Our Journey to Macey Leigh

New Year = New blog!

2008-01-01T14:17:00.000-06:00

Hi all! No more posts here. Please see our new blog HERE!

WE ARE HOME!

2007-12-31T06:05:00.000-06:00

We've been back on Texas soil for about 24 hours and I have never loved Houston or my house with pink carpet more! Here are the first images of the new sisters meeting at the airport! Cuties!

Santa visited last night...we made special arrangements with him before we left. :) More later...

Goodbye China, for now...

2007-12-28T20:02:00.000-06:00

We will be on our way to the airport in about 17 hours. I'm glad to be going home but it is a little sad too. China has given me the two best gifts...my two beautiful daughters. And while I can moan and groan about what I miss about the USA and all the things I don't like about China, the truth is that I have benefitted from their family planning laws that seem so unfair to the families here. I can't help tonight but think about the women who gave my daughters life. Both of them are probably just a short distance from me right now and they may be wondering what has become of the babies they carried and gave birth to. I wish that I could meet these women and tell them thank you. I am so blessed by what they have had to do or chose to do. I love them both very much.

These are my two angels, gifts from God:

Lena

and Macey

I will be back in China one day. It may be just a few years from now, adopting another child. We haven't completely ruled that out. But most likely it will be when my daughters are older, to come back to the country of their birth. I want them to be so proud to be Chinese and learn to honor and love their culture and heritage. It is the one gift I can give to their birth mothers.

Goodbye China, for now...

...I'll post again when we get home!! Please pray for our safe travels.

The home stretch...

2007-12-28T10:42:00.000-06:00

It's Friday here in China and we leave tomorrow. We're on the home stretch now!

We go to the consulate today at 3 pm to take our oath and receive Macey's visa. Then we are DONE! We have nothing else to do today but hang out.

Last night we played in a game room in the hotel with another family. They had little rides for the kids but Macey was too scared to ride them. She did play a racing video game with me but all she did was steer me into the walls! :) We came back to the room and just goofed off. Macey and daddy played with her little bracelets and she was wearing them on her ears like earrings. It was so cute! Daddy played a little keep-away with her too. He is already teasing the poor child all the time.

I brought crayons with us but never gave them to her until today. She is really liking them and playing so well with them. They are a hit!

Tonight we will have one last dinner at Lucy's Bar and Grill...they have a happy hour on Friday! Yippee! I don't drink beer so I guess I'll try one of their margaritas or some wine. We are going with several other families who are leaving tomorrow. One last get together before we go our separate ways. It has been a joy sharing this journey with them and we hope to keep in touch.

Have a good night in the USA...we are coming soon!

Macey wearing her "earrings":

I sure love this drawer!

Daddy already loves to tease me!

Loving my crayons!!

Clowning around

2007-12-26T12:38:00.000-06:00

Today was uneventful. We walked just to the other side of Shamian Island to the local market area. We saw lots of herbs and dried "food" for sale. I put food in quotes b/c I wouldn't eat most of what we saw. There were ants, starfish, seahorses, and the like. We also saw live scorpions and snakes. I didn't bother with photos of any of that.

We just came back to the room to relax and Macey's been clowning around. I'm trying to capture her little personality in photos but she doesn't ever smile when I point the camera her way. I have to coax the smiles out of her. But I got some pretty cute ones.

This picture is for Lena. She wanted to see the crib where Macey has been sleeping. Nothing fancy!

We only have three more sleeps before we head home. It cannot come fast enough! WE MISS YOU LENABUG!

Christmas Day at Yuntai Gardens and the Guangzhou Zoo

2007-12-25T14:41:00.000-06:00

First of all, last night we had Christmas Eve dinner at JM Chef. It was recommended by another adoptive mom and it was great! We had a boneless chicken, sweet and sour pork, green beans and rice. We also had tea and boiled peanuts. It was a great place to eat for Christmas Eve. Santa (well a Chinese man dressed as Santa) came in and greeted everyone. Macey didn't like him much, but she did like the candy he gave her. :)

Kevin was not brave enough to try the snake. They had some strange things there that you could pick out for dinner. Here are the snakes, turtles, and mud eels that were available:

This morning we went to Yuntai Gardens. Yuntai Gardens was made in 2000 to celebrate the new millenium. It is at the base of White Cloud Mountain, the only mountain in the city. What a gorgeous place to spend Christmas Day! Sorry, I have TONS of photos. They were all so beautiful I had to share them all.

After Yuntai Gardens, we headed to the Guangzhou Zoo. My expectations were low but it was much nicer than I expected. Macey had a BALL there. The monkeys were especially cool to her. Here are a few from the zoo:

Oh and this is after we got back...Macey was worn out!

Merry Christmas from Guangzhou China! Just a few more days are we are headed home!

Medical Exam

2007-12-24T16:51:00.000-06:00

Today, Christmas Eve, we had the medical exam that is required for Macey to receive her visa to enter the United States. I have to say that it was a breeze. Well, there were a lot of families there and some of the lines we had to wait in were long. But Macey was a total trooper...not one tear! Of course, she has been having regular checkups at the SWI for almost 18 months so I guess she is used to it.

Here's the biggest news...SHE IS 27 POUNDS! OMG! I knew she was heavy but she weighs almost as much as her 3.5 year old sister. She has been eating a little less the last few days. I think she finally trusts that we are going to feed her regular meals, there is no need to eat until she pops. :)

Tonight we are having dinner at JM Chef for Christmas Eve. I'm told by another mom that they have good chicken and green beans there. Kevin has been pondering having snake but we saw them alive in the place today and I think he may have changed his mind. Plus it was 200 yuan (about $27) and he's too cheap for that. Ha! I guess we'll see.

Have a lovely Christmas Eve back home! Here are medical exam photos:

Swan Room

2007-12-24T06:41:00.000-06:00

Last night before dinner we took Macey to the Swan Room, a playroom sponsored by Mattel in the White Swan Hotel. This was our second visit there and she was definitely less tentative this time around.

To my amazement and pleasure, her favorite toy in there was the lego/mega blocks! Why is this so neat to me? Her big sister Lena LOVES these too!! She would build "towers" all day probably and they would reach the sky if we had enough pieces.

This may mean they can play for hours together with these things OR they are going to be fighting over them all the time! LOL!

I just had to share the photos b/c she was just having a grand old time and laughing her head off! Oh and just a note, she seemed afraid of a little plastic horse Kevin tried to hand to her. That should be interesting b/c she's getting a Little People farm set for Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve from China!!

Chen Family Temple

2007-12-22T23:15:00.000-06:00

This morning we enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the White Swan!! Yippee! After breakfast in Nanchang for six days, it was a welcome site. :) After that we went on a tour to the Chen Family Temple. From the internet... "The Chen Family Temple, also known as Guangdong Folk Art Museum, was built in the 1890s and has nine halls and six courtyards. Its windows, door frames, and pavilions are lavishly decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures. It is now the largest and best preserved and decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong province. The decoration combines wood carving, brick carving, stone carving, clay sculpture, ash sculpture, brass and iron foundry, grotto, new year painting, and other art forms. The special historical, artistic, and scientific aspects of the temple have made it an important attraction in Guangzhou."

