Forward in (Nina) Faith

Ashland Pictures

2009-11-04T11:39:00.003-05:00

New Pictures and Halloween

2009-11-04T11:16:00.005-05:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year....both girls enjoyed trick or treating, but Emma was easily the most excited with the candy loot! Nina was freezing the majority of the night and chose to sit out the 2nd round of trick or treating with our friend, Audrey. Nina and Emma have also started swimming classes, and both LOVE it! Little Nina is so excited by the time she gets to jump into the water that I am convinced that she will soil her swimsuit! Her teacher thinks that it is hilarious! Emma is a pro, and is doing really with in class with Audrey. Both girls are singing in the children's choir at church. Nina has an obviously tougher time learning the words, but is catching on with our help.

Nina received a bone scan last week which threw us for a loop. It says that she is 4 1/2, according to her bone structure. Dr. Taylor says that, giving a year or so for institutionalization and poor nutrition, she appears to be 5 1/2 or 6. Where do we go from here? Well, she is scheduled for a dental visit on the 25th, at which time she will have a dental scan. The dental scan *can* be more accurate. We will compare the two scans then figure out what to do. Dr. Taylor says that she would recommend waiting a year, giving her as much calcium and iron as possible, and seeing how she is progressing at that point. If it appears that her birthdate is still incorrect after a year, we will be able to change her birthday legally if we wish. Interestingly enough, I asked her last week how old she was....guess what she told me? "Six!" After telling us that she was 8 up until now, she says six! I don't know what to think of that...the truth is that only God and her parents know for sure, which means that we will never know for sure.

I sent an email to her orphanage director with some pictures recently. I have not received a reply, but I didn't expect to. Nina would still like to call her friend in China, and we will try to arrange that in the future.

Hope that everyone is doing well. Our thoughts are with my family in Florida. My great uncle is receiving hospice care, and his remaining time on this earth is very short. We are praying for my great aunt, Janie, in hopes that she will take comfort in knowing that she will be reunited with him someday.

God bless!

Kris

Aaahhhhhhh Fall!

2009-10-23T13:11:00.005-04:00

My FAVORITE season, and luckily, DH's too! The girls have been busy, busy with school and activities. We were able to visit Ashland last weekend during fall break. Nina met my grandmother and my great aunt for the first time, attended the Ashland football game, and charmed the pants off my parents and my brother!

We found out later in the week that my 40 year old baby brother had been in a terrible accident while working. He is SO blessed to be alive, and my mom and I have reminded him that God has a DEFINITE and IMPORTANT plan for his life. His UPS truck rolled over an unknown amount of times while falling over a 60 foot hill! He suffered some major head trauma, and had to have an ear reattached, but it could have been SO much worse, esp. if he hadn't been wearing a seatbelt!

Nina has grown a 1/2 inch already! She still does not like milk (and it makes her very sick--even the lactose free kind), but we have found ways to sneak some calcium into her diet. Of course, she also continues to take daily vitamins, and is eating more "American style" food these days. I'm still making lots of noodles, but we are making progress! She is such a joy, and I miss her so much when she is at school! Emma is doing TONS better, too. Her teacher showed me her notebook during our conference. Emma has drawn many, many pictures of her holding hands and playing with her sister, and most of the titles say "I love my sister," or something similar. Despite the bunkbeds, they choose to sleep in the SAME twin bed most nights, and both have recently gotten into "cleaning" the house. A welcome change! :)

Enjoy the new pictures! We love you guys!

Update

2009-09-30T20:48:00.011-04:00

Its been a crazy, but mostly wonderful, time period! Emma became sick last week, followed by Roger, then HongLi. So far, I have been blessed....however, I've started with a major deep chest cough tonight. Hopefully it will not turn into something more. We have been VERY sad to have not been able to return to church! We made it one Wednesday night before Emma got sick, so we are really hoping to make it this weekend. We miss our church family!

Can I just say that despite all of the sibling rivalry issues, and the increase in household busyness, I LOVE having 3 kids. I LOVE my 2 girls! Nina is SUCH a joy, and is NEVER in a bad mood, or uncooperative....ok, at least not for more than about 5 minutes! She started some tutoring today at Garden Springs (with the ESL teacher). She is going back to school for tutoring tomorrow, then we hope to enroll her to start next week. I'm more than a little worried...the poor thing will just have to sit there, not knowing anybody. I know that others have done it, but I'm planning on attending with her for a little while. Knowing her, it will only be a couple of hours before she is ready for me to go.

Enjoy the new pics!

Kris

Update

2009-09-18T22:52:00.007-04:00

Hello to all! We have been hibernating over the last few days, so I haven't taken the time to update our blog. We arrived back in Lexington on time at 9:55 p.m. on Wednesday night. Just today are we starting to get back to feeling slightly normal. We were hit hard yesterday...as in feeling like we had been hit by a train! If you haven't been through an intense jetlag experience before, there is no way that I know of to explain it. Somewhere between getting hit by a massive flu and the feeling that you can get after pulling three allnighters in a row during college finals. Your entire body aches, you feel clammy and cold one minute, then are sweating bullets the next. Your stomach is upset, you are dizzy and all you want to do is sleep.....like for 12-16 hours. Like I said, that was our yesterday, but today we are feeling MUCH better! Thank you, Jesus!

Nina is doing so great! She is picking up some English, but still has far to go, understandably. Emma has been struggling. She is so jetlagged, and going to school as of Thursday. She has been experiencing more jealousy than I even expected her to experience. Today, it really does seem as if she is feeling better also. There has been no whining or jealous tantrums at all! The girls have loved each othe to death...Emma's absence has allowed both girls to "miss each other" during the day. Today, we all went to pick up Emma, and stayed after school for the book fair. Nina was able to see where she would go to school, and will finally understand where her sister is all day! Emma was proud of her school, and was able to show it off which made her feel very important. A win-win!

We are still battling with Nina's motion sickness issues. I have NEVER had motion sickness (other than from inner ear stuff), so I am NO help whatsoever as far as trying to make her feel better. Roger used to get sick when he was younger, but hasn't in a long time. We've finally stopped turning on movies, letting her read, or play video games while we are in the car, all of which have helped. If anyone has other advice, please let me know. I gave her a 1/2 of a Dramamine pill yesterday, and it put her to sleep before we could ever GET to the car...kind of defeats the purpose!

Here are some pictures not previously posted. We'll try to post a few more times before calling it quits with the blog. Thanks for "listening!"

Kris

At Nana and Papa's

2009-09-14T03:36:00.005-04:00

Ready to Go Home!

2009-09-14T03:34:00.004-04:00

2009-09-14T03:27:00.004-04:00

Beautiful Girls and Beautiful Brides!

