American at last!

We survived the trains and planes, including security in China, Hong Kong, and Japan...and after way too many hours of traveling, arrived in Seattle this morning!  Mei is now a US citizen, as of today!

She does NOT enjoy being in a car seat (first time for that today), but we made it back to Wenatchee. Turns out our friends from GF, the R family, were driving to the Seattle area for a wedding this weekend, and we would have pretty much passed each other on the highway going opposite ways, so we met for lunch in Vantage, WA. Sweet day!

Love this face!

Bonding with big bro Levi...

...and big bro Drake too!

Mei is beginning to adore her brothers, and they're pretty sweet on her too. :)

Jetlag aside, this has been one of the best days of my life.

Photos

Tuesday, March 18

Tuesday, March 18

Hello, very patient blog readers!!  Again, I'm sorry so much time has passed since my last update.  We were able to borrow our friends' computer again this afternoon to check email and send a blog update, so here goes...

We had an uneventful flight to Guangzhou.  Mei slept on the 1.5 hour van ride to the airport on Lanzhou, so she was wide awake on the plane.  I think the weirdest part of the flight was going through security...the Chinese don't have you remove shoes, belts, etc through airport security, but they do pat everyone down and run a wand over you.  They had me take Mei out of the front pack, and a lady took her from me.  It's so strange to see your baby being patted down by airport security - they even ran the wand all over her.  I guess they wouldn't have to do that if they didn't think someone would actually try hiding something on their baby...which is reality in the current state of the world, unfortunately.  Then they had me stand on a platform, did the same to me, and finally gave her back to me.  The rest of the flight was a breeze.

Our hotel in Guangzhou is SO nice!  I will definitely share photos later, but it's opulent.  Very ritzy.  We totally don't fit in with most of the other patrons - primarily Chinese business men, wealthy Chinese families, and other wealthy foreigners.  The adopting families stick out like a sore thumb in our jeans, shorts, and t-shirts... with little kids making noise and doing things like changing blowout diapers in inconspicuous places.  ;)  (That hasn't been our family, thankfully.)  But you do what you gotta do!  The price is very average for a hotel in the states, but it's one of the nicest hotels in the city of Guangzhou, a city of 9 million people.  Our room is a suite, there is the biggest (and fanciest) free breakfast buffet I've ever seen,a hotel pool, and the hotel has an enclosed garden outside with a huge waterfall, koi ponds, bridges, paths, pagodas, statues, flowers, and beautifully trimmed bushes and hedges.  Wow!

The day after we arrived, we had the babies' medical appointments.  They went pretty well, and our little girl SCREAMED when they took her from Daddy's arms to weigh her.  While it was, of course, very sad, we are taking it as a good sign that she's attaching to us!  So there were three parts to the medical exam.  In the first room, they took weight and height.  The second room was ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat), where they tested her hearing - using sqeaky toys, and she looked! - and looked in her ears, and mouth.  The third room was a general exam, where a doctor who spoke English pretty well asked us questions about what she can do, took her head circumference, and squeezed and probed all over her the way doctors do to babies (checking glands, joints, organs, etc.).

Then, because Mei is over two, she had to have a tuberculosis test, which is a blood test.  We've known about this for a long time, but it still wasn't pleasant.  We knew they wouldn't let us go into the room with her, but I was surprised how mad it made me - in the states, doctors and nurses don't get to "tell" you that you "can't" come with your child when they have blood drawn.  So of course she screamed again when they took her from us, and then she cried in that room for what seemed like forever.  Even our guide/translator, Helen, mentioned that it was taking a long time - twice.  Twice she said, "Maybe they use a thin tube to draw the blood." (?)  I was NOT a happy mama when I finally got my baby back, especially to find out later that they had actually poked both of her arms and failed to tell us about it.  (She had on long sleeves, so we didn't know it immediately.  One of her sleeves was rolled up and had a band-aid over the spot and they kept emphasizing to put pressure on it, which of course we did.  But the other arm had an identical poke in it and no one bothered to tell us about it!  The opposite arm also had some kind of lacerations between her elbow and shoulder, where her skin was reddish-purple, like she had been squeezed very hard, because the blood vessels were broken.  It is just now fading, three days later.  Grrr.)  So I'm thinking she's a tough one to draw blood from, like me.  They're certainly used to drawing blood from tiny little people every day.

And happy news, we found out yesterday that her TB test is NEGATIVE!  Woo hoo!!

But anyway, on Saturday afternoon (after the medical), I started to feel sick.  Another member of our group had felt sick and been throwing up the day before (when we arrived in Guangzhou), and I felt worse and worse.  I ended up throwing up for hours that night and found out the next day that another group member did the same.  I now have broken blood vessels in one of my eyes, so it looks like I have pink eye - nice.  As if we weren't getting enough weird looks!  ;)  So anyway, on Sunday, I was in no condition to go anywhere, or really to take care of Mei so Adam could go on the planned sightseeing day either, so we just stayed in all day on Sunday.  Yesterday (Monday), I was feeling about 95% in the morning, so we went ahead and joined the group to go to the pearl market and Shamian Island.  (Lots of shopping - I wasn't really feeling like shopping, but on the advice of MANY, bit the bullet.  It's not something we can just go back and do again, and we've been advised that we will treasure every little souvenir we bring home from our girl's homeland.)

