Journey of Faith:Our Little Guy From China

Life Keeps Moving!

2011-08-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Life keeps moving and I need it to stop for awhile!

As most of you know, Tim and I have been diligently working towards financial goals set by the Dave Ramsey program. I wasn’t a big fan at first. I thought it meant that we could not finish the basement or go on a vacation. I was wrong. This plan is meant so that we can do all of that and more and to honor God in ways we have not done before. I now understand why Tim is so passionate about this plan. We are working toward many things now and I must say it is coming along nicely. When we both put our minds to something and have a plan—watch out!

"If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."
— Dave Ramsey

Another really great thing that came out of the Dave Ramsey program is the idea of meal planning. My friend Tina told me about E-Mealz one time and then we learned more about it through the Dave Ramsey plan. Once we looked it over, it was a no-brainer. It has been one of the best decisions we have made. I do not get stressed over what to make for dinner anymore.

This summer has been busy and has flown by. Our good friends Andrew and Erlen were in town the last weekend in July. They have a new baby girl - Lauryn. She is just precious. We went to Como Zoo that Sunday and spent all day there. It was absolutely hot and we were all sweating all day, but we all made the best of it.

Caleb is doing very well. Daycare is great. He is learning a lot there and the most importantly he is learning about Jesus. When we sit down to dinner Caleb wants to say the prayer by himself. It’s pretty darn special.

We are looking forward to fall—my absolute most favorite time of year! We will finally get Caleb in swimming lessons and maybe some Tae Kwon Do or Karate. Caleb will soon be 4 years old. We cannot believe how fast he is growing. You know, you go through summer and have shorts on him every day, then all of the sudden there is a cooler day in which he wants to wear pants and none fit! That is when you realize how fast little ones grow.

Caleb has another post-op appointment on Tuesday. Please pray that he does not have to go through another surgery. We will find out on Tuesday if he does.

Brady's birthday party

Caleb eating very well at Brady's birthday.

Jamie showing Caleb this Nerf gun

The recycled fish outside the Tamarack Nature Center. All of the frogs pieces are garbage found in the Mississippi River.

Caleb and Lauryn

Andrew looking at Caleb's photo book from China.

Watching Sparky the seal.

Missy, Jamie, Tyler and Brady gave this suit to Caleb. It is a Power Ranger suit and he absolutely loves it.

Miss Amy at daycare painted all the kids' faces.

Our littlest Grandson--Levi

Caleb and Weston playing

This and that

2011-07-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

First haircut (in the garage)

First Bike Ride

Best $1.29 we have spent thus far--he loves his goggles!

He loves the 4-wheeler

As you can see from the pictures, Caleb loves water! It has been a fun summer already!

Memorial Weekend

2011-06-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

We went to friends Eric and Christine's house for the annual Memorial Day party. We spent a good portion of the day/night there. We let Caleb stay up and play until about 11:30pm. I was a bad Mom and did not get a lot of :pictures. They had a bouncy thing and Caleb loved it. He loved their toy room too and found a helmet (did I ever tell you he is obsessed with helmets?) I found out that this helmet is from Speed Racer, which made me laugh even more. I remember that when I was a kid (even though I know they redid a movie in the last years). He would not take it off. If I made him take it off I had to hold it while he went off and did something else. Then he came right back to put it on. This was the first time he was around a lot of kids he did not know and he made me proud. He loved every minute of it and was very respectful.

So that was Saturday... Then we got up on Sunday late because of the late night and got prepared to go up toward Hinckley, to my sisters cabin. We got there and Caleb was all excited to see his cousins and have fun. We weren't sure what we were going to do, but we sure filled up the day. Tyler took his test to drive the golf cart and passed that day so he got to drive us all around. We went on the paddleboats, went swimming, grilled and had a good day! This was the first time that Caleb went swimming "on his own". Tim was there, but he wanted to do everything himself. It was a 2 foot pool that he got to show off his skills--his daredevil skills.

He would go under and stay under a while and scare me (I was standing outside the pool taking pictures) and then he would come up laughing!

Then we got to spend Monday with Chad, Steph, Weston and Levi. We grilled, talked and Weston and Caleb ran through the sprinkler. That was fun to watch. I got a chance to hold Levi for awhile and be outside for Weston too.

