Updated Pictures- again!

I got more pictures of my girl tonight. We got 6 in all and I am posting 3 on here. The other 3 look like she just woke up- very funny. Her hair was a mess and her eyes look so sleepy! So.... how did I get these pictures? I found the name of a lady who works at PHF and her email happened to be on Facebook. So, I emailed her and told her who I was and asked a bunch of questions about our daughter. She got back to me right away and answered them all. She confirmed that she is rolling over now but can't sit just yet. She also confirmed that she is a happy baby and smiles all the time. That is what a mama likes to hear! Then I emailed her back and asked for some pictures- and she sent 6 of them. I am so very thankful Emma Grace is in a place where communication is not stopped by a language barrier! I also want to mention that I emailed Dr. Moody last week and asked him about her immunizations. The last part of our trip is in Guangzhou, and all the children leaving for the US have to have a medical exam and they can not enter the States until they are current on immunizations by US standards. Well, many times these children end up getting 7 or 8 shots at a time- I even saw one child that got 11, and he had a heart condition. That is not right! These children end up getting fevers and very sick, and of course we don't want that to happen to our Emma! I emailed Dr. Moody my concerns and he said they will do their best to get her immunized with what is available. Small blessings like this are wonderful!

This picture was taken on June 23. This was before I requested pictures, so that means they are taking pictures of her on their own. I am hoping we get a copy of all the pictures they take!

I love this picture (check out the belt- stylin'). It is from June 29. She is smiling, which I love, and I see one tooth sticking out!

Photo from June 29, and mommy is very happy to see her on her belly and holding up that head. I can't wait to get her home!

The Cost of Adoption

A lot of people comment about the cost of adoption. I mean, A LOT of people. I find it a little frustrating. Is it expensive, yes! But it is a child.... did you hear that?!?!?! A child! Since we have had the referral of our daughter and really ever since we have pursued an adoption, people have made so many comments about how much it costs. I found this blog post that talks about the cost of adoption. It is everything that I want to say, so go here to read it.

When Love Takes You In - Steven Curtis Chapman

Love, love, love this video.

home study update is complete!

After much nagging and begging, the home study update was finally finished. The only problem was it needed to be signed by our social worker in Louisville and also a representative from our adoption agency (in Indiana). So, instead of waiting for these papers to be passed through the mail.... I picked up the report in Louisville, drove to Evansville (a 2 hour drive!) and had it signed and notarized. Our wonderful adoption agency took care of overnighting it to CIS, so one less thing I had to worry about. A copy also had to be sent to China and Betty said the CCAA (in China) would have the report on Monday. Ahhhhh! I feel so much better! So, cross your fingers that our Letter of Acceptance comes in the next few weeks. We are hoping and praying!

A few more pictures...

Tricia emailed me again this morning and sent me the rest of the pictures. I won't post them all on here, but I did want to put a few more up. Tricia said that she was a content baby and did not cry at all. She also said she is wearing 9 month clothes to give us an idea of how big she is. She is 10.5 months old, so she is little. The pants look a little big on her, I would assume she is a shorty! She said that Emma is trying to roll over, so she took pictures of her doing it, but I did not post that one. We expect Emma to be delayed, as most children are that live in orphanages. I noticed that she is never sitting up in the pictures, so she must not know how yet. Apparently, she is starting to learn to roll over. Maybe that means we will get to witness the first steps! Some of these pictures are turned the wrong way, but my computer would not let me edit them and upload them.

Check out the pants- a bit baggy :)

hugs from Tricia-

kisses from Tricia

I already have several pictures of her playing with her feet- I guess she likes her piggies, just like brother Timothy!

Updated Pictures

In my last post, I told you about Parker- a handsome little fellow who is meeting his forever family as we speak :) His mom and dad toured Philip Hayden on Saturday (which is today, but in China it is really early Sunday morning now...) and she took some pictures for me and sent me this email:

Hi Sarah,

We had a wonderful visit at Philip Hayden today! I took many, many pictures of Emma for you (sixteen to be exact)!!! I held her for a very long time and gave her lots and lots of kisses from you! I told her her Mommy loves her and sent her lots of kisses!! There are too many pictures to send now because it is after three in the morning here and we just got in about an hour ago from the airport. I hope these pictures can hold you over until I have time to e-mail you the other pictures!!! Tricia

I love that this woman I have never met would do something so thoughtful and kind for our family. You can continue to follow their adoption story at the address below (from my last post....) She will be posting about PHF.

Be still, my heart! Every picture I get, I want to hop on a plane and go get her!

Heart Surgery

Today, our FTIA coordinator sent us Emma's discharge papers from the hospital when she had her heart surgery. It was really hard reading through the information. This little girl, our daughter had heart surgery and she was all alone. She was taken from the only home she has ever known, sent to a strange place, and went through a surgery without a mommy or a daddy to comfort her. The report said she had a cough and a fever before the surgery so she had to be treated by antibiotics first. It really just breaks my heart. She spent almost a month in the hospital. Can you imagine?

