Medical Update

About a month ago, our pediatric endocrinologist sent both Lily and Thomas in for some blood tests. Thomas' tests were because he isn't growing fast enough. In truth, our 9-year old boy still wears size 5T clothing. That's toddler size! Lily was sent as a "rule out different birth defects" test. Her blood work came back testing positive for testosterone. That means her little body has some type of organ that is producing testosterone. The endocrinologist conferred with Lily's geneticist and urologist to determine what to do next. (She had already had an ultrasound, but it was inconclusive). The team decided to send her to Boston for more in-depth testing. She was sent to Massachusetts General Hospital's Pediatric Urology department.

Yesterday was Lily's appointment. I arranged for two different child care providers, and packed Lily up for the two hour drive to Boston. I had never been to Mass General before, but I quickly learned that it is made up of several buildings interconnected by different hallways and elevator systems. I needed my GPS to find the Radiology department. I found it and got Lily settled for her ultrasound. I absolutely HATE ultrasounds because I want to know what the technician is looking at, but they NEVER tell me! After an hour on the table, we were sent up to Urology. Our appointment was for 1:30pm, but we never even saw the doctor until 2:35pm. I was pretty annoyed by that point. When they did call Lily's name, it was the surgeon himself who came to get us. Seriously! No nurse, or nursing assistant, but the actual doctor came to get us. (I should add that this particular doctor is the Chief Pediatric Urological surgeon, and is known world-wide for his skills.)

During the exam, the doctor explained everything to me in detail. He is the first doctor to actually diagnose Lily. I'm not ready to divulge just yet, but suffice it to say that she is looking at one major surgery next year. The surgeon has high expectations that she will be fine after surgery. He completely won me over with his knowledge and his attention to Lily. He sat with her, played games with her, and then sat with me to answer all my questions.

Lily will have an MRI in January to give the doctor a more detailed view of her internal organs. After the MRI she will have laproscopic surgery to remove an ovary. Finally she will have major re-constructive surgery. I know there are so many people who have more serious needs, but I ask that you pray for our precious girl. She will have to remain in the hospital for several days.

Six-Month Post Placement Report

Can you believe this is the same little girl who was made of toothpick legs and arms? Six months ago LilyBeth could barely walk, now I can't keep her still. She runs EVERYWHERE!

And that's the face that gets her into trouble!

Daddy did her hair. I'm such a lucky wife!

ON the medical front, Lily has undergone so much testing that she could get her own access badge to the lab. As a result of all this testing, we learned that she does have abnormal ovaries and her body is producing testosterone--as China said. We will be going to Boston to meet with the world's leading surgeon for this birth defect. We are so blessed to have health insurance. This could get expensive. Fortunately, once the surgery is complete we will have a complete understanding of her reproductive system.

Happy Halloween!

A Groovy Night

The Princess inside her castle (bounce house)

We are ready for some fun!

Groovy man!

Chinatown

Two weekends ago, we took the kids to Chinatown in Boston for Thomas' 9th birthday. They got dressed in their adorable Chinese outfits and we took the "T" into town. They had a blast! We are so blessed by Thomas. He is the sweetest child on the planet. Here's a picture of everyone as we were waiting for the "T".

P.S. It's really hard to get everyone to pay attention at the same time.

Three Months Home

LilyBeth has been home for three months now and is settling into her American Life just fine! We have had several doctor's appointments with specialists and are happy to report that she will NOT need surgery. Wahoo! She has a complete set of internal female organs and nothing is amiss as was diagnosed in China! We are so blessed that she will live a normal, healthy life and grow into a wonderful young lady with no restrictions.

I'll try to find a recent photo to put up here. She's gained 4 pounds! She went from wearing safety-pinned 12-month clothes to filling out her 18-month clothes in less than one month and is now beginning to wear 24-month clothes. Praise God!

New Pics

Here she is!

Me and my girls!

The Boys!

Our amazing children

One big family.

Me and the Mr.! I love this man!

