A Dual Celebration...

The Chief is turning 31 on the 31st...
five days after our newly introduced MeiMei turned one...
Since we received her referral the day after her first birthday we decided to celebrate both birthdays together. No, she is not here yet. That's OK. We are celebrating her special day regardless. We broke out the appropriate boy and girl plates for the occasion at the request of the little people. Little Miss chose the cupcakes. Wild Man chose the candles. Happy Birthday Daddy! Happy Birthday MeiMei! Next year we'll have a REAL party for the new March birthday duo.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

You're no longer touching your 20's (at the ripe old age of 31) but we couldn't care less. No matter how old you are, we'll still think you're the best thing since goldfish and peanut butter. We love you "all the way to the moon and back again 100 times".

XOXO,
J, MG and MH

(P.S. Mommy says we can't post pictures of our meimei
but she didn't say we couldn't post a picture of her picture.
We think if you click it you can see her a little closer.
Mommy says this is called a "technicality".
Since it's our Daddy's birthday we think a technicality is A-OK)

Have I known you all my life?

I didn’t give you the gift of life,

But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.
For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true.
No, I didn’t give you the gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
– Unknown

She is, indeed, OUR daughter!
Thank you so much for your prayers over the past few days.
We are hesitant to post photos until we have direct confirmation from China.
More details and mini-photos to come when we float back down from cloud 9.

Waiting for the Sky to Part...the finale...

Once everyone went to bed I spent a little more time with my pal Google. I joined the yahoo group for families with children from her orphanage. I joined the yahoo group for cleft affected children. I sent email requests to several well respected physicians and pediatric dentists in our area. Then I began searching for more information on her foster village.

There is so much more to this story but for now I have to stop here. What I can tell you is this. For years I have prayed that our daughter would be loved and cared for until we can bring her home. He has answered our prayers. Never in a million years could I have imagined the blessing we have been given. Years ago, if someone had asked me to create the perfect scenario for our adoption I would have dreamed really small. Thankfully God didn't ask for my input or I would have messed it all up.

I've been reminded again and again that sometimes we have to trust God even when it doesn't make sense. In this instance, He didn't care about our extensive research or detailed lists. He had his own list. His own plan. His own personal agenda that has far exceeded all we could have imagined. Someday, hopefully soon, I hope to share the rest of the story.

Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory
Ephesians 3:20-21

Waiting for the Sky to Part...part three...

We bailed on our camping weekend and came home a day early. Between the nasty weather and the stress of MeiMei's referral we couldn't take another night of the wilderness. Once we made it home and got settled we spent the afternoon researching everything we could find on her diagnosis. I believe knowledge is power is a true statement--at least for me--and it eased my fears to know more. Thank you Lord for the power of Google. Really--what did we ever do without it?

As the afternoon went on I started to feel a little better about everything (all the while the Chief is telling me to stop worrying because it's HER). As I looked through her file over and over again, it was the little things that stood out seemingly confirming we were meant to be her family. She's a Southern girl. She likes biscuits (as any Southern girl should). She's wearing pink in both of her referral photos. She's from an oil producing area of the country (the Chief is an oil distributor). Remember the mysterious I800A approval in December? Through the dates in her file we discovered we were completing our final piece of dossier paperwork at the exact same time she was completing her final document for her C2A2 file. Basically, while we were finishing our paperwork for her--she was finishing her paperwork for us. Coincidence? Naaahhh--we do not believe in coincidence. Yet I was still holding back. Still not convinced. Still waiting for the sky to part before I fell completely in love with a little girl who might not be ours. And then it happened.

Do you know the song What Now by Steven Curtis Chapman? It is one of many songs in my playlist on the office computer. I have listened to it literally hundreds of times but this time was different (and please don’t think I’m crazy because I'm not). When this song began to play it was as if the words were being whispered directly into my heart...



I saw the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl
She was standing in the corner on the other side of the world
And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my heart
Didn't you say you wanted to find me?
Well here I am, here you are

So, What now?
What will you do now that you found Me?
What now?
What will you do with this treasure you've found?
I know I may not look like what you expected
But if you remember this is right where I said I would be
You've found me
What now?

With these words I knew ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY WITHOUT QUESTION we were meant to be her family. It was as if a complete sense of peace washed over me. In those moments my mind immediately switched from "Is this HER?" to "This IS her!". After I turned off the waterworks (which were streaming in full force) I dragged the Chief in to listen. He listened intently as he didn't know the song as well as I did. With the first verse complete I knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. "I told you it was her--I told you!" he said...

Waiting for the Sky to Part...part two...