While we were there, Macey wanted to get out of the stroller and walk. Well she ran all over the place! We had to chase her around. She was so excited to be out exploring. Eventually I had to carry her in the sling, which she wasn't too happy about at first.

After the Chen Family Temple we went to a government store and I bought a few things for folks back home. Then we had lunch at Lucy's. Macey is a fiend for corn on the cob so I ordered a side order of that for her. It comes on a stick and she has obviously eaten it before because she knows exactly how to eat it. She ate almost two small ears by herself, plus some of our guide's noodles and my sweet and sour chicken.

I'm trying to get her to nap now but the crib has little balls on the side that remind me of an abacus. She thinks they are fun and she plays with them instead of napping. She is going to be quite a toot when we get her home, just like her sister. But I can't wait!!

Here are today's photos:

Hello Guangzhou!!

2007-12-22T14:24:00.000-06:00

No photos today...sorry!

This morning we flew from Nanchang to Guangzhou. I was so happy to see it!! Last time, we were in Guangzhou the entire time as Lena is a Guangdong baby. So I really felt at home on Shamian Island after two weeks there. Plus, it's so much more relaxed here and of course caters to adoptive families. Nanchang was nice to visit but Guangzhou is more my style. We already had lunch at Lucy's and are relaxing for a few hours.

Macey was a trooper on the plane, laughing and playing with the barf bags LOL! It was a very turbulent flight. Kevin fekt sick. But it was just over an hour, so very easy.

We have nothing planned tonight and we have a tour tomorrow. Medical exam is on Christmas Eve and we are going to try to go to church.

That's all for now. Pictures tomorrow..I promise!

Teng Wang Pavillion

2007-12-21T13:28:00.001-06:00

Today is our last day in Nanchang. It is a cool place to visit, but we are ready to go. Flying to Guangzhou tomorrow will mean we are one step closer to home and to Lena, who is anxiously awaiting Macey's arrival. We are missing Lena terribly!

Last night we just stayed at the hotel and relaxed. Macey loved these gross cucumber chips!

Today is has been very rainy again. Our driver told our guide today that before we arrived a week ago, it had not rained in Nanchang for 4 months! But when it finally does rain, it usually rains for many days. Lucky us, huh?

We went this morning to Teng Wang Pavillion. It is a 12 story building that was originally built in the 1400s. It overlooks the Gan River, which runs through Jiangxi province. The pavillion was used as a watch tower when it was originally built. Now it is simply a tourist attraction. It was beautiful there.

We are just napping and resting now. Tonight we will pack up and get ready to leave. We leave the hotel at 7:30 a.m. to fly to Guangzhou. We have 7 nights in Guangzhou before we head home. You know the saying, "Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder"?? We are very fond of Houston and our house with pink carpet right now!

Bye bye Nanchang, Jiangxi!

Elephant Lake Park

2007-12-20T14:25:00.000-06:00

Last night, our guide Veronica took us to a restaurant right next to the hotel. Can I just say YUMMY?!?!? It was such good food. We had fried rice, broccoli, shredded pork and a beef dish. The shredded pork was served with little tortilla-like bread, cucumbers and onions and you eat it like little wraps. It was my favorite. Macey ate a TON! I already realize that we will have to regulate her food intake when we are home. I think that if she sees food still on the table, she thinks she needs to be eating. We'll be leaving all food on the stove and bringing her a plate with the appropriate amount of food. We'll also be having her tested for intestinal parasites as many children in China have them. She has a big belly!! :)

This morning we went to Elephant Lake Park. It was beautiful. There's a
huge man-made lake and we saw many men out fishing. We also saw people doing tai chi. Finally near the end there is a Daoist temple that was just amazing. We were glad to be outside again and not couped up inside. Afterwards, we had lunch at a place called Prince Music Cookout. It was very good also, especially the green beans and potatoes.

I have to say that I am having a much better food experience this time than last. I don't know if my tastes have changed or if I'm just open to more things. Or maybe the food really is just better this time. I am ready for Western food though!

Here are photos from last night's dinner, Elephant Lake Park, and lunch today:

BIG dinner!!

Yields a BIG belly!

Elephant Lake Park and Daoist temple...beautiful!

Today at lunch...I LOVE this pork on a stick!

Around Nanchang

2007-12-19T13:08:00.000-06:00

Since we are the only family with GWCA in Jiangxi province, we have a lot of flexibility of what we can do each day. Today we were supposed to see a pavillion of some sort. But the weather has been very rainy and cold and we've been a bit couped up in the hotel. Finally today is nicer, both dry and warmer. We wanted to spend time outside and see some of real Nanchang. We talked to another family at breakfast that went to a "free market" yesterday. It is kind of like a flea market in the states. So our guide, Veronica, took us there and then we just walked all around that part of Nanchang. We bought a few things (Tom & Jerry PJs for Lena and some Mickey Mouse hair bows for both girls) but we mostly just enjoyed the morning people watching. Macey is sleeping now and we might go to a park later today.

We had McDonald's for lunch today. It was really yummy! Macey loves french fries like her jie jie. We all tried sweet taro pie there...very good!

Here are a few photos from last night and today:

Macey in her bathtub...she's not too fond of washing her hair yet!

I love my hair bow and sunglasses!

With our guide Veronica:

First trip to Macdonald's:

Mommy and Macey in Nanchang:

Mommy, Daddy and Macey in Nanchang:

Sights of Nanchang:

Shopping day

2007-12-18T13:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday in the afternoon Kevin walked around near the hotel and talked to a few locals. He is facinated with the culture, although mostly annoyed at some of the big differences (younger men do not allow women to go first, the Chinese crowd your personal space, most times they seem in a big hurry and will push and shove to get somewhere). He thinks they are rude but I think that is just how they are. Kevin is also amused at the traffic and driving here. Scary is all I can say about that!

Last night we had the dinner buffet here at the hotel. Totally not worth 78 yuan per person (about $10). We won't be doing that again. Then we just relaxed and played in the hotel room. Macey is very playful.

Today we went to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Nanchang. It's very much like an American Wal-Mart, except for the baby chickens cooked whole and the squid. Yuck! No pictures of those as I was just grossed out. But we did buy a toy for Lena, some shoes for Macey, some snacks and a couple other little things. There was also a KFC inside the Wal-Mart where we had lunch. Macey gobbled down her entire mashed potatoes and most of her chicken nuggets. She fed a few to me & Kevin.

Macey's real personality is starting to come out. She falls to the floor and cries if she doesn't get her way. Temper tantrums are universal I guess! She is also laughing and smiling a little more each day. We are really enjoying her.

It is very interesting to see all the Christmas stuff everywhere and hear the Christmas music playing. Obviously it is a secular holiday only here. It's about Santa and gifts, nothing about Christ's birth. So strange to me since Christ's birth is the reason Christmas is so meaningful to me.

