“An invisible red thread connects those who

are destined to meet, regardless of time,

place, or circumstance. The thread may

stretch or tangle, but will never break.”

An ancient Chinese belief


Our family made the decision to adopt in June 2009. We pursued a special needs adoption, and we were blessed with a referral of the most beautiful girl on May 21, 2010. We originally started this website to fundraise for our adoption expenses by selling tutus and hair bows. Our fundraising efforts coupled with a grant from Lifesong for Orphans were a tremendous financial blessing. We traveled to China in late October 2010 to meet our daughter. Now, Emma Grace is home... forever.




Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Birthday Outfit

We sent this outfit to Emma Grace to wear on her first birthday, July 26, 2010. We are hoping for a picture (or 2) of her in this outfit. It would be priceless! We also sent a few toys for her to open that she can leave at the orphanage for her friends. I hope they celebrate at PHF.... because her birthday is a very special day, the day our red thread started to form!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

I800 application mailed...

This is for the timeline adoption junkies (I know you are out there, I search everyone's blogs for timelines, too!). We mailed our application for the I800 on Friday, July 16. Let's see how long this approval takes! Once this approval comes, we send off our DS-230 package and await travel approval. Getting closer!!!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

A great article....

This is a great article! I cried through part of it because I thought about Emma having heart surgery all alone and recovering without pain medicine, but I guess that is the reality. But, it is very informative and I would encourage everyone to read it. Read through all the comments at the bottom. Go here to read it.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

LOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today we got our Letter of Acceptance. It was exactly 3 weeks after our homestudy update was sent to China, so they are moving quite quickly at the CCAA. We are overjoyed, as this was supposed to be a huge chunk of our wait. (estimated at 3-4 months, although the average has been running 39 days). Now, we fill out yet another form (the I800) and wait 3-4 weeks for that approval. We can also go ahead and apply for our visas. Best guess for travel is 10-12 weeks. I can't believe that in just a few short months there will be another little face around our kitchen table.... another little hand to hold down the street.... and most importantly, one less child without a family. Keep praying for our girl and for this journey. We are coming to the end, but really.... it is just the beginning!

Monday, July 12, 2010

I800A Approval!

Our I800A approval came today. In the big picture, this isn't much to cheer about because we were supposed to already have it :) But, since we switched to a special needs adoption we had to get a new one. You know how it is waiting on papers to pass through government! We were surprised to get this in just 3 weeks. Now, we are just waiting on our LOA (letter of acceptance) and when we get this, we would anticipate travel 10-12 weeks later. We are hoping and praying for this LOA very soon! The average wait is 39 days and we are at day 20.... could be any day now!!!!!