2009-09-14T03:22:00.003-04:00

Red Couch Pics

2009-09-14T03:14:00.006-04:00

Finally Pictures!

2009-09-14T03:05:00.004-04:00

Ok, we should be able to post some pictures now from the U.S. Here are some of the pictures from the last few days events...enjoy!

We Made It!

2009-09-13T04:11:00.002-04:00

Nina Faith HongLi is a new Meigua! We went through customs, and she became an automatic U.S. citizen when they stamped her paperwork!! What a thrill it was to tell her that she was no longer Chengua (Chinese), but American like the rest of the family. She's been playing this game with us where she asks us if she is Meigua or Chengua, and of course when we say Chengua, she says "no Meigua." Today, she was absolutely overjoyed when we gave her a big hug and told her that she was finally an American like us! All smiles and giggles!

The girls did GREAT on the flights....the prayers were all answered in the affirmative! They didn't sleep as much as we might have liked...a couple of hours on the first flight, and 1 1/2 hours on the second LONG flight...but they were well entertained with the t.v.'s in the back of their seats. They mostly played video games and watched t.v. shows and movies. We were seated together also, which was a huge blessing!

We left our guide, Siman, at the Guangzhou airport at 7:30 a.m., and arrived in San Francisco the same day at 10:30 a.m. Pretty wild! We also had some really, REALLY bad turbulence. We were not able to take our seatbelts offs, or move anywhere, from Tokyo until almost 3 hours into the trip. Believe it or not, that wasn't the worst of it. There must have been some severe air currents over this area, because on the way down at SFO we had the worst turbulence that I have ever experienced! Both girls were petrified, and Emma was crying and crying. It was VERY scary, even by Roger's standards. I've never seen a planes wings shake or bend like they did. I was praying out loud, and trying to get both girls to take deep breaths with me. It only lasted about 10 minutes, but that was long enough!

Ann picked us up at the airport, and we came to Nana and Papa's house in Lafayette. Both girls were sound asleep by the time that we arrived, but it didn't take long to cheer them up. Roger's great aunt, Elsie, is visiting also so it was a great reunion for all! I fell asleep right after lunch, and everyone else joined me later. We woke up at about 7:30 p.m., and had a delicious dinner waiting for us. HongLi has done wonderfully...we are both still amazed at how this adorable little child has experienced a life completely turned upside down, and she stills seems to be having a blast! She had lots of hugs and kisses for all of the new relatives, she ate well, and she and Emma just went to bed about 30 minutes ago.

I wasn't able to post pictures on the last day....stupid firewall! ;) I will definitely try to post some while we are here. Oh yeah, and I just called Parker thinking that it was 4:30 p.m....it was 4:30 a.m. He was not at all thrilled to hear from me! That's how messed up we are with four different time zones right now!! Sorry Parker!!

We are going to enjoy some "In and Out" burgers tomorrow, and maybe go see Aiyi's horse. We are planning on taking it a little easier tomorrow to give ourselves a chance to recover from our jetlag. On Monday, we may go into the city depending upon how Nina appears to be doing.

We love you guys, and cannot wait to introduce our newest addition to you!

Talk to you again soon!

Kris

Trying One Last Time!

2009-09-11T08:29:00.001-04:00

Signing Off From China

2009-09-11T03:39:00.001-04:00

Well, today is the last hurrah!! We are headed out at 6:30 a.m. for our 9:10 a.m. flight to Tokyo. From there, we head to San Francisco, to arrive at 10:30 a.m. SFO time, and 1:30 a.m. China time for us! I'm sure that we will be exhausted!! We are hoping to sleep some on the plane,but you never know what will happen with 2 little ones along! Please pray for smooth, pleasant flights, along with our seating assignments. We are together on the way to Tokyo, but have NO seat assignments to San Francisco (the BIG flight!). Please pray that we can somehow end up together.

I am missing Parker EXTREMELY badly!! I cannot wait to see him on Tuesday!! :)

We've had a great trip, and God has been SO good to us! We love you all! We will post some final pictures from our day, including our red couch photos! We are hoping to continue to post from SF, but we will see how it goes!

Love to all!

Kris, Roger, Emma and Nina/Hong Li

Bubbles

2009-09-10T09:54:00.001-04:00

New Nails!

2009-09-10T09:52:00.000-04:00

It's Working!!

2009-09-10T09:51:00.001-04:00

Trying Pics Again

2009-09-10T09:48:00.001-04:00

Yahoo has been giving us fits today! We're trying again!

Trying to Attach Pics

2009-09-09T23:41:00.001-04:00

Ok, I've tried to post new pictures about 10 times, and somethings not working. I'll try again. If it doesn't work, Roger will try to post some video for you guys!

Kris

It's Official!!!!

2009-09-09T23:10:00.001-04:00

We took the oath this morning at the U.S. Consulate's office!! Nina is OFFICIALLY ours in the eyes of the Chinese and United States governments. When we go through customs in San Francisco, she will be a U.S. citizen!! The lady at the consulate was really sweet, and seems genuinely excited for each family adopting. It was quite a bit different than the first time around, when we were herded into a room of crowded families...THIS time, there was only one family besides us, and the woman was behind a glass window at a walk up counter! Very casual, but meaningful nonetheless.

Unfortunately, our joy was cut short on the cab ride home. Nina looked a little sick and complained of a tummy ache right before we got the Westin hotel this morning where we met our guide. On the way home, she had a definite bout of car sickness, and threw up her breakfast all over herself and the cab. The driver was REALLY unhappy with us. Actually, he wasn't very nice to begin with and drove horribly....God forgive me, but if she HAD to throw up somewhere, she picked the right driver! ;) Anyway, the fare was 38 Yuan, and Roger gave him 100 Yuan to try to make up for it. When we got back to the hotel, she decorated the sidewalk and some bushes as well. Poor baby! She was green! Anyway, the hotel people were really sweet about it, and when we tried to clean it up, they sent us up to the room and said that it was fine. We gave her a bath, and redressed her, and she was in a great mood by the time that we put into bed for a little nap. We
figured she needed it!

We are not allowed to take pictures at the Consulate's office, so here are some pictures from yesterday. New nails, blowing bubbles, and some of the photography going on yesterday.

Love to all!

Kris

2009-09-08T23:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday

2009-09-08T23:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty laid back day. We had to go pick up some paperwork downtown, then we went to the mall. Siman isn't much of a shopper, so we did't stay too long, much to baba's disappointment. The girls were able to ride the bumper cars x 2, the carousel and take in a short 3D movie. The mall is enormously big...about 9 stories! We were told that on Saturday and Sunday, there are about 300,000 in the mall at one time!! Wow! that is bigger than the entire city of Lexington!