We are just relaxing for the remainder of today. The next two days we have sightseeing tours as we wait for Macey's passport to be issued.

Here are some photos from last night and today at Wal-Mart and KFC.

We are official!

2007-12-17T12:45:00.000-06:00

Today, we officially became Macey's parents and she our daughter. It is a special day for us.

We started the morning with a big cry but it was over quickly and she hasn't cried since. She whines if she doesn't like something. She was a bit scared of daddy yesterday but has been much better today. She loves us both already and is doing very well. We have had many laughs today. She is loves to be tickled, just like her big sister.

We gave her first bath this morning and she did well, just fussed a little at water in her eyes. Her skin is really dry so I lathered her up. I put on a new Elmo outfit and she seemed very proud. She will mimic you...she brushed her hair a lot after I brushed it. So cute! Oh and she also loved the pockets on her jacket. She kept putting her hands in them and looking in the mirror. I'm not sure she has ever looked at herself before.

After first bath..I love my Elmo outfit!

I LOVE my pockets!

We went to breakfast after that. She eats really well, but when she doesn't want something, she throws it on the floor! We'll have to stop that! It's obvious she has used some utensils b/c she fed herself some congee with a spoon and ate some sweet potatoes with a fork. She's a big girl!

This congee is good!

Let me do it myself!!

We left after that to register the adoption and become official. There were three different stops and she got tired. At one point she was fussy and we gave her a bag of graham cracker sticks. She loved them and climbed up right in her own chair to eat them and watch all the busy activity in the room. Lots of kids were being adopted today in Jiangxi.

We are official!!

I'm liking my daddy better today.

With Director Zhou from Fuzhou SWI.

What a big girl eating a snack.

Well she is napping now and her daddy is out exploring Nanchang. I'm going to rest too. Wal-Mart is our destination tomorrow!

We have Macey!

2007-12-16T19:25:00.000-06:00

We have Macey! She cried A LOT when we first got her but is doing great! More later!

Beijing sightseeing day!

2007-12-15T19:42:00.000-06:00

Today was quite a whirlwind and I have lots of photos. First of all, Kevin and I were wide awake at 4 a.m. The time change is hard to adjust to. We were at breakfast at 6:30 and our tour wasn't leaving until 9. So we had time to kill and went strolling around the hotel. We found a McDonald's and a Subway:

Our tour began at Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City:

This was interesting. The sign says "Do not pick the flowers." Do you see any flowers? Someone did not read the sign! :)

And I really loved this sign:

Then we saw a Cloisonné factory and had an AMAZING lunch at the Yulong Restaurant. I was surprised how much I loved the food there. It was a feast!!

Then we went to the Great Wall:

After the Great Wall, we came back to the hotel. We are wiped out! We are going to bed. Tomorrow we get Macey!!

BTW, these photos are from our hotel lobby, all decorated for Christmas. I had to share the Snow White one for Lena. I love you baby girl and miss you!

Oh, and I had to post this for MaryJo, Janet and Cheryl back home. Here's a squatty potty you guys!

Oh and in case any of you guys are concerned that you might ever be in China and need a "Little blue pill", they are available!

Good night from Beijing!

We have arrived!

2007-12-14T14:43:00.000-06:00

We have just arrived and checked in. Tomorrow is the Great Wall and other sightseeing. We get Macey on Sunday!

The BIG day is here!

2007-12-12T09:32:00.000-06:00

Today, Kevin & I leave for China to bring Macey Leigh home!! I am working on last minute packing and chores now and then I hope to get a couple more hours of sleep.

Itinerary is:
12/12-12/14 - travel Houston to LAX to Guangzhou to Beijing; arrive in Beijing at noon on 12/14
12/15 - sightseeing at Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square
12/16 - Fly to Nanchang - GET MACEY!!
12/17 - 12/21 - sightseeing and adoption hearings in Nanchang
12/22 - Fly to Guangzhou
12/22-12/28 - sightseeing in Guangzhou and all required adoption appointments to receive Macey's visa into the US
12/29 - Depart for home!!
12/30 - Arrive home at 5:40 a.m.!

Thank you all for your support and prayers over the last 8 months as we prepared for this day. I'll post as often as I can (if I can figure out how to set up the laptop in China!)

Love from,
Donna Kay and Kevin
DD Lena (3.5), Gaoming SWI, Guangdong
DD Macey (22 mos) waiting for us in Fuzhou, Jiangxi

Last night home:

Packing chaos:

Done packing:

Lena & Barney want to go too!

Snow flurry!

2007-12-08T16:19:00.001-06:00

4 more days until we leave and this is our last weekend home. Lena has been asking about snow and thanks to another mom (thanks Allison) I learned that the Houston Museum of Natural Science was hosting "Snow Flurry" today. They brought in tons of snow for the kids to play with. Too bad it was about 80 degrees out and the snow was melting fast! Here are some pics from our fun day!

7 days to go!

2007-12-05T01:57:00.000-06:00

Yes, you read the time stamp correctly. It is about 2 a.m. and I'm wide awake. Why? BECAUSE I'M LEAVING IN A WEEK AND I CAN'T SLEEP! So here are a few updates.

The packing has begun in earnest. I have boiled new nipples for the bottles. (I know Macey still takes a bottle from the updated photos I got a while back). I have run all the bottles through the dishwasher. I have begun packing Macey's toy type goodies in the little princess backpack I bought her. And I think Lena's trying to tell me something, like "Take me with you!"

Regarding Macey's room, we are about done. Thank goodness right b/c we leave in 7 days for crying out loud! Thanksgiving week, my mother-in-law and I went in search of an antique dresser for the room. We had learned of a shabby chic looking dresser painted an aqua paint. Normally I'd have said NO WAY but the bedding has aqua in it. The dresser was a steal, especially since Grammy paid half! LOL! It did have horrible knobs on it so I got new ones. Lena and I put them on last night. Oh, and the dresser needed some minor repairs which Kevin made a few days ago, again with Lena's assistance. What a helper!

Daddy working on the dresser:

Lena helping with the dresser repairs:

New knobs:

Finished product!:

We LOVE Christmas!

2007-12-05T01:53:00.001-06:00

Just a few photos to show you how much we all love Christmas, even our dog Barney who apparently thinks he's a gift!

Lena and Santa

2007-12-03T11:08:00.001-06:00

Thursday night we took Lena to the mall to see Santa. She had said repeatedly that she was not scared and would sit on his lap. Two years ago she screamed bloody murder. Last year, she handed him her list but would not sit on his lap. So I really wasn't sure. As you can see, it was not an issue this year!

She went right up and said, "Hi Santa, I want a Dora Mermaid." You gotta love that!

She knows we are leaving in 9 days to bring her sister home and I think she has mixed feelings. I've been frantically trying to get us ready to go. More soon...

Leaving on a jet plane!

2007-11-30T13:16:00.000-06:00

We are official! Our consulate appointment will be 12/27, so we will leave for China on 12/13. I'm kind of in shock now that it's here. I really have a lot to do before we leave!

TA!! TA!! TA!!