2 1/2 Weeks Home

LilyBeth has been home for 2 1/2 weeks now and we are just beginning to see her personality. We've seen glimpses here and there, but never for more than a second until now. She is one wonderful little lady!

Yesterday, I dared the unthinkable: I took 6 children (all under 8) to the ocean by myself! Lily has no fear of anything--especially water. That's very scary to a mom. As soon as she saw the ocean she pointed, "shouted, "guh!", and ran headlong into the waves. Of course I was in pursuit and managed to get her before she went under. Her brother, who is 2 1/2 years old, is terrified of water, so I spent the whole time trying to get one near the water and the other out of the water. The big kids were great and stayed in the shallow water so I wouldn't completely lose it.



Lily has been to her pediatrician and is 20 pounds, and 32" tall. She will have her blood work done today (say a prayer, please), and will be meeting with the specialists soon. She is afraid of doctors, and I'm not sure how best to prepare her to see them. She spent several months in the hospital in Beijing.



Isn't she adorable? I love this sweet girl!

Clearly I'm not good a blogging!

LilyBeth has been home just over a week and we are just beginning to see her personality. She can be mischievous, to be sure, but mostly she is a very sweet observant toddler. I say "toddler" because she is 2, but really she's more like a 1-yr old. She just learned to walk before we got her--you could tell by the way she wobbled when she walked. She had the skinniest legs and arms I have ever seen on a baby (except for a newborn) and NONE of her clothes fit her. Since coming home, Lily has been walking everywhere and is even beginning to run!

I had been told that the orphanage she was at is one of the best in China, but after talking with other families who adopted from the same place I learned that SN (special needs) kiddos don't get the same treatment as NSN (healthy) babies. They are often left in their cribs all day and the nannies do not cuddle, or play with the SN babies. It made me angry to think of Lily sitting in a crib all day while "healthy" children went out to play, or were lovingly held by nannies. Then I remembered that no matter what her circumstances, her Heavenly Father was always loving her and caring for her. How awesome to know that she WAS and IS loved by her Father! He was preparing her for our family all along.

China was wonderful, but I'm so happy to have her home where I know she will be loved, cuddled, and played with.

Home

And fighting jet lag. Oh well. It's amazing to be home. China was amazing, but I'm happy to be home. I will update later. Until then, here is pic of little miss!

Today is the Day!

We fly out of Boston this afternoon and have a long layover in Chicago. Then it's off to Beijing for a CRAZY week. But we will have LilyBeth on Friday the 24th! That means Thursday night back home. So please keep us in your prayers as we try to navigate the most confusing adoption yet!!

Totally Freaking out!!!

I can't believe we are leaving in less than two days!!!

This is me--totally through and through. Please pray for sanity as we travel to meet our newest baby girl!

Tea Party Hat

As I pack for our trip to China, I am also working on planning a Victorian Tea Party for our church. It is so much fun! I am disappointed that I won't be here this year, but I'm happy that Gracie can go without me. She will have a "big sister" take her.

So, she and I grabbed our glue guns, and a bunch of silk flowers and went to town. Above is my creations. It's WAY too big for me, but hilarious anyway.

Our 14 days in China are scheduled to be very chaotic. We get in Thursday night, get LilyBeth Friday morning, visit New Day Friday afternoon. We have the weekend off--sort of--church on Sunday. Monday is the adoption, and then sight-seeing for three days. Friday we pick up a her passport and head to GZ! 6 days in GZ and then home in time for her 2nd birthday!

Wow! It's only a week away!

We meet our daughter in 7 days! I can't believe it has already been a week since we got TA--where did the time go? Oh yeah, planning and prepping for travel.

I have most of our stuff packed (except for my clothes), donations set aside, plane tickets purchased, and hotels reserved. Our daily itinerary looks good--busy but good--and we are only 5 days from getting on a plane!