By the time we got back to the hotel a little after three, both Adam and I were feeling crummy.  I ended up getting progressively worse, while he got gradually better.  I had a fever most of the evening and into the night.  It dawned on me that I was following exactly the same pattern as the other member of our travel group who had been sick, but one day behind her.  Throwing up one day, seeming to improve, then getting a fever two days after throwing up.  Right on schedule, which made it suddenly occur to me that this is probably a virus, not food poisoning.  Other members of our group have been having similar things happen, but I was most aware of the timing of this one other case.  Once I realized that it was probably a virus, I decided to take Tylenol (I usually don't like to medicate fevers unless they get too high, because I figure God gave us fevers to burn off the bad stuff), but I started thinking that Adam or Mei (or both) could come down with the throwing up part at any time, and I'd need to be functioning at a higher level than I was in order to be able to take care of them.

So I took Tylenol and slept very well, and thank God, no one else got sick.  We all had a good night's sleep.  I feel pretty good today, and I'm actually hungry for the first time in about three days.  I've only had a few light things to eat since I've been sick, but I'm finally getting hungry, so I think we'll have a real dinner tonight.  I think Mei will appreciate the familiar foods!  She likes our "hotel room foods" okay, but I'm sure she enjoy some Chinese food again.  :)

Today was our US Consulate appointment, and our girl is all set to become a US citizen!  Adam and I swore an oath on her behalf, turned in the paperwork to apply for her US visa, and they took Adam's fingerprints to match them against the USCIS fingerprints we had done in Helena last spring/summer when we were applying for our I-800A.  Wow, that seems like forever ago!

Tomorrow afternoon, the plan is that we and one other family will meet our guide at the train station, where she will bring us Mei's passport and visa, and then we'll take the train to Hong Kong, stay overnight in a hotel there, and catch our flight back to the US!  Please pray for our health, that I will stay well, and that Adam and Mei will not get sick.  If they come down with what I had, it could make travel very difficult or impossible, and could delay our return...and just be generally very unpleasant!!  So we ask for your prayers for strong bodies and safe travels.  We are ended up ditching almost all our plans here in Guangzhou in order to focus on recovering/staying well, and at this point, we want nothing more than to arrive safely on US soil, where Mei will become a US citizen!

This is likely the last blog update until we return.  I would like to recommend a blog to you (I should have done this a long time ago but didn't remember) of another member of our travel group. (This is actually the family who has been so kind to lend us their computer.)  It'swww.bunkbedsfortheburrors.blogspot.com .  Lindsey has done a fabulous job documenting the trip, and you will get a better idea of some of the things we have done and seen while in China, until I'm able to post more pictures myself.  I think you will recognize some of the pictures, as we nabbed some of them off her blog to share with you - the ones that included Mei.  :)  We have made some lifelong friends on this adventure, and we think it's a great privilege that we got to know two other families who have adopted Mei's orphanage-mates.  I know these relationships will be invaluable to the girls as they grow up, too.

Photos

Mei (on right) sitting on Adam's lap

Mei (on right) sitting on Adam's lap

Photos

Adam holding Mei

Mei is the one sitting down

Melonie holding Mei in the front pack baby carrier

Thursday, March 13

Thursday, March 13

It's been a busy few days since I was able to update last!  On Tuesday we went to a park and zoo in Lanzhou, and yesterday (Wednesday) we were on our own while our guide did more paperwork and running around to complete the babies' Chinese passports.  We got a stack of completed paperwork from her last night, including the official adoption certificate, another original document (don't remember what it is off the top of my head), and a packet of original, notarized documents (mostly in Chinese) with our thumbprints stamped in red over our signatures.  There are also two additional photocopies of that packet, our receipts for paying the notary, and a bunch of extra passport photos of Mei and extra family pictures.  We will need all (except the extra copies) of these documents when we get to Guangzhou in order to get Mei's US visa.

Today we did some more sightseeing in Lanzhou - a waterwheel park on the Yellow River and a flea market where we picked up a couple of souvenirs.  We all went to Pizza Hut for lunch, which isn't a whole lot like Pizza Hut in the US, although it was very good!  We bought another suitcase (carry on size) on the way back to our hotel, because we arrived here pretty much stuffed to the brim, and are acquiring a few more things as the days go by.

