When you wish.....

We are almost to the half-way mark with Anna Grace's quilt. The fabrics and wishes that have come in are just beautiful and have truly touched our hearts.

THANK YOU to all of you that have participated thus far in such a beautiful keepsake for our baby girl.

If you need a smile today, head on over to the 100 GW Quilt page and see for yourself.

I can't wait to sit with Anna Grace and go over her wish album and snuggle her in the quilt that was created with so much love, by so many.

LUCKY NUMBER 13

Yes, folks! There you have it. What an amazing couple of days we've had. I, again, give God the glory and honor for these blessings, because I know that ALL good things come from Him.

Let me start off with our LID! Can you believe it? February 13! We were DTC on February 6, therefore, only SEVEN days from DTC to LID. I could not have asked for more.

Yesterday, as I was making the boys' lunch I thought that maybe we'd get the LID call then....but I shrugged it off thinking it's so improbable. Well, at 3:45 p.m., the phone rang. I didn't make it in time, but saw on the caller ID that it was our agency calling. Woohooo! I knew the only reason they'd be calling was to give us an LID. I was so very happy to hear the news. So, today, we are on day 14 of the wait. I am praying hard that we receive TA on or before the average 90 day wait. God has been so clear in everything leading us to Anna Grace, and I know that His timing is perfect, so I will leave it up to Him, especially since He's the one paying for this adoption because we are still short in travel funds. But, I am so very much at peace that He will provide. He did with the boys and I know He will with Anna Grace, again, for His glory. Anna Grace, we're counting down the days now, baby girl! I love you so very much. Hang in there just a little longer.

On to Amanda's accomplishments. Remember I had posted earlier about her being invited by Duke University to take her SAT test? Well, she only slightly prepared for the test (after much nagging on my part) and when test day came, she was pretty upset because she said it was incredibly hard and she felt she did terribly. She estimated probably scoring a total of 500 points.

Yesterday, shortly before I got the LID call, I went to get the mail and Amanda's SAT scores were back. She wasn't home from school yet so I was thinking about how I could still be encouraging to her to continue on the path of her studies, while breaking the news to her that her test scores were pretty bad. I sat down on the couch and slowly peeled open the envelope! I couldn't believe it! SHE DID AWESOME!!!!! Her strengths are definitely reading and writing, but her math was quite good also. She scored a 1300 on her SATs. I am so very proud of her! Considering the fact that the test included calculus & geometry, which she has not taken yet, I couldn't ask for more. She came home a little while later, and couldn't believe the scores. The glow on her face made my night. I know quite a few high school students who have scored much lower. And the fact that she is only 12 years old and in 7th grade, makes in all the more amazing. We are so very blessed with all of our children! Every single one of them is different from the other, yet they all have a unique characteristic that makes them so very special. I am honored to call them my own!

Come & Get Your Smiles!

In the past I've been asked for links to previous videos I've made of the kids. Some of them I have on YouTube, others I have on my computer, and yet others are only on DVDs now. So, I thought I would add a VIDEO SECTION to the column on the right with some of the videos that I've made about kids since they've been home. I am presently working on a special video of AJ's birth and first year, since my little miracle baby will be turning 1 in 3 weeks.....::GASP::

When I finish a video, I will add it to the section. In the meantime, feel free to browse through the ones that are there.

BUT...can I recommend this one to start? I was browsing through these videos and this was the very first one I made. It's our beautiful, Amanda. I sat here tonight watching it with tears just flowing. My baby girl has grown up so very fast. I love this child with an indescribable love. She makes me so very proud. I love seeing her love for her brothers and the way they love her. I am so ever grateful to our Lord and Savior for allowing me the honor to be Amanda's Mom. I ask that he always protect her and that she always know that He is our reason for everything. When things go wrong, He will be there...right by her side. When things are great, it is because of Him. Amanda, that is my deepest desire for you, baby girl. That you always lean on Jesus for everything. I love you with all my heart.

Enjoy the videos everyone!

Oh Happy Days!!!

I can't believe that a year ago today we received the news that TA (travel approval) had come in for Kai. I remember being at my wits end with the wait, and then everything suddenly went into overdrive.

We had been skipped over for PA since we were already logged in going down the non-special needs path, therefore, I hadn't been able to share pictures of our sweet boy. That day, I was able to show the world why my heart had been soaring, not to mention the fact that China said..."Come get your son!!!!" Below is my journal entry, on Formed By Love, for that wonderful day, February 24, 2006.

2/24/06

WE GOT IT! WE GOT! ******** TA TA TA TA TA ***********

I am trying so hard to stop shaking and crying enough to type these words!!! We got the call today...at 12:21 PM that we had received our TA. I am still in a state of shock and BEYOND thrilled that we will be leaving to China in 32 days!! We are awaiting the confirmation date of our Consulate appt. which we requested for April 10th or 11th....that would be our last day in China, and we'd be home for Easter! Can you imagine?

I absolutely LOVE Holy week! It is a week that fills me so much as we go through the last few days of our Lord's passion and then enter into the celebration of new life, His resurrection! I could not have chosen a better week to bring that baby home!! Oh my gosh, I am so excited! It's going to happen.....this was it. This was the last step! WE DID IT!!!!! THANK YOU, JESUS!!!!!!

And again, thank you to Harrah's AIM for their unconditional support and kindness in assisting us with the journey to our son. Thank you to CCAA for trusting that without a doubt, Adrian Wen Kai will be loved as if we were our biological child. Actually, probably more ::wink:: since I've carried him for 29 months (in my heart)!!!! And last but not least, thank you so much to the amazing adoption community and family that has rallied around us with their constant support, comfort and prayers! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

And to our beautiful little boy.....Mommy just cannot wait to see you, smell you, hold you, kiss you! I promise with every fiber of my being that I will love you to no end as long as I live. Whew....the tears are seeping into my keyboard! LOL!

