We have Y!

Praise God!  We have Y!  We received Y on Sunday and she is doing well!  She is very, very sweet and is trying to fit in with her new family.  Y and M are getting along well, and I am proud of both of them!  This has to be hard on both girls as they both adjust to big changes.

Monday we finalized Y's adoption, so she is officially our daughter! 

Today we visited Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.  Then we took a rickshaw ride to the Hutong area and enjoyed tea with a local resident.  After tea, we visited a silk factory, and finally had a late lunch.

Tomorrow we will visit the notary and have our paperwork notarized.

Thursday we will visit the Great Wall, and I will finally get my picture of all four of us on the wall!

I have pictures, but am having trouble posting them.  I will try again soon!

Please pray for Y, that she would continue to do well with her new family.  She has been missing her nanny and her friends, so please also pray that her heart would be comforted.  Please also pray that the bond we have started as a family would continue to grow.

Thank you for your prayers!  More to come soon!

Daughter or Administrative Assistant???

As we are preparing to travel to China, my dear, dear M is keeping track of all the things we need to do. At the age of three, she keeps shopping lists in her head for reference later. She also has tucked in there somewhere a list of things she wants to make sure Y has. This is no small list, folks. We're talking about socks, shirts, snow pants, mittens, swimming suit, towels and washcloths, pillows, games, a coat, a toothbrush,...this list never ends! Every once n a while, out of the blue, she will lift her head up from what she is doing and tell me about something else Y needs that she hasn't mentioned yet. She is amazing!

M also wants to give Y a present when we meet her. This was NOT prompted by us, either. M came up with this all on her own. She wants to give her a "present bag" with gifts inside as well as a bouquet of flowers. I just keep wondering to myself "How did I get to be SO blessed with such a thoughtful, caring child?". And where am I going to find a flower vendor in Beijing on short notice?!?

In the car today, she asked when we were going to China. She said "Mama, you said we were going to China after your birthday.". Smart girl. She knows that my BD is tomorrow. She and I talked about it, and we decided that having a calendar on the fridge, as a countdown to departure, would be a good idea.

14 days until we leave, Baby.

We're Going to China!

We're going to China to Bring Y home! We leave on April 12. Soon we will be united - we can't wait to bring her home! Please pray that her heart would be ready to meet her family, and that the Lord would keep us ALL safe on this journey. Soon we will be all together! Praise God!!!!!

Care Package Delivered!

Great news!  Our care package to Y was delivered to the orphanage!  Although we can't be sure Y has personally received the package, we are praying that she does receive it, and soon.  We want her to know that we are thinking of her and can't wait to bring her home!

Please pray that Y will begin to understand that we are coming to bring her home.  Please pray that she grows to love her new family.  Please also pray the the Lord would work in her heart and bring her to Him. 

I hope she got the package!  I hope she got the package!  I hope she got the package!

Care Package to Y!

Today I heard from a very special lady in China that the care package we wanted to send to Y is on its way!  She sent photos of the package contents and said Y should have her package in a couple of days!

We are so excited that Y will most certainly learn about her new family!  This is the care package...we are hoping to send another one in a couple of weeks. 





Article 5!

We got word from our SW (social worker) that this week our Article 5 was picked up from the US Consolate in Guangzhou and is on its way to CCCWA (Chinese adoption system)!  This is great news! 

That means the next step is waiting for TA (travel approval)!  We are hoping to get our TA in the next couple of weeks, although it could be longer. 

Our SW has told us that we could be traveling 2-5 weeks after we receive our TA!  This is amazing news! 

Soon we will be on our way to China to get Y and bring her home!  M is so excited!!!

Please pray that the Lord will work in Y's heart and prepare her for what lies ahead!

Soon we will be coming to get you, Y!!!  We love you, Y!!!!

UPDATE!

We were thrilled to get new photos of Y this week!  What a blessing!  She looks happy and healthy in the photos!

M requested her own copy of Y's pictures, so we made sure she had one of each.  M is so happy to have her sister's pictures all to herself!  We put one on the fridge with her magnets and one in her bedroom.  She hangs the photo on the fridge, takes it down and carries it all over the house, then puts it back on the fridge.  A little while later she takes it down, carries it all over...you get the idea!

We're still hoping to travel in April.  That would be a wonderful time to visit China - not too cold, not too hot!  If you know me well, you know I melt when the temp reaches 83 degrees...or less...    72 degrees is perfect! 

This week we hope to send a care package to Y.  There is no way to know if she is aware of her family or even if she knows she will finally be adopted.  All we know is that once she gets her care package, she will know!  Oh, how I wish I could see her face when the package arrives and she opens it up, seeing the things we will send!  I'm praying that she will feel the love that we already have for her!

Please pray for Y, that the Lord would prepare her heart for the transition to her forever family, and keep her healthy and strong for the very long, emotional, physical journey that awaits her. 

God bless Y!