To make up from our lack of shopping time at the mall, we shopped til we dropped on the island. Emma was able to pick up some things with the money that she saved while Nina took a nap back at the room. Later, mama, baba, jie jie and mei mei went out and bought a few dresses, a couple of sweaters, a couple of coats, and a few things for a couple of Emma's friends back home.

For dinner, we walked quite a way in the heat of a magnificient italian restaurant on the island....I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone preparing to visit! It was priced a little more to typical "American" standards, but well worth it!!

It thunderstormed most of the evening, overnight, and this mornng and has just stopped raining. Today we are walking to the medical clinic to have Nina's t.b. test read...praise God, it appears to be normal! Then we have to do more adoption paperwork for a few hours.

Nina is showing a little more of her personality/tiredness today. We received the film back that was delivered by the orphanage during her "gotcha" meeting. She has been a little quiet since looking at them. She may be missing her friends.

Well, we are going to blow some bubbles by the river.

BTW, it means so much to us that you guys care enough to follow our blog! Thanks for all of you comments and messages!

Kris

Working?

2009-09-08T09:50:00.001-04:00

Can anybody tell me if the link works? We cannot see it, we can just post it!

Thanks!

Kris

Trying to Post This Video Link!

2009-09-08T09:45:00.001-04:00

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5917780/15405587

2009-09-07T09:22:00.001-04:00

2009-09-07T09:21:00.001-04:00

2009-09-07T09:20:00.001-04:00

Today

2009-09-07T09:18:00.001-04:00

Hello again! Today has been a pretty good day overall. We are thrilled to be beyond the dreaded physical examination!! Nina did fine, bless her little heart! She is near sighted like the rest of us, and is 36 pounds (up 3 pounds), and 103 cm. She only had to have 3 immunizations and a t.b. skin test. She cried silent tears during her shots....she was trying to be so brave and so tough that it just broke my heart! We kept ibuprofen in her all day, so there have been no ill effects so far. Keep praying for the tb test results, please....so far, so good, but we continue to pray for a normal reading.

We had Thai for lunch (those of you who have done this before already know what I'm going to say....) at Cow and Bridge, and back to Lucy's for dinner. A little more shopping, some fake Hannah Montana fingernails, dropping off laundry, and bathtime completes our days activities.

Tomorrow we head to the mall! BTW, for all you Gymbo people, they have clothes on the island with fake Gymboree tags! How funny!!

Enjoy the pics!!

Kris

2009-09-07T09:07:00.001-04:00

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More From Yesterday

2009-09-07T09:03:00.001-04:00

Update!

2009-09-06T19:29:00.001-04:00

Hey all! We are up (except for "Little Bit" who is still sleeping), and getting ready to Skype Roger's family. Yesterday we visited a zoo in the city...a BIG hit with the girls! We came back to the hotel afterwards,and ventured out on our own despite the heat. We hailed a taxi and went to Lu Wan plaza for some McDonald's and shopping at the mall there. We were able to buy Nina some light up tennis shoes (she loved Emma's) for about $18 USD. Of course, then we had to buy Emma some too. They are really cute, and were pretty cheap by US standards. They literally spent hours playing with them at the hotel later, which was worth the $18 alone! ;)

We came back and did some local shopping on the island, picking up a few things for Parker. On my way back to the hotel, I spotted the Paris Hilton of China apparently, with a crew of no less than 30 photographers following her and taking pictures of her posing with her LONG BLONDE hair! Quite a spectacle!

Mama ordered pizza from Papa Johns, as Nina as very tired. I was able to use my Mandarin to ask to speak to someone who could understand English....Will Corum would be so proud of me! I have been able to converse a little with the locals, and I'm so glad that I learned just enough to be dangerous! Another great thing that happened while shopping on the island occurred at Emma's Place. We found someone who is from Maoming, which is the large city closest to Huazhou, where Nina is from. She speaks the same dialect, so Nina was able to talk to her and to tell her that she is "happy." What a blessing!! God continues to surprise and amaze us daily!

I will post some pictures

Love to al!

Kris

More From Today

2009-09-05T08:11:00.001-04:00

Pics From Today

2009-09-05T08:05:00.001-04:00

Today we visited a botanical garden in Guangzhou. So very beautiful, and so peaceful! We loved it despite the incredible heat. Those of you who have visited Animal Kingdom in August know the kind of humidity I'm talking about....add that to 100 degree temperature, and you can imagine what it was like. We made it about 2 hours, then headed out.

We also visited a local mall for the most delicious Dim Sum imaginable! Siman took care of the ordering, of couse, but the entire meal for 5 of us was 83 Yuan, or $12.50 USD!!! (On the flip side of that, we tried the German restaurant--Station 1--on the island for dinner, and paid about $43 USD for four of us! It was delicious, though, and the service was outstanding!)

We did a little shopping around the island, and bought the girls a couple of Majhong (?) bracelets, along with a couple of Mandarin dresses for the dolls. We also hit a Starbucks for some cool drinks during the heat of the day.

Once again, the heat has wiped us out, and we are in for the evening. We appear to have adjusted to the time zone, and are on a normal sleep schedule finally. Nina responded to her new name for the first time tonight, just after we learned how to actually pronounce her Chinese name! Its pronounced "Haang Lay." So, at least we know how to get her attention one way or the other. We are still getting lots of kisses and hugs, and my favorite part of the day was when she let me rock her to sleep this afternoon. Precious! We still cannot believe that we have only been with her for 2 days. She has bonded so well, and we are truly blessed! Thank you for all of the prayers! They have obviously paved the way for our new union.

More soon!

Kris

More From Yesterday

2009-09-05T02:00:00.001-04:00

2009-09-05T01:58:00.001-04:00

Pictures From Yesterday

2009-09-05T01:56:00.001-04:00

Friday in Guangzhou

2009-09-04T18:51:00.001-04:00

We had another wonderful day yesterday, although it was still very hot which wipes us out pretty well and we were still battling some jet lag. So, on the jet lag front, three of us where up at 2:30 a.m., while Nina ending up sleeping in until about 6 a.m. Roger, Emma and Nina took a walk to watch people excercizing by the river.

After the walk, the four of us met up for breakfast and Nina ate more than I thought humanly possible for someone as small as she is. Emma ate very well for us as well. After breakfast, Kristina headed out for some shopping for gifts. Roger, Emma and Nina had an adventure at the park. Emma and Nina played extremely well together at the playground, and we got to see kids from a local school jogging around us. But we didn't last long because of the heat. Emma and Roger were sweating like crazy and Nina was hot too but she is more used to it so here hair was still dry. So we headed to the White Hotel to cool off for awhile, then grabbed some lunch at Subway and met Kristina back at the room.