And now, I can officially post Kai's pictures on line. I asked about getting updated pictures, but they've been requested twice and have not been sent by CCAA. So, I am hoping I recognize this little guy. These pictures were taken prior to his lip surgery. The first at about 4 months old (with the red shirt) and the others at about 7 months old! I am soooo in love with this baby! He's gonna wonder who the hec this crazy woman is that won't stop squeezing him!

So, without further ado ...we proudly present our son:

ADRIAN WEN KAI BOMBARDIER

I know many of you walked this journey a year ago with us, and you are still here. Thank you!! After so long, I really have pretty much the same words. Your love, support and prayers in bringing home all 3 of our children is something that we could not ever repay. Many of you were there when I thought it would never happen, yet you lifted me up and kept me going. And to have received that travel approval was like taking a load of bricks off my shoulders. It was true! We were blessed with a precious son....shortly afterwards, another adorable son....and now a beautiful daughter. God is sooooooooooooo darn good!!!!!

SPECIAL REQUEST: On a final note, if I can ask you to please sign into Anna Grace's guestbook. This morning, I was going over the beautiful messages left for Kai & AJ, and it just filled my heart with the love that you have all shared with our family. I can't wait until they are old enough to see how much love, from all over the world, they received as we waited for them. I'd love for Anna Grace to have those same feeling. You can log into our guestbook for Anna Grace here. And if you didn't get a chance to leave Kai & AJ a message on their guestbook (which I printed out and have in albums for them, as I will do for Anna Grace), you can leave them a message here. Thank you and God always bless you abundantly!

Cruel And Biased Unprofessionalism

Those are my feelings for the journalist, Mr. Jim Dossett, who expressed his rather lame views on the changes going on in China and the adoption community. He was blatantly ignorant towards the feelings of our children in his article in the LaFollette Press.

For those that have no idea what I am speaking of, here is Mr. Dossett's article, followed by my email to the publisher of the paper, then followed by her response, which at best, makes me a bit relieved that they have been made aware by many, of the damage they have done. I appreciate their correcting their mistakes, if at best because it was the "politically correct" thing to do. Thank you, Ms. Hudson for your efforts.

***************************

The article:

BIG BABY GIRL SALE - ONLY $17,000! - Jim Dossett

The Chinese have given us many things; gunpowder, spaghetti, woks, Jackie Chan. Oh yes, they've also been delighted to give us their discarded children. Actually, they're delighted to sell us their kids. And government officials have laid down new ground rules for foreigners who want to adopt children from China's overflowing orphanages. Prospective adoptive parents must not be obese; no more than 50 years old; must not take antidepressants; must not have severe facial deformities. So the bottom line is, if you take up two seats on a plane, are a member of AARP, take Prozac, or resemble the Elephant Man - No Chinese kids for you!

Mind you, these edicts are issued by a culture where parents traditionally leave female babies at orphanages or by the roadside because they wanted a son, or because the government allows them only one child. Ninety-five percent of the children available for adoption are girls. I'm amazed that one of the world's oldest civilizations, dating back to more than six millennnia, still doesn't realize that women are the best of us all. I doubt whether many Campbell Countians would be eligible to adopt a Chinese baby - not because we're fat, old, or grotesquely deformed - but because it costs more to buy a child in China than many of us make in a year. According to Chinese baby brokers, the estimated total cost of a no- frills adoption, not including travel, is about $12,000. The estimated total cost plus travel for two is $17,120.00 - such a deal. "End of Year Sale! Get your certified, pre-owned girl child for the amazing price of $17,120! She's a beauty despite a few minor scratches and dents, but comes with a manufacturer's warranty - no surprises under the hood or the diaper!"

Once the bucks are shelled out for the kiddie commodity, who knows where the money ends up. Maybe some of the cash trickles into the new charity created by the China Center for Adoption Affairs. This burgeoning group of capitalists is hopeful the charity will improve conditions in orphanages and "keep infants and young children alive and well enough to be adopted." It makes you wonder about the fate of toddlers who are not well. Despite the high costs and stringent rules issued by the baby dealers, childless couples from the U.S. and around the world still flock to China in hopes of bringing baby home. God bless you decent souls. Stick religiously to your pretrip diets of carrot sticks and cottage cheese and look forward to the fat and happy times you'll have raising your baby girl!

*****************************

My response:

Dear Ms. Hudson,

As a mother of one child from the People's Republic of China, and in the process of being blessed by another, I am apalled at the fact that you would allow such "journalism" in your paper. There is no humor found in Mr. Dossett's writing. Whether intended to make light of a very serious issue going on with changes in the adoption process in China now, or whether it is just plain ignorance, it is reprehensible! Many families are devastated by these changes and this may have been their only opportunity to be blessed with a child through the miracle of adoption.

These are children he (Jim Dossett) speaks of. These children will grow up already having a difficult adjustment to make in not knowing anything about their past, and now they have to deal with such crude and demeaning remarks that furthers the lack of education and bigotry that many already hold towards these children.

I think it is only fair that you demand of Mr. Dossett, as a journalist in your paper, that he publicly apologize to the adoption community, and more specifically to the children, who he has dehumanized by his cruel use of words.

The China Center of Adoption Affairs goes through great lengths to make this process as smooth as possible. Adoptive parents fully educate themselves to deal with whatever challenges their children bring, the last thing we need is for our children to be dealt the "race card" in our country, the best country in world.