2007-11-27T09:34:00.000-06:00

Our TRAVEL APPROVAL is here!!

Great Wall is requesting a consulate appointment on 12/26 or 12/27. If they can get us in, we'll be leaving for China on 12/13!!

Oh good Lord, I need to pack....and finish Christmas shopping...and get Macey's room all ready...and a million other things....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2007-11-19T14:11:00.000-06:00

It may be 85 degrees outside my house (darn it!) but it's looking very much like Christmas inside!

Here's Macey!

2007-11-14T09:07:00.001-06:00

We'd been told we could not post her photos until we were approved so here she finally is!!

LOA!!!

2007-11-12T10:41:00.000-06:00

PTL!! Our LOA is at our agency this morning!!

Now we have to sign it, get it back to CCAA and wait for TA!

Hang on...the wild ride is just beginning!

Surprise news!

2007-11-10T04:31:00.000-06:00

Long ago, we asked our agency to get updated measurements of Macey. The report we have is from Dec 2006....very old. When we asked we were told no, the CCAA wasn't going to get them for us. I know they are very busy placing thousands of children so I accepted no for an answer and went on my way. I never asked again.

Well apparently, my agency has continued to ask for this update, especially as our wait for LOA drags on. I never knew they were asking. Imagine my surprise today when my agency called to say they were emailing updated measurements to me! Here's what the email said:

"We got Fu Chuanxiang’s new info. Her weight is 24.2 lbs, height is 32.7 inches, head size is 18.32 inches and foot size is 5.32 inches. She has 16 teeth."

She is as big as Lena almost! :) I can't wait to get my hands on her and hug her tight (when she lets me!).

Day 101

2007-11-09T09:33:00.000-06:00

I never thought I'd have to say that we have been waiting this long but today is day 101 of our wait for LOA.

Our agency did check with the CCAA and they were told that we were out of review, officially approved, and our LOA should be here very soon. I am praying that it comes next week.

On a very happy note, tomorrow morning I am attending a shower for a friend named Mary who returned in July from China with her new daughter Kaylynn. I'm so excited to see them both! I've met Kaylynn once right after they got home but she has since had palate surgery and settled in to her new life and family. I can't wait!

No news is bad news

2007-11-06T16:16:00.000-06:00

Well, we still have no news.

Our agency is emailing their office in Beijing today and asking for them to check on our file to see if there is any reason for a delay and to see if they'll give an estimated ETA for our LOA. They hope to have an answer by end of week but warned me that the CCAA can be very vague in their responses, especially if they feel like they are being pressed too hard or insulted.

So we will just have to be patient and wait and see. PLEASE PRAY!

Macey is 21 months old today

2007-11-02T15:56:00.000-05:00

Today, Macey is 21 months old and still waiting for us in China. Still no LOA news. Maybe next week will be the week.

I looked at Weather Channel's website today and the weather is great right now in China. In Beijing the highs are 57 and lows about 38. In Nanchang and Guangzhou, the highs are in the 70s and the lows in the 50s and 60s. It's perfect! Oh how I wish I was there to enjoy it!

C'MON LOA! Do you think if I say that enough times it will show up? LOL! Have a great weekend!

Holiday Cheer throughout the Year!

2007-11-02T15:37:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? The holiday season is creeping up on us all. Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is in just a few weeks, and before you know it, we'll be stuffing Christmas stockings!

Before you start your shopping, make sure you visit CouponChief.com.

CouponChief.com is a one stop coupon shop. You can download coupons from great stores like Target (my personal favorite), Best Buy and many more. They offer coupons for hundreds of stores. You could save a bundle of money this year on your shopping!

Take a look at what stores are available and then get busy making your list and checking it twice. And don't forget the pets!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T20:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! We just got in from trick or tricking. My little Dora the Explorer had a ball and got loads of candy.

Lena with the pumpkin we decorated..it's an angel!

Here's Dora the Explorer!

Lena's Grammy goes all out as a witch. Lena was too scared to pose with her for a picture!

Lena with her cousin, Corbin the cop.

Christmas stuff for your manly man!

2007-10-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

Is your guy a manly man? Does he always want “guy” stuff for Christmas that you have no idea how to shop for? Mine too! One answer is always gift cards, right? But the other is Car Guy Garage.

This site has all the stuff that guys want: neon clocks for the garage, personalized garage signs, designer toilet bowl plunger with a car gear shifter handle and motorized coolers. They have workbenches, car lifts, and specialty garage flooring. It’s the perfect place to shop for your guy. Check it out! gifts for guys

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T10:06:00.001-05:00

Today is day 92 in our wait for LOA. I heard from the agency today that they have no news about when LOAs will next be mailed. They also confirmed that they haven't received any since the beginning of October so they are definitely due to receive some.

I'm just trying to keep my mind off things by doing other things. As I said below somewhere, I found out that my school is not renewing my contract for next year so I'll be out of work come July 1st. So, I'm exploring other opportunities and ideas. I'd love to stay home with the girls if I had a way to bring in some income. In that vain, I joined PayPerPost and I became a preferred customer and Marketing Executive for Melaleuca (see left side of blog for link to my website!). But I'm also looking at outside the house regular old jobs. I have faith that I'll get it all figured out eventually. My main focus now is getting Macey home!

C'MON LOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 91

2007-10-30T06:21:00.001-05:00

It's Day 91 in the wait today. I have no reason to believe that LOAs are on their way to our agency. BUT they haven't gotten any for several weeks and they are due to receive some. I pray that we have good news this week. My wish was always that it arrived by Halloween so I guess we'll see if my wish will come true. Please pray!

Have a great day!

PayPerPost

2007-10-29T11:21:00.001-05:00

I just became a member of a website called PayPerPost! I'm now a registered blogger there! Oh, it sounds so official!

PayPerPost is a website that hooks up advertisers and bloggers. Advertisers post opportunities on PayPerPost. Each opportunity explains how much that one will pay and gives you the details of what they want. Then as a registered blogger, you go to your blog and create a post that meets their requirements. After they review and approve your post, you get paid! The payments range from $5 to $75 for one post so there is lots of money to be made. And since I'm out of a regular job come June 30, I'll need to find some income somewhere, right?

I found out about PayPerPost on another blogger's site. She was writing about various ways that she makes money writing. I was amazed at the various online writing opportunities! Of them all, PayPerPost was the easiest to join and the most straight forward. It only took a few days to get my blog (this lovely one here that you are reading) registered and approved.

So, if you are interested in making extra money while blogging, check out PayPerPost! I'm sure glad that I did! Check it out here:
blog

Glorious fall!

2007-10-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's no secret to those that love me that this time of year is my favorite. There are so many reasons: all the best holidays are in fall and winter, all the best food accompanies those holidays and football season is here! Fall is GLORIOUS! Here are our already busy weekend activities.

This morning, Lena and I went with Grammy to a pumpkin patch at a nearby church.

Last night we went to a fall festival at our local YMCA. Or the "fall vegetable" as Lena called it. Can you tell that Lena is Dora the Explorer???

