The big day for Susannah...

Sweet Susannah is in surgery today. She went in early this morning for a total of 10-12 hours in the Operating Room barring no complications. This family has weighed heavily on my heart over the past few weeks. Please continue to pray for healing for this precious child.

UPDATE @ 8:30pm: Susannah is out of surgery! Her little heart is beating on it's own and the surgery went well. For my medical friends, she had BOTH a Glenn and Fontan procedure today. Yes, I said BOTH. Two weeks ago we prayed that this child would make it out of China alive. Today she has accomplished so much more than that long plane ride home. Please continue to remember her in prayer over the next few days. They are critical to her recovery.

Just another day in the neighborhood...

Meet the offender...
View the scene of the crime...
Our little offender was placed safely in her crib while throwing the queen of all two year old tantrums. I came downstairs to call her Father and tell him what a little sassy pants his daughter was being. Two minutes later I see a little orange and black figure sneaking quietly across the living room. WHAT?????? Little sassy pants is standing in the living room. WHAT?????? Did you note that I placed her kicking and screaming IN HER CRIB? I could not speak. Every time I opened my mouth I almost laughed with disbelief. Did she REALLLLY jump out of her crib? There MUST be another explanation.

Mom: MG, HOW did you get out of your crib?
MG: {blank stare}
Mom: MG, HOW DID you get out of your crib?
MG: {blank stare}
this went on for about two minutes and then she replied...
MG: I used my feet

Lord, help us! This is what happens when your two year old is at the 97th percentile for height. I should note that her brother was too but he never attempted an escape. So, can you guess what I'm doing right now?

The forthcoming solution...Two white iron "Molly" headboards...coming right up. Operation Jie Mei Hwa (beautiful sisters) is coming around a little sooner than I expected. Good thing I've been preparing for it for a while.

{Edited to add: The picture of her crib was taken before she was born at our old house. Now, the mattress is at the lowest level and the bumper is gone. I just wanted to add that before someone thought I was a complete idiot. Also, I'm just buying the headboard in the picture...not the 1982 heart bedding. I found the picture online.}

May I have your attention PLEASE...

I have confirmation from our social worker that our packet was mailed this morning. It will arrive in Chicago Wednesday morning and we will officially take our place in line. It's gone! It's gone! Praise the Lord! I have never been a dancing kind of girl but today I'm turning over a new leaf. The Sprinkler, the Cabbage Patch, a little Hammer time, the YMCA, some moon walking and my favorite, the Carlton, have all made an appearance at our house today. Go ahead. Click the link. I'll wait for you.

OK, now for the serious part. The i-800A is the "application for determination of suitability to adopt a child from a convention country". Translation: are Daddy and Mommy suitable to adopt a child from China? It has taken us almost four months to get to this point. A boat load of new adoption laws effective April 1, 2008 have made this process longer and more tedious. Just in time for us to get started.

Now that we have completed our homestudy and submitted our petition, many have asked what happens next. Much to our dismay, the answer is MORE WAITING. The current wait for immigration clearance is 90-120 days. At the end of that 3-4 month period, we should receive our "golden ticket" (AKA I-797). Once we receive the I-797 we can complete the authentication process and mail everything to China. If the current estimated wait holds true, it will be late January before that will happen. I'm hoping beyond hope it will be earlier but we have to be cautiously optimistic. We ARE dealing with the government so really it's just a guess. With that being said, let the first of several countdowns begin.


I'm warning you now. If this ticker goes over 120 days I'm going to need some serious therapy.

What type are you?

Take the test and discover your personality type.

MY RESULTS...

Your personality type:

Warm-hearted, popular and conscientious. Tend to put the needs of others over their own needs. Feel strong sense of responsibility and duty. Value traditions and security. Interested in serving others. Need positive reinforcement to feel good about themselves. Well-developed sense of space and function.