My child is a blessing to us and to everyone that meets him. I, again, demand that this story be re-written with an apology and an EDUCATED explanation of where the monies for these adoptions truly go to. You will find that most end up in the pockets of our own government.

It saddens me to think that one of our most privileged constitutional rights, Free Speech as defined by Mr. Dosset, has become an open door to racism, bias, and hatred towards innocent children.

Respectfully,

Ohilda B.
Florida

****************************

Ms. Hudson, the Publisher of LaFollette Press' response:

Ohilda,

Thank you for sharing your perspective as an adoptive mother.
Please allow me to share with you the apology that ran in the next issue following the publication of Jim Dossett's opinion piece.

An apology from Publisher Linn Hudson
Printed in the Feb. 22, 2007 issue

In the past week, the LaFollette Press has received numerous emails regarding Jim Dossett's opinion piece that appeared last week on the editorial page of our newspaper. I have offered my personal apology to those who have contacted us, and I now extend that apology to our full readership. I have spoken with Jim and he also apologizes.

Jim's comments were aimed at the Chinese government and its policies for adoptions. He did not intend to disparage adoptive children and their adoptive parents.

We have learned through this experience we must look at opinion pieces through the eyes of those being discussed. In this instance, we could and should have done a better job in that regard.

Jim himself was adopted as a child. Due to this experience, Jim respects and admires those who adopt on a local, national or international level.

The feedback we received is appreciated and will help us deal with sensitive topics in the future.
I have spoken with a local family who adopted a daughter from China. They are allowing us to feature their positive and uplifting story in an upcoming issue.

Either myself or the editor has read each email that we received and we will continue to do so. Please know we take this matter seriously.
--
Linn Hudson
LaFollette Press

GONG XI FA CAI (Happy New Year!)

IT IS THE YEAR OF THE PIG!

The Pig

1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

People born in the Year of the Pig are gallant and courageous. Whatever they do, they do their full strength. There is no quit in Boar People. They have tremendous resilience and extraordinary honesty. Boar People are extremely loyal so considerate an honor when they befriend you. They do not talk much but have a desire to learn and obtain knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes rashly. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.
The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.
The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

February 18, began this Chinese Lunar Calendar Year. Our family got together and celebrated with our local FCC group. Here are some pictures of our sweet boys, Kai and AJ, celebrating Kai's heritage.

Enjoy!

With their beloved Po-Po

Sooooo sweet with his panda bear, a gift from his SWI.

I love this boy to pieces!

This is my favorite picture! My little Emperor!

Our little miracle baby, all dressed up and ready to celebrate CNY!

Jack is back...and more!

Yes, my friends. My heart throb is back in my life. And Scott was the one to let 'em in! I got season three of 24 for Valentine's Day. So, my spare time, which is not much these days, is being spent holding my breath and sitting at the edge of my seat waiting to see if Jack puts that needle in his arm or gasping as Nina orders her "guys" to shoot him or even trying to guess ahead how he is going to get out of the mess he is in with the Colombian cartel. SIGH!

Anyways, so if I have not responded to your emails...again, I promise I will. I have a huge to-do list, including gathering paperwork for our tax return (YUCK!), pay bills (DOUBLE YUCK!), take a trip downtown with both the boys to visit the Immigration office to apply for Kai's passport (TRIPLE YUCK!) and it goes on and on. I have become a master at procrastinating, which I have never done in my life. And when I think that Anna Grace may be home in three and half to four months, I shudder at the thought how much I need to get done!

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Although we didn't go out, the boys fully cooperated by sleeping early (AND ALL NIGHT!!) and I made a fabulous candlelight dinner, thanks to my friends at Fresh Market. It was an awesome night with my sweetie.

Lastly, I wanted to share that I thought I would "test-drive" Kai for our being away from him for 3 nights in a couple of weeks. So, last night, I left he and AJ at my Mom's house. It went ...let's say, ok. He did call me and I kept telling him he will be staying with Po-Po. He went to bed early and all went well.

This morning, he awoke at my Mom's and his first words were "Mama?" over and over. My Mom grabbed the phone and had me speak to him and reassure him that I was still in his life and had not left him, but she said he seemed "confused". When she arrived with him at my house at about 10 am, he did not want to get out of the carseat. I finally got him out and he was quite serious with me. Scott walked up and he leaped towards Scott. Obviously, he was directing his frustration towards me, his main "caretaker". Something I was expecting and a very normal attachment reaction. We took it slow and about 3 hours later, he was back to himself, with much reassurance from me that "Mommy comes back"!

Later on in the day, we headed out to Best Buy to get a webcam for our 3 days away from him. I want to do everything possible for him to realize that Mommy will never, ever leave him. I wish there was someway this little guy could understand how crazy in love we are with him....I know, that someday he will, but it breaks my heart for him to even have a doubt.

GET OUTTA TOWN!!!!!!!

Yep! That's exactly what we're doing. I want to thank ALL of you that sent me emails and posted comments on where to go. I have made many notes and have added quite a few of those to my list of "must see places". Some I have always wanted to go to, such as Cape Cod. And others, I've never even heard of, such as Cape May, but are now on that must see list! You guys are amazing and your efforts in trying to help us find a place are so appreciated.

Below, I am listing all of the suggestions we received, in case anyone else is looking to visit somewhere. At the end of the post, I will disclose our final decision, which by the way, is booked already!!!! Here goes....

San Antonio, TX (Riverwalk) - 3 recommendations!

Newport, RI

Cape May, NJ

Spring Lake, NJ

Hilton Head, SC

Santa Fe, NM

Albuquerque, NM

Cumberland Island, GA

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Hershey, PA

Chicago, IL

Portland, ME (very inexpensive...but FREEZING!!)