The afternoon included one of the most important things that happens on an adoption journey to China. But it was a little different than it was with Emma. We went to a police station to get our red book for Nina. It was done very quickly, and unlike last time where it was such a huge deal for all of us to get our red books, it was just, here you go. For those of you that don't know, it is a very important document that says that Nina is ours from China. Now, we just have to spend a week finishing all of the things like medical appointments, wait for her passport and visa, and U.S. consulate appointment. But it's a huge step and we're thrilled!!

After that we went to the toy market and the two girls got to each pick out a doll and get some stickers. Emma and Nina could not have been better for us at the market. We were worried about Nina and how she would do with all of the people and activity, but she did just fine. We came back to the hotel and the girls looked so tired but we headed out to eat dinner at Lucys. Emma fell asleep at the table so Kristina and Emma headed back to the hotel before Roger and Nina because Nina was still eating like crazy. The girls got to sleep pretty early.

Today we're going to a botanical garden, so it should be pretty hot but we'll just hang in there because we've discovered that both of our girls love flowers. Thanks for all of the prayers! We are doing so well, it's just amazing.

Roger

Email

2009-09-03T18:29:00.001-04:00

BTW, if any of you are sending us emails, we cannot receive them at our windstream address. Feel free to send them to this one.

kydamans2001@yahoo.com

Sorry for the confusion! Of course you can always post to our blog under "comments" if that is easier.

My Favorite

2009-09-03T07:53:00.001-04:00

Check out the hands in this picture, taken a few minutes ago.

More Pics

2009-09-03T07:52:00.001-04:00

The last two pictures are from this morning. Here are some more of the girls Skype-ing with the family, and at the registration appt. this morning! Those of you who know Emma well will just find it unbelievable that I have another "posing" girl! :)

More From Today

2009-09-03T07:48:00.001-04:00

Ok, Roger is up! He reminded me that we had some cute pictures from today, and we added one PRECIOUS one from this evening!

BTW, to answer another unknown question, she speaks NO english, except for what we've taught her. She is a FAST learner and repeats us like a little parrot. She now knows "OK!" and "OH NO" both said with emphasis!

We are blessed beyond measure!

Kris and Roger

2009-09-03T07:05:00.001-04:00

2009-09-03T07:04:00.001-04:00

More Pics

2009-09-03T07:02:00.001-04:00

More Pics

2009-09-03T07:01:00.001-04:00

Pics

2009-09-03T06:59:00.001-04:00

First meeting

2009-09-03T06:58:00.001-04:00

First of all, I am SO sorry! The Great Firewall of China has proven to be MUCH more powerful than we EVER anticipated, and its taken us until now to figure out how to post to our blog! Whew!!

Now, more importantly, we are doing FANTASTIC!!! Nina Faith has been such a joy, and the only way to describe our journey so far is BLESSED!!!! We know that all of you have been praying, and God has proven to be ever faithful again. Our "gotcha day" was smooth and easy....Nina was calling us mama and baba within minutes, and grabbed our hands to hold while leaving the office. Emma and Nina have become a force to reckon with, and Roger and I have realized their charming, giggly girl charms will forever do us in! They are adorable together, seriously! Today, Emma has REALLY fallen head over heels with her sister after a minor bout of jealousy yesterday...understandable!

I'm going to try to post some pictures, and pray that they will work! Keep praying that all of us stay well, as we are all dealing with some congestion issues. This afternoon, the jetlag finally hit me, and I slept from about 2 until 6!!! Roger, and girls, are asleep now, and its only 7 pm! Should be an interesting morning!!

It truly is so hot that we haven't done much of anything exciting....we've mostly been taking care of adoption interviews and paperwork while getting to know our newest blessing.

We love you all!

Kris

FINALLY! :))

2009-08-27T21:05:00.003-04:00

We leave in the morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are overjoyed to be finally on our way to our little girl...well, sort of! We are spending a couple of days in the Bay Area with Roger's parents, which will break up the trip for little Emma. We leave for China on the 31st, and arrive on the 1st. We will have Nina Faith Hongli on the 2nd!!

Thank you so much for your prayers! We have felt them every step along this journey of faith. Please continue to pray for safe travel, and for both Nina and Emma, as our family makes this wonderful adjustment. Please also pray for Parker while we are gone. My parents are coming to stay (praise God), but he will be on his own a little more than usual. Pray that he drives safely, and makes good decisions! :)

We love you guys, and will post as soon as we are able!

Kris & Roger

Bear With Me!

2009-08-13T21:38:00.004-04:00

I'm trying to figure out how to add a video. Hopefully this will work! If it does, we can add all kinds of videos for you to view while we are in China! (ONE THING THAT I'VE JUST DISCOVERED--BEFORE YOU PLAY THE VIDEO, MAKE SURE THAT YOU PAUSE THE MUSIC ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE BY SCROLLING DOWN AND CLICKING ON THE PAUSE BUTTON!!!)

BTW, we will be arriving in China on September 1st at 8:55 p.m., and will have Nina Faith HongLi in our arms the next morning!! We absolutely cannot wait! Everything is coming together with last minute immunizations, getting paperwork in order, and OF COURSE, the packing!!

Please pray for an easy flight, as I am not the *best* flyer in the world. Please also continue to pray for the safety of our entire family while we are away, and that Nina's transition goes as smoothly as can be expected. If you can, please also pray for Emma Claire, as this is a very big trip combined with a very big lifechange for her! BTW, she started kindergarten this week, and has loved it!

Love you guys!

Kris

A Day For Miracles!

2009-08-10T20:49:00.003-04:00

Sunday was quite an amazing day for us! Little Jack Reed was born at approx. 12:30 p.m. Momma, Daddy, big sister and baby are all doing well. He is such a cutie, and reminds me of Parker when he was born.

Another FANTASTIC blessing that we received yesterday was a very large check from our Adult Bible Fellowship class at church, and another check from the Deacon's Fund!!! It is truly amazing how faithful God has been throughout this process....each and every time we have hit a setback, HE has provided in a BIG way!! We feel so loved, and are so overwhelmed at the mercy and grace of our Heavenly Daddy. He had a plan for us, as a family, to grow in our faith during this amazing journey. Just as we know that this is true, we know that He has a plan for Nina Faith Hongli, also. We cannot wait to tell her about how we started this process in faith, and God was there, through so many people, to provide. We just had to close our eyes and JUMP!

May God bless all of you as we have been so blessed!

Kris

Turned Down Again!

2009-08-05T22:39:00.003-04:00

We found out yesterday that we were turned down for the grant again. We had reapplied, on the advice of the grant organization, and still no grant. Also, Roger's HR director informed him that the adoption benefits that he worked so hard to get would not be in effect before we left. We can at least apply for the benefits after we return, but we don't know exactly when they will get everything together.

God works in mysterious ways, but the one thing that we know is that our God is faithful! Perhaps some major life changes will take place as a result of the aforementioned decisions. Please pray for me, and for our family, as we pull together to make some life altering choices.

