27 days from LID
My Christmas wish has been granted!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Time Flies
But We do need an Ivy update and a Lexi update!
SO HERE WE GO!!!!!
IVY UPDATE:
WE WERE DTC ON 11-18-11
LID 11-22-11
OUR DOSSIER WAS IN TRANSLATION AS OF LAST FRIDAY. WE ARE EXPECTING OUR LOA....OR LETTER SEEKING CONFIRMATION (THE SAME THING) BY
12-20-11
THE SENATORS OFFICE CONTACTED ME AND GAVE ME THE INFORMATION THEY WOULD NEED FROM ME IN ORDER TO PROCESS OUR I800 IN JUST A FEW DAYS. I HAVE ALREADY SENT THEM EVERYTHING THEY REQUESTED.
SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE JUST WAITING!
THE LATEST I HEARD ON IVY WAS FROM A SWEET LADY WHO WAS VISITING ON A HOMELAND TOUR RECENTLY. SHE SAID THAT AS SOON AS IVY SAW HER SHE FLIPPED THAT LIP RIGHT UP AND BEGAN TO CRY. WHEN SHE APPROACHED HER WITH A BLOW UP BALL SHE QUICKLY WENT BACKWARDS IN HER WALKER WHILE CRYING! YIKES!!! SHE ALSO SAID THAT SHE IS VERY WELL CARED FOR AND LOOKED WELL FED. SHE SAID SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
LEXI UPDATE
LEXI IS TURNING 3 ON TUESDAY!!! PLEASE POP ON THE BLOG AND SEND HER SOME BIRTHDAY LOVE!!!
SHE HAD HER FIRST CHRISTMAS DANCE RECITAL TODAY!! SHE DID ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC AND SHE ASKED IF SHE COULD BE IN 5 DANCES WITH 5 DIFFERENT DRESSES NEXT TIME :) SO CUTE!!
SHE IS TALKING NOT STOP, SINGING NON STOP AND JUST A HAPPY BUBBLY FUNNY LITTLE GIRL! I WILL TRY TO POST SOME PICTURES FROM HER RECITAL AND DO A BIRTHDAY POST LATER THIS WEEK.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Emotions causing a Cry Fest
I could cry at the drop of a hat lately. Maternal emotions perhaps?
Every sweet word that comes out of this babes mouth just grabs my heart. She is so funny and so sweet! The way that she loves us is so Big, so Bold. And here I go with tears again.
I took Lexi to Lowe's to get a train to go around our Christmas Tree today. The shopping cart is a big race car with 2 seats and 2 steering wheels. She immediately looked at the second wheel and and said, "Mama, Ibee gonna sit right here. Ibee gonna dwive with me! Mama, Ibee still taking a wong time uh come uh home uh China!" I must here the word Mama 1000 times per day and it never gets old. I will not lie, by bed time I am ready to stop hearing mama for the night.... but seriously, she just melts my heart to mush! Tears
We are so blessed by the heart of our big kids! And Rylee, my oldest at home, she is such a huge help in our home and the relationship she and Cassidy has is so special! And all these bigs, they just take over and give loads of quality time and hands on fun to their little sister Lexi! And I just get choked up all the time thinking of these things, thinking of the joy and pleasure these children bring me! More Tears..
And when I think of leaving my Babycakes for 2 whole weeks while in China! Oh my heart!! My heavy heavy heart. Tears and more tears!! I know it is best, Ivy deserves to have me all to herself as she gets to know me and goes through these huge changes in her little life. We know this is going to be best for everyone. I am so excited to have that time with her. To love on her 24/7! But I am going to miss my little girl soooo much!!! And she is going to have a tough time too. She does not handle time away too well and she tells me I was gone a looooong time when I am gone for 1 or 2 hours! And to not hear her sweet voice or her contagious awesome laugh, or hear Mama Mama Mama or hold her, ughh..... more tears!
She will have her precious Daddy who loves her more than life!
And her precious siblings who would do absolutely anything for her!
So why on earth am I still choked up, still an emotional bomb?
Maybe because I just love them so much? Most likely because I'm just a mess :(
Either way, I am blessed!
And I can not wait to get my newest bundle of LOVE in my arms FOREVER!!
Every sweet word that comes out of this babes mouth just grabs my heart. She is so funny and so sweet! The way that she loves us is so Big, so Bold. And here I go with tears again.
No worries... The train does not do its runs on Sunday.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
The answers to your questions
Here we go!
Where is Ivy, her SWI looks amazing!
Ivy is in Hangzhou CWI. CWI as opposed to SWI means it is children only. It stands for Children's Welfare Institute. Lexi was in an, SWI, (Social Welfare Institute) there were elderly people as well as disabled adults. All separate, but all there in one institution.
The province Ivy is in is a very rich province so the locals can afford the fee's one pays for having a second child. That being said, the kids being abandoned all have some sort of a special need. Ivy's orphanage has a great number of kids with very serious heart conditions. Many have already been adopted and are living examples of the miracles our God is capable of!