I will miss my kids so much, too much according to Mike. I'm praying that they will all be safe while I'm gone. I trust the sitters and definitely my husband, but I will miss them and worry nonetheless. Well, it can't be helped. I have to go to China to bring our daughter home. I wish I didn't have to travel, but Mike can't.

Anyway, I am so HAPPY to be meeting our daughter so soon. We have had her photo on our refrigerator since November--7 months ago. But soon, she will be in my arms and then home with her brothers and sister.

Travel Dates!

• The Two Jennifers and I will be leaving from Boston on 6/22 and arriving in Beijing very late on 6/23.
• 6/24 Gotcha Baby Girl!
• 6/25 and 6/26 we tour Beijing--Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven
• 6/27 Adoption Finalization!
• 6/28-6/30 Visit New Day Creations
  
• Lots of appointments over the next several days
• 7/1 Fly to Guangzhou
• 7/5 Consulate Appointment
• 7/6 Fly to Beijing
• 7/7 7 children home forever

Waiting for CA

Who knew there would be more waiting after TA? I had forgotten all about it. But we have to wait until tomorrow or Wednesday to get our confirmed Consulate Appointment date--then we can purchase tickets. What's crazy is that I have no idea how much tickets will cost, hotel, in-country fees, etc.

Some of the Details

Yesterday I was beside myself waiting for TA. I knew that if we didn't have it by end of business Monday, we would have to wait until the end of July to travel. I've been following the Rumor Queen for a couple of weeks now very close. So when I saw that some families were getting TA's yesterday I couldn't bear to wait any longer and called our agency. The agency said the mail had already come and our TA was not in the mail. I was so bummed and didn't know how I could possibly wait two more days. Then I got an email from our agency caseworker that went something like this:

"Sharon, you have only been waiting for TA for two weeks. We do not like to contact CCCWA about statuses until you have been waiting four weeks. Since we have already checked once for you, it would be inappropriate to bother them again so soon." Major bummer! I thanked her for getting back to me and then sat on the couch to have a pity party. Mike was fine with the news and "encouraged me" not to be like Jonah but to accept it willingly. Pfft! As if I could rejoice in this news! I know that's what God wanted me to do, but I just couldn't right then. So I did what I needed to do--went out and bought chocolate ice cream with crunch coat. That helped a lot.

Then I went outside with the kids and tried to get over it. Then I got an email from my agency in response to my thank you email. It said:

Guess what, your TA just came in! We will request the consulate appointment for you. You will make it to the end of June travel if we get the consulate appointment. The plan is to have you arrive province (Beijing) on June 26th, I will try to request consulate appointment for you on July 5, otherwise we will try for 6th or 7th for the next option.

Then I jumped up from my beach chair and ran into the house! I tore up the stairs and burst into the bedroom. I was screaming and jumping up and down like a mad woman!! Mike looked at me and clearly was confused, then he said, "Oh, we got it" all calm. WHAT?! That's your reaction? Are you CRAZY? We are going to China to get our baby girl!!!!!

After that I was so full of energy I decided to mow the lawn with the push mower. About 3/4 through the mower kicked up something hidden in our jungle, otherwise known as the lawn, and shot the projectile through the side of our pool! When I saw the fountain erupting from the side my thoughts almost shifted from TA to the pool, but not fast enough. I ended up spending the rest of the evening looking for underwater patch kits! I can't leave the kids for two weeks in Summer without the pool.

That's our story. I will post more next week when we have a confirmed CA and I can buy plane tickets.

TA

Love the Rumor Queen!