On a good note, I got an email from Dr. Moody today and he said that since she is doing well, they will hold off on her lip and palate surgeries. What a blessing! I will not have that little girl go through another hospital visit alone. I am glad to hear that he feels she is growing well enough to postpone the surgery until she gets home.

We hope to get our HS update next week so that the ball can get rolling on the rest of our adoption papers. Our little girl needs medical care, and although it is not a desperate situation.... we understand it needs to be done sooner rather than later. We are so anxious to get her and bring her home to our family... her family.

On a different note, check out this story: http://www.myadoptionwebsite.com/parker/

This adorable little boy has an IDENTICAL story to our Emma. Born in Fuzhou City in the Fujian Province, taken to the same orphanage, has the EXACT same health problems (cleft lip, cleft palate, VSD) had heart surgery at the same age AND then discharged from the hospital and taken to Philip Hayden where he has been living ever since. Geez! Everything is the same, kind of amazing! Even more amazing is that I got in touch with his mom a day before she left for China and she is going to take pictures of Emma for us when she goes to PHF on Saturday. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!

Birth Mother

I have been thinking a lot about Emma's birth mother- it is really hard not to. A lot of people say that they feel guilty when they take their children home and have to leave China, the country of birth. I don't know how I will feel when that time comes, but I really don't think guilty will be what I feel. I think I will be deeply saddened that there is a part of my daughter that I will never know, and she will never know. She will have a long history of ancestors that we will never be able to tell her about. We can teach her about China, about her province, Chinese traditions, but we will never be able to tell her about her birth family.... mother, father, grandparents, siblings, etc. I don't know how that will make her feel when she is older, but it is something that weighs a little heavy on my heart.

I think it is just in my nature to want to know the "why". Why was she abandoned? I have thought about this over and over again and the only answer I can come up with and the only answer I will give her is "I don't know." I really don't know, and I will not pretend that I do. Was it because she was a girl? I don't know. Rick and I have talked about this and we feel pretty strongly that due to her cleft lip and palate, even if she was born a boy- the outcome most likely would have been the same. Was it because she had a cleft lip/palate? I don't know. Maybe that didn't bother her parents at all- but it is a medical condition that requires surgery. Did they have the money to help their daughter? I don't know. What I do know is this.... babies born with cleft lips/palates cannot nurse. What I also know is that many children are abandoned because parents do not have the resources to give their children the life they deserve. So, assuming her parents did not have much money- they probably did not have a way to feed her in those early moments. Babies with cleft lips/palates need medical attention and several surgeries throughout their lives and they probably couldn't have afforded it. Again, I don't know if this was the case with her birth parents, it is only an assumption.

So many people are quick to judge the actions of the birth parents. But, my heart really goes out to them. I don't think it is possible to give birth to a child and not feel an instant connection of love. If you aren't familiar with Chinese laws and economic struggles or even cultural norms.... it is really easy to judge the hearts of the birth parents. However, in many cases placing these children to be found is the greatest act of love and sacrifice these mothers can perform. It just makes my heart hurt to know that there is a woman somewhere in Southern China that is agonizing over the decision she made and wondering if her daughter is OK. I just wish I could find this woman to tell her that this beautiful little girl is going to a loving family, she will be fed, clothed and loved and given every opportunity possible. I want her birth mother to be at peace with the decision she made and trust that this was God's plan for her daughter's life... and hers. I know that when we are in Heaven, Jesus will be able to explain to Emma those early moments in her life, answer all her questions and that EVERYTHING will make sense at that time. My prayer is that Emma can be at peace with that herself and trust that this was her plan from the beginning of time.

When I first read Emma's report it said she was found at the gate of the No. 20 door to Chazhong Road of the Taijiang District. She was only a day old. When I read this, I was almost angry. A road????? But, a few days later I searched for that address and found that it was actually the entrance to a hospital. I don't know why, but I was relieved. Her birth parents knew she needed help, she needed to be fed and they put her somewhere where she would be found quickly. I know these people loved her. Their sacrifice has led us to our 4th blessing, and we will always hold a special place in our hearts for them.

I also find it interesting that I was pregnant with Timothy at the same time Emma was in her birth mother's womb. When I was paper chasing for the dossier it was for a little girl that was about to be born in China. It is funny how this circle of adoption works. One mother is faced with the most difficult decision of her life, the decision to abandon her child. Half a world away another mother is working so hard to bring THAT child into her family through adoption. Just goes to show you that every life has a purpose and a plan.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Our Care Package

This is what we sent to our Emma Grace via Tim..... a special bear blanket to sleep with, a t-shirt, a photo album of her family and 2 disposable cameras. We also sent 80 hair bows for the girls at the Shepherd's Field Children's Village.