Careers that could fit you includes:

Home economics, nursing, teaching, administrators, child care, family practice physician, clergy, office managers, counselors, social workers, bookkeeping, accounting, secretaries, organization leaders, dental assistants, homemakers, radiological technologists, receptionists, religious educators, speech pathologists.

(I think I chose the right profession)

Pray hard...

for sweet Susannah today. Her cardiac cath is scheduled for 9:00am CST.

Quoted from Leslie's blog...

Here is what we know: she is a fighter (well we already knew that but we have some trustworthy medical confirmation), her heart defect is worse than the referral but we are not completely shocked by this--though we are completely disappointed for her sake, she will be having a cath procedure tomorrow, and possibly open heart surgery next week. We will know the prognosis on that for sure tomorrow. In other words, we will find out for sure if she is even a candidate or if it is too late because her precious little body has just waited too, too long.

Please pray that Susannah is a candidate for the surgery she needs to save her life. Leslie, we are praying diligently on her behalf.

Say CHEEEEEEEEEEEESE!

See what happens when you send your 5 year old for Kindergarten pictures without you? I was not there to remind him to smile a "regular boy smile" and look what happened! Did you note the strained neck muscles in Pose 2? How could you miss them? Sorry Mrs. Courtney but your efforts to rid my children of the words "say CHEESE" have officially failed. I would bet the farm that is exactly what he's saying here (if I were the betting kind OR had a farm but that's beside the point). I happened to read the note from the studio before I saw the proof so I KNEW whatever was in that envelope was going to be GOOD! This is how it began...

Dear Parents,

In viewing the fall underclass images taken at your school, we discovered that your student's images did not come out well...

Hmmmmm...ya think?

They are HOME!

I am happy to report that Susannah and her family are HOME! They arrived last night and became a family of 5. She is off to see Cardiology for the first time today. There is a possibility that she could get admitted immediately to the hospital due to her condition. PLEASE continue to pray for them.

Apple Pickin' with friends...

It was a day of firsts...

--first day to wear the official Kindergarten t-shirt...
--first ride on a REAL school bus...
--first visit to an apple orchard...
--first attempt to turn an apple press...
--first time to pick an apple...
--first Mommy and J Kindergarten field trip...together...even though I didn't think to have our picture taken. He was SOOO proud that I was there. He introduced me to all of his friends as "This is MY Mom". I do not have a photo but I know I will remember. I was there for his first field trip and I plan to be there for many more to come.

Update on Susannah...

Susannah has been released from the hospital!!!!!!!!! She is officially the daughter of Charlie and Leslie and has now flown to Guangzhou for the last leg of their adoption journey. The good news is should she need further medical intervention there is a western hospital in that city (one where the MD has more than a high school education--that blows my mind).

People all over the world, literally, have prayed diligently for this little girl over the past five days. We all prayed for God to move mountains and I believe without question that He has done just that. From what I understand He may be in the middle of another mountain moving miracle even as we "speak". I will keep you posted.

Please continue to pray for situation. The road ahead of Susannah and her family will not be easy. However, after the miracle I have seen unfold this week I can't wait to see the plans God has in store for this precious child.

REVIEW IS COMPLETE!

After much ado, our homestudy review was faxed to our social worker this morning. It took two weeks and one day. Tuesday was a stinky day on the homestudy front. The bad experience prompted a "heart to heart" discussion with one of our agency directors on Wednesday (concerning the lack of professionalism on the part of an agency employee) . The result of our "heart to heart": home study was reviewed and faxed by 10 AM this morning. In the words of my social worker, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". Today you can call me squeaky. :-)

Next stop...USCIS

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE AS OF 9/17 @ 4pm: Leslie's blog has been opened back to public access.

UPDATE AS OF 9/17 @7am: Thank you for the emails and prayers for Susannah. The last post I read (~2:30 AM) said they would not release Susannah from the hospital until at least Monday. This is coming from the "doctor" that is treating her (the doctor with the high school education!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) This is bad. Leslie sounded completely HOPELESS in her post. By the time I logged on at 7, the blog had been set to private. If I hear anything I will pass it along (if it is appropriate for me to do so). PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY! THEY NEED NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE!