Family	Province	Art 5 Issued	Days waiting on TA
greyhoundmama	shanghai	05/11/11	29
cm2010	sichuan	05/19/11	21
bearpeile	henan	05/19/11	21
baily	hainan	05/19/11	21
katie8025	hebei	05/20/11	20
sdcesq	beijing	05/24/11	16
patientboysmom	hebei	05/24/11	16
ikOH	henan	05/26/11	14
mikeandmarie	shanzi	05/31/11	9
raisingarizona	yuman	05/31/11	9

TA Process Info

While waiting for our TA, I realized that I had some questions about how the process works from the CCCWA side, as well as from our Agency's standpoint. I have to say that I am very impressed with the timeliness of ASIA's responses to ALL my crazy questions. Here are the questions I had for our agency and their responses:

1. Does ASIA call to tell us when travel approval is received or email? We usually email the family and let them know the TA is here and that we have requested a date for the consulate appointment.
2. Will there be another travel packet coming, or other paperwork? There won’t be more paper work. You will receive 1 package containing your TA and couple of ASIA luggage tags. As your travel arrangement is finalized, we will email you your in-country itin, cost breakdown and your statement. The only paper work I can think of is the vaccination waiver if you haven’t done it yet.
3. Does ASIA get advance notice when CCCWA sends out TA's or do you just get them in the mail? We don’t , we will just receive it when it comes. We do check with them regarding our families periodically and they will let us know if it has been or has not been issued yet.
4. Does CCCWA issue TA's in batches, like once a month, twice a month, etc.? Or do they issue them daily? They do it in batches but not necessarily once a month or with a schedule, they just do a bunch when they get to it. We do know for a fact that CCCWA has been very busy lately and haven’t been issuing too many TAs-- as far as we know, they have not issued yours.

So, while I am disappointed to learn that CCCWA has not issued our TA yet I am happy to learn how it works. It helps to know that TA's are issued in batches, because that means I don't have to check in until I learn of other TA's out there. I don't expect to travel in June (which is what we were hoping for) but we will likely travel in July. That's very important because CCCWA is changing the rules as of August 1st. The fees change and the post-placement reporting schedule changes (more often--which means more fees on our side too.)

Hope this helps some of you.

Waiting for TA and update

Today is the two week mark! We have been waiting for our travel approval for two weeks now. I know it's coming soon so I'm not horribly anxious yet. (Notice I said "yet". That's because all waiting mamas know that our emotions can change on a dime and go from patiently waiting for the baby to crying and fretting in a split-second.) Getting updated pictures last week helped a lot. I got to see our little girl standing up--our other pictures have her propped on a toy and laying on the floor. She looks healthy, and to me that means a lot. So now we literally "wait for the call", the call that will tell us we can start making travel plans.

You'd think that with things this close (4-6 weeks from traveling) I would have already packed LilyBeth's suitcase, ordered money, and purchased donations for the orphanages, right? Not this mama. I like to procrastinate until the last minute when I will be in full-blown travel mode. That way I don't get my hopes up about a quick TA only to look at a fully-packed suitcase and wonder if I'll ever get to use it. When that call comes, you can bet I will a completely crazed woman! (I'm just giving you the head's up.)

The update:

As you know we've been waiting for the IRS to process our refund. I'm convinced we won't receive the refund until October at the earliest. Anyway, Mike and I have been praying that God would show us how He will provide for this adoption. Every time I log on to the IRS website a little voice in my head (God) says, "you're looking in the wrong place." But I look anyway--because I like to learn the hard way. Mike and I knew that God had planned this adoption all along. We haven't had to do much in the way of fundraising because God keeps providing the money. Well we learned last week that God was providing yet again! It's almost enough to complete the adoption without that IRS refund! We are so grateful to God! Now, bring on the TA!!!!

UPDATED PICS!

Oh My Goodness!! I thought we were never going to get updated pictures. Our only pictures are from March of 2010 when LilyBeth was only 8 months old. Now our little baby is nearly 2 and we are so close to getting our TA! Here she is! I can't wait to see her in person and see her smile! Mommy's coming LilyBeth!