Mei is coming out of her shell even more, and is such a happy little person, most of the time!  She thinks Daddy is especially funny, and gives him extra smiles and giggles!  She likes Cheerios a lot, but doesn't usually want to feed them to herself.  She likes to hold them in her hand and pretend to eat them, but she always opens wide for us to put some in her mouth!  This afternoon she has eaten a few herself, and she even fed a few to me!  She is pretty serious when we are out and around other people, but when we're in our hotel room, she starts to get all smiley!  I love our little peanut!  This afternoon, she was just grinning and squealing, and we were flying her around like "Super Mei."  :)

Besides food, Mei loves cuddling, watching things fall down, hot bottles of formula, being tickled, playing with her bare feet (we don't think she saw much of her feet in the orphanage), rolling, being held, rattles and links, and trying to put things together/inside each other.  She can crawl forward and backward, cruise (walk along furniture while holding on to it), stand for a long time, and walk holding our hands.

Adam has been having "Daddy's workout time" with Mei, where he lays across the bed and she stands up holding on to it, so they can play together with things on the edge of the bed.  This happens for at least 30 minutes several times a day - we're trying to help her legs get stronger so she can walk!  It seems to be already a little easier for her to stand for a long time now than it was a few days ago.  :)

And speaking of progress, we're seeing some filling out of Mei's face - she has almost a little double chin!  And her cheeks are definitely rounder too.  Her thighs are chunking up a little as well!  We just love this little munchkin so much!

Tomorrow we're packing up and flying to Guangzhou, the last leg of our trip.  Our guide is picking up the babies' Chinese passports this evening, and will bring them to us at the hotel tomorrow morning before we check out.  I miss our boys like crazy, so if any of you see them, give them a big hug for me!  It's been really hard to be away from them for so long, but I got a bunch of update emails from my mom just now, and it sounds like they're doing really well.  (This is the first time I've checked email since Monday.)

I will update again when I get a chance.  I can't actually log in to blogger, so I can't see any comments until we get home, but Crystal has been emailing me some of them.  Please leave comments - we will read them all when we are home!

Monday, March 10

Monday, March 10

Sorry so much time has passed since you've heard from me!  Just after I sent my last blog update in Beijing, our email locked me out (probably because I was logged in to a public computer in a foreign country).  It wanted to "verify" it was me, but the only way to do that was through a text message or a code to another email account, neither of which are accessible to me.  I was pretty upset about it, but at that point, I didn't have any other options of communicating with anyone back in the US.  We are now with our travel group, and a very kind friend has allowed me to use her laptop, so I created a new email account, and I'm trying again.  Hopefully this one won't lock me out, since I'll be using the same computer to access it each time.  (I still may not be able to update daily, but I hope somewhat regularly!)

I could spend a lot of time talking about our sightseeing day in Beijing, because it really was fabulous!  But I'm pretty sure the update you're really looking forward to reading about has nothing to do with sightseeing!

I would post a picture if it were possible, but unfortunately it's not at this time.  But please join us in welcoming the fifth member of our family, Mei Joyann!

She is a sweet little thing with a very quiet temperament.  It was obvious that her nanny cared about her very much, and seemed to think she is a pretty special little girl.  When I had a chance to speak with the nanny, the translator said at one point, "She says, 'She a good baby.  You not worry.'"  Mei really does seem to have about the quietest and most reserved temperament I've ever seen.  It's entirely possible that we will see a whole new personality emerge as she grows accustomed to life in a family, but for now we are trying to draw her out of her shell.

This afternoon (which was about 24 hours after taking custody of her), we were blessed by her first laugh with us!  We got out the stacking cups and stacked them up, and when they fell over, it was SO funny to her!  Then we watched as she meticulously attempted to combine the cups in every way imaginable, and eventually got all but one (out of eight) nested together.  I think she probably would have got them all eventually by herself, but Daddy gave her a hand.  It was incredible to watch "the wheels turning" while she figured out the spacial relations necessary to nest them back together!

She's teeny tiny!  Our guesstimate was about right as far as clothing size, but seeing a 16 lb 2.5-yr-old with my own eyes was really not something I could have been prepared for.  She is wearing 12 and 18 month clothes...the 18 month fit better for length, but are way too big around for now.  She had on 12 month separates today, and it was great.  It's really mind-blowing how tiny she is.

But this kid can EAT!!  She has not turned down anything we've given her, and we've given her a WIDE range of foods - pretty much everything we've had on our plates (as well as typical baby and toddler foods), and she's gobbled it all up.  After a big lunch today (right before playing with the stacking cups), I sat her on the floor, and she just couldn't stop feeling her belly - first over her shirt, then under her shirt, and finally she lifted her shirt up to see what was so big under there!  I'm pretty sure she's never had that full, round toddler belly before, because she was mesmerized by it!  :)

This afternoon we went for a walk with another family - they needed a camera battery charger, and we all needed to go to the grocery store (again) for more water.  I carried Mei in the front pack.  At first she seemed pretty concerned about it and wouldn't move at all, but by the end of the trip, she was reaching out to try to touch things on the shelves.  She almost grabbed a bottle of green tea off the shelf, and when noticed what was happening, she gave me the biggest grin!