Dear friends,

I am coming to you on behalf of my friend Leslie. In real life, she is a friend of a friend. Over the past several months we have become friends during her wait to bring home her daughter Susannah. Here is the prayer request...

Her daughter Susannah is VERY SICK! That is an understatement. She has a severe heart condition that requires extensive surgery once she arrives home. They left for China last Thursday and were supposed to meet Susannah yesterday. Instead they were taken to meet her in the hospital. From Leslie's description she is GRAVELY ill. They need nothing short of a MIRACLE to bring this child home. There is only One who is in charge of miracles.

This morning, as I read the words of Leslie's post, I have tears flowing down my cheeks. I am asking you to pray for this child. This is a child we do not know but a child who is loved by so many at this very moment. PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL MOVE MOUNTAINS TO BRING HER HOME TO THE FAMILY SHE DESERVES. It will take moving mountains to bring her home alive.

I do not have permission to link her blog but considering the circumstances I know that Leslie will want all of the prayers possible at this point. If you pray for her, please leave her a word of encouragement on her comments. I think they are a lifeline to home right now.

Room for At Least One More

Happy Fall Ya'll...

It feels as if autumn has arrived today and I couldn't be happier! I am anxiously anticipating the...

pumpkin patch
autumn leaves
hot apple cider
new Halloween costumes
cool nights
homemade chili
warm fires
pumpkin carving
fall clothes
football games
caramel apples
pumpkin spice latte (my new indulgence)

and the two main reasons why fall is my favorite season...
family traditions and giving thanks.

I hope the new blogover puts you in the fall spirit. Drag out those fall decorations and go buy yourself some mums. It is TIME! Happy Fall Ya'll!

Love,
Mommy

Press Play...

The Womble Times is up to date!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it? Over the past two weeks I have added random posts from mid June until today. I'm so glad that monkey is off my back. Now, for all of you who sent me "words of blog update encouragement", rightbackatcha! I'll be stalking you for updates very soon. :-)

"Mrs. Womble, this is Nurse Sue"

Nurse Sue: I have J in my office right now. He has a fever of 103. Could you please come pick him up right away?
Mommy: Yes, ma'am. I'll be right there.

Guess who has hand-foot-mouth just like his sister? He was DEVASTATED that he had to leave early. He said, "I’m missing art and recess and Makenzie's snack and rest time and orange car rider line and..." as he cried his little eyes out. If he was so sad to leave, I think it is safe to say he was having a good day at school. Wooohooooo!

Dear Parents...

"We would like to report three cases of hand-foot-mouth disease..." was the opening line of a letter I received today at MDO pick up. Hmmmmm...do you think that has anything to do with the random fever MG had on Tuesday evening? Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-we-have-a-winner! By 8:00pm we discovered that they now have FOUR confirmed cases of hand-foot-mouth disease. One case belongs to this little cutie (who obviously hasn't seen Mr. Hairbrush today)...

Where were you?

When I hear the beginning lines of Alan Jackson's song I am immediately taken back to that horrible morning. We were in our hotel room at "the happiest place on Earth" with our dear friends in the adjoining room next door. We were beginning what was to be our last day in WDW before we headed out to sea for our cruise. We were running out the door but took a second to click on the TV to view the daily park schedule. I stood there in amazement, utter disbelief. Then I ran to our friends door to tell them to turn on the TV. We all sat in silence. The parks closed, we had no way home, were scheduled to board an oceanliner the following morning and an airplane on Saturday. The happiest place on earth quickly became silent as we all processed what was happening in the world around us. I was overwhelmed by fear...what would happen if someone, someone evil, decided to make the happiest place on Earth become one of the saddest. They closed the parks for that very reason and I think we all recognized it. I have never felt more relief than when they grounded every plane in our nation. Plain and simple, I wanted to go home. Not that I felt home was safe but I wanted to be home within the security of my four walls. Our parents were trying to reach us all day but the lines were jammed. I wasn't a parent at the time but I can only imagine the relief my Mother felt just to hear my voice that evening. It was a horrible day, the greatest national tragedy in our lifetime. I will never forget the look on my friend Rachel's face or watching my husband hold back tears. I will never ever forget. It bothers me that people want to forget this day and move on. If my husband had been one of the innocent people who lost their lives that day, I hope that someone would remember him seven years later. For the families that lost someone that day, I know they will never forget, and for their honor, neither will I.