Oh, and Lena got these pink plastic teeth as one of her prizes at the festival. She made me pose for a photo too...please ignore the bed head and lack of makeup!

Day 84

2007-10-23T08:51:00.000-05:00

Today is day 84 and still no news. LOTS of agencies received LOAs yesterday but I haven't heard anything from mine. Many people who got their LOAs were logged in after we were! UUGGHH!! I hope that means mine is on its way too. I'm bummed out!

Okay, I'm done griping now. C'MON LOA!!

Progress on "Project Macey"!

2007-10-21T23:41:00.000-05:00

I posted a while back about "Project Macey", which was all the house projects that we wanted to get done before she came home. These are 1) repaint office, get new file cabinet and printer, book cases, etc. 2) clean all the junk out of the room that will be Macey's, repaint it, decorate for a little girl, etc. and 3) repaint the bathroom.

I'm proud to say that the office is DONE! Well, we need new window treatments but that was never intended to be part of this project. That'll happen later. Here are office photos:

Also, all the junk is officially out of Macey's room!!!!!! And Kevin got it painted this week too. I'm digging the lavender; it'll look great with the bedding I bought! Here's the color:

Kevin did put up new blinds in there today also but I took these yesterday. I'll post complete before & after photos when it's all complete.

The bathroom is still in process. More on that later!

A day at the farm!

2007-10-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

Today was an awesome day in Houston. We woke up to 60s and the high was probably 90. But there was no humidity and there was a nice breeze. It was PERFECT!

We took advantage of the nice day by going to Dewberry Farm in Brookshire, Texas. Here are some photos from the day:

We met several other families with Chinese children there. I was most especially happy to finally meet Tammy & Chris, a family I've "met" online that lives near us. They are also waiting to travel to China to adopt a child with a limb difference. I was so glad to meet them!

Have a great weekend!

Bad news...day 76

2007-10-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

We got our update today and we are still in review. That annoys me. And I saw another family who was logged in 2 weeks after us that got their LOA today. I guess we got in the slow reviewer's pile and they got in the fast one.

New photos of Lena

2007-10-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

Nothing new to report. Today is day 75 of our wait for LOA.

Last night I made some hot herbal tea (I have a cold and feel absolutely awful) and Lena had her very own cup of hot tea. She was holding her cup so carefully as not to get burned or spill it. It was so cute! Then she decided to ham it up for the camera with Barney.

Day 70

2007-10-09T10:22:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 70 of the LOA wait. Maybe we'll see it in about 2-3 weeks?? That's what I'm praying for anyway.

No new news to report...

35 Years Old!

2007-10-07T14:38:00.001-05:00

Well, Friday I turned 35 years old! Where does the time go? I just don't feel like I should be that old. Not that 35 is really old, but I remember when I was a teenager thinking that 35-year-olds already had one foot in the grave. Weird how your perspective changes.

On Saturday, to celebrate my bday, Lena, Kevin and I spent the morning at the zoo and had a picnic. It was a fun day, but hotter than h***!! October is not supposed to be this hot but we are in Texas.

Here's a photo of Lena from the zoo:

We ran into two other families at the zoo with children from China and that was really nice. One of the families we had met before at a FCC-Houston swimming party. The other family was in their travel group about 2 years ago and they are waiting for a referral for child #2. They were logged in August 2006 so they have a long wait ahead of them!

Today has been relaxing. We skipped church (again, what is wrong with us?). Kevin is out with Lena now shopping for my bday (we are celebrating as a big family tonight with Grammy & PaPa) and I've been home cleaning and watching football. Tomorrow is a holiday at my job (YEA!!!) so I'll take Lena to school and have the day to myself. I'll be working on getting ready for garage sale next Saturday.

Happy Columbus Day everyone!

HELLO!

2007-10-01T11:06:00.001-05:00

Testing again this "email to your blog" thing...with a photo this time!

Day 62

2007-10-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

Okay, my friend Christen called me on the carpet today for having no recent updates to the blog. But I haven't had anything new to share. UUGGHH!

Today is day 62 so I'd like to think we'll have our LOA soon. However, LOAs seemed to have slowed down for some reason and this week is a holiday in China (i.e. no one is working at the CCAA). So we may get way past the 100 day mark before we hear. I guess we'll see.

In the meantime, none of us is getting any younger. I'll be 35 on Friday and Macey will be 20 months tomorrow.

Come on LOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 50

2007-09-19T12:50:00.001-05:00

Today is day 50 since we were logged in with the CCAA. It actually has gone quite fast so I'm hoping the remainder goes fast. Now that I have seen Macey and then seen very recent pictures of Macey, the wait has gotten that much harder. I know that she is growing up without us, but that reality really set in when I saw in the new pictures how much she has changed.

Autumn Moon Festival

2007-09-16T08:57:00.000-05:00

Last night, Lena & I attended the Autumn Moon Festival, an annual event of FCC-Houston. It is always so nice to chat with other families that have adopted from China and for Lena to get to know their girls (and sometimes boys!).

We had a great time and Lena was exhausted when we got home.

REVIEW!

2007-09-14T16:52:00.000-05:00

Yea, we got our latest update! We are finished with translation and we are IN REVIEW!!!!

Once review is complete, we'll get LOA! YEA!

Anxious

2007-09-14T13:28:00.000-05:00

Today is day 45 since LID. We most definitely should be at about the half way point of the wait.

We are supposed to receive the "Waiting Child Places Everyone!" update from GWCA today about the status of our dossier. Last month we were listed as "pending translation" so the CCAA really had not started processing our dossier yet besides logging it in. I am hoping that this time, we'll be through translation and at least be "pending review". Actually being in "review" would be even better! But, alas, we haven't gotten the update yet and GWCA says it will come by 4:30 p.m. The next three hours could slowly crawl while I wait.

Some good news: WE GOT NEW PICTURES OF MACEY THIS WEEK! Yea! She has gotten so big and looks to be not much smaller than Lena. They are 20 months apart. But Lena is small for her age and Macey looks big for her age so people will probably ask me if they are twins! LOL!

As soon as we have TA we are allowed to post photos on blogs so hopefully I'll be able to share Macey's beautiful face with the world soon. In the meantime, enjoy Lena...she's got a very beautiful face too!

More later after I hear from GWCA where we are.

39 days since LID...

2007-09-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

As of today, we've been logged in with CCAA for 39 days. I hope we are at the half way point (I've seen LOAs come at 80 days) but I have no way to know. Someone just got their LOA today after 128 days and there's never a rhyme or reason why some paperwork processing takes longer than others. I hate the randomness of it b/c I just don't know when to expect any word. We should get an update from GWCA next Friday that will say where our dossier is. If it says we are in review, that'll be a good sign that things are moving nicely. If we are "pending review" then we may be at the 100 day or longer point before we get LOA....

So, we are just keeping busy. The bathroom and office are almost done. Kevin has some holes to repair in the office on one wall (major devices were used to hold up the old window treatments that Chris hung in this house) and he has some touch up to do in the bathroom. So I think I'm going to get paint samples for Macey's room in the next week or so.