She is SO very close to walking on her own.  I'm fairly certain she could have done it long ago if she would have had the opportunity to practice and strengthen her little legs.  They are just so wobbly and get tired so fast.  But her balance is really good, and she is comfortable walking while holding on with one hand.  We're trying to get lots of "walking practice" in to strengthen her little legs.

We had our official adoption paperwork this morning at the Civil Affairs Office, and the staff member from the orphanage who was carrying Mei when she came to us was there at the "paperwork party" this morning.  Sally, our guide/translator, told us at lunch that the staff member had said how happy she was to see the babies with families instead of in the orphanage.  She told us the staff member said they were so lucky to be with a mama and daddy who will hold them all the time instead of just being in their cribs.  It makes me sad to think that Mei probably spent the first 2.5 years of her life primarily in a crib, but it made my heart glad to know that the orphanage rejoices with us in her adoption.  I just didn't really know how they felt about it.  Most Chinese people seem to regard us as an oddity, and don't understand why we would adopt a Chinese baby.

I know this post has been all over the place, but my time is limited and my brain is scattered!  I hope to be able to post again soon.  :) 

Wednesday, March 5

Wednesday, March 5

This has been a tough day all around.  Just before lunch, Adam and I had to say goodbye to our boys, which just about broke my heart.  I know they are in REALLY good hands, but I still miss them terribly.

My Dad drove us over to Seattle to catch our flight.  Our plane wasn't scheduled to leave until6:30pm, but we wanted to be there early.  We arrived over three hours early, and had lots of extra time at the gate, etc.  We boarded the plane as scheduled, but when it became departure time, they made an announcement that there was a "minor mechanical problem," and they were assessing what was causing it.

Later (maybe 30 or 45 minutes later) they came over the speaker again and said they figured out what it was and were trying to figure out how to fix it and they'd let us know.  Another 30-45 minutes passed...Adam and I played the card game "King's Corners" on the little tray table to pass the time.  Then the captain said they had figured out what was wrong, but it would take several hours to fix.  Nice.  The flight crew can't fly if too many hours have passed - there are strict rules about making sure they rest at certain intervals, so that was that.

So we de-planed and waited around while the airline tried to get everyone squared away with hotel rooms etc.  (This was an international flight, so it was a BIG plane.)  We finally got our hotel voucher, went down and collected our checked luggage (it was all there - SO thankful!), and took a shuttle to our hotel.  Coincidentally, this is the same hotel we stayed in for a night last August when Drake and Adam went to the Seahawks/Broncos preseason game!  It was even the same shuttle driver and same check-in clerk.  :)

We got into our room about 10pm, called our travel agent from the hotel room phone long distance, and then also called my parents to let them know what was going on - wanted to make sure someone "real" knew about the issue and could be a point of contact if anyone was wondering.  Then we decided to walk to a nearby convenience store in the pouring rain to get something to eat.  Our flight was supposed to serve dinner, but of course we didn't end up getting any...so we were pretty hungry!  We ate our convenience store deli sandwiches and watched basketball on TV while we ate, and then I came down to the lobby to email our WACAP caseworker with the update, and figured I'd update the blog as well, via email to my sister, who has graciously agreed to post for me when I email her with updates.

We made some new friends on the flight though - another family we will be traveling with (who I've been in touch with over Facebook) has an aunt and uncle who are joining them to help take care of their older children while they are in the process of adopting their new little sweetie.  Anyway, the aunt and uncle were on our same flight, and they are SO kind!  They fly frequently, and helped us figure out some things with reusing our boarding passes for tomorrow, and etc.  They made sure we were set up with a hotel, that we knew how to get on a hotel shuttle at the airport, and gave us big hugs before we parted.  Really nice folks!

While today has not exactly turned out as planned, we know God has His hand on this journey, and that things will work out exactly as He wills.  We're thankful that the plane didn't take off with mechanical problems, and we're thankful that the only negative repercussions of this delay for us will be missing the first sightseeing day in Beijing (and it ISN'T the Great Wall - that is scheduled for Saturday, so we should still be able to see it).  Overall, thanking the Lord that He is in control, and looking forward to leaving for China in the morning!

Packed

This has been like packing for three trips at the same time!  Everything Drake and Levi will need for over two weeks at Grandpa and Grandma's house (including homeschool), and stuff for Adam and me plus M in two different climates!  That includes tons of prescription and OTC meds, baby supplies, snacks for Adam and me, gifts for various officials, and a bunch of incredibly important paperwork, in addition to more common items like clothing. We are keeping the suitcases under 44 lbs each, because that is the weight restriction while taking domestic flights within China, even though international flights allow checked luggage to weigh up to 50 lbs.

Explosion in M's room on Saturday!