A little humor

A little humor to lift our spirits:

You might be adopting from China if:

16. You own new children's clothing in 3 sizes, for all four seasons, for a child you've never met.

15. You know that waiting for China has nothing to do with dishes.

14. You've been "expecting" way more than 9 months.

13. You start weighing your clothes.

12. You're as hormonal as a pregnant woman without the weigh gain--well, maybe with some weigh gain.

11. You've been fingerprinted four times and have never committed a crime.

10. You practice squatting while going potty to perfect your aim.

9. You practice strapping large amounts of cash to your body without wrinkling it.

8. You have a crazy obsession with Skype, Blogger, red bags and tissue paper.

7. Letter combinations such as LOA, LID, TA, CA, PA, DD, DS, DH, SWI, CWI, SW, WS, SN, NSN, and RQ are part of your everyday vocabulary.

6. You can stock a small medical clinic with the "just-in-case" medicine and first aid supplies that are in your suitcase.

5. You know that I-800 and I-171 are NOT highways.

4. You scour store shelves looking for "stacking cups" because you think China won't let you adopt without them.

3. You know who the Rumor Queen is....and...you DON'T know who she is.

2. You study Mandarin phrases like a college student cramming for finals in hopes you will have something to say to your daughter.

and

1. You love someone you've never met with all of your heart.

(This is a compilation of two different lists I found in the blogging world.)

Waiting for Godot

Me in a tree! It was actually pretty far up.

Who is Godot? I'm not talking about the play by Samuel Beckett, in which two people wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive--who, in fact, never does because he doesn't exist. No, I'm talking about the IRS. After waiting months for our refund we finally got a letter from the Taxpayer Advocate Office requesting all the same info that the review board requested. After reading the 10-page letter I realized that this "office" really just exists to make me feel like I am doing something productive. Nothing will actually speed up the process. Not Senators, advocates, or us.

Now on to happy news:

We've officially been waiting for TA for one week! Wahoo! I know the waiting will get harder with each passing day, but this is the last thing we wait for. After we receive our TA our agency schedules our consulate appointment and we book our plane tickets.

While we were in New York, I sold a painting! That money will go directly to LilyBeth's adoption fund. If you want to see my paintings, hop over to my facebook page, Sharon Ward Acrylics, and take a look. I really love painting people, mostly African. I find a peace in their stoic faces that is so beautiful. I am participating in an art festival on August 27th here in Portland, Maine, and am working, my tail off to get enough paintings for the show.

Something else happened in New York: Josh was able to meet his biological sister. She was born this past February and is adorable. Here they are at that very first meeting:

Off to New York!

I can take a break from worrying about our TA for a few days because we will be in New York for the long weekend. Going to Grandma and Grandpa's house is loads of fun for the kids. Eight acres of fun farmland with trees to climb, ponds to play in, and horses to feed makes for a fun weekend. The drive out is a little crazy but we have fun once we get there.

I was sad to read a blog about a family who has been waiting for their TA for 6 weeks! Bummer, I'm really praying ours comes fast! Our agency said they would request an expedited TA because of Lily's medical needs, but because it's not an "urgent" medical need we will probably end up waiting the normal time.

What is the normal wait time for a TA? I have no idea! I have read blogs where the TA is taking 3 weeks, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, now six weeks, and one that was issued the same day as the Article 5! While the Chinese adoption process is very predictable, there are things that are unpredictable--like the TA. Ugh! I will simply go crazy if I have to wait 6 weeks! That would mean we don't travel until July or August! I know it's not in my hands, cuz if it was Lily would have been home 9 months ago!, but I still my TA in June, by the 13th would be great (for all you CCCWA people who happen to be reading this.)

Pray for us this weekend as we make the decision about whether or not to apply for a loan to complete the adoption. (*Thank you very much IRS for holding our refund--mucho sarcasm here.)

Anyway, have a great weekend and don't think adoption.

I'm done--that's it--I have no energy left

Article 5 Day!!

The first draft of this post was long and whiny, but today is a day to rejoice--because:

By the time I post this, our Article 5 will be on its way to Beijing!! Next up is our TA. I can't believe I am even writing this. This journey has been so long--they all are. We have been looking at LilyBeth's photo for six months now and in just a couple more months (maybe even one) I will be holding this little girl in my arms.