Kris

WE GOT IT!!!!

2009-08-03T09:43:00.002-04:00

Our coordinator emailed us at 1:40 a.m. this morning.....our TA was mailed 7/30, and BAAS should have it tomorrow!!!!

We are in the process of making flight arrangements. I will post something as soon as we have an itinerary!!!

WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!!! Hang on Nina Faith!!!

K

Some News!

2009-07-29T21:01:00.004-04:00

Roger spoke to our China coordinator today...we expect to receive our TA in a couple of weeks, and travel to China during the first week of September. We could probably leave the last week of August, but we need a 21 day advance AND the rates for EVERYTHING go down in September....it just makes sense to wait, although part of us wants to be there asap!!

Emma will have started school, and will be going for about 3 weeks when we leave, which will be good. At least she will be familiar with everything when she returns.

God is good all the time; all the time God is good!

Love you guys!

Homestretch?

2009-07-16T21:27:00.002-04:00

We received word from our China coordinator this a.m. that our paperwork was picked up and sent to Beijing on July 14th. We only have ONE more approval, and ONE more step before we can go bring our little girl home!

Here's the thing...TAs are taking FOREVER right now! Its just been so quiet on the RQ board that its eerie. We are right on the cusp of being cutoff. What cutoff, you ask? China has trade fairs and holidays during the month of October, which means that NO ONE can go into China during that time period. Even if you wanted to, the rates for everything triple during that month. We are just ahead (by 2 1/2 weeks) by some adopting families who have been told that they will not travel until November. NOVEMBER!!!! We ask you to pray with us that we are well ahead of that cutoff! If we do not travel before September 17th, it is likely that we would not be going until November. Mama may lose what little bit of mind she has left by then.

Best case scenario, we will travel around the first of second week of September. Would you join us by praying this specific prayer? We are also asking for prayer for Nina's transition. Please pray that she has an easy adjustment to our family...as easy as possible, that is. Bless her heart, she will be confused and scared to death...we just pray that this time period passes quickly, and that the Lord will grant us wisdom and grace to get through this time.

Heaven knows that He has helped us through this whole process, and He will see it through to its perfect end.

We love you guys!

Some Good News

2009-07-01T17:02:00.002-04:00

Our I-800 received its final approval in Chicago on the 24th, and was received in D.C. by the NVC this morning. They told Roger that it would take 2-4 weeks to wire to Guangzhou (the next step), but the average wait time on the Rumor Queen chart is 6 days. I'm sure that it will be longer than that due to the holiday weekend, but hopefully within 10 days it will be wired. In Guangzhou, it will meet up with our visa request and other paperwork at the Chinese Consulate's office, at which point we will receive something called an "Article 5" approval. That document will continue onto Beijing, and wait to be granted our travel approval.

We are still uncertain about taking Emma with us, although she is unaware of our struggle right now. My family, and Roger's family, have graciously offered to help with her if we decide to leave her behind. Truthfully, it may greatly depend upon finances right now, and not the H1N1 situation. RQ has estimated 3 % of adoption families actually being quarantined over the past 3 weeks. That figure doesn't seem that imposing to us.

We would LOVE to still travel before Emma goes to kindergarten, but that is HIGHLY unlikely. We're still thinking end of August, first of September.

Pray on, prayer warriors! And thank you so much!!

K

Disappointed

2009-06-30T23:10:00.001-04:00

We heard from our last grant organization tonight. We didn't get it. We are very disappointed, and are trying to regroup. Please pray for us!

Kris

Decisions, Decisions

2009-06-22T18:27:00.002-04:00

Its been a very tough weekend. We buried my grandma today, so we are all physically and emotionally drained. Please pray for my family during this most difficult time. She was a wonderful lady, but we all know that she is so much happier now. Still, we miss her terribly....

The U.S. posted a travel alert today for persons traveling to China. It warns about families being quarantined during this swine flu scare. Parents being separated from their children, etc. Its very frightening to me...I cannot imagine Emma being taken from us for five to seven days, and having no control over what is being given to her. Apparently the Chinese have been giving medication to children without having parent knowledge or approval.

At any rate, we are SERIOUSLY re-evaluating whether or not we should take Emma as planned. It breaks my heart to think of NOT taking her, especially because it would make Nina's transition so much easier, but I don't know if I can risk it if things continue. On the other hand, I don't exactly know who we would leave her with either. Parker isn't exactly old enough to play Mr. Mom for 10 or more days.

Please pray that this situation takes a turn for the better, and we won't have to worry about it!

WE ARE LOA!!!!!

2009-06-16T20:49:00.002-04:00

At 4:35 p.m. yesterday, I received the call!! We are officially the parents of Ji Hong Li, and 100% approved by China! Praise God, she is ours!! We turned our paperwork around today upon receiving the FedEx package, and everything is headed to Chicago and back to California.

We will have to wait AGAIN, but the longest waits is over (God willing)! We are hoping to travel by the first part of September, but that is in God's hands. Stay tuned....

Gymboree Comes Through!!

2009-06-12T14:49:00.003-04:00

God is so faithful!! I know that ya'll already know that, but just let me tell you. We received our reimbursement check from Gymboree yesterday!!! I had just called the Benefits Dept. to find out why I hadn't heard anything (I seriously feared that they pulled the benefit), and it was in my mailbox when I got home!! Praise God!! :) We have one more grant out, and would LOVE to be blessed with any amount from this group also....keep praying!

Although the wait continues, our coordinator says that it will be coming "very soon." I hope that means next Monday because I am off! :) We've kept ourselves busy by gathering and completing all of the final paperwork that needs to be taken care of as soon as we receive our LOA.

We did receive new measurements for Nina Faith, by the way. She is still a tiny thing at 33.29 pounds, and 40.67 inches. Emma is now 5 inches taller!! Emma has just been growing at such a fast pace this year! I really want my little peanut home so that we can feed her, love her and watch her thrive!

We will let you know something as soon as we hear!

In Him,

Kris

And We Wait On...

2009-05-26T20:18:00.002-04:00

LOA's have been arriving over the past week. Unfortunately, ours wasn't one of them, even though 2 families who logged in on the same date received theirs. Just not our time yet I know. Rumor Queen is saying that more will arrive tomorrow, or at least by the end of the week. We're praying that we will be included in that batch.

Keep you posted.

Kris

While We Wait

2009-05-13T21:34:00.000-04:00

We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.

In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.

Psalm 33:20-22

2009-05-11T22:34:00.001-04:00

The Waiting Child

I saw you meet your child today
You kissed your baby joyfully
And as you walked away with her
I played pretend you'd chosen me.

I'm happy for the baby, yet
Inside I'm aching miserably
I want to plead as you go by,
"Does no-one want a child of three?"