Manhattan, NY

Charleston, SC

Las Vegas, NV ( I love gambling, so that would've cost us a bundle!)

Savannah, GA

Nantucket, MA

Boston, MA

Stowe, VT

Marco Island, FL

Captiva Island, FL

Key West, FL

Chalet Suzanne in Lake Wales, FL

Great Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN

Chattanooga, TN

Blueridge Mountains in Asheville, NC

After reviewing all of the above places, over and over, and taking into consideration travel time, money, where to stay and what to do, we are very excited to say that we are heading to the beautiful......

:: DRUM ROLL PLEASE ::

GREAT SMOKEY MOUTAINS

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

We're spending 3 wonderful days in the beautiful Smokey Mountains in a one bedroom condo at a beautiful resort. Our condo is equipped with one king size bed in the bedroom and one queen sleeper sofa in the living room, Kitchen with microwave, refrigerator, range, cookware. Private Balcony. Separate living area. In-room safe. DVD player, plasma TV, wood fireplace, jetted 2 person jacuzzi bathtub, and mountain views.

Doesn't that sound awesome? I am so excited! This is our first weekend away alone in almost 2 years. This trip was perfect. It was in our budget and everything we wanted it to have to make it a romantic weekend! (Floridians don't have "real" fireplaces, so that's a biggie!!) Not to mention that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Tennessee and the mountains!

Scott and I plan to of course go to the Smokey Mountains National Park, but we also want to explore Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Knoxville. We've got lots to squeeze in, in the couple of days we'll be there. But, we're very much looking forward to it.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for your suggestions. We had a lot of fun checking out all of those neat places you suggested. We would have probably ended up in New England somewhere had the temps not been down to 7 degrees with windchill when we were checking them out! heh.

Anne, thank you for the Gatlingburg suggestion, I know we'll love it!

Below are some pictures of condo we're staying at:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

To My Sweetheart,

I dedicated this song to you on Valentine's Day almost 10 years ago. You still are "all I need. My love. My Valentine!"

I love you now and forever.

Happy Valentine's Day, Baby!

Ohilda

Frustrated Seeking Romance!

Ok! Here's the scoop. As most of you have figured out, after 3 adoptions in 1 year, we're pretty broke! But, we've decided that we need to bite the bullet and have some romantic grown up time without the static of a baby monitor as background music.

Kai is doing great with his attachment, AJ is still pretty young that he won't really notice us gone, and Amanda....well, being a teenager, she loves when we go away. :) I know afer Anna Grace comes home it will be close to impossible to get away. First, because I won't leave her for quite a while after she's home because of attachment issues, and secondly, because who am I going to find to watch 4 kids??! YIKES!!!! So, it's now or never.

WOW! How I wish I lived up north right now. Do you know how inexpensive it is to come to Florida in the winter? I found some fares for $114. RT!!!! But do you know how expensive it is to go the freezing cold? Yeah...the price makes me shiver more than the weather. That's where the frustration comes in. Oh yeah, and cruises are great...cheap (living in FL) but I won't be accessible to Kai 24/7 on a ship, so that's a no-go. Since this will be the first time we leave him, I want to make sure that he doesn't feel abandoned and if he asks for me, I could be reached.

Anyways, here's where you all come in. We're looking for somewhere we can get away to for a weekend, probably early Friday thru late Sunday night. We're open to go pretty much anywhere, but I don't want to spend 8 hours on a plane to get there. It definitely has to be romantic. We're big on bed & breakfast places, but we also love the city, and I'd like it to be pretty nice if it's a hotel. :) Lastly, we have to keep it within our budget (which is not real high!). There you have it. We are totally up for suggestions.....Oh! And I wanna go soon....like maybe the first or second weekend in March.

Places we've thought about: Boston (we got engaged there at Quincey Market); Colonial Williamsburg, VA.; Washington, DC (neither one of us has ever been there), Amish Country in PA; the mountains....anywhere!!! Where we're having trouble deciding is that when we finally find something nice, that's reasonably priced, the flight times are horrible and we'd end up getting there late Friday and leaving early Sunday....so it's pretty much spending a thousand bucks for a day...which is pretty crazy. I'm even open to going somewhere in Florida, but I think we've already done most of the historic/touristy Florida spots.

So, that's whats new on the agenda. If you can think of somewhere nice, either comment on here, or email me. I am sooo totally ready to go away with my sweet hubby, without having to feed someone or see if they've pooped their pants!!!!

GOD IS SO FAITHFUL!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness! Where do I start? I am literally bawling and cannot believe the lengths that our God goes through to show us that He IS Lord and that when we follow Him, He keeps His promises!!!

Ok! About a month ago, a woman whom I do not know posted on one of my waiting child groups that she has received TA. What caught my attention was that she said she was going to Hefei, which is Anna Grace's province. I immediately emailed her and asked if at all possible, when she went to Hefei could she ask about my daughter and maybe take a picture if it wasn't an inconvenience. She agreed, but said that she didn't think that they would allow her to visit the orphanage. She had heard that this orphanage wasn't very keen on adoptive parents visiting. Hmmm....that sounded strange to me because Anna Grace's orphanage has lots of adoptions yearly and it's almost like an arranged tour everytime a family picks up their child. The woman in conversation (via email) mentioned the name of her little boy's orphanage. Alas, I realized, it was NOT Anna Grace's, so she'd never see her. I wrote her back, told her that they weren't at the same place and thanked her anyways.