Adam packing

A very concerned kitty who recognizes when something is amiss!

This is MOST of the stuff we're taking!

The weather is not looking good. Praying to cross the passes not too far behind the snowplows when we head over to Washington tomorrow (Monday). 

Itinerary

3/5 - Depart Seattle (evening)

3/6 - Arrive Beijing (late evening)

3/7 & 3/8 - Sightseeing in Beijing (and getting over jetlag!)

3/8 - Fly from Beijing to Lanzhou (evening). Lanzhou is the capital of M's province, Gansu, where the formal adoption takes place and where we must apply for - and wait for - her Chinese passport.

3/9 - Meet and take custody of M at our hotel!  (afternoon)

3/10 - Go to Civil Affairs office to begin adoption process (adoption registration, adoption certificate, notary).  Apply for M's passport.

3/11 - Adoption paperwork process continued

3/12 & 3/13 - Sightseeing in Lanzhou (waiting for M's passport)

3/14 - Receive passport and fly to Guangzhou in Guangdong province (where M will receive the US visa for her passport!)

3/15 - M's visa medical examination including TB test

3/16 - sightseeing in Guangzhou

3/17 - Pick up M's medical report and prepare documents for visa interview

3/18 - Visa interview and oath ceremony at the US Consulate (morning)

3/19 - Pick up M's visa (afternoon).  Take train to Hong Kong (evening).

3/20 - Depart Hong Kong for Seattle (early morning).  Arrive Seattle (early morning).

The funny part is, we are scheduled to arrive in Seattle before we leave Hong Kong, by about ten minutes.  Funny how time zones work!

Starting to pack

At least the stuff for M!

More of the story...

While helping Drake prepare today for his part in our "wild game feed" fundraiser that's coming up this weekend (he's doing a short oral presentation on M's city and province), I came across this blog post - wow!  So glad I found it.  This fills in some of the missing pieces in my mind about how WACAP came to be in partnership with M's orphanage, and also some more info about the orphanage in general.

The woman who wrote this blog post is also our travel agent for our trip to China; I spoke with her on the phone the other day!  It's a small world.  I'm finding that out more and more, especially in the international adoption realm.

Hope you enjoy this post like I did!

Sophie Visits Pingliang Children's Welfare Institute

Moving right along!

On Wednesday the 12th, we got "soft" travel approval (meaning we showed up in the CCCWA system as having received travel approval), "hard" travel approval (meaning the actual travel approval document arrived in WACAP's mailbox) and got our consulate appointment booked!  All in one day!  (It just doesn't usually happen that way.)  We got our first choice for consulate appointment - March 18th.  That date is what the trip to China is based around, so we were then able to purchase our international flights and schedule our in-country itinerary by Friday, the 14th.  Happy Valentine's Day to us!  ;)

We will be driving to Washington and then flying out of Seattle for China the evening of March 5th.  We'll take custody of M on March 9th.  There are many other steps involved in completing her adoption and making it possible for her to travel to the US that we will complete that week and the next, and then we'll fly back into Seattle on March 20th.  Whew!  Can't believe this is coming up so quickly.  And yet, at the same time, we long to get our little girl in our arms even sooner.

It's "real," folks!

Paper pregnancy

(I wrote this post a little while back, but hadn't "published" it yet.  Figured this might be the time since WE JUST GOT TRAVEL APPROVAL TODAY!!!)

Every once in a while, I'm going about my day and suddenly it hits me.  In about a month - possibly less than that - we'll have our baby!  It doesn't seem real that it's getting so close after all these many months of waiting to meet her!  But while it shocks me that it's coming so soon, it sometimes feels like I can't wait another day.  I have to say, I'm a far more patient person than I used to be, but it's still not my strong suit.  And of course, the nearer an anticipated event comes, the harder it is to wait for it.

Having experienced several pregnancies - two with happy endings - I can't help but notice the differences and similarities.  There is no physical evidence of this paper pregnancy, no morning sickness, heartburn, swollen ankles, difficulty breathing, or waking up three times a night to use the bathroom.  No squirming little body tightly squished inside, reminding me of what is just around the corner.  No Braxton-Hicks contractions when I climb the stairs too fast.  No doctor's visits.  No waddle.  No practicing for labor.  No birth plan.  No one saying, "When is that baby due?  Haven't you had that baby yet?"

This little person was conceived in our hearts on March 26, 2012. We didn't know anything about her yet, only that she was coming.

Morning sickness this time around was all the trouble we had in the beginning - switching homestudy agencies when we'd just started to get off the ground, and the 48 typed pages I churned out in the form of an autobiography, Parenting Resource Plan, and other documents once we finally got it going.  It was all the forms we filled out, the doctor's appointments, specialist appointments, the psychological evaluation, the social worker visits, and so many trips to the notary public on base that she started to remember us.