Where were you when the world stopped turnin' on that September day?

What in the world is...

"Pirates Booty"? All night long, I have listened to my son laugh hysterically after saying the words "Pirates Booty". My reactions...

"J, stop saying that"
"J, that is not funny. Please stop laughing about that"
"J, that is not appropriate"
"J, that is enough"

To which I hear, "Mooooommmmmmmm, it's not ugly. I read it at school. Jackson brought it. It's OK!"

Really? Because throwing yourself in the floor after you mention the back side of a pirate is really not funny. What kind of book did Jackson bring to school? What in the world is "Pirates Booty"? What are they teaching you at this new school of yours?

September's Public Service Announcement is for anyone who might be in the dark (like Mommy). May I present to you...They are a cross between popcorn and cheese puffs. They really aren't that good but my son thought they were great (and hysterical). Now, won't you all rest easier knowing the answer to my question? When your child comes home talking about a "Pirates Booty" you'll know they aren't talking about treasure or the behind of a pirate.

{Special thanks to Rebekah for informing me that booty=treasure. I didn't know that one either}

The truth is, the dance will go on...

Lunch box boredom?

To all of my Mommy friends who struggle (like I do) in lunch box planning...

Check this out. I love this woman and I don't even know her! Now, I'm not saying my J would eat the food in her child's lunch box but it's still a great idea to imitate. Have fun!

P.S. I am in the process of updating the blog. I still have posts from June until today. Sorry guys. It was the summer of J around here. I'll post when I'm finished...give me a few days...

Gone fishin'...

Since last summer, J has been dying to go fishing. This week Daddy finally decided it was time to take him. We broke out the Scooby-Doo fishing pole and Shaggy tackle box. He's been practicing casting his line all summer to get ready for the big day. Daddy bought himself a new pole and organized his tackle box. Mommy packed a cooler with plenty of Gatorade and lunch food. I made sure the camera had plenty of space for photos of the big catch. J reassured me with the famous last words of a fisherman. "Don't worry Mom. I'll bring home dinner". Then they were off...Unfortunately, the fish did not think today was a great day for fishing. They only got a few nibbles and left with worms still on the hook. J was bummed! He's been waiting all this time to catch "the big one" only to leave empty handed. I think they had a great time hanging out together (minus the part where J wouldn't stop talking while Daddy was trying to teach him you have to be quiet for the fish to come near your worm). Hehehe. As far as pictures go, someday I will learn not to depend on my darling hubby to chronicle the life events of our children. He is a lot of things but photographer he is not. So, you'll just have to imagine them sitting on the bank of B Lake. Poles in the air and smiles on their faces waiting not-so-patiently for "the big one". Maybe next time boys...maybe next time...

All About Me...

J's family project for September was to create an "All About Me" page for the class book. We were instructed to print photos and adhere them to the page under the appropriate area. Each page will be laminated, placed in a book and sent home with the students so they can get to know their classmates. This was the sheet that was sent home... Hmmmmm... If you know me in real life, you already know that I took one look at that piece of paper and cringed. I immediately started thinking about how we could make it a little more exciting without completely insulting Mrs. Polka Dots. I appreciate the guideline but I could not cut out little pictures and stick them inside those shapes. I COULD NOT DO IT! So, I consulted my trusty scrapbook closet and this is what we came up with. We found appropriate photos and the paper he wanted to use for his project. Note that he would not approve any "cute" paper for his page. Only solid primary colors for my boy (but even primary colors are better than white copy paper). Then Mommy got to work on the All About Me masterpiece. Here's the final result...
Go ahead--blow it up and tell me how cute he is. Are you impressed that I used the original sheet? Look closely. I gave it a facelift but the bones of it are still there. :-) I know it isn't perfect but don't you think it beats photo #1?