Tomorrow

In less than 24 hours our Article 5 is scheduled to be picked up and delivered to CCCWA! Then we receive the last document that will put me on a plane to Beijing. I'm excited, and nervous, and a little crazy. I have no idea how long it will take for the TA to be issued, and no idea when our consulate appointment will be scheduled, and no idea where the money will come from, but I know that God is in control and I am not.

Until then I have requested some updated photos of LilyBeth from our agency. I have been requesting photos from them and from the care package people, but have had no luck so far. It's really disheartening since our only photos are from March 2010! I know I will get to see her in person in a month or two, but it would be nice if I could pick her out of a lineup! Oh well, maybe we will be the only family getting their baby that day.

It's lonely in the blog world this time

One of the hardest parts of this adoption has been the lack of blogging buddies. When we adopted Thomas there were no blogs to be read. Oh, I'm sure there were some out there, but I didn't know that. It was our first time adopting and there was so much to do! His adoption took only eight months from the very beginning until the day he came home. I didn't have time to search the internet and had no idea that there were blogs.

When we adopted Grace, our agency had a listserv for families to stay in touch. Through that we were able to find blogs. Many, many, MANY blogs by families who were in the Ethiopian adoption process. I found it so helpful to follow others' journeys and was able to email people who were traveling to get their children. Many people were able to take pictures of Grace for us so we could get regular updates. Then there was a glitch! Our adoption was put on hold (along with many others) because of some falsified documents regarding another child--not ours. I can't tell you how helpful it was to have people praying for us, to have a place to beg for those prayers, and to read encouraging comments from people I still hadn't met yet. Then, two months later it was our turn to travel. I loved being able to pack precious gifts sent by families waiting to go get their children. I took photos of all the children who were matched with families--even took a few videos. Those photos meant so much to the families waiting to travel. But this time it's so different.

I've only found a couple of blogs for families waiting to adopt from China. It's a totally different (electronic) world. I don't know if the families are just not interested in keeping up a blog, or if there's some other listserv out there that I haven't heard of. All I know is that it feels so lonely in this waiting. Soon enough we will be on a plane with anticipation growing every mile, to meet our youngest daughter. I will be excited to meet other families in Beijing and Guangzhou--Guangzhou especially! But, I am still sad that I haven't been able to make those lasting adoption-momma friendships that I made during Grace's adoption. P.S. I love you guys! I love learning about how God has called you all to continue adoption, to advocate for the fatherless, to help mothers be able to keep their children, and to spread the Gospel into areas of the world that haven't heard it yet. Keep up the good work and know that I cherish your friendships.

It's looking like July

Our agency updated me with some dates: Our Article 5 is scheduled to be picked up on May 24th. Then it's a few days to get it to CCCWA (formerly CCAA). Once there it takes about 4 weeks for TA. That puts our estimated TA at June 24th. That's too late for the June travel group, but so early for the July travel group. We would wait 5 weeks to travel for July.

Now, there's a slim chance (very slim) that our TA could come in before June 13th. That would mean the CCCWA would have to process it in 2 1/2 weeks. If that happens, we would travel at the end of June. (* I can't believe I'm even talking about our TA! It's been such a crazy journey and now we're almost there!)

I'm still freaking out about how we will manage child care for our other children while I'm in China, but I know God is SO good and everything will be in place by the time I travel. Until then we have a very busy month. Thomas and Grace have a dance recital this weekend, we go to New York to visit Mike's family next weekend, the following weekend I go up north for a legal seminar, and then I have a few weekends off to pack and get LilyBeth's room organized.

And I just "met" another mom who is traveling in July to adopt TWO boys from China!

Please keep praying that the IRS will come through with our refund soon so we can purchase our tickets to China when the time is right.

I'm getting so excited!

Our Article 5 should be issued this coming week. After that we just wait for TA which should arrive in 2-4 weeks. However we are seeking an expedited review so our TA could come much sooner! I am praying that we can travel in June. I can't wait to meet this little girl.

We still don't have all the money together and will be praying and trusting God that everything will be here when it needs to be.

