Ready For Lift Off...

From: (OUR AGENCY)
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 10:02 PM
To: (US)
Subject: Dossier

Dear M,

Your dossier was about the best prepared I have EVER seen!!!!! Tell me, do you ever COOK in that kitchen? LOL! The dossier will leave New York on 1/2/09...

...it's in the DHL box, ready for lift off!!!!

Happy New Year!
P--

LOL! For the record, I use my kitchen all the time BUT I had to stage the photo. I couldn't send a picture of a dirty kitchen to China, now could I?If you saw a picture of that kitchen wouldn't you think it would be lovely place to bake cookies with your family? I know I would. See...Mission Accomplished...

A Leap of Faith...

Seven months ago we began the official paperchase to Womble baby #3. These beautiful BEAUTIFUL photographs represent the fruits of my our labor. Within this huge stack of paper is everything you ever wanted to know about the Wombles (and then some). Birth records, childhood memories, recommendations from friends and family, criminal records (or lack thereof), education, health status, extended family social history (LOL--that was a very long section) etc. etc. etc. You name it...it's in there. The copies in blue are the original documents that will go to China. The rest are copies for both our agency and for us to keep. I wonder how many trees we killed in order to make all of those copies?

{DRUM ROLL PLEASE}

May I present to you the original, notarized, certified, triple authenticated dossier for the Womble family. Each document was scrutinized (too many times to count), labeled, organized in dossier checklist order and tied with two coordinating pink ribbons. If that bow doesn't speak "baby girl" in Mandarin I don't know what will.
There are so many emotions wrapped up within the pages of this dossier. Much like a new pregnancy, this simple stack of paper represents the excitement, anxiety and anticipation that 2009 is sure to bring. International adoption is long and daunting. Waiting for a referral is hard. Waiting after we receive a referral will be even more difficult. From this point forward, the only thing left to do is take each day one day at a time. On so many levels this entire process is a HUGE leap of faith. Today we jumped in head first. Not knowing exactly where we will land, but knowing Who will hold us up until we do. Goodbye Paperchase...thanks to you we are one GIANT step closer to our daughter. At this moment, that feels amazing!

Now faith is being sure of what
we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
-Hebrews 11:1

Hey Womble...where the heck are ya???

That would be the title of an email I received this morning. Hehehe. Made me laugh! I KNOW I'm behind again on the blog. Life is busy around here in November and December. I'm working my way from mid November so it may take me a bit. Walt Disney World, J's birthday, Holiday programs, Christmas festivities, etc etc coming up...hopefully soon...hopefully.

Hope...

This morning, as you opened your tiny eyes, you awoke to an ordinary day...

without stories of a baby in a manger...
without Christmas cookies or gingerbread houses...
without packages to unwrap or new toys to play...
without the screech of a brother who couldn't wait to tear into his presents...
without the sight of your sister coming down the stairs on Daddy's arm...
without a bedtime kiss and Mommy's "I love you" whispered in your ear...

Through each of these moments I thought of you. Though I know you are not aware of the significance of this day, I find it hard to erase the thoughts of you from my mind. You are there. We are here. I am praying with all of my heart that today is the one and only Christmas you will ever spend without the love of a family within your reach.

Please, God, let her be home by Christmas...

Happy Birthday Jesus...

Our day has ended. Everyone is fast asleep dreaming of Batman towers, Wii games, princess shoes and Keurig coffee makers. I, on the other hand, am wide awake and overwhelmingly thankful for the gifts we've been given. Not gifts of the material kind. The gift of Jesus. The gift of love. The gift of family. Nothing else can ever compare.

...Our gifts are Yours, God
All our dreams are Yours, God
All our plans are Yours, God
The whole earth is Yours, God
Everything is Yours...

O Holy Night...

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the next few days, let us not forget the very reason we celebrate--the birth of a baby boy who changed the world in every way possible. One who was born knowing His time would be short but His message of hope would remain. Merry Christmas my friends! May you be surrounded by the love of family, friends and most importantly the presence of our Savior within your heart. It is, indeed, a Holy Night.