Fast forward to the day before yesterday. I was going thru some of my yahoo groups, when I visit one whose subject line said "Ohilda". I click on the message and there is a post from a woman named "Molly". She said she had pictures of Anna Grace and where did I want her to send them. I was shocked and thrilled with excitement. I immediately wrote back and gave her my email address. Well, a day went by....a second day went by...and nothing. No response. I had no idea who this woman was. She was not a member of the Hefei Yahoo Group so I didn't know her from there. But the name sort of rang a bell. Hmmm....Molly???

After waiting for 2 days to see if anyone responded and checking my email 40x a day, I was pretty bummed because she never wrote back. I thought maybe it was someone playing a cruel joke.

Bear with me, I need to explain what came next. Last night, we went to my Mom's since my brother was in town with his family, and were there till almost 1:30 a.m. It was a great get together, but what made it so special was that he had brought some friends along that are Christian and their lives are truly guided by the Lord. My brother, on the other hand, sadly says he believes in Christ, but it always seems to be on his terms and in words only. As we were all eating dinner, the conversation turned to the fact that the gentleman that was a friend of my brother's sings at his congregation and somehow began singing a Christian song in spanish. I am completely fluent in spanish, being Cuban, but really all of my prayers and everything I know and do relating to my relationship with God is in English. Our little group began singing really upbeat spanish Christian songs and it sort of began a small praise and worship little session. I was feeling out of the loop because I knew none of the songs, so I grab the laptop, start searching for lyrics to the songs they were singing. Turns out that I found many of them and everyone then joined in. We pulled out tamborines and spent a good hour in total praise and worship to the Lord. Part of me was feeling bad for my brother, who was sitting on the couch saying we were a bunch of losers and why can't we leave God out of our lives...."that's all you guys talk about"...blah...blah...blah. You get the point.

I was really enjoying myself, but I didn't want him to feel bad since he was only here for a couple of days. Satan was trying hard to make me think that "yes, maybe I was over the edge about God" and "You should stop and go spend time with your brother". But I kept rebuking him and saying Lord, you deserve all this praise and worship! This scripture immediately came to mind. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. - Matthew 5:11 Why should we stop because someone doesn't want to hear it? The singing continued. The rest of the night, I was flying high in the spirit! I felt good afterwards that I hadn't "given in" and felt "embarrassed" about our Lord being the center of our lives. Indeed He is!

Going back to Anna Grace, we get in the car and begin the hour-long drive home. I'm still a bit bummed about the email/picture ordeal, but that name kept coming to me. All of a sudden, I say to Scott, "Oh my God! I know who Molly is!!! She is the woman that I emailed who was going to Hefei, but her little boy turned out to be from another orphanage." I continued by saying, "I bet you that she totally forgot the kids were at different orphanages and she came across a little girl that she thinks is Anna Grace and will be sending me pictures of some other child. My heart sank. But, I was prepared for the disappointment if the pictures came in.

This morning, the boys woke at their normal time (7 am), but since we went to bed at almost 3 am, we were exhausted. Scott got up and brought the boys into bed with us. My norm, if I knew I was getting ANY info about Anna Grace, would be to jump out of bed and check the computer first thing. But, remembering that it wasn't her, even if I did get something, I decided not to bother getting up. We played with the boys for a good 2 hours until they were too restless to stay on the bed. I get up and start making breakfast and then meander over to the computer. Sure enough....amidst the spam and normal emails, I see this email from "Molly". I open it up and immediately notice there is an attachment. Part of me wanted to read the note first, the other part just wanted to scroll to the pictures....but I was scared of being disappointed. So, I decided I'd read the note. This is what she wrote:

Hi, Ohilda:

Sorry this took so long; for some reason Yahoo Mail wasn't accepting attachments. But I kept trying and finally it worked. Anyway, our guide said she had to go to the Hefei orphanage (Sunbeam Village), so we gave her the name and she took these pictures. Apparently, the kids shown with Anna Grace are her foster siblings at the orphanage. Your daughter is lovely; may you be joined as a family soon! Let me know if the pics came through....Molly

I then scroll down and there she is....our beautiful baby girl, SMILING back at me!!! The only picture out of almost 40 pictures we've received of her, where she is smiling! The tears just started flowing and flowing....and flowing! I couldn't believe it!! Oh my God! This was ALL God.

I know with every fiber of my being that it is because I stuck with Him, I faced the ridicule and embarrassment as I sat there listening to my brother talk garbage, yet He was faithful. He, once again, allowed me to see that He IS the miracle maker. What are the chances that someone you totally do not have any relationship with or know, will go to the province of 4 MILLION people, and then after knowing that our daughter was not at the same orphanage, still ask someone ELSE who was going there to take pictures for us? THAT"S GOD!!!!!!

And not only that, but I have never seen pictures of Anna Grace's foster siblings, and He blessed us with that gift. To be honest, had I been Molly and I was told that someone's child wasn't at my child's orphanage, I'd have forgotten about it. Probably not given it another thought. She STILL remembered or I don't know how she did it, but she still had Anna Grace's Chinese name and passed it along to her guide. And then for her guide to agree to it. This woman could've easily said, "I'm really busy....sorry!" or "Because she is not with our agency, I cannot ask about her." But No! God orchestrated everyone who needed to be involved, moved each of their hearts and worked out the details.

I received 3 pictures. Two with foster siblings and one of her alone smiling. I will only post the smiling one on here because I do not know if any of her foster siblings are adoptable or if they are in the process. I want to respect their privacy, if that is the case. But, I will definitely share our beautiful daughter. Yes...in the same pants and same green coat, with a sweaty head, but more beautiful than I have ever seen her....with a smile that lights up my heart like floodlights in the night!

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the gift of your son. I know that it is through Him that we are showered with blessings and He once again has shown us that when we stand firm in Him, he moves mountains for us!