As we talked more and more about the Waiting Child program, I began researching and compiling a mental list. Those of you who know me well are laughing right now--me, research and mental lists. :-) Anyway, after much discussion, we felt confident in what we could and could not handle as a family. We compiled our list based upon that research and sent it in to our agency. Actually, we submitted four lists over the past year--each to replace the previous version. So as you can imagine, when our agency called with a need not on our current medical checklist, I was in shock. Could this be her? I think so--but I don't want to think--I want to know.

Throughout the first day and a half, I was so many things rolled into one big ball of butterflies. The Chief was certain it was her. Me being...well...being ME...I was still hanging on the fence. Ready to jump off but still holding on just in case. I continued to ask him, "How do you KNOW for sure?" Every time his reply was the same. "I don't know. But I do. It's her." I wanted that reassurance. I wanted to know ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY WITHOUT QUESTION it was her.

At 3 am on the night of MeiMei's referral, while everyone else was sleeping, I was curled up in the corner of the camper with a flashlight. I scoured every word of her file at least 10 times searching for some sort of connection--a sign if you will. I continued to pray, "Lord, please show me with certainty that she is OUR daughter" over and over again. Truthfully, though I know it doesn't happen like this, I'm pretty sure what I truly meant was "Lord, I'm waiting for the sky to part. I'm waiting for YOU to tell me she is ours. If you could do it just this one time then I'll know ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY WITHOUT QUESTION that she is OUR daughter. Go ahead. I can wait." And wouldn't you know it. I waited...and waited...and waited...

Waiting for the Sky to Part...part one...

Over the past few years we have prayed many prayers over this adoption. Some small (please let our background checks come today). Some Big (please do not let Mr. Fedex lose this box). Some HUGE (please ensure our pink bow clad dossier arrives safely in the hands of the C2A2). All appropriate things to submit to the Big Guy but none as important as the following...

1) That she would be loved and cared while she waits for her family
2) That we would KNOW with certainty that she was meant to be OUR daughter

Number 1 is obvious...please take care of her THERE while we wait for her here. Up until a month ago we didn't know who she was but obviously He did. He knew who we were praying for and ultimately we had to trust in His plan for our family.

Number 2 is a little more complicated. In the typical process, your agency calls you with a referral for YOUR child. In the Waiting Child process, they call you with a child's medical file to review and the decision is left up to you. You have a trusted physician, preferably one well versed in internationally adopted children, review the file. Then you can accept the file based upon their recommendations or pass it on to someone else. Can you see how much human-ness is involved in all of those steps? How much room for error there could be? I wanted to be sure she was ours--not based upon our agency finding A child for us--but based upon them finding OUR child for us. There is a difference...

THE CALL!

We were up bright and early this morning getting ready for our first family camping adventure. The kids were beside themselves with excitement. The parents----well, let’s just say we were cautiously optimistic. I had everything (and the RV kitchen sink) along with my trusty red referral folder (just in case we got the call). We packed the RV and headed out right before lunch…or so we thought…

We made it half way down our street and my cell phone rang. I saw the number and immediately started screaming. “IT’S PAM! IT’S PAM! IT’S PAM!” There was only ONE reason our agency director would be calling me. I was screaming “THIS IS IT! WHERE IS MY RED FOLDER? WHERE IS MY RED FOLDER?”

M: Hello!
P: M, It’s Pam. Stop where you are! Today is the day!
M: Ahhhhh! We’re just pulling out of our street. We haven’t left yet! I TOLD YOU YOU NEEDED TO KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING! [The Chief is looping the neighborhood to take us back home while I’m talking}]
P: I know! I know! Do you want to call me back?
M: NO! NO! TELL ME ABOUT HER!
P: Oh Misty! I think this is a great referral for you. I have a very young baby girl.................

We went through the file line by line. What is her medical need? Where is she from? How old is she? Today is her first birthday! Developmentally on target. Foster care. She’s beautiful–just a little button—a baldy. We talked through her file for about 20 minutes over the phone. Then she said...

P: What do you think? Do you want to review her file?
M: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those few minutes waiting for the file to arrive felt like hours. Thank goodness for email—I never would have made it waiting for Mr. Fedex Overnight. In the mean time I paged my friend Anna 9-1-1! She knew that was the code for a referral review and called back right away. Thank goodness for friends who happen to be Pediatricians. Then it came--the file popped up in my Inbox. OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS IT! We opened and printed the file, emailed it to Anna, and scoured each document for more information. After we felt like we had enough information to feel confident we were going to accept, we opened the photos. We didn’t tell Wild Man or Little Miss who we were looking at but we wanted to be together as a family when we “met” her for the first time. We opened the pictures............

Hello beautiful girl with the beautiful eyes. Have I known you all my life?

