A Surprise From My Secret Pal!!!

A beautiful gift from my DTC Winter Secret Pal!  What a super surprise after a fun-filled and insanely busy day of teaching musical theatre camp!  Thank you to my Secret Pal!!  You are the best!!   It is gorgeous and I totally LOVE it!!! ♥

Blessings, 
Georgia

I Love My DTC Secret Pal

What a joy it is to arrive home after being out all day and open the mailbox to find not one but TWO super sweet and creative cards of encouragement from my DTC Secret Pal!  A HUGE smile adorns my face thanks to your sweetness.  I can't wait for the day when I find out who you are!  Thank you for being a little bit of sunlight on a thunderstorm day!

Blessings,

Georgia

LID - FINALLY!!!!

After 20 days of waiting and watching others get theirs faster than us, we finally have word of LID.  We are now officially awaiting our LOA. (Letter of Acceptance)   Who knows what God has in store with the wait time.  Someone just got theirs after only 23 days and other families have waited over 100 days.  There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the timing.  So... once again... we wait.

Blessings,
Georgia

Being Patient...

Some days I get so frustrated.  While I am THRILLED for all the families who have received LOA and TA over the past week, which has been a HUGE number of families and it is so very exciting for them, We are a bit behind them in the process and our dossier was just sent to Ch*na on 5/18.  Other families who sent theirs on 5/18 received their LID (Lock in Date) last week.  But here we sit.  Our agent keeps calling them every day but they say they have been busy or in meetings.  I don't understand how some received on the same date got processed and others have not.  I have to keep reminding myself I am not in control.  Meanwhile... my Secret Pal received LOA the other day so I'm packaging up a box with goodies in it for her today.  I truly am so happy for the other families getting through the process, I just wish I was on the same train. 

Blessings,
Georgia

Ok... so check this out...

I just think this is the coolest thing.... our youngest daughter, Emmy, is going into 5th grade.  Much to my dismay, our wonderful 5th grade teacher, Mr. Woods decided to retire at the completion of this school year.  Within two (2) weeks of Mr. Woods giving his notice, our school hired a man who just happens to have taught in H*ng K*ng for 9 years!!! He is bilingual and raising his daughters bilingual. One of his daughters will be in Ian's kindergarten class!!! GOD IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much for serious concern about the language barrier!!!!  I can't wait to meet Mr. Goh and his family! 

Blessings,
Georgia

Mother's Day

Well I sure have had a great mother's day so far!  My day started with breakfast in bed, some super sweet cards, a beautiful orchid, a sweet adoption prayer bracelet from hubby, and an adorable clay bracelet made by my sweet Emmy.  Of course I can't forget about my lovely standing mirror/jewelry cabinet either. I'm a lucky mommy...

After a relaxing morning I cleaned up and headed out to lunch with my mom.  We had a great day we had!  And much to my surprise we actually shopped and found a piece of furniture for Ian's room!  YAY!  I took pics and Jeff is good with it, so I think we will be going back for it.  

My mom picked up this adorable bistro set for our front porch.  Now I can sit out by the garden pond and read and drink my tea.

When I got settled in at home I was looking online for wall art for a boy bedroom and I found this...

It's sooooooo cute!!!  I think it may help me create a room theme!!

Now we are getting ready to head over to the school for an Upper School Drama Production.  Should be lots of fun! 

Blessings,
Georgia

GREAT DAY!!!!

Today was a day filled with fun, love, productivity and blessings!!!  I LOVE when God gives me (us) days like this! 

I was so unbelievably exhausted this morning after being sick all weekend, then teaching all day yesterday, then working at the Community Honors Banquet at school and washing banquet dishes till after 10pm.  I had to force my body out of the bed this morning to get the girls to school.  Jeff and I were scheduled for our USCIS fingerprinting today and we had errands and banking to take care of as well.  To say that I was lacking ambition when I got up is an understatement.    

But... off we went.  The girls were dropped off at school and we headed over to the medical lab for Jeff to get stuck in the arm for follow up blood tests.  After waiting an hour, I left him and went to the bank to start working on our cashier's check for BLAS and a wire transfer for CCCWA.  He finished and actually walked down to the bank to meet me. It was such a beautiful morning!  After another hour at the bank, we finally had a feeling of success and treated ourselves to a wonderful breakfast out.  I can't remember the last time Jeff and I went out to breakfast, just the two of us.  It was so much FUN!!!  It was almost like a DATE!  By now, I was WIDE AWAKE and feeling pretty good!