I saw you meet your child today
In love with her before you met
And as I watched you take her out
I knew it wasn't my turn yet.

I recognize you from last year!
I knew I'd seen your face before!
But you came for a second babe.
Does no-one want a child of four?

I saw you meet your child today
But this time there was something new
A nurse came in and took MY hand
And then she gave my hand to you.

Can this be true? I'm almost six!
And there are infants here, you see?
But then you kissed me and I knew
The child you picked this time was me.

Copyright 1997 by Debbie Bodie

Swine Flu Blues

2009-04-29T19:48:00.003-04:00

There is a rumor floating around that the CCAA is delaying referrals for 20-30 days until the swine flu outbreak can be evaluated. This is especially bad news for those waiting for TAs (travel approvals). They have already waited so long for their LOAs (Letter of Approval) from China, and now may possibly have to wait an extra month!

We don't know if this will delay us or not at this point. The SARS epidemic is the only medical epidemic that we have to compare the swine flu to, and adoptions were still moving forward but at a slower pace. There is some speculation that, although TAs may be delayed, LOAs may not be. We pray that is the case, just so we know that everything is approved and in order with the Chinese government.

As always, we take heart in the fact that God is in control no matter what happens, and His timing is always perfect. Another grounding matter, my grandmother has been rushed to the hospital with what they think may be congestive heart failure. Please pray for my mom and dad, as they have been through so much lately. My mamaw is a wonderful woman, and is much loved by our family.

Will update.............

God is So Faithful!

2009-04-20T23:08:00.003-04:00

I received a phone call from Shaohannah's Hope this afternoon. We were approved for a $3000 grant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so blessed, and so thankful!! Once again, God has reminded us that He is in control, and will see this through to the end. We have one other grant application out, so please keep praying that we receive something from it also.

Thank you so much for praying for us, and for following my ramblings! We love you guys!

Kristina

In Review!

2009-04-19T22:56:00.003-04:00

We are ending our 39th day of waiting for our LOA! The time has FLOWN!!! Roger and I have been SO busy at work, chasing Emma, and transporting Parker that we haven't had time to take a breath lately! We received an email from our coordinator on Friday that one of our forms was outdated, so we had to complete a new one and email it to her that night. That means that we are in the REVIEW ROOM!!! Wow! That is exciting! The waiting time for the LOAs has been decreasing rapidly over the last month. What used to be a 90 day wait has dropped to a 70 day wait! Good news on one front, but scaring us a little! We aren't ready!

We are still waiting to hear from Shaohannah's Hope, but we did have some positive news on the financial front. Roger has been working very hard to get adoption benefits pushed through for local government employees. God has blessed his efforts, and it looks like that may go into effect for the next budget! I'm so proud of him for accepting the challenge! So many people have helped him with letters of support, etc. We are so grateful, and hope that this will encourage government employees to consider adoption as a possible way to expand their families.

Hope that everyone is well, and enjoying these warmer temperatures! Have a great week!

Just Checkin' In...........

2009-04-05T21:54:00.003-04:00

No new news..........sigh. We are 24 days into the last BIG wait. There are some very positive movements on the Rumor Queen chart, however! In the last few weeks, LOAs have been drastically sped (is that a word?) up! The most recent average has dropped to 74 days!!! 74 days!!!!! If it continues to drop, we may be going earlier than we have expected. We're not talking in June, but possibly earlier in July. We have previously been thinking maybe the last part of the month, but its possible that it could be the middle part of July instead? Only God knows for sure, right?! He also knows how that is thrilling us, and terrifying us at the same time!! We did get a significant tax refund that help our adoption expense situation, but we are still significantly below where we need to be before all of those fees hit. Again, God knows all of this, and He has a plan.............of that we are confident! Shaohannah's Hope is still in the works, and we are praying to hear something positive by the end of the month from that group. We were turned down by God's Grace, and are applying for A Child Waits tomorrow.

Please pray for our little cutie! We want her to know that she is loved, and we cannot wait to hold her!

Thanks for listening to my ramblings!

2009-03-21T21:45:00.000-04:00

“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.” -- Victor Hugo Patience

2009-03-19T20:31:00.002-04:00

It used to be on here, but it has been lost in the much older posts.....I need it this week!

LID!!!

2009-03-17T21:49:00.003-04:00

We are officially in the last long waiting period! LOAs seem to be coming approximately 90 days after LID, so we're hopefully looking at LOA in June, and maybe traveling in July. If it goes into August, we have some decisions to make. Emma starts kindergarten on August 12th, and I would really hate for her to miss her first day. This is slightly stressing me out! I am not sure what we will do if that happens..............only one person traveling to get Nina, or delaying Emma's start of kindergarten, which quite frankly, I'm not even sure that the school district will let us do. Anyway, your prayers for travel in July are greatly coveted!!

With every bit of good news comes some bad, right? Our source of major funding for the adoption has notified Roger that he will not be able to live up to his end of the deal. So, things get interesting. We have received one grant, been turned down for one, and are still in the running for Shaohannah's Hope. Would you please pray for us that SH will help us? We would greatly appreciate it! We still have faith that God is going to see us through this process for HIS glory!!

Hope that everyone is doing well!! The weather here was beautiful today, and we are promised some very springlike weather for the rest of the week! :)

Can you believe it??? More Pictures!!!!

2009-03-14T23:21:00.006-04:00

New pictures received today! Hong Li, a.k.a Nina Faith, is enjoying the cake and gift that we sent her with her friends. I highly recommend Red Thread China for anyone who is thinking about sending a care package to their child. Ann has been so wonderful!!

She's Smiling AND Looking at Our Pictures!!!! :)

2009-03-12T22:23:00.005-04:00

She's looking at her new family, and she STILL looks happy! This is SUCH a blessing, and SUCH as surprise!! Our cup overflows!! Come on LID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Daughter

2009-02-24T18:36:00.002-05:00

Look what some angel found on another blog site, and let me know! Its Hong Li, our Nina, looking very happy! We are so blessed to have this picture! I'm in the process of trying to email the owner to find out more information. I'll let you know what I find out.

Next Step

2009-02-19T23:39:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! A very short post just to let everyone know that our paperwork came back today from D.C. We have 11 autographs from Hillary, 11 Consulate stamps, and one completed dossier ready to fedex tomorrow morning! It will go to our coordinator in California to translate, then be sent to China! I don't know how long the translation will take, but I'm praying that its quick! Stay tuned.....the next thing that we are waiting for is called an LID (log in date), then an LOA (letter of approval).

SHUT UP!!!! :)

2009-02-07T22:10:00.002-05:00

Our I-800 approval came today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited, but wondering when we are going to get it to Frankfort to be authenticated!! We are very optimistic that we might even make it to China in May!!! :0)

Whew! What a week!