We all kissed the bear before we sent it- hopefully she can feel the kisses when she sleeps with it.

OK- so maybe Timmy didn't kiss it, but he did slobber all over it.

big brothers smooching the bear for their sister

We have PRE-APPROVAL!!!!!!

I am so relieved! Today, we got a notice from Betty that the CCAA granted our pre-approval. It was literally an answered prayer!

Last week, Betty called me (I always get nervous with a phone call, that means it is more important...) that the CCAA would not grant pre-approval without an updated home study. The last time our HS was done, I was pregnant with Timothy. The CCAA wanted to see that Timothy was indeed born and in our family and that all was well AND that we could handle another little critter around the house when Emma Grace got here. I was stressing out. We had a hard time getting in touch with our social worker, then they switched the social worker on us... then we had to set up an interview, they had to type the report, get it approved, send it to FTIA, translate it, send it to China.... as you can see, it was not a one day process. Rick and I were so worried that it would not be "speedy" enough for the CCAA. So, I did what any worried mother would do- I prayed all weekend. Every chance I got, I prayed that this process would speed up and that everything would be OK. Then, Monday morning I get the most wonderful email from Betty saying that they granted our pre-approval anyway ..... confirmation that God really does hear our prayers and that he is working hard to get this little girl home, for good.

Next step.... we wait for our Letter of Acceptance from the CCAA. They say this can take 3-4 months. Why don't we all pray that this comes quickly as well....

Updated Pictures- provided on May 26

Our agency provided these pictures and some updated measurements for us. These were requested on Monday and we received them today, so they are very recent! It is hard to see that sweet face and know that it will be so long before we can get to her.

Weight: 8 kg (about 17 pounds)

Height: 69 cm (about 27 inches)

She was 10 months old on May 26th.

Another update... (May 24)

I got a response from Tim already. I asked if we could send some hair bows to the girls at PHF and told him our fundraising story. (for those that don't know, we have been making and selling tutus and hair bows to help raise money for our adoption.) I am going to overnight him a package of hair bows and some special things for Emma Grace.

How wonderful it will be to see those bows on all the girls! It really brings everything full circle for us! Here is the latest email:

Hi Sarah,

It is our great joy to help Emma Grace. We are so happy that you have been matched together with her. I would be happy to take some photos of her when I get there. We will be sure to give you a CD with all the pics we have of her when you come to get her. Would love the hair bows for the girls as well. We have 100 children at Shepherd’s Field and half of them are girls. Some however are still pretty young so send whatever you think is best. Please feel free to send the camera or anything else you want to send. We will give her the English name Emma Grace so she can hear that name right from the beginning. My mailing address is below. I will be leaving on Thursday morning at 6AM.

Blessings,

Tim

Whoa- lots of new information! (May 24)

Since Friday night, I have been completely amazed at the order/timeline that I have received information. Everything is falling into place like a perfect puzzle- people are coming into the picture at exactly the right time and providing information that is priceless.

Sunday night our Letter of Intent was submitted in China asking for permission to adopt beautiful Liu Rongjia. Our coordinator, Betty, also requested information about Emma's cleft palate- nothing was mentioned in the report about this and there were no pictures.

This morning, Betty had received this information from China and sent it to me:

The orphanage will try to take a picture of her palate. the updates will be provided soon.

The child now is in the Philip Hayden program in Tianjin City. She was sent to the program last month.

Interesting! From following other families and their adoption stories I knew that Philip Hayden was started by an American couple and that it was Christian based. I was relieved! I have also seen picture of the "Shepherd's Field Children's Village" where the children live. It is very nice, and decorated like a home.... not an orphanage. So, being the persistent little girl that I am... I got on their website and wrote an email to them. I told them that I am the soon-to-be mother of Liu Rongjia and wanted to know if they could tell me anything about her. Within a few hours, I had this response from Tim Baker, who founded the Philip Hayden Foundation.

Dear Sarah,

Thank you for your email. I am happy to say that Liu Rongjia is with us at Shepherd’s Field Children’s Village. She joined the Shepherd’s Field family on April 23rd along with a one year-old boy named Liu Minli also from the Fuzhou Orphanage. Both Rongjia and Minli came to us via the Taida Hospital in Tianjin where they both received surgery for their heart conditions. Taida is a very good hospital in close proximity to Shepherd’s Field that is part of the Tomorrow Plan, helping orphans like Minli and Rongjia receive corrective surgery for their heart conditions. Minli received surgery for his PDA and Rongjia for her VSD. I am copying this email to the head of our medical team, Dr Bill Moody. Dr Moody can help answer any questions you may have about Rongjia’s post op recovery as well as her cleft lip and palate. Please feel free to communicate directly with him with your questions. Should you have any questions for me, please feel free to email or call me at *****. I will be heading back to China on Thursday.