After fueling ourselves up at breakfast, we fueled up the car, grabbed a couple of .99 sweet teas at Dunkin Donuts and hit the highway for Tampa!  We arrived at USCIS about 30 minutes early.  The people there were awesome!  They were smiling and friendly and FUNNY!!  Of course they DID make Jeff take his "Macgyver" swiss army knife and put it in the car!  Somehow I guess they frown upon those sorts of things at the Dept. of Homeland Security!  LOL  

We fully expected to have to wait a while to get our prints done, especially since the waiting area was pretty full.  But... we were logged in, printed, done and leaving 15 minutes before our scheduled appointment time!  WOW!   What a surprise at a government office!! 

On the way back home I received a HUGE surprise of an email update from BAAS!!!  We received Ian's current measurements AND four new photos!!!!  (See below)  I was thrilled since the last measurements we had for him were dated March 2011, so it was a bummer not having something more current.  So how odd is it for a ch*nese orphan boy to be in the 95 percentile for his age/height/weight????    He's now 44.5 inches tall, 50.7 lbs, 21.3 inch head, 23.4 inch chest.  OMG!  I think that must make him a size 6 or something?!?!?

He's so STINKIN' CUTE!!!

I can not figure out WHAT he is doing in this picture!?!?!  But he's STILL cute!!!

Not looking like a happy camper here... done with the camera maybe???

To top off the day, we went looking at furniture for Ian's room and found my mother's day present... a cool standing mirrow with a jewelry cabinet inside!  I always wanted one!!  YAY ME!!!! :-)  

NOW... to get all my stuff IN THERE!!!!

Like I said... it's been a GREAT DAY!!!  Thank you Lord for the day that You have made!

Blessings,
Georgia

Getting Closer Every Day

Yesterday we received our letters from USCIS with our fingerprinting appointment date. I expected it to be a few weeks out but instead, it is just a week away on May 8th!!! Wow! We got our date so fast! I'm so excited! Although, I do feel bad for some other adopting parents who are not moving along quite as quickly as we are.

I also heard from our courier that our dossier documents were left at the Embassy in DC on Friday. Hopefully they will be done in a couple of days. I'm really starting to feel the momentum picking up! We could actually see our DTC (documents to Ch*na) by May 18th! That could mean October travel! Whoooohooooo!!

So today...apparently the whole family was experiencing the same feeling of exuberance because we all worked together to complete our regular weekly chores and then tackled moving Jeff's desk and computer out of the "man cave" and into the master bedroom. We rearranged furniture and exterminated hidden dust bunnies and purchased a wireless adapter for the desktop. Now the master looks fantastic, Jeff's computer is running smoothly and the "man cave" is one step closer to being "Ian's Room"!!!!!

Blessings,

Georgia

Moving right along...

I received the email assigning us our receipt number at USCIS. We are officially logged into immigration and should receive our fingerprinting appointment letter within the next 7-10 days. 


In the meantime, off to Tallahassee went our Florida documents for certification. Our dossier is coming together nicely.


I've been hearing/seeing great posts online about I800A approvals coming in within 30 days...Fall travel is looking promising...

Blessings,

Georgia

I800A on it's way to USCIS!!

I'm so excited!!! I finally really feel like we are in the process of adopting our son!  Our first packet of official paperwork is going to land on an immigration official's desk tomorrow morning before 10:30am!  I know there will LOTS and LOTS of waiting ahead, but I'm so relieved to be this step closer to DTC!!! (Documents to Ch*na) Thank you Lord!!!!

Blessings,

Georgia

First Giant Step!

My goodness the frustration that has built up inside of me over the past few weeks became quite intense today. I've experienced a range of emotions from anger to fear to sadness. The failure of the Sheriff's Department to comply with our request for the local background checks required by the State of Florida for our Home Study has been quite the struggle.

Finally, today I took the "bull by the horns" and wrote a heart felt letter with all the facts directly to the Sheriff. Amazingly, I received a reply from him within 60 minutes and then a phone call from the records representative within 15 minutes after that. Another 20 minutes later and the much needed background letters were scanned and in my email.

Praise God!! I am so thankful for the prayer warriors I'm blessed with on Facebook. Don't know how I would make it through this daily roller coaster ride without them.

Hopefully tomorrow night we'll receive the notarized copies of our Home Study and Wednesday I can ship our I800A application out to USCIS to really get this ball rolling and get us one giant step closer to bringing Ian home!