2009-01-31T10:31:00.002-05:00

I feel SO blessed to be sitting at a working computer, watching my little "Hannah Montana" dance to her video....we were without power for a couple of VERY cold days during this ice storm. We've thrown away the majority of our food, and tried to catch up on everything that you can't do with no power! We even lost our phone line for a few days....that didn't happen at all during the horrible 2003 ice storm! I feel so awful for those out there who are still without electricity. It's absolutely exhausting! We both had to work during the whole ordeal, so Emma went to work with me for a couple of mornings, then Daddy would pick her up and take her to his office in the afternoons. Parker stayed with Jennifer's family, so at least he was warm! Happily, things are now back to "normal," whatever that is!

We are still waiting for our I-800, but understand that it will be to us within a couple of weeks, God willing! :) Then, its a quick trip to D.C., and on to the Chinese Consulate for approval. I've read of very quick LID's and 55 days for travel approvals, so we are still praying for May travel! We've been spending our time working on grant applications, and have several of those in the works!

Hope that everyone is warm and blessed during this crazy Superbowl weekend!

Kris

I800 Woes

2009-01-18T19:58:00.002-05:00

We finally found out last Friday that our I800 is stuck at the NBC. Apparently we are short a document. A little disgusting just because we were not aware that we needed such a document, but we're hoping that the delay is not a long one. Hopefully the document will be completed in California next week and on its way back to us asap. Then it has to be sent to our officer, who told Roger that was the only thing that she was waiting on....so, if you are praying with us, please pray for a quick resolution to this problem!

We still need to send everything to D.C. for authentication, then to the Chinese Embassy for approval. From there, I think that it will all be translated and sent to China. We don't really know what to expect from here, but are optimistic that we may be logged in by the end of February or first of March! :)

We have had some more encouraging news on the financial front, but our original source of funding is still MIA. We are praying that resumes very soon! Interestingly enough, our pastors sermon last week was on faith. Specifically the faith of David. He referenced the battle of David versus Goliath. As anyone can tell you, the adoption process is ONE BIG GOLIATH!! I unfortunately had to work, but as Roger was telling me about the sermon, I wept. It was as if God was personally saying to me "you're faith HAS to be stronger. You HAVE to trust me, Kris. I am behind this, and I am going to see this through for MY glory!" How awesome is our God!

I pray that you conquer all of your Goliath's this week!

Love you guys!

Kris

My Baby's Birthday

2009-01-03T23:19:00.003-05:00

My baby in china turns 8 today. We are praying that she is safe and happy today especially. She has received her book about our family by now......she may be changing her mind about the whole adoption thing right about now! ;) We look forward to having a big birthday party for both girls next year!

Without going into a whole bunch of personal information, we began this adoption in faith that this was God's plan, and would happen according to His perfect timing. Since Thanksgiving, a major source of our "adoption funding" has not been arriving as promised. If you are reading our journey, would you just pray that this source of funding begins again and continues steadily throughout our process? We are probably about 30 days from receiving our I-800a approval, which will result in a steady outflow of cash for awhile. We are praying for a financial blessing, as we apply for special needs grants, etc. God knows our need, and He will provide.

Hope that all of us have a peaceful, joyful 2009!

2008-12-28T22:36:00.002-05:00

The photo album that we created for Hong Li was received in China. This is the special birthday gift that will go to the orphanage, along with a birthday cake that she can share with all of her friends. We included a self addressed stamped envelope, in hopes that she will somehow be able to communicate back with us (with assistance).

On a sad note, we found out today that our neighbors who are from Beijing are moving! It is very sad for Emma, who is good friends with their daughter, Lynn. Along with losing very good neighbors, we were hoping that they would be able to help us with translation issues when we returned from China. They actually translated Nina's photo album before we sent it, and we were so grateful. We do have their cell phone number, and they are just moving to another part of Lexington, but for any of you who have lost good neighbors, you know what I mean.............

New Measurements!

2008-12-19T12:56:00.002-05:00

We were notified of an update in our daughter's measurements today!

She is now 40.16 inches and 32.6 pounds. Her foot is 6.7 inches (size 7?). Just to give you some perspective, Emma is 43 inches, weighs 42 pounds, and wears a size 12 shoe! Wow! Nina is so tiny! She is on the Chinese growth chart for weight (3rd percentile), but not for height. Her head is in the 50th percentile at 49 cm.

I need to figure out Gymboree sizing, but I still think that she will be able to wear Emma's size 4's by the time we get her. We sent a birthday present to her via redthreadchina.com. The vice director at her orphanage told our contact that he was thrilled because Ji Hong Li's friends have been adopted and received gifts, but Ji Hong Li has never received anything. Boy, that girl is in for a shock when she gets here! I feel like I'm living at Toys 'R Us some days! Definitely NOT a good thing!

We pray that everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and we are looking forward to a wonderful New Year as a family of 5!

One Step Closer to DTC!

2008-11-22T19:07:00.003-05:00

We were fingerprinted in Cincinnati yesterday. It only took 15 minutes total, which was great! I guess we are officially in the 90 day wait for the I-800? Next week, Roger will take the paperwork to the County Clerk to be certified, then on to Frankfort the following week, God willing.

Please continue to pray for us!

Appointment!

2008-11-13T16:34:00.002-05:00

We found out on Tuesday that our fingerprinting appointment was scheduled for next Friday, the 21st! We are thrilled, but very surprised that we will be going to Cincinnati instead of Louisville to be fingerprinted! It seems as if the wait to LOA from fingerprinting is decreasing a bit, so we're hoping that its no longer than 90 days....stay tuned!

Prayers Answered in the Affirmative?

2008-11-05T18:59:00.002-05:00

Ok, I've chatted with many adoptive parents on a couple of the groups, and everyone agrees that its kind of a "don't ask, don't tell" issue. Apparently, the Hague approved agencies have to tell their clients that they cannot have contact with their child. However, there are other "businesses" who will facilitate that contact, such as "Blessed Kids," etc. I have communicated with the owner of this particular business, and she told me that she has delivered care packages to this orphanage before. She said that the staff is very receptive, so that is good news! We will pray about the risk involved before making a decision to move forward with a care package along the way.

On one other positive note, we received our notice from the USCIS that our fingerprinting appointment is in the works, and we should have it soon! :)

I Love This!

2008-11-02T19:51:00.006-05:00

...once our eyes are opened we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act. (Proverbs 24:12)

I have some sad news....I heard from our China coordinator, who informed me that we were not allowed to have any contact with Nina prior to our adoption due to the Hague treaty. I have never heard this before, and have NEVER known a couple who was not able to send pictures, letters, etc. all during their wait. I've asked for reconsideration, but I don't know that it will help. Please pray for us, and for Nina! I cannot imagine that having no communication wouldn't make for a much more difficult transition.