It was a great long, exhausting weekend. Caleb is still recovering as I have to wake him up each morning and he falls back asleep. This weekend we do not have anything planned and he wants to go swimming and jump!

Levi

2011-06-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

Caleb's newest nephew was born on Saturday, May 21st and is healthy! Went to visit at the hospital late that night. Caleb was a little crabby so we left after such a short time with them. We got to spend a good portion of this last Sunday with Steph, Chad, Weston and Levi, though. More on that in another post.

Easter

2011-05-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

Birthday, Shower, Daycare and More

2011-04-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been so wonderful with Caleb in our lives that I just cannot seem to find the time to blog.

WARNING: LONG POST

We have spent our time on many, many things. Between now and the last post, we here in Minnesota have had a variety of weather conditions. We have been outside playing in the snow, getting to know the neighbors on our bikes when the weather was beautiful, kept inside because we have all been sick...

On Sunday nights we have had the joy of watching Weston for the last couple of months while Chad and Stephanie took a class. We have enjoyed it. Caleb has really too. It tested his sharing skills though. I think it did of Weston too. Here are a few photos:

Caleb was invited to his cousin Tyler’s birthday party. It was at Space Aliens. They have a game room where the kids use tokens to play games and they can win tickets to take to a counter and get a prize. Caleb LOVED this! He did the games on his own and got a lot of tickets. He got a prize. He loved to follow Tyler and Brady and play the games they played. He got to see a giant space alien walk around and shake hands with the kids. He got a kick out of that. It was fun because the kids were older and he was trying to be just like them (of course, Mom and Dad had to keep hangin’ around-how annoying). Here are a few photos-I hope I can get more and post them later.

Caleb started daycare with a Christian daycare center just about 3 weeks ago now. He did fine the first few days and then the third day he started pulling at my heart strings telling me he did not like daycare. He cried all the way to daycare that day. He started right when I put him in the car seat and tears were flowing. I started to cry, but did not want him to see me doing that so I ran in the house and got the tissue box. By that time he couldn’t tell I was crying and we headed off to daycare. Once I got him to the room he went to the toys and started playing. I told him I would be back to pick him up after I was done with work, told him I loved him and gave him a hug and kiss.

When I returned at the end of the day he was so happy to see me. He clung to me and was so giddy. He wanted me to hold him. I could tell right then that he was talking more (more words in a row together) and his independence had increased too.

I told him that I missed him. All the way home he kept saying “you come and get me”, “you bring me food” (I bring him oranges or other fruit and something to drink), “I missed you”. Then he said “me love you, mama”—my heart was overflowing with joy. To explain, in the past months when we told him we loved him, he generally would say “me love you too” or not respond. We never expected him to respond, he would do that on his own time. So when he said that on his own, I cried.

Each day he loves to see me and I him. We talk all the way home.

Below he is taking a bunch of stuff with to daycare. They have naptime/quite time and the kids can bring a blanket, pillow and stuffed animal. I wish I knew how to block out other children's faces on the updates we get almost every day from the day care. The daily journals they sent us get me through the day.

My Sisters and my Mom put on a welcome home party for Caleb on March 19th! Caleb did not understand this was all for him. He was just so excited to have on the Buzz wings that his cousin Brady gave him! Caleb got so many nice gifts and Tim and I did too. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We really enjoyed this time and were glad to show off our treasure. I don't have a lot of the photos that I would like to put on here, but it gives you an idea of our day!

He just loves Buzz Lightyear!

We were opening gifts--he got so many nice gifts.

Here, the guys are looking over a truck Caleb got trying to figure it out!

Church has been excellent. When we get close enough so he can see the church he says “thereya go”. He is recognizing the building and is excited to go. He goes into his Sunday school room to learn about Jesus and when he comes out he talks about Him and what they learned.

We have not talked to Joanna for quite some time now, but we do email every so often. Now with me back to work and she finishing school it is hard to get on Skype, at least at the same time. She sent Caleb a nice gift package. It had a Brain Quest card game, shorts, shirt and a LA hat! Tim was so jealous of the hat. He wishes he had one. I have not gotten the photo of the outfit and the hat, which by the way will be really cute, but I did manage to get a photo of him trying on the hat right when he got the package. Joanna also sent me a really nice gift too. It is a Willow Tree keepsake box with a mother holding a child. It is beautiful and I think of her each time I see it. Here is a couple of photos of him trying on his hat. When he first got it he would wear it in bed. Now nearly every night he will put it on before going to bed.