Love,
the Womble 4

Making Gingerbread Memories...

I love family traditions! This year we added a new one to the holiday lineup...Gingerbread Houses. In our case, a train (for the boy) and a house (for the girl). They "helped" me put them together this afternoon so they could dry.
We decorated them tonight...girls vs. boys. Apparently the object of the game was to see who could eat the most candy without Mom or Dad knowing. They were sugared up by the time we were finished but it was great fun!
MG insisted on wearing her ladybug costume for the festivities. So sweet...
The finished product minus several pieces that disappeared from their original location...
Neither child claimed to know anything about the disappearing candy. Hmmm...

The Missing Link arrives...

The FINAL dossier document. Signed, sealed and delivered at 11:55 am today. China here we come!

Dear Comcast...

Unfortunately, I have talked to you more than once a day for the past five days. This is ridiculous. I hate the thought of one of those tacky satellites bolted to my house but you are about to drive me to it. Either fix my email (for more than a few hours at a time) or there will be one less customer to send you a fat check every month. I know you have a bazillion customers, I'm just a number and you could probably care less about my distress. But really? Seriously? Could you hold up your end of the deal? FOR THE LOVE OF PETE...FIX MY EMAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

your disgruntled customer,
Mommy

PS: if you have sent email to me over the past five days I may (or may not) have received it. If it is important you'll need to call me.

The Kindergarten Christmas Spectacular...

I love to watch little kids perform. They get so nervous and excited. They search the crowd for their Moms and Dads and smile HUGE grins when they finally find their cheering section. They even stop singing long enough to smile for the camera when everyone else is staring at their music teacher...
Nearly 200 kindergarteners serenaded us with a few lighthearted Christmas favorites complete with hand motion choreography. Today's song lineup included I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, I Ain't Gettin' Nothin' for Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Feliz Navidad, Blue Christmas and my personal favorite, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. J thought that was HYSTERICAL! MG left her Christmas cheer at home so I spent much of the performance in the foyer instead of in the bleachers. At least I could hear from out there or I would have been really disappointed.
Santa, Grammy and the little girl with the crazy smile. Can't you just hear her saying "ChEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEze"

Hershey's Christmas Vacation...

Just a few weeks old when we adopted her in June 2000, she kissed the milk barn life goodbye and became our "daughter". For those who have never met her, I would like to introduce you to Hershey Kiss Womble...Her name was derived from Daddy's favorite chocolate candy bar and my downright INSISTENCE that she have a middle name. All "babies" have a middle name, right? We were coo-coo bananas over this cat. We treated her as all good "parents" treat their babies. We bought her the fancy kitty food that milk barn cats could only dream about. We provided her with many hours of playtime and 1:1 attention along with every cat toy imaginable. When we moved to the boro, she rode in the U-haul with "Daddy" because, you know, how many barn cats have the privilege of riding in a U-haul? Not that she could tell her cat friends about her experience--because she didn't have any cat friends--but that's neither here nor there. We searched for her whereabouts every time we walked in the door. We made sure she had a "babysitter" when we were out of town. We didn't want her to be lonely. We had her picture made with Santa Claus and mailed Christmas cards of her dressed up like the big red guy himself...Oh yes, this was our 2000 Christmas card. In 2001 she wore reindeer ears but I can't find that picture right now. Sadly, I'm not kidding. Then in 2002, Hershey became a "big sister" with the birth of J in November. It was tough for her at first but eventually she adjusted to no longer being the center of attention. She went from being the object of my camera lens to the obstacle. J and MG LOVE her but she has never loved THEM very much. They are too fast, too loud, too unpredictable. Which, I'm sure, is the very reason she stays hidden 95% of the time they are awake. Like clockwork, she comes out at 8:15 pm to sit with "Daddy" after the kids have gone to bed. She lives for that time of day.