Molly, if you read this, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for going thru extremes to bring such immense joy into our hearts! May the Lord bless you abundantly for your kindness!

Friends, here's our angel girl........SMILING!!!!! Enjoy!

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Experience

I didn't realize what an impact the "Speech Therapy" video of Kai would make. That day, I had more hits on this website than I've had on Formed By Love or Anna Grace Comes Home TOGETHER, on any given day. The next morning, I awoke to almost 30 emails from parents who are waiting to bring home their cleft affected baby, and praise God, to some from parents who were on the fence about adopting a waiting child and had questions about this particular special need.

I've decided to go ahead and post on here the questions I was asked, although I think I answered everyone privately already (please let me know if I didn't!). My reason for posting here? Well, as I mentioned to someone a couple of days ago when they asked me if I didn't mind my life being "public", the answer was easy....."No". Trust me, it took a bit to get to that answer, but I know it is the right one, for me.

My reason? Because first of all, all that I have and all that I do is because of the Lord. I have been blessed over and over. I have witnessed miracles from my son's entire surgery being donated (see post July 22, 2006), to a domestic adoption falling in our lap for 1/3 of what the normal costs are and God blessing us with the beautiful most baby boy! All that, without us even being on a list or looking into domestic adoptions.

God's fingerprints are everywhere.....therefore, He orchestrates, we follow. And when we do, the plan is ALWAYS PERFECT! If I decided to password protect my blog, two things would happen. First, most readers would be my friends & family, who are Christian already anyways, and most importantly, God would not get the glory. I can't even tell you how many times I've received emails that one of my posts (through God using me) touched someone's life. Funny, what helped me decide to not password protect was a cute children's song "This Little Light Of Mine". It reminded me that we are not to 'hide our light under a bushel'.....so public we are!

Another reason for posting here, and one of utmost importance to me, is the fact that if through our experiences we can help one more waiting child find a home, if one more heart is touched to donate to wonderful organizations like Half The Sky or Love Without Boundaries, or if someone sponsors a child that may never have a home....then I have been God's hands and feet on earth, the reason we were called here.

I've digressed. Getting back to the questions about cleft. Here goes:

1. What is a cleft lip/palate? It is the most common facial birth defect and occurs during the 4th week inutero. One in every 700 births. The exact cause is not known, but it is felt that it is caused by both environmental and genetic factors, although there is not a gene that could be singled out to detect a cleft. Some doctors believe smoking and second hand smoking can cause this birth defect, along with the mother not having enough folic acid prior to pregnancy.

2. What type of cleft did Kai have? Kai by US standards was diagnosed with a "complete unilateral cleft of the right side". China diagnosis these clefts by degrees....such as 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree cleft lip & palate. Kai's report did not have any of those. His medical read "Severe cleft palate" because it was beyond what they considered to be 3rd degree. I need to add here that in his goodness, God did not make us aware of this when we first saw him. His picture showed a common cleft lip. Being human, we might have passed over him while going over the list if we knew the severity of it. But again, God's wisdom is great. He NEVER gives us more than we can bear and we honestly believe Kai's cleft is truly a very manageable special need, if you even want to call it that.

3. Did Kai drink from a "cleft bottle" at the orphanage and did you take one to China? Kai came from a very loving, buy very poor orphanage. Last year they had only about 10 adoptions, Kai was the 2nd of those 10, in April. They could not afford cleft bottles, nor do I think they are educated enough about cleft to even know about them. This is where organizations such as HTS or LWB comes in. So, the answer is no. They used a typical bottle with a VERY LARGE hole in the nipple. Since he had an open palate, air escaped out his nose and he could not suck, the large opening in the nipple allows the formula to just be guzzled down. As all children do, they adapt. As he got older, the formula was thickened with a lot of cereal and he learned to "bite" the nipple in order to get it to produce milk. When we went to China, we took a regular Playtex bottle and placed a large "X" cut in the nipple. He woofed down his first bottle without a blink!

4. What food did he eat? I admit, I was very scared at first. I kept thinking he would choke, gag and/or have lots of leakage from his nostril where the cleft was. What happened? None of the above? We had very little leakage from his nostril. Chocolate was the biggest culprit, and should a 22 mo. old have lots of chocolate anyways ::wink::? Some milk and some yogurt, otherwise, it was a non-issue and he ate EVERYTHING that crossed his lips!

5. When you brought him home how old was he and what was his biggest problem? Kai was 22 months when he was put in our arms. Without a doubt, ear infections were the biggie! He was immediately put on antibiotics for an ear infection in his right ear. Three weeks later, his left ear, three weeks after that, both ears. Finally, when we had his palate closed, they inserted Pressure Equalization tubes (or PE tubes) to allow the fluid in his middle ear to drain. We have not had an ear infection since! Ear infections are very common in cleft affected children, and some cleft babies due suffer some permanent hearing loss from the frequency of untreated ear infections. Kai's hearing was not affected at all. (Thank you, Jesus!)

6. How old was Kai and the time of his surgery and how was his recovery? Kai's surgery was completed on September 25, 2006 and he was 28 months old. You can go to our Formed By Love updates and scroll down to October 2, 2006. I give a report of how his surgery went. Also, you can click on the following link to watch a video of the days following his surgery:

Kai's Surgery

7. Will he need further surgeries? Yes! There is a possibility that in a year he may need to lengthen his soft palate. This is called Velopharyngeal insufficiency. His cleft surgeon is watching him closely and we will determine if he needs further surgery later on. Also, when he is about 5 years old, they will do a bone graft and insert bone in the area of his gum where the cleft is. Since there is no bone there, it does not allow a tooth to grow. At that time, he will have a lip and nose revision (cosmetic surgery). Then after his permanent teeth are in, he will have a tooth implanted where the bone graft was inserted. Orthodontics are definitely part of a cleft child's future, but many times covered by insurance due to it being a congenital birth defect and/or medical necessity.