Heartburn was the additional three months that were added when we switched country programs within our agency - waiting and frustration.  No matter how many Tums I took, the additional homestudy requirements just wouldn't go away.

Once our dossier was almost done, we had breathing difficulty every time the phone rang and caller ID said "WACAP."  Is this a referral?  Is it going to be the one?  Excitement and dread at the same time.  Yes, dread - if you've ever had to turn down a referral, you reallyreallyreally don't want to do it again.

Instead of doctor's visits, we get regular calls and emails from our caseworker, checking in with us and informing us of progress.  Instead of practicing breathing for labor, we are fighting the military to allow Adam to travel.

There really is no waddle.  (Unless maybe you count the weight we gained between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year - gone now, thankfully.)

Soon we'll make a birth plan, called our travel itinerary.

And while I don't wake up three times a night to use the bathroom, I am finding it harder and harder to sleep these days.

And people say, "When are you traveling?  Any more news?  When are you going to get her?"


So here's what I know.

• Adoption is different than pregnancy, but oh so much the same.  Certainly not easier.
• I'm now convinced that "nesting" is psychological, not biological.
• I treasure the pictures of M from her orphanage the way I treasured my boys' ultrasound pictures...just a glimpse at the real little person who is becoming part of our family.
• Biological or adopted, all three are "our own."

Article 5 delivered and "received"

This is hopefully going to be one of the last few "technical" blog posts about the adoption process itself.  We are getting so close to the end!

Last Thursday (Feb. 6), I got an email from our WACAP caseworker saying our Article 5 had been delivered to the CCCWA!  A day or two earlier than expected, so that was really nice.  Then yesterday she said our status had changed to "Article 5 received" on the CCCWA website.  This means they have updated us into the system, so things are moving along as they should be.  It also indicates to people who see a lot of these and follow the trends (like our caseworker) that in approximately one week, it should change to "Travel Notice Approved!"  Approximately 0-4 days after that, we can expect to receive our Travel Notice!  (The "0" days is because they occasionally receive the Travel Notice document in the mail within a few hours of the website update.)  Of course, times can vary; this is our caseworker's estimate based on the recent trends she has been seeing.

"Lucky baby"

I've been caught off guard by all the gushing comments we've been hearing lately about how "lucky" or "blessed" M is that we are doing this "great thing" by adopting her.  When I think about it, I really shouldn't be so surprised, because I do look at adoption in general as a blessing for all involved (otherwise we wouldn't be adopting).  But when these kinds of comments are actually said to me, it doesn't sit right.  I want to respond, "But...you're missing something..."

I know in my heart that M will not feel "blessed" for a long time.  She will not think she's "lucky" when we show up on the scene to "rescue" her.  She will not think that this adoption (kidnapping in her view) is a "great thing" at all.  From her perspective, her life is fine just the way it is, and we're about to come and turn it upside down.  While we've been preparing and anticipating for close to two years now, she has just been living her life.  She doesn't know that one day soon, some strange-looking, strange-talking, strange-smelling people are going to come and rip her away from the only home she knows.

Our little girl has already lost her birth mother, a loss I absolutely cannot fathom, as I know the fierce and desperate love a newborn has for his or her mother.  I'm sure she grieved that loss deeply in her own newborn way.  Has her heart learned to be suspicious?  Does she cling a little tighter (or hold a little looser), fearing another tearing away of the ones who have stepped in to fill that mama-void?  I ache for this little person who has already experienced deeper loss than most of us ever will.  And Adam and I are about to compound that loss.  While we can see beyond the immediate future and understand that this adoption is ultimately in M's best interest, we do well not to forget the pain we will be inflicting upon her as we bring her into our family (and away from from everything she knows and loves).

I have been mulling these thoughts over for quite some time, and just today I came upon this story...

From A 4Ever Family website, called "A Different Perspective."