Good Friday Reflection Through an Adopting Mommy

Some people don't understand why Jeff and I (and our girls) are adopting a little boy all the way over in Ch*na. This video gives a look into our answer about that. It's almost 8 minutes long, but on this Good Friday, I urge you to take that 8 minutes to watch and listen.    CLICK HERE

Blessings,

Georgia

God sends me just the right devotion every day

Learn to Take Life As It Comes Like most people, I resist things I don't like that I can't really do anything about. One day the Lord said to me, 'Joyce, learn to take life as it comes.' I believe this is a lesson for all of us. What He was saying to me was that I needed to stop fighting the things I could do nothing about. If we are traveling somewhere and suddenly find ourselves in heavy traffic due to an accident or bad weather, it doesn't do any good to resist it. Only time or God's supernatural intervention will change the situation. Why not relax and try to find some way to enjoy the time? God has equipped us to handle life as it comes, which is why He tells us to only focus on today. He knows that if we spend time worrying about issues beyond our control, we will become tired and frustrated. You don't need to waste time trying to change and control things outside your power. Set your mind to what God has placed in front of you and let Him take care of the rest. Prayer Starter: Lord, I realize that I can't control everything, but I can trust You. Right now, I make a decision do my best with what You've given me and leave the rest to You. Blessings, Georgia

So Close Yet So Far

Good news...Home Study is approved by BAAS.

Bad news...it is subject to the local background check that Citrus County Sheriff's Dept REFUSES to give us!

UGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Ok...so the STATE REQUIRES the local background check but the LOCAL Government WON'T do it!

What's wrong with this picture???

So here we sit unable to send our I800a to USCIS until we obtain a paper we can't get...

Can you spell F R U S T R A T E D ????

Blessings,

Georgia

Love this!!

This was posted by a fellow AP (adoping parent) on another site.

Blessings,

Georgia

Baby steps...

We received Sarah and Emmy's passports in the mail today.  Funny how something so little can create such a strong feeling of reality.  Some days the whole adoption thing just doesn't seem real at all.  Hearing from Meredith yesterday with her "in person" contact with Ian combined with receiving these little passport books today helps fill that void that seems to come and go.  I'm thankful.  Hopefully Monday we'll have approval on our Home Study and we can get that I800A sent out.

More from Meredith

Have to share the second e-mail from this sweet mom... I'm so encouraged. I had asked her if she heard Ian speak at all...

From Meredith:

Hi Georgia!
 
I can say for SURE that he was talking and that the nannies were having a conversation with him while we were there.  Of course, I don't know Chinese, so I couldn't tell you how good his language was!  But, he definitely can and does talk!  I cannot exlain enough how precious he was.  He was wearing like an argyle sweater, corduroy pants- all matching!  Like they had just taken him to the department store and bought him all new clothes and gotten a haircut!  SO CUTE!!!
 

Amazing Hearts

I think one of the coolest things about the adoption process is experiencing the hearts of the adoptive moms I'm meeting along the way.  I just received an email from a mom who is currently in China picking up her son.  She visited the facility where Ian lives and through a friend obtained my email address and wrote to me.  I'm amazed that she not only was extremely observant in her visit, but that she was kind and thoughtful enough to take time DURING her trip to stop and write me...a total stranger... and give me insight about our son.  God bless you Meredith and thank you for warming my heart today.

This is what she wrote:

Hi Georgia!

You don't know me, but I am in Changsha now we just adopted our son Samuel this week from Hengyang City SWI. Today we visited the orphanage and I wanted to let you know that I saw your sweet son!! (Erin gave me your email) I could kick myself for not getting any pictures of him. Our son was not on the ICC side, but your son is, and I wasn't taking pictures when I was on that side by the time I got down to his room.

BUT....I have to tell you that your son is JUST ADORABLE! He has a brand new bowl haircut and was wearing a little red white and blue outfit all while eating a TON of rice and vegetables! He looks so healthy, that at first we thought he was one of the worker's children, not a child at the orphanage!! We mentioned how precious he was, and Kyla told us that he had a family in the US. I really cannot say enough about how cute he is. Just super handsome. You are one lucky momma! Out of all the kiddos we saw today your son really stands out!

Congratulations!

Meredith
www.sixmakeseggroll.blogspot.com

Some days it's hard to focus

Today is our last day of spring break here in sunny Florida.  It's been a mixture of a productive and relaxing week.  As we are preparing to go back to school tomorrow, there are so many things I could be and should be doing.  Yet... I find myself surfing the web about different things having to do with Ch*na.  Seems silly I know, but I have this desire to know what the weather is like there now and at different times of the year, what the difference is in the cost of airfare from month to month, what's the shortest amount of time required for us to stay in Ch*na when we go to pick Ian up.  My hope is that by the time I get done writing this little blog entry, I'll have my Ch*na fix for the day and be able to move on with other things.  Staying focused is definiately a challenge and one that I think I will be struggling with for the coming months until we bring Ian home.  So for those of you who know me and see me regularly, if I'm a little "spaced out", you'll know why!