8. Does your insurance cover his treatments? YES!!!!!!!! Our cleft surgeon was not covered under our plan (we did have others to choose from) BUT God took care of that! :) Other than that....everything was covered. The State of Florida covers visits 1x a year to the cleft team and his speech is fully covered by Early Intervention.

9. When did you start speech therapy? Immediately. Prior to leaving to China I had set up an appt for the Early Intervention team to come out to our house and do a complete evaluation. I cannot emphasize enough how important this FREE service is, not only for special needs children, but for any child that has been post-institutionalized. Why not take advantage of something that is provided by our school systems? Early intervention is available in every state. So, please look into it! It has made a WORLD of difference. I can't stress enough that YOU are your child's biggest advocate. Sometimes it's a lot of red tape you have to cut through, but the scissors are available....don't take NO for an answer when your heart is telling you YES! We also met with a cleft team that consisted of a pediatrician, a pediatric cleft surgeon, a dentist, a speech pathologist and an ear, nose & throat specialist.

10. Did you struggle communicating since he could not speak at 2 years old? Since we immediately started speech, we were taught very basic baby sign language. He caught on IMMEDIATELY! That has been a lifesaver. We honestly have not had ANY communication issues at all, since he clearly tells us by signing (and trying to say the word) what he wants. This is something we will also be teaching Anna Grace, and she has no speech impediments. We highly recommend it. Kai presently has about a 15 word vocabulary. Our cleft surgeon and speech therapist both agree that a big part of the delay was also learning an entirely new language.

11. How is Kai now? Does he have any significant issues? The word AMAZING does not begin to describe Kai's progress. He is an adorable, smart, witty, charismatic, ball of energy. His only sign of having a cleft issue is his speech delay, which will be something we will be dealing with for a VERY long time. Yet, a very, very small price to pay for the huge blessings that we are showered upon with this child. The love he gives us could never be repayed.

I hope these questions and answers help others that may be considering a cleft baby or that are awaiting travel. There is ALWAYS the fear of the unknown. Let God go before you and those fears will be washed away. You will make a difference in the life of a child, and the joy that this child will bring to your life will be immeasurable.

Below are some wonderful resources that you can visit which answer many questions,

WIDESMILES

CLEFT ADVOCATE

CLEFT PALATE FOUNDATION

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Disclaimer: PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS OUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE! I am not a physican nor an expert in any degree on cleft lip and/or palate. I am a Mom to 6 beautiful children, and blessed with a very special little guy who God created with this particular circumstance. So, please check with a professional before taking any steps. God bless you!

I interrupt this programming....

to bring you a VERY COOL website! We, as adoptive parents, know how important it is to piece as much about our little one's past as we possibly can. Many of us are aware of Lifebooks and the importance it is to adoptees in their teen and older years. A Lifebook is a place where we can archive all the details we have of our children's history for them and how they came to be part of our forever family.

We are also aware of how important it is to make sure that our children know, from the toddler years, how our families were created and what very special members of the family they are. Well, how do you relay this information in a manner that would be fun, and filled with love, to a toddler without overwhelming them with knowledge they may not be able to grasp at a young age?

I found that answer today!!! Becky, an adoptive Mom herself, creates these very special books just for toddlers! Check out Toddler Life Story Books where you can have this treasured memento personalized for your child, with all the details of his/her own adoption! What an innovative way of showing our babies how much we love them, while allowing them to explore into their past. You guys are gonna love these!

I NEED OXYGEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh! Yes, you read those letters correctly! I am shaking as I type this. I just found out by total fluke. I emailed our agency to make sure that all of my documents I had sent were in order and that nothing had to be redone, and to my surprise....no, to my total, flabbergasted, shock, we got this:

Hi Ohilda,
We received your packet and everything is great, it will be sent to China today, we are just putting the finishing touches on the paperwork.
Congratulations!

I almost fell out of my chair when I read it. My first thought was "Maybe she meant to write that to someone else". Then I thought....."Our God is sooooooooooooo good!!!!!" I had to pick up the phone and call and yep....there's no mistake, our dossier is heading to China today.

Yipppeeee!!! Woooohooooooo!!! Hip-hip hurray!!! Can you tell I'm excited? Oh my gosh! We were going out tonight anyways, because it's a very special day.....even before we knew we were DTC! It's PoPo's (My Mom's) 67th birthday!! So, we are heading out to dinner to celebrate! Now we have even more to celebrate! What a day!!!

Holy cow! I was going to come home tonght and blog some responses to the 20+ emails filled with questions about cleft that I woke up to this morning. My mind is racing. And I promise that I will definitely answer all those emails and all those questions. Right now, I just can't stop thinking that we are DTC!!!!

Thank you ALL for the wonderful compliments on my sweet boy! He IS pretty adorable, huh?

WOW!!! Ok, I'm rambling incoherently again!

Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Heritage....and thank you all for joining me on this rollercoaster. We're slowly but surely getting to the top of the mountain!!!!!

A Day At Speech Therapy

I happened to have my camera with me today when I took Kai to speech therapy. I've been quite often asked about the process of his cleft palate and how he is doing. He truly is a remarkable child, and bless his little heart, he tries so hard!

I can't emphasize enough to anyone considering a special needs child to please look into cleft babies! These children are amazingly sweet, resilient and we don't even consider him a special needs child. He does EVERYTHING any child can do. He's totally up to par in every area, except for his speech delay, which is slowly but surely coming in. If God (and Scott) permitted, I'd adopt another cleft baby IN A HEARTBEAT after we came home with Anna Grace!!!