Immense Loss; Walk a Mile in Baby’s Booties Imagine for a moment… You have met the person you've dreamed about all your life. He has every quality that you desire in a spouse. You plan for the wedding, enjoying every free moment with your fiancée. You love his touch, his smell, the way he looks into your eyes. For the first time in your life, you understand what is meant by "soul mate," for this person understands you in a way that no one else does. Your heart beats in rhythm with his. Your emotions are intimately tied to his every joy, his every sorrow. The wedding comes. It is a happy celebration, but the best part is that you are finally the wife of this wonderful man. You fall asleep that night, exhausted from the day's events, but relaxed and joyful in the knowledge that you are next to the person who loves you more than anyone in the world…the person who will be with you for the rest of your life. The next morning you wake up, nestled in your partner's arms. You open your eyes and immediately look for his face. But IT'S NOT HIM! You are in the arms of another man. You recoil in horror. Who is this man? Where is your beloved? You ask questions of the new man, but it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't understand you. You search every room in the house, calling and calling for your husband. The new guy follows you around, trying to hug you, pat you on the back,...even trying to stroke your arm, acting like everything is okay. But you know that nothing is okay. Your beloved is gone. Where is he? Will he return? When? What has happened to him? Weeks pass. You cry and cry over the loss of your beloved. Sometimes you ache silently, in shock over what has happened. The new guy tries to comfort you. You appreciate his attempts, but he doesn't speak your language-either verbally or emotionally. He doesn't seem to realize the terrible thing that has happened...that your sweetheart is gone. You find it difficult to sleep. The new guy tries to comfort you at bedtime with soft words and gentle touches, but you avoid him, preferring to sleep alone, away from him and any intimate words or contact. Months later, you still ache for your beloved, but gradually you are learning to trust this new guy. He's finally learned that you like your coffee black, not doctored up with cream and sugar. Although you still don't understand his bedtime songs, you like the lilt of his voice and take some comfort in it. More time passes. One morning, you wake up to find a full suitcase sitting next to the front door. You try to ask him about it, but he just takes you by the hand and leads you to the car. You drive and drive and drive. Nothing is familiar. Where are you? Where is he taking you? You pull up to a large building. He leads you to an elevator and up to a room filled with people. Many are crying. Some are ecstatic with joy. You are confused. And worried. The man leads you over to the corner. Another man opens his arms and sweeps you up in an embrace. He rubs your back and kisses your cheeks, obviously thrilled to see you. You are anything but thrilled to see him. Who in the world is he? Where is your beloved? You reach for the man who brought you, but he just smiles (although he seems to be tearing up, which concerns you), pats you on the back, and puts your hand in the hands of the new guy. The new guy picks up your suitcase and leads you to the door. The familiar face starts openly crying, waving and waving as the elevator doors close on you and the new guy. The new guy drives you to an airport and you follow him, not knowing what else to do. Sometimes you cry, but then the new guy tries to make you smile, so you grin back, wanting to "get along." You board a plane. The flight is long. You sleep a lot, wanting to mentally escape from the situation. Hours later, the plane touches down. The new guy is very excited and leads you into the airport where dozens of people are there to greet you. Light bulbs flash as your photo is taken again and again. The new guy takes you to another guy who hugs you. Who is this one? You smile at him. Then you are taken to another man who pats your back and kisses your cheek. Then yet another fellow gives you a big hug and messes your hair. Finally, someone (which guy is this?) pulls you into his arms with the biggest hug you've ever had. He kisses you all over your cheeks and croons to you in some language you've never heard before. He leads you to a car and drives you to another location. Everything here looks different. The climate is not what you're used to. The smells are strange. Nothing tastes familiar, except for the black coffee. You wonder if someone told him that you like your coffee black. You find it nearly impossible to sleep. Sometimes you lie in bed for hours, staring into the blackness, furious with your husband for leaving you, yet aching from the loss. The new guy checks on you. He seems concerned and tries to comfort you with soft words and a mug of warm milk. You turn away, pretending to go to sleep. People come to the house. You can feel the anxiety start to bubble over as you look into the faces of all the new people. You tightly grasp the new guy's hand. He pulls you closer. People smile and nudge one other, marveling at how quickly you've fallen in love. Strangers reach for you, wanting to be a part of the happiness. Each time a man hugs you, you wonder if he will be the one to take you away. Just in case, you keep your suitcase packed and ready. Although the man at this house is nice and you're hanging on for dear life, you've learned from experience that men come and go, so you just wait in expectation for the next one to come along. Each morning, the new guy hands you a cup of coffee and looks at you expectantly. A couple of times the pain and anger for your husband is so great that you lash out, sending hot coffee across the room, causing the new guy to yelp in pain. He just looks at you, bewildered. But most of the time you calmly take the cup. You give him a smile. And wait. And wait. And wait. --Written by Cynthia Hockman-Chupp, analogy courtesy of Dr. Kali Miller

A delay

Well, we were hoping Chinese New Year might not affect us too much, but it did.  Chinese New Year is today, January 31, and it's the biggest holiday of the year in China.  Everything shuts down for a week - businesses, government offices, etc.  So if you remember from the last adoption post, we had Article 5 pickup scheduled for January 27, which was this past Monday.

What is supposed to happen on pickup day is the the courier picks up the Art. 5 from the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou and express mails it to the CCCWA (China Centre for Children's Welfare and Adoption) in Beijing, and then the 1-3 week wait for Travel Approval begins.  Well, what happened with our Article 5 pickup was this...the courier picked it up on the 27th as planned (that was Monday of this week), but the mail system in China had shut down early for Chinese New Year.  So....our Article 5 just sits on the courier's desk until next Friday, February 7, when it can be express mailed to Beijing.  It's sort of like our Art. 5 pickup hasn't even happened yet.  It's frustrating that we are losing almost two weeks when the government offices only take one week off.  But we lean on God and His perfect timing, and we know He will work things out the way they are supposed to be!