Last month, when our floors were refinished, Hershey went to stay with her great grandparents. I'm sure she had a wonderful week of peace, quiet and plenty of personal attention. She probably didn't run two feet the entire week (because she was the fastest one in the house). :-) We let her stay a few extra days for us to get settled at home. Then we brought her home.

Granddaddy (Daddy's GF) has always had such a deep affection for animals. ALWAYS. They have always had a pet until their cat died a few years ago. They never adopted another because of their age. Well, after Hershey left, Granddaddy was heartbroken. Nana said he stopped talking and just seemed a little "lost". Awwww... We love our Hershey but we know she doesn't get the attention she deserves any more. She's not particularly fond of J and MG. She stays hidden all the time. So what do we do?
Tonight, Hershey went to "vacation" with Nana and Granddaddy. We know she will love it there. What kitty cat wouldn't? Hopefully she'll bring Granddaddy out of the funk he's been in since she left. It's the best of both worlds really. We can see her any time we want, she will cheer up an 87 year old man and I don't have to clean up any more litter or cat hair. :-) We're all a little sad about it but we know she'll be fat and happy at the Hastings.

Our Big Girl...

MG's first night in her "pretty pink big girl bed". She was so proud.

The Great Coin Caper...

It is 7:45 am. J is out of school for a snow day. We're all still in our pajamas. I'm in the kitchen cleaning up breakfast. From the other room I hear the sound of my baby girl choking. It wasn't your typical "choke on a Cheerio" kind of sound. It was a true "I CAN NOT BREATHE"--somebody do the Heimlich kind of sound. OH-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO-NO!!! I rounded the corner into our bedroom to find her gasping for air but screaming between gasps. The good news: She's breathing. Praise God! The bad news: this is what I see in her hand...
Except the dime and the quarter she has in her hand are covered in vomit. Lovely. I'm trying to calm her down to figure out what happened.

M: MG, did you swallow the money or did you spit it out in your hand?
MG: [still screaming and gasping] YES!
M: Which one? Did you swallow it or spit it out?
MG: [crying & pointing into her mouth] YES! IT HURTS!
M: What hurts?
MG: [pointing to upper neck] IT HURTS!
M: Did you swallow the money or spit it out and it scared you?
MG: [holding neck and screaming] IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!
J: Is MG going to die because she swallowed money?
M: No, MG is not going to die? Did you see her with money in her mouth?
J: Yes
M: Do you know how many coins she had in there?
J: A LOT!

Somebody cue the Mother of the Year music. At this point MG is still screaming but she's no longer gasping for air. She keeps saying "IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" and pointing to her neck over and over. This is the point where the Mommy calls the Pediatrician's office and politely demands asks to speak to a nurse immediately. Lucky for me, Dr. Tim's nurse just walked in the door.

M: Hey! This is Mommy Womble. MG just choked on a few coins. I think she may have swallowed some. I need to know what I'm supposed to do now. [feeling like a complete idiot]
RN: Is she breathing?

[I must admit I found that question hysterical. If she wasn't breathing would I be calling you? Oh wait...I don't have a good track record for calling 911 when I need it, now do I? No comments Anna M]

M: Yes she's breathing. She coughed up a dime and a quarter
RN: Do you know if she swallowed anything?
M: No
RN: Do you know how many coins she had to begin with?
M: No [if I knew my 2 year old was playing with coins would I let her continue?]
RN: Hold on. Let me talk to Dr. Tim [on hold]

RN: Mommy, didn't she have brochitis a few weeks ago?
M: Yes
RN: Why don't you bring her in for an xray--we want to be sure if there's anything in there it went into her stomach
M: OK, when?
RN: Come on in right now
M: OK

CRAP! Why does this stuff always happen before I've had a shower? Off to the MD office... Why we had to go to the office before we went to a different building for the xray is beyond me (but that's not important to the story). The x-ray confirmed she did indeed swallow a coin. Dr Tim said "it looks to be a quarter or a nickel but there's no way to know for sure by the positioning on the x-ray". PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Apparently dimes and pennies are no big deal but quarters and nickels can cause problems in children under three. "Keep an eye on her and be sure to inspect every diaper until you see the coin again". Lovely. 50 hours later we found the culprit...Thankfully his prediction was wrong. It was a dime. No need to worry. This is not the actual coin that took a two day mini vacation through MG's GI system. That one went straight in the garbage. That was .10 we could live without. Who knew motherhood could be this exciting?