I can't wait to post about our TA.

The Rollercoaster Continues

To say that alot has happened this week would be an understatement. Two days after we learn that Lily's medical needs do not require emergency treatment, we got a full medical update. She spent two weeks in the hospital with an acute upper respiratory infection, and we learned that there ARE several more medical issues than we knew of. Ugh!

I won't get into details here, but we are praying for good news when we get her home. She will be seeing several pediatric specialists as soon as she gets home: urologists, geneticists, endocrinologists, cardiologists, and a neurologist (this is just a routine check-up. Her MRI's and CT scans show normal brain development.) But her condition looks more complicated than we originally knew.

We are about one week away from our Article 5--and 2-4 weeks from TA. Please stand with us in prayer as we await more news, money, and our TA.!

You know, it's funny that with all the medical updates we've received we've never gotten another picture of her.

Medical Update

Praise God! We learned yesterday that LilyBeth's medical issues do not require immediate surgery. In fact, she can wait until she comes home to have the surgery! The best part is that our agency will request an expedited TA so she can be seen in the US this summer for medical appointments! We don't know if the TA will be granted, but we are prayerful that it will be. We are so happy!

Now our continued prayer request is pretty serious. I spoke with the IRS last week and it appears we will not have the money we need to travel in time. We know God is in control of everything and we wait expectantly that He will provide what we need in time to travel.

So.....here's the timeline now: If we get an expedited TA, we could travel in June--if not, July. I know this child is the one God meant for us. He has met EVERY need and every prayer so far. I cannot doubt that He is preparing everything. P.S. I can't wait to meet this little girl!

Medical Issues

Just a day after rejoicing over our GUZ letter and we get an email telling us that LilyBeth has a medical issue that could require immediate surgery. What?! The orphanage wants to know whether we still want her even though she may have this issue. Ummmm.....she's been our daughter since November, OF COURSE we still want her. God made her just the way she is and we accepted her just the way she is.

Now we need to find out what the circumstances are and whether or not she will require immediate surgery--or could it wait until she comes home? Of course not being able to talk to the doctor and get the exact concerns makes it tough to make a decision. All my instincts say to get her home ASAP and have any medical procedures done here so she can recuperate with family (even though we will be complete strangers to her). But if it can't wait, any surgery in China could mean a delay in getting her home.

To top it off, the IRS STILL has not released our income tax refund! They requested receipts from our prior adoptions, as they did many adoptive families this year, and we provided it, but they still haven't reviewed our file or made a determination. We need this money to complete Lily's adoption. Talk about testing my faith! But I know God will finish this work He started, and His timing is perfect, AND he called us to adopt--so, I trust that the money will be there when we need it. Not a moment before, but right on time.

Keep Lily in your prayers please as we await updated medical info.

GUZ!!

Yes! We got it today! I'm so excited!

Now ASIA will apply our DS230, and in two weeks our Article 5 will be sent to CCCWA. Hopefully, we will then receive our TA in 2-4 weeks later.

It's very unlikely--although there is a TINY possibility--that we will travel in June. More likely it will be in July. Unfortunately we can only travel at the end of the month. I'm not sure why that is, but ASIA sends its travel groups at the end of the month. So if we don't make the June list, we will have to wait until the end of July.

LilyBeth will be 2 on July 10th.

Our adoption party is August 21. Wahoo!

Next up: GUZ

After receiving our I800 approval last week, I am expecting the GUZ number this week. I'm not really sure what that means, but I know I need it to get a TA!

Now that we are only about 10 weeks away from a travel date, I'm starting to think about packing and leaving my kids for 2 weeks--ugh! I hate being away from them for even one night, much less two weeks. But I am blessed to know that they will be in good hands while I am away, and so many people will be helping out.

My sister, Jen, and a friend from church, Jenny, will be traveling with me. It will be so much fun! Exhausting, but fun. I can't wait to have miss LilyBeth home.