In happier news, we received our second update on M on Monday as well!  (Some good news to go along with the bad that day.)  We got seven new pictures of our little sweetie, and have enjoyed studying them and getting used to her older-looking little toddler face!  On a humorous note, we have marveled at her absolutely terrible new haircut.  ;)  Orphanages tend to keep the babies' and little kids' hair very short or shaved, likely to keep the risk of headlice and contagious skin diseases to a minimum.  So M has always had short hair in the pictures we've seen of her.  But in these pics, she has a freshly-buzzed haircut with a round circle of longer hair in the front - sort of an attempt at bangs, it looks like.  She's truly adorable, but the poor thing has a pretty bad haircut!

In the update we learned that, well, we feel even more of a sense of urgency to get her out of there.  Her head circumference has not increased since October (not good, as it was too small to start with) and she's only gained a pound.  Our almost 2-1/2-year-old weighs a whopping 16.5 pounds.  It's so hard to be stuck here knowing that she needs more food and we can't give it to her yet!  We ask your prayers for her health and nutrition, and protection for her brain from permanent damage due to malnutrition...and also for speedy processing of paperwork.  We'd love to travel at the beginning of March.  We trust the Lord for His protection for M and His will for the timing of this entire process!

A moms' night out!

Tonight was a sweet and refreshing night of fellowship for me. A friend of mine had a bunch of us ladies over for some nail painting and Valentine card making!  I made cards for the three men in my life and painted my nails bright pink with little flower decals. :)

It was wonderful to take some time away from my regular routines and enjoy fellowship with these dear sisters in Christ!

Oooh, snazzy!  :)

Tonight I'm grateful for friendship and fellowship. 

Visa applications sent!

Well, after much agonizing over which visa courier/consulate to use, we finally made a decision, and got our applications out today, Express Mail.  They should arrive at the courier tomorrow, and be taken to the Chicago Chinese Consulate on Monday (or maybe Tuesday, since Monday is MLK Day?  Not sure if the consulate is open or not).  Unfortunately, this courier doesn't go to the consulate on Fridays - so it would have been really smart to get this in the mail yesterday, so it would get taken to the consulate on Thursday (tomorrow), but alas, it didn't happen.

If you've ever got a visa before, then you know this already...but we had to send our passports in that Express Mail envelope, and it was a little nerve-wracking to do that!  Losing our passports at this point would be...well...very, very bad.  But I guess that's the point of Express Mail - quick, trackable, and supposedly very safe!

I'm glad that's done.  There were a lot of very specific instructions for how to fill out the application and what to enclose with it, so now we can concentrate on other things.  :)

Adoption progress

Here are some snippets of an email we received recently from our caseworker at WACAP.  I really don't think I can paraphrase any more clearly than the way she explained it, so I'll just copy and paste her words here (words in brackets are mine): 

"We received confirmation from our representative in Guangzhou [the city in China which houses the US Consulate that handles international adoptions from their end] that your DS-260 [M's US visa application] confirmation page, copy of the NVC [National Visa Center - US] letter, agency version of the Letter Seeking Confirmation and all other required supporting documents were submitted to the U.S. Consulate today! The scheduled pick-up date of the Article 5 Letter is January 27 and I will confirm once this step has been completed.

"The Article 5 Letter is basically a written approval or verification that the receiving country (U.S.) is approving your family for adoption and that the child you adopt will be allowed to enter the U.S. and become part of your family! The CCCWA cannot issue your Travel Notice until they have received this document, both the agency and family version of the Letter Seeking Confirmation and signed Rehabilitation and Nurture Plan. From the Article 5 pickup date, families have been receiving their Travel Notice around 1-3 weeks later."

This part of the process really does seem more complicated and "fuzzy" than the rest of it has, mainly because there are quite a few small things happening at the same time, where before, it was just one BIG thing at a time.

(By the way, I'm not sure what is causing the white lines behind the text in this post!  Maybe it's because part of the text was copied and pasted?  Hmmm...)

Care package & Provisional Approval Notice

"Provisional Approval Notice" is most recent document we've received in regards to our I-800.  The document's title is I-797, Notice of Action.  Adam and I are now in the process of applying for our own visas for our trip to China, too.  Things are moving along!  :)

We're also preparing a care package to send to M in her orphanage in the near future (hopefully by the end of the week).  We were advised to keep the package small and light, and only include a couple of special things.  It was also suggested to have duplicates of the items when we travel, in the case that she actually has become attached to them (or one of them) and they are somehow left behind in the orphanage, which can happen.  They must also be marked with her full name in Chinese characters.

We chose a small doll/blanket (x2) and I am in the process of embroidering her name (in characters!) on the edge of the blanket part.  We also created a small photo album (x2) of our immediate family with family names (also in characters), so she can perhaps have at least seen pictures of us before we arrive.  It has been fun to put these things together for her!  (The front cover of the book has M's name and photo on it, so I opened it to the first inside page for this pic.)