Here's a little video I put together of what we consider to be a typical day with his speech therapist, "Miss Kathy". They have a mutual love for each other and Kai just glows when I say, "Come'on! We're going to see Miss Kathy!"

Enjoy the video and remember to click on the red 'x' to stop the background music before starting the video.

A SHOPPING WE WILL GO.....

My precious angels getting ready to travel the aisles of Super Walmart! :)

Child Prodigy and God

I want to thank Ily (my sister) for posting this link on her site. This is definitely a must see. Not ony is this 12 year old amazing, but how she has allow God to use her brings shivers down my spine. Her Mom was an atheist and because of her daughter's love for the Lord, is now a believer.

Please take a moment to check out this link:

http://tinyurl.com/yxewot

Nursery, Wishes & Lurkers

Well, we've finally decided where little Anna Grace will be sleeping! You can peek at the nursery at the link on the left, under DETAILS ABOUT THE JOURNEY! We can't wait till this little one is home to join in the fun with her brothers and big sister!!

While you're at it, head over to the 100 GOOD WISHES QUILT link. The fabric squares and wishes keep coming in. They are sooooo beautiful and fun! I wanted to point out 2 special ones that we added to the collection. One is from Emily, AnnaClaire's Jie-Jie! She has gotta be one of the sweetest 13 years old I know. She took it upon herself to send us beautiful square and wish for Anna Grace! Thank you, Emily! We LOVE it!!!!

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to be handed a very special wish for Anna Grace, from the man who for at least 18 years, will be the love her life...her Daddy! His wish is also posted in with the others.

And finally, what an awesome surprise to see some of my lurkers come out into the public eye. Some through comments and others through emails. A total of 9 lurkers! Thank you for being such brave souls! Dianne & Sara, I look forward to following your blogs now!

Coming Out Of The Closet

Hmmm...you wonder. What is she babbling about now? Well, I could just kick myself. I had no clue that there was a "National De-Lurking Day!" I found out today. Yep folks! For those that really don't have much to fill their time with and legally stalk, umm...I mean lurk, through cyberspace, there is a day of the year when you can come out and say..."Hey, I've been watching you!!!"

So, what's a lurker? Well, it' probably most of us...yes, me included! It is the term used on the internet for people who read blogs, join newsgroups or chat rooms and don't participate. They are avid readers from behind the cyber peephole.

For the third year in a row, on January 8, people from all over the world came out of the closet and left comments revealing their addictions to other's lives. In a way, I could breathe a sigh of relief because if that's the case, and I expect my faithful readers to leave comments and come out of the closet, I'd have to do it myself. Oohhhh, scary, I know! But, those faithful readers are usually the ones that email me and or leave comments, anyways!

I still frequently check my "who's been on my blog" list and I love seeing the same people. Funny how the flows come in a pattern. I have really frequent readers that check my blog 2 - 3 times a day, and then those that check daily, those that check every few days, and even some weekly readers. I even have new ones that have never been on, yet decide to keep watching.

I don't know what it is about reading a total stranger's life that just pulls us in. Maybe it's because we do have the ability to hide in the shadows as we "live" people's lives with them. Sometimes it's much greener on the other side, and there are some other blogs that I think to myself...."Yikes! I'm so thankful for my life!". There is one particular blog that I read (not public so I can't post it here) who seems like its out of a soap opera. Really! Oh my gosh, the drama in this womans life! Yet, like a train wreck, it's something that I am just compelled to go to....DAILY!

It's odd, too, that I lurk. To me, lurkers just seem like the ones that sit at the back of the classroom and listen. I, with my outspoken mouth, always sat at the front of the class, the first pews in church and the front rows at concerts. Why? I dunno. I get totally lost and distracted when I'm in the back. So, there. Something new you learned about me. I don't think it came as a big surprise, though.

I've totally digressed. Going back to missing De-Lurking Day. If anyone else wants to come out of the shadows, go for it! It's easy! All you have to do is hit that "comment" key. It's like jumping into a cold pool, once your in, it's great!!

That's it for now. I just thought I'd share my new found knowledge about De-Lurking Day with ya'll. I'm off to finish cutting my squares and putting together my wishes for my quilt swap! Have a Happy Belated De-Lurking Day! Hope to hear from you soon!

Walkin' on Sunshine!

The good news is flowing. One of my wonderful adoption buddies received her LOA (Letter of Acceptance) today. This means that her TA should be coming within the next couple of weeks and she's off to China to bring home the most ADORABLE little guy you've ever seen. Noah, your family is almost there, baby! A big congrats to the F. family!!!!!

That brings me to sharing the latest news about the LOA and TA. Remember I was down in the dumps a few weeks ago when we all found out that they were adding a new step to the China Waiting Child Program (the LOA)? Well, at the time, it was thought that it would be an additional 6-7 weeks. The past few recipients of Letters of Acceptance that have been received and returned have all proven to have received their TAs (travel approvals) from CCAA within a week or two after receipt of the letter of acceptance!!!!! I am flying high at this news! But wait....it gets better.

LIDs (log in dates after your dossier is in China) have been taking about 30 days from receipt of your dossier. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was expecting an LID of mid to end of March, calculating on 30 days. Today I read posts from several agencies whose clients had received LIDs of only 5-7 days after their dossier was sent to China!!! It could possibly be that we get an LID of late February, putting us back on track of possibly being in China late May.

Is CCAA speeding up the process? Are they cleaning house before leaving for the Chinese New Year holidays? Who knows?!! All I know is that I'm lovin' hearing some good news from the adoption front for a change!!!! Wooohooo!!!