We got an update on her health last week. She is doing well, and growing, but I haven't gotten an updated picture yet. That part is killing me! What does she look like? Is the orphanage growing her hair or still shaving her head? Is she potty trained? Can she talk? Has she seen our pictures? I have so many questions. But they will all be answered soon enough.

I pray every day that God will prepare her for our family and help her to bond quickly and trust us.

I800 Approval!

LOA!

It's finally here: Our LOA! Next, we send in our I800 and our visa application. Then we sit and wait for our travel approval (TA). This is a wonderful anniversary present! Mike and I have been married 7 years today.

Last week I was longing to see LilyBeth and to bring her home, so I did the only thing we are allowed to do at this point; I sent her a care package. I picked an over-the-top package with 7 outfits, lots of toys, blankets, shoes, hair clips, and treats for the staff. I hope that LilyBeth will get the package this week and HOPEFULLY we will get some photo updates soon. It's so hard to be on the waiting end, but at least I know she will be home in God's time. This time around it's a bit easier to wait. Of course I have a bunch of kids to keep me busy during the days.

On a sad note, we found out today that Bo, our gorgeous English Cream Golden Retriever has hip dysplasia. I am so bummed--he is only a year old. Bo is truly the sweetest dog I have ever met. The kids climb all over him and all he wants to do is make us happy. He never misbehaves--he's afraid of disappointing us. So, we've decided that we will try some different medications until it's too hard for him.

These pics aren't Bo, but darn they look just like him.

Lots of updates

Well, we got our dossier off to China in February!
Log In Date: February 23rd!

Next up, waiting on our LOA (confirmation letter from CCAA)

While waiting for China to process our paperwork, we have been busy with everything else. And we got a medical update on LilyBeth. She's 20 pounds, 30 inches tall, and doing great. We were disappointed to see that she has another medical condition that was undiagnosed until recently. It's ok though, we are familiarizing ourselves with her condition and have learned that she will have a pretty normal life--despite check ins with doctors on a regular basis.

We expect to receive our LOA this week, and once we do; look out cuz paperwork will be flying all over the Ward household! We will be mailing in our I800 application, our DS230 application, Visa application for me, and then we wait for our TA!

I still have so much to do before she comes home though. Bedroom to paint, clothes to purchase, two beds to purchase--not to mention a larger kitchen table, Josh's adoption to go to, and then the mayhem known as packing will begin. I am so excited that I will be able to visit New Day while in Beijing--that's where Thomas lived for nearly 20 months.

God has blessed us abundantly and we are thrilled to be moving along.
I have been thrilled to learn of so many adoption buddies who are adopting again! Wahoo! But, I was also saddened to hear about the news in Ethiopian adoption circles. Praying that things get fixed quick!

Continuing to pray for Japan and her citizens.

Sharon

USCIS

As I type this, I am sitting with the phone to my ear waiting for a representative from USCIS. Adoption is so much fun......grrr...

I realize that we started this process six months ago. Since then we have switched agencies twice, completed our homestudy, raised most of the money needed to complete the adoption, been fingerprinted, examined under a microscope (in some cases, literally), answered a million questions from friends and family--and, at times, strangers, begun homeschooling, started potty-training Josh, and found our daughter. Since we found our little girl the waiting has become so much harder. I find that I think about what she is doing throughout the day; I wonder if she is sick, sad, happy, angry. I think about a little girl who has never known a life outside of an orphanage. She has no idea what a mommy or daddy are, she shares her crib with another baby and gets attention when she absolutely needs it. She is likely nobody's "favorite" and probably doesn't have anyone to just cuddle her, or tickle her until she turns red. She doesn't know what a "pet" is, or even a dog for that matter.

Hey! I got a live person...and he keeps saying, "one moment, Ma'am..."--Darn! I'm on hold again! At least he has a nice deep bass-ey voice. If I could just get the FDL in the mail, I would stop bugging these nice people! I just need to know how long it will take to get my dossier to China and then how long to travel....I'm so ready to go!