THE NEWS WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR !!!!

2008-10-23T19:56:00.002-04:00

We received news today that China APPROVED our petition to adopt Ji Hong Li!!!!!!!!!!! We are overjoyed, and praise God for His Goodness and His Faithfulness!!!! We are still waiting for our fingerprinting appointment...stay tuned!!!

Mailed!

2008-10-16T14:48:00.001-04:00

I was notified by our social worker that our home study was mailed yesterday! Now, we are awaiting a fingerprinting appointment. Meanwhile, we've figured out that Roger's blood test will expire before reaching DTC. Our coordinator is trying to help us figure out how to remedy that situation. Stay tuned!

Pre-Application Sent!

2008-10-10T09:08:00.002-04:00

We got some very exciting news last night...our pre-application to adopt Ji Hong Li has been sent to CCAA electronically! Yea!! That may seem minor, but it means that in a couple of weeks, China will let us know if we are approved to bring her home. At that point, she is fully ours and we can post her pictures!! Our coordinator said that she foresees no problem with our being approved, so that's a relief.

The homestudy is with BAAS awaiting approval. Once its approved, we will be taking all of our documents to Frankfort for authentication, then we just wait for the fingerprinting appt. I really pray that we are logged in by November, but realistically it could be December. The way that it looks now, it could be May before we travel. We really don't want to have to travel in the heat of summer, so we would MUCH prefer March or April. God's timing is perfect, however, so we trust in His divine timeline!

We are going to tell my parents this weekend, so please pray for God's hand in that as well.

Beautiful Understanding

2008-10-06T21:50:00.001-04:00

Every call has a beginning
A quiet moment when God whispers a promise to a mother’s heart
A holy place where a father bows and faithfully accepts the journey set before him.
A miraculous morning that unexpectedly dawns…
Casting its first light on a chosen threshold.
A gentle knock..a closed door opens.
A sacred invitation sent by the Father..
Leads to the other side of the world.
Where lonely hearts stare out orphanage windows
Praying for someone to care...
And then one morning,
On an ordinary day
An orphan’s life changes...
God sends them a second chance...
Through you..

Home Study Complete

2008-09-25T22:54:00.002-04:00

Everything has been sent to BAAS for approval! Yea!! We really need to get the I-800 moving so that we can get our fingerprinting appt. I'm starting to stress about the financial aspects again, so prayer is in immediate order! I know that God is faithful, and we just have to take one step at a time.

In the meantime, I've been doing some Christmas shopping early. It will be easy to space the cost of the holiday over three months, which will be important as the adoption expenses start coming due.

I really pray that we will be logged in early enough to send Nina a Christmas gift, or a birthday cake. I cannot wait to be able to communicate with my new daughter!

Ending the Homestudy

2008-09-15T16:07:00.002-04:00

We had our last visit this weekend, and we are rounding the corner on our homestudy! Yea!!! Roger's paperwork has been sent to California for authentication, and is on its way back. Now, we are waiting to hear from our I-800 application for an fingerprinting appt. Once we receive our hs, already notarized and county clerk certified (thanks to Adoption Assistance, Inc.), we can take our paperwork to Frankfort for authentication. We have hopes that we will be submitting our dossier in a couple of months....its in God's hands, however, and we know that His timing is perfect!

2 Down, 1 To Go!

2008-09-03T22:42:00.002-04:00

We made it through our second homestudy visit tonight. Roger and I met individually with our social worker, then together. We will meet again next week, with Parker, then that should be it! Thank heavens! Now I have to get to the task of authenticating everything.....man, you forget how exhausting this process can be! I have a BUNCH of reading to do also! Better get to it!

Home Visit #1--Check!

2008-08-27T23:17:00.002-04:00

Well, we survived our first homestudy visit. The social worker came to our house this evening, and things went very well. We're only missing a few items of paperwork, so I expect things to be finished in about 1 1/2 weeks. The next step will be for us to mail the California documents to be authenticated, shich I hope I can take care of this week! Yeah God!

Still Chasing, But Moving Along

2008-08-25T23:55:00.002-04:00

Nearly all of the required documents together, and our social worker is scheduled for Wednesday evening. I have my physical scheduled for tomorrow morning, and I'm a wreck! I always hate these things. I'll check in when our meeting is over.

The Paperchase Begins

2008-08-15T18:18:00.003-04:00

With all applications mailed and paid, we are currently paperchasing while working on our homestudy. We are using Adoption Assistance, Inc., who has agreed to handle our homestudy as an update! That's about $600 worth of good news! :)

We are praying for an abnormally fast homestudy and approval by the U.S. government. Roger has told his family, and they graciously agreed to help us with all of the preliminary fees involved. We will start applying for grants as soon as the CCAA gives their approval.

We cannot wait to post a picture of our new daughter!

Kristina

I think this is going to happen!

2008-08-02T23:11:00.002-04:00

Ok, the signs are everywhere. Roger has commented that everywhere he has been this week, the subject of sermon, lecture, discussion, etc. has been faith! Tonight we received word from his wonderful parents that they are going to help us with the initial financial expenses for Ji Hong Li's adoption. This is such a blessing, as it will allow us to move ahead in the process and see us through until we can apply for grant money. Yea God! He is so good to us!

We are thrilled, and can finally "breathe out," knowing that our journey will be so much less stressful, and so much more possible! That little mustard seed is moving mountains for us! Thanks be to God!

2008-07-26T19:56:00.002-04:00

Ready, Set, Jump...

2008-07-26T19:26:00.005-04:00

Well, we have the application in hand, and have informed the agency that we wish to adopt Ji Hong Li! Thursday night, we read the Bible and prayed together, and came to the conclusion that this is a leap of faith, and that we are ready to trust God and move forward. We seriously have NO idea how all of this is going to happen, but we both feel that we are doing what God desires for us, and for our new daughter.

Dr. Taylor has reviewed all of her medical information, and believes that her birthdate may be wrong because of her small size. In her province girls are historically very small, so its hard to tell. Our most recent update revealed that although small, she is growing!

I can't wait to post her picture! I'm waiting until China approves our "pre-application," as directed by BAAS.

Stay tuned!

Praying, Waiting, Wondering....

2008-07-07T20:55:00.004-04:00

So, here we are again...wondering what God has in store for us this time! We believe that He has led us to a wonderful little seven year old, healthy girl in China. Having prayed and thought about adopting again, we are anxious to get started, but fearful about the finances involved. We trust that God will make a way if it is His will for this to happen, but we are moving faithfully forward.

We are awaiting a good word from Dr. Taylor regarding this little one's paperwork. Her file is on hold with BAAS. And we pray....

May God's will be done in her life, and in ours, always.

Kris