Ivy was abandoned at 3 months and I am certain that her birth parents would have kept her had they not discovered that her heart was very ~special~ and was NOT going to heal on its own. I hope the CWI will share with us if she was left with a note or any personal items. She was so fat and rosy when she was found. Those first photos we have of her...... there is no doubt in my mind that her birth mom loved her dearly and took very good care of her.
The CWI gets a lot of donations from the wealthy locals. A recent visitor at the CWI said that while she was there a BMW pulled up to the grounds, a well dressed Chinese woman got out of the car and dropped off bags of diapers and formula.
You can see by her bed that she is certainly in a comfortable place. I do not doubt that she is still with us because of where she is.
Who is going to China??
I must have 30 emails with this same questions haha!
It's a really good question. One I don't have a complete answer for yet :)
I will tell you this much,
I am going to China! Bryan will stay home to take care of the children. Lexi is staying home. My Big Girls are staying home. My son may be coming with me.... we have his passport ready but it will depend on what is going on with school once we get close to travel.
My dear friend (who I will keep private for now so she doesn't feel any pressure) may be traveling with me. Again, was we get closer to travel we will know if the dates are agreeable with her schedule.
When do you think you will travel?
We are still praying for January. We really do not have any gaurantee of any dates though. I know that Chinese New Year could cause us to be going in February. That would really be so sad for Ivy. She has waited her entire life for this surgery. Please join us in prayer, that whatever God's plan, we would be still and know that His plan is always best!
What are these bracelets we have seen on facebook and around church?? Are you doing a fundraiser?
Our 15 year old daughter created " A HEART For Ivy" bracelets. Knowing that the upcoming surgery is going to be a Big One.... It had been heavy on her heart to do something. I came home from my week visiting my mom, to 400 red bracelets that she is hoping to sell. Right now she has sold 40. So if anyone here would like to buy a HEART FOR IVY bracelet, there are plenty to go around!! The Bracelets are 2.00, then add .50 Cents if you need it shipped. So 2.50 :) You can use paypal.com Click send money and make sure you send as GIFT or Paypal keeps a large percentage of it. Then put in the email address of recipient: missmary5@cox.net
I wish I were savy enough to put a paypal button on my side bar to make this easier..... but I'm not.
Anyway, wearing the bracelet is a great reminder to be lifting Little Ivy in prayer. We all wear ours every day and I think my precious daughter Cassidy has a heart of gold for moving forward with this idea.
I hesitated to use this picture for several reasons. The main one being that it is pretty scary and I don't want to freak anyone out, especially my family. But the reality of it is that this is her life. This is the amount of oxygen she is living with. I won't sugar coat anything here, this is not good and that is where my faith needs to outweigh my fear. And it does, now, it didn't always though. And so, day in, day out, this is how she lives. She needs to be home, she needs surgery, she needs a mommy and a daddy, sisters, brothers aunts and a loving grandma! I know she is being cradled in the palms of my Fathers hands, I know He loves her, I know.
Thank you everyone for loving on us through all the sweet emails, encouraging words and prayers!! We get a lot of "Your such good people to be doing this". No, we really aren't. We are just like all of you. Blessed to be called, blessed to be used, blessed to be forgiven, blessed to be the ones who will walk beside Ivy Joy through whatever God has planned for her. We are Blessed.
Where is Ivy, her SWI looks amazing!
Ivy is in Hangzhou CWI. CWI as opposed to SWI means it is children only. It stands for Children's Welfare Institute. Lexi was in an, SWI, (Social Welfare Institute) there were elderly people as well as disabled adults. All separate, but all there in one institution.
The province Ivy is in is a very rich province so the locals can afford the fee's one pays for having a second child. That being said, the kids being abandoned all have some sort of a special need. Ivy's orphanage has a great number of kids with very serious heart conditions. Many have already been adopted and are living examples of the miracles our God is capable of!
Ivy was abandoned at 3 months and I am certain that her birth parents would have kept her had they not discovered that her heart was very ~special~ and was NOT going to heal on its own. I hope the CWI will share with us if she was left with a note or any personal items. She was so fat and rosy when she was found. Those first photos we have of her...... there is no doubt in my mind that her birth mom loved her dearly and took very good care of her.
The CWI gets a lot of donations from the wealthy locals. A recent visitor at the CWI said that while she was there a BMW pulled up to the grounds, a well dressed Chinese woman got out of the car and dropped off bags of diapers and formula.
You can see by her bed that she is certainly in a comfortable place. I do not doubt that she is still with us because of where she is.
Who is going to China??
I must have 30 emails with this same questions haha!
It's a really good question. One I don't have a complete answer for yet :)
I will tell you this much,
I am going to China! Bryan will stay home to take care of the children. Lexi is staying home. My Big Girls are staying home. My son may be coming with me.... we have his passport ready but it will depend on what is going on with school once we get close to travel.