As for Lena, she is anxious to have Macey home too. She says all time, "I want her Mommy!" She just doesn't understand what we are waiting for. It's too sweet.

Her engineer brain has been really into Legos lately. She wants to build "towers" all the time. We knock them down as soon as we are done and then build another one. Here are some pictures of her latest creation that she made just today:

Oh yeah, and here's her new favorite thing to wear. She wants to wear it EVERYDAY! She made this shirt at school. Too cute!

That's all for now!

19 months old!

2007-09-02T22:08:00.001-05:00

Macey is 19 months old today and still waiting in China. I so hope to have her home by Christmas. I hate thinking of all the time passing that we are not together.

Random thoughts and happenings...

2007-09-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

I just have random things going through my head today so I thought I'd just type..

First of all, yesterday it felt like we were on Candid Camera. My DH, Kevin, likes to save a buck. So he picked out a restaurant for us to eat dinner b/c we had a BOGOF coupon. It was a little out of the way, but it was Mexican and we thought, "what the heck?" We drove all the way there and it was out of business.

Well, we decided to drive to another restaurant near there that we have eaten at many times (we also had a BOGOF coupon there). We drove there and guess what? CLOSED! This is the same place where my friends kicked off my bachlorette party 9 years ago so it had been in business a long time. Not any more...

We ended up eating at a place right by our house. We could have done that 1.5 hours earlier.

I'm also having a moment tonight of really trying to treasure my family and love them as they are b/c I know they could be gone any minute. We just watched "Premonition" and really liked it. But it's very sad. I also just had an email from a teacher at my school. Her nephew and wife were taking their daughter away to college this weekend. The 18 year old and her 13 year old brother were in one car and the parents were behind them. The kids were involved in a fatal accident right in front of the parents; both kids were killed instantly. I'm feeling so, so sad for them all right now.

Kevin, Lena, & I may not have a perfect life all the time but it's our life and we love each other very much. I know that anything could happen to them (or me) at any time and I just want to treasure them each day. They are my world.

One month down, ??? to go!

2007-08-31T08:25:00.000-05:00

Today we have been logged in with CCAA for one month! Yea! It has gone by fairly quickly, which is a relief.

We were told "average of 100 days" between log in date and LOA (letter of approval). So if we fall into the average category, we have about 69 days to go before LOA.

There is also a week long holiday in China in October. That could delay us a bit; I guess we'll see. We are still hopeful for travel before Christmas but it's going to be tight.

Also, Macey will be 19 months old on Sunday!

Making pizza and painting!

2007-08-18T08:31:00.001-05:00

Last night, we made homemade pizza! Lena absolutely LOVES to help me cook dinner. So she did the sauce on all three pizzas and all the toppings on her pizza.

(Chef Lena spreading sauce...)

(Lena and Daddy adding their cheese.)

After dinner, Daddy got to work on repainting the main bathroom in the house. When we moved in April 2006, I picked a dark burgundy color for the bathroom walls. It was a pain to paint I guess (Kevin did much rumbling and roaring about it) and it never has really looked very good. So we have decided to paint it a tan color. This is just another project we are trying to get out of the way before Macey gets home. Last night, Kevin worked on the ugly gray primer coat. Then the tan will go up.

Here it is in process:

He's been painting in the office too. Our house is a wreck! Once these two rooms are completely finished, we'll start really working on finishing Macey's room. We've been cleaning it out but we haven't started fixing it up for her yet.

On a side note, we just got soaked by Tropical Storm Erin and Hurricane Dean is headed this way. We're during checking our Hurricane Supply list this weekend too and getting prepared to evacuate if we have to.

"Pending Translation" and Nanchang, Jiangxi, PRC

2007-08-15T20:32:00.000-05:00

Well, we have nothing to do now but WAIT. We had an update from the agency today; they send it every month on the 15th with the current status of all adoptions in process through their Waiting Child program. Macey's file was labled as "pending translation". That means that while we are logged in, they haven't officially started translating our dossier yet. The next stage is "translation" meaning it is being translated and then "pending review" and then "review". Since these emails only come out once per month, I hope we are a couple steps higher before we get another update. "Review" would be a good place to be by then but I'll take "pending review" too!

So I thought I'd share a little info about Nanchang, Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. Nanchang is the capital of the province so it is where we'll stay when Macey joins our family forever!! We'll be there about 5 days I think.

Here's some info I have gathered from the Internet:

Nanchang means 'a prosperous south part of China'. Being over 2,200 years old, Nanchang is a city with significant historical relevence. As the capital city, it is undoubtedly the political, economic and cultural center of Jiangxi Province.

Nanchang belongs to the sub-tropical monsoon climate; therefore it will bring you mild and pleasant weather for almost all the year round.

Nanchang is a beautiful city with the Gan River, the mother river of local people, traversing through the whole city. Water is her soul or in other words water carries all her beauty. Lakes and rivers in or around Nanchang bring a special kind of charm to the city.

Nanchang is honored as 'a green pearl in the southern part of China' thanks to its clear water, fresh air and great inner city virescence.

Long and splendid history endows Nanchang with many cultural relics, among which the Tengwang Pavilion is the most famous. It is no exaggeration to say that Tengwang Pavilion is the pride of all the locals in Nanchang. Many men of letters left their handwritings here which tremendously enhance its classical charm.

Here's a map of China that shows where Nanchang is located. You can also see Beijing to the north, where we'll sight see for a few days, and Guangzhou in the south, where we'll get Macey's visa at the US Consulate.

LID 7/31/07!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

Not long after I posted my "no news" post, I received word from GWCA that we were logged in on 7/31/07! So we are 13 days into our wait for LOA!

I added a new ticker to the right side of the page with our countdown!

No news....

2007-08-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

I've heard people say that "no news is good news" but that just doesn't apply to my adoption experience. For me, ANY news about my dossier is proof that something is happening. So far, we have no news that our dossier has been logged in. It could be in the translation room and it could still be sitting in a pile waiting to be logged in. The thought of that is almost unbearable!

The good news is that I met another lady with a DTC date after mine and she is confirmed as logged in. Hopefully that means we are too.

For now, our house projects continue as we try to prepare for Macey. We won't have much time for house projects after she gets home. The office is shaping up quite nicely and her closet is almost cleaned out, except for the stuff I put in there for her. Yea!

I'm also reading The Weavers Craft right now so I can prepare for Macey's transition. After that I'll be reading Siblings Without Rivalry.

On a happy, happy note, my Internet friend Jennifer has had her Gotcha Day! She is at home in Florida with her two girls but her husband Mat and Aunt Betty are in China and got Cainan on Monday morning (China time). He is adorable! Check out their blog at http://www.journeytocainan.blogspot.com/.

More later...

Dossier to China!!!!!

2007-07-26T14:51:00.001-05:00

I received a call today from GWCA that we will indeed be DTC tomorrow!!!