Our Christmas Miracle...APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WARNING: Chatty Cathy post

I've been keeping a little secret because, quite frankly, it was too good to be true. I just received confirmation that I am NOT living in a dream world. This is NOT a hoax. This is NOT my friend ANONYMOUS playing a trick on me. This is REALLY happening! We have been APPROVED BY USCIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have explained it before but here's the short version. After the Hague Treaty went into effect 4-1-08, the immigration process became longer and much more time consuming. More homestudy information, more criteria to include, more time to review...you get the picture. So basically you submit your application, receive a log in date and wait 90-120 days before you are assigned an officer. They send the corrections, if any, you fix them and then when they get around to reviewing your application again you get approved.

When we returned from Walt Disney World I found an email without a subject from someone named Mr. Michael _______ dated 11-12-08. I didn't even open it thinking it was spam. Ha! When I finally got around to it I was greeted by "I have reviewed your case and attached is the request for additional evidence for the home study deficiencies..." My initial thought was "YEAH RIGHT! I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday. I'm not falling for THAT one". It has only been a month since we were logged in. I truly believed my amigas were trying to pull one over on me by setting up a bogus email account while I was away. Then, I looked a little more closely at the letter and discovered that "Mr. Michael _______" had official USCIS letterhead and information that my ANONYMOUS friends would never have known...our case number, our USCIS account number, etc. Then the panic set in...

HOW IN THE HECK HAVE WE ALREADY BEEN REVIEWED??????????? There are people with August log in dates that haven't been assigned an officer yet?????? We were logged in mid OCTOBER??????????? How did this happen????????? I'm EXCITED, CONFUSED, ECSTATIC, CAUTIOUS, etcetcetc...

Then came the question...do I tell my adoption friends or do I wait to see if this pans out? The obvious answer: DO NOT TELL ANYONE! That quickly changed to DO NOT TELL ANYONE THAT MIGHT TELL USCIS THEY MESSED UP. So, I haven't breathed a word to any of my I800A buddies. Why? Because I know it is not fair that our petition was reviewed out of order. What's a girl to do? Tell USCIS they messed up? Tell them to put us back in line so we can wait a few more months? NOPE. Sorry. Their boo-boo. Our benefit.

Then came the let's hurry up and fix the issues so we can get this joker APPROVED. The changes were very minor wording issues so it shouldn't take more than half an hour to corrent. Well, that would have been easy if the agency person who needed to approve the changes and sign an ORIGINAL copy had not been in CHINA...literally...in CHINA! She came home a week and half after I received the notice (the day before Thanksgiving). Then our Social Worker was out of town until Monday for the holiday. They missed each other by a couple of hours. Ugh! Talk about hurry up and wait! Now let me stop right here and say I know what you're all thinking right now...it was Thanksgiving...they wanted to spend Thanksgiving with their families...cut them some slack. Yeah. I know. Whatever. Call me selfish but I wanted our APPROVAL! Last Tuesday (12-2-08), after three weeks post-Request-for-Evidence, our corrections were mailed. FINALLY we're getting somewhere.

TODAY, two business days after he received our corrections, I receive a personal phone call and an email from Mr. Michael _________, my new BEST FRIEND. Both began with the words, "Congratulations! Your I-800A petition has been approved". Oh yeah! Here comes the Carlton again! That means within a few weeks our dossier will be complete and ready to go to China when we receive a referral. I have to do all of that crazy notarize, certify, authenticate, authenticate, authenticate stuff.