Within 35 minutes of the call we were back on the road for our camping adventure. We didn’t tell the kids anything about what was going on. We wanted to guard their hearts just in case. At 1:15 pm Anna called us back with her recommendation. We talked it through for a few minutes and then spoke the words I will never forget… "I think this is it. I think you say YES"! And that is exactly what we did…On the rainy afternoon of March 27, 2009 at 1:21 pm we said YES to the daughter and sister chosen to be part of our family. I was so fearful of making this decision in less than 48 hours. By the grace of God we made it in 1 hr 58 minutes. Unbelievable! Shortly after the YES call to our agency I showed the photos to Wild Man while Little Miss was sleeping. “Look Wild Man---do you know who this is?” With a big smile on his face he said “It’s MH!” Minutes later when Little Miss awoke I asked her the same question. “Look Little Miss---do you know who this is?” Her reply… “It’s MH!” I'm sure the looks on our faces after their replies would have been priceless. It was a beautiful moment of confirmation for the Chief and I. After all these years of knowing we would someday walk this path it is, indeed, MH! Praise God!

You know what to do...

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

((the SCC will not publish))

You know what to do...please PRAY!

Every Good Girl Scout Plans Ahead…

Two weeks ago the Chief, in his infinite wisdom, decided we needed to get away for a little family time. Spring Break was coming up for Wild Man and Little Miss so he rented an RV for our first family camping adventure. We haven’t been camping since we were kids because our idea of roughing it is the Motel 6 we have never had the opportunity but he was we were up for an adventure. Nature—here we come.

To prepare for the trip, I sent an email to our agency director explaining our weekend plans. I was concerned about what would happen if our referral arrived and we could not be reached. We will be in the mountains—two hours away from home—no cell phone service—no computer—no fax machine. The reply: “There are no guarantees”. What??? I can’t leave town knowing we might miss out on the referral of our daughter because we can’t be reached. You see, I knew the shared list was due out any day. In February, agency referrals arrived when the shared list was released. I was hopeful that would be the case again this month. Was it a coincidence or was it going to happen again? No one knew the answer but we were not going to take the risk.

My Girl Scout instincts kicked in and I conjured up a plan. I called the state park we were planning to camp and explained the situation. They gave me emergency numbers, told me exactly what to tell our agency and assured me they would come find us should our call come in. HALLELUJAH! I passed on the information to our directors and got packing. I know they thought I was a quack job with my “Womble Contact Information March 27-29” emails but I didn’t care. I was planning ahead. Honestly, I didn’t really believe we would receive a referral while we were away but I had to cover the bases just in case. But then the strangest thing happened--I saw 14 ladybugs in my front yard 5 days before our trip? Remember the ladybug sighting? Was it a crumb or was He just messing with me? I don't really think He's in the business of playing mind games but sometimes my own mind plays tricks on me. Anyway, I had no idea but I wasn't going to risk it by being unprepared. Boy, am I glad I listened to my good girl scout instincts...ALWAYS BE PREPARED!

Ladybug sighting...

14 ladybugs to be exact! It's a long story--perhaps one day I'll be able to tell it without all of you thinking I'm on my way to the funny farm. Come on China---give us (and at least 13 of my waiting agency pals) a referral!

Kite Day with Dad...

Behold-the power of Photoshop...

For SBM (and her one eyed friend)...I'm pretty sure you'll always be WAY cooler than I'll ever be (except when it relates to technology or private investigational work--you know what I'm talkin' about). So, I decided to lend one of my two talents to help a girl out. Your title read "Paisley Party". I got excited because I thought you bought new fabric. :-) See how cool I am? Now--for the love of Pete--delete and replace. My new computer is up and runnin' so I'm back in business! I love me some Photoshop!

For those who have no idea what I'm talkin' about...Meet Sonjie...my fun-loving, naturally beautiful, invariably entertaining friend of 9 years who always makes me laugh.

Oh wait...one more thing...
I've been holding on to these pics for a while now. I guess I can add one more cool factor to my resume...techie, PI and bacon fryer. :-)

What is your FAV-O-RITE family vacation spot?

It's that time of year again. The time when Daddy and I start thinking about our family vacation. We had hoped our 2009 vacation would take us half way around the world to meet our daughter. More and more it is not looking like that will happen any time soon.

So, tell me. What is your FAV-O-RITE family vacation spot? I can't wait to read your comments!

Votes Needed PLEASE!

First, click HERE. Now click "VOTE NOW" until you come to a screen displaying 12 finalists. Cast your vote for SMITH SPRINGS CHURCH OF CHRIST. After you click over to cast your vote I'll explain...go ahead...I can wait...