This is wonderful and welcome news. The paper chase is over, at least until it's time to travel when we have to do a little more. :) Once our dossier is logged in at the CCAA, they will translate it to Chinese, review it all to be sure it's in order, and then issue our LOA. The LOA is known by many names...Letter of Approval, Letter of Acceptance, or Letter Seeking Confirmation...but those are all the same. It is a paper that will say that we are finally, officially matched with Macey! This takes an average of 100 days after LID (log in date). We will sign it, return it to the CCAA and then wait for TA (travel approval).

Then we'll be heading to China to bring our angel home! Still praying for November...

I-171H is here!!

2007-07-18T20:45:00.000-05:00

Today, our I-171H arrived in the mail! I'll be sending the final dossier docs to GWCA tomorrow! I'm done with paperwork for a while!

GWCA will use a courier for final certification and authentication and then we'll be DTC!!! That's "dossier to China" for those of you who don't know. :)

Hang in there Macey...we are coming as soon as we can!

I-171H on it's way!

2007-07-16T09:48:00.000-05:00

I had a call this morning from a lady named Sess at Houston USCIS saying our I-600A was approved BUT they didn't have the copies of our IDs that they requested. I called her back and left the Fedex tracking number of that package on her voice mail.

She just called back and said she located the package and our I-171H will be in the mail today!! With any luck, I can have the final docs for our dossier sent to GWCA by the end of the week and hopefully they can get them certified and authenticated quickly and off to China by month's end.

Yea!! One more step closer to my angel!

Doctor Lena

2007-07-15T15:20:00.001-05:00

Lena always says she's going to be a doctor. I guess we'll see in about 20 years.

Here's a picture of her playing with daddy's stethoscope, listening to everybody's heart! What a cutie pie!

She says she's going to take care of babies. Maybe she'll work in China!

On another note, yesterday Lena got to play with three other little girls who were adopted from China. She played with Hope (3), Joy (5), and Haley (2.5). There was the usual squabbling between young kids but they had a great time. Lena is already to do it again!

PA is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-07-12T10:25:00.001-05:00

Our pre-approval to adopt Macey arrived from the CCAA today! Yeah!! Now we just need to finish our dossier (only waiting on the I-171H) and get it to China!!

The email from our agency said, "The average processing time for Letter Seeking Confirmation is currently about 100 days and Travel Approvals around 2 weeks. In your case, this will be about 100 days from the date your dossier was registered in China." So if we can get our dossier to China soon, we'd expect to travel in November.

YEA!!!!!!!!

Care Package & play date

2007-07-11T16:27:00.001-05:00

Well, there's nothing new to report on the I-171H or the PA. Neither of them is here and I'm just bummed about that. I'm trying to remember that "patience is a virtue" and just deal with it. It will all happen in God's timing and His timing is always perfect.

I'm focusing my attention right now on preparing a care package to send to Macey via another mom, Tamera Wong, who is fortunate to be traveling in the next 3-4 weeks. Her daughter's care has also been overseen by Fuzhou SWI so she will get to meet Director Zhou when she receives her angel. Tamera will deliver for me a package for Dir. Zhou and the nannies and a separate package to be given to Macey's foster family. The package for the SWI contains a letter thanking them for all they have done for my daughter-to-be and some chocolate candy and Jelly Bellies. I hear they love Jelly Bellies and they cannot get them in China. I hope they enjoy it.

In the package for Macey, I'm sending a stuffed frog (it's super cute) and a really soft blanket that says "Sweet Baby Girl" on it. I'm also sending some animal crackers for them to share. But the two most important things are: 1) a disposable camera for them take to take pictures of her, her first home, and foster family for us to treasure forever and 2) a photo album full of pictures of me, Kevin and Lena so she'll know what we look like and hopefully recognize us when we finally meet.

Here's a picture of the blanket and the frog:

I pray she gets them and loves them!

On a fun note, Lena and I are going for a play date Saturday morning. This wonderful lady named Carol, who I met through another family at church who is adopting a baby from China, has two daughters from China who are close to Lena's age. We are going to their house to visit and play. I'm really looking forward to it.

More later, hopefully good news about PA and I-171h!

Another bummer!

2007-07-05T08:21:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday we received yet another letter from the USCIS requesting copies of our photo IDs to proceed with the processing of our I-600A. Again, like with the money order thing, this requirement is not listed on the I-600A instructions and must be a Houston office specific requirement. Once we got the letter I vaguely remembered that this happened with Lena's paperwork too. So today I'll be putting yet another Fedex out to them. I hope this is the last thing they need so our I171-H will be here soon.

We had a wonderful celebration of the 4th of July. Well, most of the day was a wash out. But in the late afternoon it was fairly dry, albeit cloudy, so Kevin took Lena down to the fireworks stand and bought a few things. We had dinner with Grammy & Papa and then sat in the driveway doing fireworks until about 9 p.m. This was the first time that Lena seemed to enjoy them and wasn't too scared. Just the really loud ones kind of upset her. At 9 p.m. when we were about to go home, Lena & I hopped in the bed of Kevin's truck and he drove us around the neighborhood to check the other fireworks out. Then we finally went home where Lena watched a few more through the dining room window. :) She finally went to bed but insisted on sleeping in Mommy's room b/c the "fireworks are too loud! They're going to wake me up!"

Still no PA....

YEA!! It's fingerprinting time!

2007-06-28T18:23:00.000-05:00

Today, we got the letter from the US Dept. of Homeland Security that we need to go get our fingerprints done. :) We are one step closer to bringing Macey home.

The immigration office is open Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. So we are planning to go super early Saturday morning and get it all done. Hopefully the I-171H will come back quickly after the fingerprints are done.

Now we just need the PA and it'll just about be time for our dossier to go to China!

Lena's 3-year check up

2007-06-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

Today, we journeyed to the pediatrician's office for Lena's 3-year check up. She really hates the doctor and has always made these visits difficult. But today she was actually GREAT! :)

Her height was up to 37.25 inches and she weighed in at 27.5 pounds! When we saw the pulmonologist in April she was only 24 pounds so she has gained 3.5 pounds in pretty short order. I could feel a difference but last time I thought she was heavier too and she really wasn't. She's now 25% for weight and between 25-50% for height. That is great. At 2-years old she was at 10% for both so she has really sprouted.

I have always thought Lena is freakishly strong for such a tiny 3-year-old. But today it took me, the doctor, and a nurse to hold her down for her abdominable exam. And the doctor said she thought she was one of the strongest 3-year-olds she has seen. She is small but she packs a punch!

I had the doctor look at Lena's nipple to see if there is any cause for concern. As Lena's comfort things, she sucks her thumb and rubs her nipple. For the longest time there was no issue with this that I could see. She'll grow out of it. But now the right nipple is constantly swollen and larger than the left one as a result of all the rubbing. So the doctor looked and said it was okay. It's not tender, there's no infection or cyst or anything there. She thinks that as the thumb sucking dwindles, so will the nipple rubbing and it will return to a normal appearance. I hope she's right about that!

Something sweet happened while we were there....Lena showed the pictures of Macey to the doctor and she was very excited to say that she has a sister on the way!