My dear friend (who I will keep private for now so she doesn't feel any pressure) may be traveling with me. Again, was we get closer to travel we will know if the dates are agreeable with her schedule.
When do you think you will travel?
We are still praying for January. We really do not have any gaurantee of any dates though. I know that Chinese New Year could cause us to be going in February. That would really be so sad for Ivy. She has waited her entire life for this surgery. Please join us in prayer, that whatever God's plan, we would be still and know that His plan is always best!
What are these bracelets we have seen on facebook and around church?? Are you doing a fundraiser?
Our 15 year old daughter created " A HEART For Ivy" bracelets. Knowing that the upcoming surgery is going to be a Big One.... It had been heavy on her heart to do something. I came home from my week visiting my mom, to 400 red bracelets that she is hoping to sell. Right now she has sold 40. So if anyone here would like to buy a HEART FOR IVY bracelet, there are plenty to go around!! The Bracelets are 2.00, then add .50 Cents if you need it shipped. So 2.50 :) You can use paypal.com Click send money and make sure you send as GIFT or Paypal keeps a large percentage of it. Then put in the email address of recipient: missmary5@cox.net
I wish I were savy enough to put a paypal button on my side bar to make this easier..... but I'm not.
Anyway, wearing the bracelet is a great reminder to be lifting Little Ivy in prayer. We all wear ours every day and I think my precious daughter Cassidy has a heart of gold for moving forward with this idea.
Thank you everyone for loving on us through all the sweet emails, encouraging words and prayers!! We get a lot of "Your such good people to be doing this". No, we really aren't. We are just like all of you. Blessed to be called, blessed to be used, blessed to be forgiven, blessed to be the ones who will walk beside Ivy Joy through whatever God has planned for her. We are Blessed.
Friday, November 18, 2011
DTC
Dossier To China Baby!!!!
Our agency will be working with China now to expedite our LOA. We are told if everything goes as planned we will have it in 30 days or less.
Then we will go back to our wonderful officer at the USCIS, who got us from I800A application to I800A approval in hand in 14 days! We will ask her to work her magic again to get our final approvals and then it is back to the China side again for TA. If we need to contact Senators, we are prepared for that as well.
So where does this leave us in guessing when we will be in China??? Well since it is all just a guess right now, I'm not saying! I will just keep on doing my part to get it done fast so I can bring our girl home and get that special little heart of hers on the mend!
I have been getting lots of questions via email lately about Ivy, her heart, who's traveling and lots more so I will do another post this week and chat more about that. As for now, here's Ivy
Sad again!!!
Poor sweet baby does NOT like strangers!!
Our agency will be working with China now to expedite our LOA. We are told if everything goes as planned we will have it in 30 days or less.
Then we will go back to our wonderful officer at the USCIS, who got us from I800A application to I800A approval in hand in 14 days! We will ask her to work her magic again to get our final approvals and then it is back to the China side again for TA. If we need to contact Senators, we are prepared for that as well.
So where does this leave us in guessing when we will be in China??? Well since it is all just a guess right now, I'm not saying! I will just keep on doing my part to get it done fast so I can bring our girl home and get that special little heart of hers on the mend!
I have been getting lots of questions via email lately about Ivy, her heart, who's traveling and lots more so I will do another post this week and chat more about that. As for now, here's Ivy
Sad again!!!
And that is going to make for a very
difficult transition to her new Mama
But with time and patience and loads of kisses, she will we realize we have always been meant to be together. Forever
Saturday, November 12, 2011
2 Glorious Years!
glo·ri·ous
adjective
1. delightful; wonderful; completely enjoyable
2. conferring glory
3. full of glory
4. brilliantly beautiful or magnificent; splendid
5. Archaic. blissfully drunk
2 years ago
I held you, I kissed you, I told you I loved you
All for the very first time!
2 years ago we met and became Mother and Daughter
It has been nothing short of Glorious
You bring us more joy than we could ever know what to do with!
You are beautiful inside and out and you are loved beyond measure!
Happy Forever family day baby girl.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Ivy Timeline update
We have been fingerprinted!! We have not been assigned an officer yet as of this morning but we are keeping very close communication in hopes of helping to speed things up. So far everyone has been quite kind. We just need them to be kind and QUICK!
I do not follow RQ so I'm not sure what the time frames are looking like for anything right now, I guess I should do that. I just keep plugging away, checking in at the uscis office, checking in with XQ from Baas and if nothing else they will all speed things up just to not have to deal with my *checking in* phone calls any more!
Heading off to the airport tomorrow for our special trip! I'm sure going to miss my Big's and my Hubby! Please P M me or comment here if you have tips on expediting with uscis. We have included our cardiologist letter of urgency in all paperwork so far. We hoped to get an email or something just saying yes we will expedite?? Is that me dreaming?
My latest update on sweet Ivy Joy is that we should hurry and get there... errrgh!!