Blessings,

Tim

WOW! So, when I first found out that she was moved to Philip Hayden- I knew it was because they were going to do some type of surgery. That is what they do at PHF.... they take in special needs orphans, provide surgery and recovery, and help the children to find forever families. BUT- I thought it would be her lip. To be honest, I was a bit sad when I found out she has already had heart surgery. The poor thing was only 9 months old at the time. I wish I could've been there to hold her hand and comfort her through the recovery. I was really heartbroken. However, I quickly remembered that this journey was written for her long before I ever came into the picture. She has been in God's hands since the moment she was conceived. He knew everything about her, what she would look like, what type of care she would need, that she would be abandoned, that she would find her way to the PHF.....and eventually to Kentucky and a family that will love her for the rest of her life. Then I felt better. This is God's plan for her and He is in control- not us. The hard part is being patient and trusting that she will get the care she needs until we can get to her. I sent an email to Dr. Moody about her surgery and her cl/cp. Hopefully I will get a response soon and I will continue to update information as I get it.

Oh, and I emailed Tim back and asked him to hug our baby girl on Thursday and to tell her that she has a mommy and daddy that will see her soon!

We have a daughter and a sister! (May 22)

Wow- what a weekend! Last Tuesday night (Wed. morning China time) a new waiting child list came out. This is a new list of children registered for adoption in China with some type of special need. Our agency works to match families with children based on certain criteria. We thought we would be on this list and stayed up very late waiting for the much-anticipated email from China. It never came. I was a little disappointed but realized that it just wasn't our time yet- Emma Grace would get to us when the time was right. I just had a feeling she was coming, and when it didn't happen I was so SAD.

Then, Friday night came along. We got the kids in bed and I stayed up making hair bows for my sweet Emma. I made her a bow board and hair bows that would be just for her. I made so many that I started to get emotional seeing them all hung up. Here are all these bows for a girl we have never seen, but we are almost certain she was born and somewhere in China. I decided to just take a break and go to bed. I went upstairs to check on all my little sleeping chickens, just like I do every night before going to sleep. When I was in Timothy's room, Rick starts screaming from the basement. Rick does not ever act "urgent" about anything, so I thought something was wrong. I ran downstairs saying "what's wrong..." over and over again. He said "I think we got a referral, but it is all in Chinese!" I was in SHOCK! We weren't expecting a referral over the weekend- we had already started looking forward to June. Then- I saw her picture. The most beautiful little girl and I just knew- that is HER. We finally found the English version of the reports and scanned through everything. From what we could tell, she looked healthy, happy, and her reports seemed great. But we aren't doctors! And, we had a weekend to review the file when most doctors are not working. We were not prepared to deal with this scenario :) But, I sent an email to our International Adoption doctor at midnight. At 8 am Saturday morning, I had a response and she wanted to review the file. It was an answered prayer!!!!! Not only did she review the file, she did not charge us the weekend fee.... and she did it all based on TRUST that we would pay our fees on Monday. She read through the reports, contacted a cardiologist and called to give us a phone consultation. Thank you, Dr. Staat- you really are as amazing as everyone says that you are!

So, in the words of Dr. Staat... it is an "excellent referral." She gave us the worst case scenario for what we might see. She gave us her "mother perspective" as an adoptive mother herself (her daughter has the same heart defect as our Emma) and she gave us her professional opinion. Everything was positive- so without a doubt, we are taking this little girl!

About Emma- we don't know much but we will share the few details that we do know. She was born on July 26, 2009 and found on July 27, 2009. She was found at the gate of the No. 20 door of Chazhong Road of the Taijiang District. The police sent her to the Children's Welfare Institute of Fuzhou City where she has lived ever since. She is in the Fujian province. On March 10, she was 62 cm and 7 kg. Dr. Staat said that she is in the 10th percentile for height, and 50th for weight. Of course we would get the chunky baby! She is growing well and looks very content and healthy. She has a cleft lip, which appears to be very minor. Her report says cleft palate, but we aren't sure about this yet. Her palate is either fine or very minor. There were no details about this in the report, and from the way her lip appears, it doesn't seem to be bad. She also has a minor heart defect, a VSD, which is a hole in the heart. Dr. Staat said that most babies with heart defects and clefts have trouble growing- and clearly, she is growing just fine. That is all great news and a wonderful sign.

Now, we set our sights on traveling to bring this little girl home to a mommy and a daddy that want her so bad we can hardly stand it. To a home with 3 brothers- I am sure she will be in complete shock at the 3 blonde monsters that run around in their underwear, act like super heroes and jump off the furniture. I am sure she will be in the mix of all that before too long. Our little Emma- we are so excited to finally see that sweet little face. We will be RUNNING to get you- so hang on tight because we are coming for you!!!