"This is the worstest day of my life"...

After a heated debate over computer time (imagine that), J declared...

"This is the worstest day of my life. I'm just going to run away."

He headed off to his room. I went for the camera to commemorate the occasion. His suitcase was almost packed when I made it upstairs...The contents of his run away from home suitcase included: The Mommy Book, Charlie Brown Christmas book, his Bible Story book, two lovies, four pairs of underwear and three pairs of pajamas.

I went along with his plan telling him I was going to miss him SOOO much. If it was OK with him, I wanted to take his picture so I would remember what he looked like after he ran away.

Mom: So, have you thought about where you're headed?
JTW: I think I'm going to the beach
Mom: How are you going to get there?
JTW: Ummmmmmm...maybe you could drive me?
Mom: Nope, if you are running away you'll have to find a way there by yourself
JTW: Oh, well I could fly to the beach
Mom: Do you have any money?
JTW: Ummmmmmm...No. (LONG PAUSE) Could YOU give me some?
Mom: Nope, if you are running away you'll have to find your own money
JTW: Well, how am I going to run away if I don't have any money?
Mom: I don't know. Have you thought about where you are going to sleep? What are you going to eat? Who's going to read you? Who's going to wash your clothes? Who's going to take care of you? The world is a big scary place for such a small boy to take care of himself.
JTW: (bursting into tears) BUT MOMMY! WHO'S GOING TO PACK MY LUNCH BOX BEFORE SCHOOL?
Mom: Well, little boys who run away don't have lunch boxes
JTW: WHAT? They don't have lunch boxes? What do they eat?
Mom: Whatever they can find in the trash can
JTW: THE TRASH CAN?????????????
JTW: (still crying crocodile tears) I think I changed my mind. I don't want to run away anymore. Can I PLEASE stay here with you and Daddy and MG?
Mom: Well, of course you can J. If you want to stay here you'll need obey our rules. Do you think you can do that?
JTW: YYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS! I promise I'll obey the rules. Even the ones about the computer.

:-)

First day of Mother's Day Out...

Today was MG's first day of Mother's Day Out at our church. Prior to any first day of school photography, she wanted her backpack ON HER BACK and lunch box IN HAND before she would let me proceed. She also had to pause a moment for the beautiful flowers. That's my MG...no matter what is going on around her she always takes the time to smell the roses. I love that about her.She was so excited to have her picture taken on the porch just like her brother did a few weeks ago. She couldn't wait to "go to big skoo lite brutter" until about the time we pulled in the church parking lot. At this point, she wasn't so sure school was a good idea... Doesn't she look thrilled? We greeted her new teachers, Mrs. Carrie and Mrs. Melissa, and after a few minutes she was off to play. She cried about 30 seconds when I left but then she was OK. She will attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2.

We struggled with the decision to send her this year but ultimately decided it was a good move. She is such a social butterfly, loves to makes friends and she will LOVE it. It was my own hesitation that I had to get over. It is 10 hours a week in a loving Christian environment. She will enjoy art, music, chapel, outdoor play and meet many new friends among other things. Do you hear me convincing MYSELF as I type?

While she is having fun at MDO, I will have the opportunity to volunteer at J's school (which is the main reason we made this decision). For obvious reasons, they have a "no siblings" policy for volunteers. I would never be able to have a presence at his school without someone to help me with MG. We will reevaluate if the need arises but for now our baby girl is officially a little school girl. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff. Isn't she beautiful?

Maybe next year?

As all American's know, there are three red, white and blue summer holidays. Perhaps 2009 will be the year for two Womble girls in matching dresses? Anyone care to guess which holiday it will be? Happy Labor Day to all!