents.

Shelby's first day of college - off to band camp!  She has been pulling 12-14 hour days all this week.  So proud of her!

Farmer Matt

Marching band preview night for the parents

UA Trombone section

Last but never least - Ro.  My sweet teenager is usually less than thrilled having his picture taken lately.  Hoping to post football pictures next week!

Happy August

Happy August!  Yes, I am still blogging! We had our biometric fingerprints for immigration done two weeks ago and since Shelby is 18, she got the honor of also having hers done, too.  If you ever want to do some great people watching, I highly recommend going to sit in the lobby of the federal building in Cleveland. Wow, it never fails to wow us.  We even got a $35 souvenir from this last visit - a parking ticket! We didn't see the signs that said we couldn't park at the meter until after 9:30.  So at 9:22 our ticket was issued, funny the parking meter  had no problem taking our money before 9:30...

We are waiting for one piece of paper to finish our dossier (paperwork for China).  Isn't it time that they make all of this digital??? Everything else has been finished since the first part of July, so it is very hard to be sitting in limbo.  I expected this last piece of paper a few days ago, but thankfully I just heard it was approved (but of course we are still waiting for the paper copy).  When it gets here, I need to get it notarized,  then drive it downtown to get it certified and then drive it to Columbus to get it authenticated.  It would take two weeks to do all of that by mail, so I am going on my whirlwind driving tour.  I know we don't know who are next child even is, but I hate to make them wait even another day.  It's amazing how this little one already has such a place in our heart.

None the less, we have had a really nice summer.  We have taken 6 camping trips so far. Pictures below are from our last trip to Geneva on the Lake.  Such a nice  campground situated near Lake Erie.  It even has a little beach where Matthew filled and emptied his sand bucket for several hours.  The town itself is easily biked to.

Football season has started and Matt has informed me that "baby sister going to need a football uniform". Ok maybe not, but maybe we can find her a band uniform.  Robbie is excited to be playing for the 7th grade team.  He has been growing like crazy, hope his cleats last him the whole season.    This boy is getting tall - he is now 5'6 (everyone from my side of the family is pretty short).  This past week we celebrated his 13th birthday (even though it isn't actually till this weekend, somehow he didn't mind opening his gifts early!).  He is such a fun kid and I am so impressed with all the ways he helps with the camper and home projects with Jeff.

Shelby is getting ready to start marching band camp..  Camp is for 7 days - 12 to 13 hours a day!!!  I told her think of it this way, you are going to start college with a tan, some new friends and probably lose 10 pounds.  She is still working at a local farm market this summer and should be able to get more hours there through the fall.  Shelby has decided to live at home this year for college.  She has taken some flack for this, but is sticking to her decision.  Some people have mentioned maybe "when she matures" she can decide to live at college.  Ha!!  Shelby is one of the most mature people I know at her age and I love that her heart is in the right place.  She really wants to be here to watch Matthew grow up and since she is attending a primarily a commuter school - the decision is a no-brainer. 

Matthew will be starting preschool soon too.  He is thrilled! He will have the same teacher that Robbie and cousin Leland had.   We were all just talking about how boring and empty our lives would be without our Matt.   His cheek is still healing, up close there is still some bruising and the scar is visible.  We don't go back to the clinic till November for his one year post-op visit.  There is definite improvement and we feel it will get better with time. We honestly forget its there until you see his reflection in a mirror.

August 2014

     

July 2013