Despite statistics and timelines, our application was approved in record time. I have been reminded more than once that this was not a coincidence. It was bigger than that. I wish I knew the reason why this happened so quickly (you know me, always trying to figure things out) but I know the Big Guy always has a plan. This time I'm not going to question it. I'm going to attempt to tame the big grin on my face and relish in our Christmas miracle. This is happening...it is REALLY REALLY happening...

Statistics:
from mail date: 70 days
from log in date: 59 days

P.S. To all of those waiting in the I-800A line, I am so sorry. I hope you are reviewed and approved quickly. I sincerely mean that. Don't hate me...

Welcome baby Ansley...

Congratulations to our friends April and Chad on joining the ranks of parenthood! Baby Ansley made her debut this morning at 9:12am weighing in at 7lbs 13oz and measuring 20 inches long. MG says she has a thing or two to teach her about being a girly-girl. Sorry Chad :-) Hurry home guys so we can give that baby some love.

Wordless Wednesday...

GREAT NEWS and a "code" for the future...

WARNING: rambling Chatty Cathy post below...

I would like to share the GREAT NEWS we received from our agency director yesterday. It was a lengthy email replying to several questions but the most important statement was this...

"...I think all our families will be offered matches in much less than 6 months..." -PT

MUCH LESS THAN SIX MONTHS!!! We SHOULD, note the word SHOULD, at least have a photo of our little girl some time between now and June. Our agency directors returned from China last Wednesday and have slowly filled us in on the details of their trip (and you all know I LOVE the details). This time last month I was scrambling to compile all of the information they needed to send to the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs). Now I'm wondering when all of this preparation is going to become REAL. We know our information is in China and they are working to find our daughter based upon the information we provided. Who knows when it will be but the point here is "MUCH LESS THAN SIX MONTHS"!!! At one time I thought we would "meet" her by Christmas (and by "meet" I mean see her picture). I dreamed of spending our 10th anniversary (May 09) in China. Then, with all of the I-800A mess, I've submitted to the fact that it might be next fall or even 2010. Now it could be June!!!!!!! I'll take June...sign me up for June...I'm in for JUNE!

When we receive a referral from the Xingfu program, we will have our Physicians review the file and make a recommendation. We will consider their advice and then make the decision we feel is right for our family. Over the past two years, I have prayed diligently that God will reveal to us our daughter in a very obvious way. I'm not asking Him for a burning bush or a parting sea. Perhaps just a little "sign" to let us know that she was meant to be ours. Maybe I'm asking for too much but he is GOD after all. He can do ANYTHING He wants. Though I have not mentioned it here, we walked this road back in the summer. It was an extremely difficult decision to make but in the end we did not have ANY peace about the medical circumstances placed before us. We took that as our sign that she was not our daughter. This time, with a referral looming within the next six months, I am praying harder than ever that we will KNOW with 100% certainty that she is our MH.

When the time comes for us to review a file, I will not post the news immediately. I hope and pray the file we receive is a good match but there are no guarantees. I do not want to broadcast news that may later be a heartbreaking reminder of another difficult decision. With that said, I am going to post in code.

If you stop by our blog and see this...

PLEASE stop what you are doing and PRAY! There is nothing more you can do for us during that time than to pray for our discernment. Not everyone will know what the code means but those of you who have read this post will know exactly what I mean. Stork photo and SCC's When Love Takes You In video. I hope I have some good news to share very soon...I hope...I Hope...I HOPE...

Merry Christmas MH...

The tree is trimmed, the stockings are hung and only one thing is missing. You. It is our prayer that this will be the only Christmas you will ever spend without the unconditional love of a family. We look forward to next year when, hopefully, our voices will sing the final verse of this song with you wrapped in our arms.

Love,
Mommy



Merry Christmas by Third Day...

There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for Momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
Where the forgotten are

But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
I'm warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow

But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
And prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll tell you from my heart
I wish you Merry Christmas