Did you follow my directions? Did you vote for SMITH SPRINGS CHURCH OF CHRIST. Excellent. Now for the details...

One of my best friends (Laura--nonblogger--but don't hold it against her) and her hubby (Ron) are Youth Ministers at SSCoC. Well, I'm not sure if Laura is technically a "Minister" but you know what I mean. Anyway, their youth group is one of 12 featured in a contest sponsored by TNU. Why you ask? Their small group of ~25 middle and high school students raised $8000.00 to help their church build an orphanage in Zambia, Africa. How awesome is that?

WAIT--do you want to hear the best part? If they win the contest they receive $2500.00!!! Guess what they are doing with the money if they win? No, they are not using it to buy new Wii games or an air hockey table for the teen room. They are using it to cover half the cost of digging a well in the same African village? They will still have to raise the other half but for 25 kids who raised $8000.00, $2500.00 should be a breeze. Do you know many teenagers who would give up their contest earnings so that people they may never meet can have clean drinking water? Yeah...me either.

You can vote once a day until the contest ends on March 20th. Thanks in advance!

Hallelujah!!! We have a LID!!!

Now I know you're thinking--WHO CARES?? You return to blogging to tell us you found a lid? It's just a lid...
but hold on a second...it's not THAT kind of lid. As you know our dossier went to China on 1-2-09. Once it arrived in Nanjing it was translated and then submitted to CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) in Beijing. When the dossier is entered into the CCAA system they issue a log-in-date (LID). It is basically confirmation that the CCAA has received the dossier and officially know you are petitioning for one of their children. We have been anxiously waiting to hear our date over the past two months. Look what I just found in my Inbox...

1/19/09

It is now officially official. China knows who we are--four little Wombles on the other side of the planet waiting to find our daughter and sister. I find it a bit ironic that less than 24 hrs after I had my little "breakdown" about the current state of our adoption, a little bit of hope shows up in the form of an email. Today I'm thankful for the little things that gently remind me He's got it all under control.

HALLELUJAH!!! WE HAVE A LID!!!

the roller coaster that is life...

I sit down every day to update our blog. Really, I do. Every day I avoid it about as much as I avoid the triple divided sea grass laundry hamper I ordered from QVC. Both are pretty but neither motivate me to begin the kind of housekeeping I need to do.

I am going to be completely honest. Over the past two months I have been a fish out of water. I've avoided friends and family because I can't seem to think about anything else. Most of you know my latest "project" was complete right after Christmas. According to my husband, I function better when I have a "project". I'm pretty sure he's right. However, once I tied that pretty pink ribbon I should have closed the chapter and moved on. Instead I continue to find myself so focused on the end result of that project that I'm missing the good stuff in the interim.

Someday my phone will ring with our agency on the other end of the line. Someday I will hear someone speak the name of our daughter. Someday I will cry tears of joy when I see her face for the first time. Someday I'll learn about where she lives and what her needs are. Someday I will send her a box full of goodies and pictures of her family. Someday I will find the strength to leave J and MG for two weeks in order to give them the gift of a baby sister. Someday I will finally meet our daughter through a divine plan only the Big Guy himself could have orchestrated. Someday...

But it isn't today. It probably isn't tomorrow. It may not even be this month or even this year. As hard as that is for me to process, the reality is there are no guarantees in adoption. I fully recognize that the waiting is overwhelming every day of my life. I know I have to step back from this and refocus. I have been so blessed with an amazing husband and two beautiful healthy children. I need to find a place where I can focus on the family I have now and the God who graciously gave them to me. I have to truly BELIEVE that the plan He has for us is bigger than any adoption agency or foreign country standing in our way. I have to truly BELIEVE that God doesn't just work miracles in other people's lives. He can work miracles in our lives if we let Him carry our burdens instead of trying to drag them along on our own.

We stepped on this roller coaster last spring knowing it would difficult. It would bring with it many ups and downs. That has proven true and I know the end is no where in sight. So, today, March 3, 2009 at 12:34 pm I am giving it up. I am handing this burden over to the only One who has any control over this process. I will not promise you I'm going to stop talking about our adoption. Those who know me well know that will never happen. What I am promising is to make every effort to stop worrying about what is going to happen and start living for what is happening right now. Would you pray that for me? Would you pray for our family? Would you pray for the daughter God has chosen for us? Would you pray that I can find contentment in His timing and not my own? Over the past several months, this verse seems to be following me everywhere I go. I'm adopting it as my own for such a time as this...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:2

WOW...I feel like I just tossed 1000 pounds of weight off my shoulders. Being completely transparent feels freeing at the moment. If you made it this far I owe you a hug (and a Starbucks). Love to all...