The Paper Pregnancy

You know, some days are so great and others are a drag.  We get ourselves all excited about some piece or pieces of paperwork that have processed through their necessary stage and then... BAM... there's another one we have WAIT for.  I started to let myself get frustrated and sad by this and then I had a realization... an epiphany of sorts.  If we had just recently announced that I was pregnant and expecting our third biological child, we would have 9 months to wait for the wonderful arrival of our new lil' Jekabsons.  Sure an expecting mommy gets uncomfortable at the end and can't wait for that delivery, but we go along with it to the end, celebrating the victory when that bundle arrives!  Well... my new outlook is the same now with Ian. (for today, anyhow)  This is our "paper pregnancy".   It is different in many ways, but similar in others.  From this point on, I am going to try to focus on the blessings of the "pregnancy" while we wade through the bureaucracy and paperwork approaching delivery day, known as "Gotcha Day" in the adoption arena.  It's going to be some long months ahead as we wait, but that "Gotcha Day" with Ian will be worth it!

A video from last April

This is just a tiny glimpse into our son's daily world that was sent to me from our adoption agency.  I am so thankful to have this video to view whenever I need an "Ian" fix. 

Waiting Child Poem

Wise Words

This is a copy of some wonderful words I received on a yahoo group on a day when I was questioning what we were embarking upon. 

I read this post and felt compelled to reply. Because...I HAVE adopted babies and older children. AND our adoption in process is of an older child.

So first, in a nutshell. The bio file you get may not all be accurate, it will cost you a lot of money to adopt and you will feel like you are in a nightmare occasionally. BUT the file doesn't matter, the money doesn't matter and occasionally nightmares come with or without kids so they don't matter either. What does matter?

YOU will be the first woman to love him like a mommy and hug him and tell him so. YOU will be the first to hold him when he is sick, scared, confused and lost. He won't know how to love you back at first but I promise you that when he learns how and comes to hug you "first", you will never be the same person.

Now, after four adoptions I have had plenty of critisizms from family, friends and strangers. My first encounter was on the plane home from Ch*na holding my baby girl. But the thing is if someone isn't called to adopt an orphan they will NEVER understand and you can never convince them or make them understand your point. It is most disheartening when family such as parents are not supportive. I can only tell you I have been there and it will change. Their hearts will change. Imagine if you were called to be a missionary in the Artic, no one would understand that! Not even me. But no one else has to. Just you and HIM.

Our last adoption was 2 years ago and he was 10. Has it been lollipops and hopscotch! NOPE, not everyday. Have I ever regretted adopting him? NOPE, not one day. Because I am the adult and I know what he doesn't. And even when he was angry that someone gave him away and I don't serve fried duck feet or he MUST shower and brush his teeth everyday...I know he is loved safe and cared for and he too will understand fully one day. But I can tell you my oldest child is a bio 19 year old at college and it wasn't lollipops and hopscotch everyday either. LOL

The fact your heart has led you to adopt says volumes about you and indicates that you can handle it. Be prepared to be disliked. It's hard for a child. Imagine right now someone drops you in the middle of Ch*na. You don't know a single person, word or place. So be prepared for him to feel distant. But be patient and don't let your feelings cloud your reason. Don't take anything personally and know he loves you, he just might not know it yet!

And after all of that I want to say. He could run to your arms and never want to leave. I have one of them too! And btw, both are boys from Ch*na. Just be prepared for controlled chaos!

PSS-My son came to the United States on 7/31 and went to public school on 8/7. That was his choice (per a translator). He only knew the word dinosaur! Be prepared for any and everyhing and know you are making an orphan a cheristed little boy!

Here are a couple more photos of OUR lil' man...

Blessings,

Georgia

The Beginning of the Blogging

So here I am.  Not sure if we should blog or not.  But I have so enjoyed looking at the blogs of other waiting families, that I feel like I almost have a responsibility to do it also.  So here goes nothing...


February 8th 2012 changed our family's world.  We were happy...living the dream...  I had just finished my degree in December and got my new contract at work, Jeff's job was going great, the girls were doing their thing in school and dance.  Life was good!  But God had another plan... a BIGGER plan.  


In January, my friend Erin talked briefly with me about adoption.  Jeff and I had talked about it years ago. We always said that if we wanted a son, we could always adopt.  So Erin started sending me information.  The stories were sad, the children were beautiful, and Jeff and I were feeling a bit of a tug at our hearts.   We weren't sure what was in store, but we were sure that IF we were ever going to adopt, it would need to be a boy who was already schoolage....preschool or kindergarten.   So that's what I told Erin.  The baby pictures slowed down.  But then on February 8th, I received an email with "Had to send" in the subject line...   I read the little story about a child the foster organization called "Mu Mu" and I read about his special needs and the fact that he likes to "perform".  Then I looked at the photos!  I was captured... hook... line and sinker!   I felt it immediately in my heart... MuMu was our son!  I shared it with Jeff and to my surprise, his reaction was the same!  And so... the story begins...


These were the photos that touched our hearts...

 

Blessings,

Georgia