She only had to have one shot today and that was the only time she cried. But the tears dried up quickly and we stopped at Sonic on the way home for a root beer float.

All in all, it was a successful trip to the doctor!

Test

2007-06-21T13:27:00.001-05:00

They say I can email a post to my blog so I’m trying it out. Please ignore my technical exploration.

Nothing new to report

2007-06-19T15:33:00.000-05:00

I feel like a slacker b/c I haven't updated this thing in a week. Unfortunately, I have nothing new to report. We haven't gotten anything back from the USCIS yet about going to get fingerprints and we haven't gotten our pre-approval from the CCAA. Those are the next two things we are expecting.

There are other families who sent their LOI around the same time as us that have already gotten pre-approval. But I think their dossiers were already in China and ours is not. It's only been 2 weeks since the LOI was sent and GWCA told us that PA usually takes 3-4 weeks. So, we are not behind any expected deadlines. I'm just bummed when there's nothing happening. I want to go to China sooner rather than later. It's always the waiting that is hardest.

I'll probably not post again until I have some news about something. :)

What a bummer!

2007-06-12T08:41:00.000-05:00

I picked Lena up from school yesterday and we headed to the post office to pick up our certified mail from the USCIS. I was so excited to get it and go get our fingerprinting done.

Well, wouldn't you know that they were returning our application b/c I sent a personal check instead of a money order? The official application form issued by our own US gov't says that a personal check is okay. But I have heard that each office does things their own way and I guess the Houston office just doesn't want to deal with personal checks. UUGGHH!

So today during lunch I'll be going to get a cashier's check and the I-600A will go back again to the USCIS for processing. Hopefully this won't cause much delay.

Just another joy of the adoption paper chase... :)

I missed the mail man!

2007-06-09T20:38:00.000-05:00

Today, USPS tried to deliver certified mail from the Dept. of Homeland Security, which is probably the packet of instructions to get our fingerprinting done. We were all napping and ignored the doorbell! Oops! Now I'll have to go to the Post Office on Monday to get the envelope. What a pain!

But that was really fast since they only received our I-600A application on Tuesday. I hope once we are fingerprinted the I-171H will come as fast (that's the form that says we are approved to bring Macey into the US).

Project Macey Begins!

2007-06-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

I am off on Fridays in the summer...yoo hoo! So today I took Lena to school as normal and I have started PROJECT MACEY!

We have a 3 bedroom house with a study that is really too small for anything besides a study (maybe a nursery if we had a newborn). Our third bedroom has really been "Kevin's room" since we moved in, except for when we have an overnight guest. He has his TV in there, his XBox and games, his 3000+ Hot Wheels (yes, I said 3000 and yes, I said Hot Wheels, as in the little cars). This room will become Macey's room so it has got to be cleaned out!

We have been using her closet as storage. So the first phase of Project Macey involves cleaning out other closets in the house to make room for the stuff that is currently residing in Macey's closet.

That's what I'm doing today...cleaning out the master bedroom closet. Fun, fun. But it has to be done, right?

Our LOI is gone to the CCAA!

2007-06-06T16:42:00.000-05:00

Today, our Letter of Intent (LOI) was sent to the CCAA by our agency, Great Wall China Adoption. We have officially applied for our daughter. We expect Pre-Approval (PA) in 3-4 weeks.

Filing our I-600A!

2007-06-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

Today, the USCIS (formerly known as the INS) received our I-600A application and required documents. This form is used to apply to bring an orphan from outside the US into the US. We will have to be fingerprinted by the US government before the application is approved. Eventually (I'm hearing anywhere from 3-8 weeks) we'll receive a I-171H in the mail saying we are approved. That is the last form we need to finalize our dossier.

Once that is done, our dossier consultant at GWCA (our agency) will get the final documents certified by the State of Texas and authenticated by the Chinese consulate. That can take 2-4 more weeks. So, our dossier could be in China anywhere from 5-12 weeks from now. I'm hoping it'll all be done by end of July.

What are the remaining steps before we meet Macey?
1. GWCA will send our Letter of Intent to adopt this specific baby to China this week with minimal paperwork to satisfy them that we are a good match for this baby.
2. The CCAA (Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs) will issue us a Pre-Approval or PA.
3. Our dossier will go to China (also known as our DTC date).
4. They'll log our documents in and we'll get a Log In Date (LID).
5. The CCAA will translate our docs to Chinese, review them all carefully, and if they don't have any issues, issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA).
6. A few weeks later they'll issue our Travel Approval (TA) and we can start packing to leave.
7. We'll travel about 4-6 weeks after we get our TA.

Our prayer is just that all this happens before Christmas. What a joyous Christmas it may be!

Macey's medical review

2007-06-04T12:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I just got off the phone with Texas Children's Hospital International Adoption clinic. They reviewed all of Macey's medical record info and it all looks good. She was 25% for head circumference, and 25-50% for both height and weight. Lena wasn't even on the US growth chart when she came home!

If you do not already know, Macey was born with a limb difference. Her left hand did not fully form. We were only given one decent photo of her hand and it appears that she has one or two fingers and they do not appear to be fully developed.

TCH has a hand clinic that will see her as soon as she comes home. There could be surgical corrections made but from this photo it appears unlikely. Our best bet will probably be some type of prosthetic device to give her better functionality. We'll just have to take it one day at a time.

The only questionable thing from her medical info from China is that it appears she has not been vaccinated for Hepatitis. This is of minimal concern. Once she arrives in the US, she'll start her vaccines from scratch just like a newborn. It'll take us a little while to get her all caught up.

As far as paperwork, I am Fedexing the I-600A today to the USCIS. That is our request to be pre-approved to bring an orphan to the US from another country. Once the fingerprinting is done and we are approved, our dossier will be gone to China. With a little luck, we'll have Macey home by Christmas!That's all for now. More later!

Lena turns 3 - 6/1/07!

2007-06-03T12:21:00.000-05:00

Bowling with Grammy

Bowling with Nana

At "Beyond Bounce" with Jake & Lindsay

This past weekend, our first baby turned 3 years old. I can hardly believe she is 3 and has been home from China for over 2 years. She has been such a wonderful addition to the family and we can't imagine our lives without her!

She had a great time bowling and playing at "Beyond Bounce" with her friends. She is so excited to have a sister, too!

Welcome to our blog!!

2007-06-01T12:15:00.000-05:00

My name is Donna and my DH is Kevin. We live just northwest of Houston. We have a daughter Lena who is 3 today - 6-1-07! She was adopted on 4/4/05 from Gaoming SWI, Guangdong, PRC. She has been the joy of our lives.

Not long ago, we decided to start the process of adopting our second (and last) daughter. We had talked for two years about potentially applying to become the "forever family" for a waiting child. In China, a waiting child is a child that is harder to place because of a special medical need or because of age. In April, we applied for a little girl and learned on May 22 that we were selected to be her family! We are over the moon!

Because of pending paperwork, we cannot yet share her specific info or photos but we will as soon as we can. She is beautiful!

I am not a seasoned blogger so bare with me as I figure this out. :)