Officially waiting!

This has been a big week in our adoption process! We finished all our paperwork about 10 days ago. We submitted it to our agency last Tuesday, who then sent it on to China Friday. We were told it would take about 2-6 weeks to review. I just got an email that the waiting child organization already reviewed our file and today is our Log in Date! I can't believe it went so fast! So now we wait. 

   It's been reassuring after working on this for so long that it's now out of our hands, only in God's hands. So what does this mean? That now we are eligible for a referral (match to a child) at any time. The Chinese waiting child organization usually has a few different match days depending on the region of the country they are looking at.  So it could be as early as next week! We would love your prayers as God guides our child to our family in the coming weeks and months.

A little help from my friends

Anyone who has been through an adoption can tell you it is a long process and you most certainly can't do it alone.  We knew this going in, and expected red tape, meeting individuals along the way that were not so eager to help. We are so blessed that this has not been the case. We received our immigration approval this week! The last official paper to add to all of the other papers we've gathered over the last 5 months. Today I went to the OK Capitol to have all of these documents authenticated by the Secretary of State. It's been a while since I've been there and there were no field trips going on so it felt like I was the only one there and I just got to enjoy and reflect. 

Even in a big government agency, everyone was so friendly and wonderful to work with, from the security guard to the secretary, to the custodian in the hall. I have truly felt God with us in every step. Next all of our paperwork has to go to the chinese consulate in Houston. Then hopefully by the month we will be Dossier to China!

Love to China

My oldest and I have a game. It usually starts off "mommy, I love you all the way to the clouds." Then I return with "I love you all the way to the stars!" This can go back and forth for a while. Since we've told her about her upcoming brother or sister, she always inserts in the conversation, "I love you all the way to China mommy." I love how early on China has been a part of her little heart. She started asking about China even before we told her we were thinking about adopting. God has been preparing all of us, she just has the faith to act more than her parents sometimes.

We received our final home study this week. Next week we'll send that off to immigration and wait a couple of months before their approval. Thank you for your prayers.

Some days I'm holding my two little girls, reading books with them and it just hits me. I have another child. Halfway around the world. And they are likely in a room full of metal cribs, with no one to snuggle with when they're having a rough day, rock them to sleep, or wipe their tears.  And I just feel so helpless. I pray for my child every day.  I  can't wait to hold them, sing to them, comfort them. I can't wait to be a family..

Home study and a weekend away

We finished our home study last week! Our social worker was wonderful, and really made the home study pretty easy. Just a couple visits in our home and we should hopefully have the completed study by December!
Also, I was so blessed to get to spend a weekend visiting my sister in NYC this weekend. It's been far too long since I've seen her and it was nice to have some time just the two of us.  It's a great place to visit during the fall, all the beautiful trees and seeing the city gear up for Christmas.

4 year old reflections

I talked to our 4 year old, Anna, about adoption today.  We start our home study this week so I wanted her to be prepared.  We have always talked about having more brothers and sisters, but I tried to introduce the idea of adoption to her today. After my husband came home I asked her to tell him about adoption to see how much she understood.

"Anna, what's adoption?"

"It's when a baby doesn't have a family and needs a family to love them!"

(Thinking I did a pretty good job)

"And if we forget and leave Nora at home she'll need a family too!"

Well, we'll get it eventually.  

Getting Started

1 John 4:19.  We love because He first loved us.

This has been the verse that my husband and I have focused our lives on.  God's love is so amazing.  So we love.  Our spouses.  Our children.  Our friends.  And those that we find hardest to love.  Who do nothing to deserve our love.  Because we have done nothing to deserve His.
It is focusing on that verse that as a family, we have decided to adopt.  We are adopting from China's waiting child program.  Here we will share this journey.  We covet your prayers, your encouragement, your love.