Other miscellaneous things I have thought of to update you with: now when we pray before a meal and at bedtime he says the prayers with us. The other day at dinner he said on his own “God is good”. That is the kind of thing I wish I could get on video.

To top it all off, the last week and a half the three of us have been fighting strep throat. We are all on medicine now. Caleb has been a trooper. He never showed any signs of being sick, but on Tuesday one of the teachers said we may want to get him checked out. So I brought him in and he was positive. I am glad I was proactive on that and my work is so flexible. I hope that we are on the right path now!

A few extra photos of things Caleb has enjoyed.

We will see Stephanie, Chad and Weston for sure on Saturday and hopefully more family for an Easter Egg hunt, then we will see my Mom's side on Easter. Looking forward to a great weekend.

HAPPY EASTER!

A post of photos

2011-02-18T14:51:00.000-08:00

Life with Caleb could not be better. He is such a joy to be around!

Full of moves!

He loves helmets and masks

Groovin' again

Watching the Packers with Baba

My aunt made a BEAUTIFUL button up sweater and scarf and hat for Caleb

He loves to give Montie treats

Playing Don't Break the Ice with uncles and cousins

As I said before, he loves helmets and masks

Just a goofball...he wanted to wear this at dinner the other night

Happy New Year!

2011-02-03T14:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! Love, the Melser's

A Month Home!

2011-01-31T18:16:00.000-08:00

I figured it was about time to post something. It has been one month home already. It is hard for me to believe that time has passed. At this point I so have the desire to blog, but I just do not find the time and therefore will probably not blog much if at all. I am so focused on Caleb and finding things to do with him while I am home that I do not blog. But I thought this was a good time to at least do a post of photos. This is not all inclusive of what has been going on the past month because I have not received some photos. I will try and post the rest later.

This past month we have been part of Weston's birthday party, Stephanie and Chad's wedding, Kyle's birthday party, many doctor appointments, Miss and Jamie and the boys stopping over to play a little with Caleb, a post-placement appointment, Skyping with Joanna and her Mom and Dad, and a funeral for Jamie's beloved Grandmother. We have all been sick one week. Caleb and I went swimming once so far. We have played a lot! We went sledding by putting a sled behind our 4-wheeler and Caleb and I got on the sled. He loved it. We were able to stop over at Gwen's over the weekend and visit for a while. Thank you, Gwen for letting us take part of your afternoon and thanks for the fresh cookies!

It has been a little tough in that we knew we should not be going to all these events, especially where there are so many people, but we felt they were very important. At our first International Adoption Clinic appointment we were reminded that "this should be the most boring 4-6 months of your lives". The next day from being reminded of that we were headed to Kyle's birthday party and my aunt and uncle were there that had not met Caleb before and Brian's parents and Sister were there too. This is where we had to tell them that they could not hold Caleb. It was tough for us, but we know this is for the best. Tim and I are monitoring what we do and where we bring him.

Caleb has been bonding very well, but we do not want that to regress. He gets very excited when seeing Jamie, Grandpa and Brian and of course Baba. We are pretty sure it is because they all like to wrestle and have fun in a way that us girls just do not. It is great that he sees these family members and likes to play, but now it is hard that they can not hold him. He wants them to hold him, but as part of our adoption education we need to "funnel" everything and show Caleb that Mama and Baba give him and meet ALL his needs.

He is truly a blessing to us. I have said it before, but I have to say it again...his smile and his laugh is so contagious. I will try and find a video of him giggling away...

Here are photos to enjoy!

He loves taking all the pillows in the house and jumping on them.

Not so happy when he had to get all bundled up.

Playing with cousin Tyler and Brady.

Getting a hug from Weston.

He is very ticklish.

He loves the doctor kit the doctors office gave him (I was taking the picture and I had on a hair net and some other medical things he got a kick out of)

Being really good at Kyle's birthday party. The kids were asked to stay behind the red Duplo blocks but they kept creeping in past them and no one could take photos.

Kyle into his cake!

Watching football with Baba.

First time playing with Play Doh (Tim REALLY dislikes Play Doh!)

First time fingerpainting.

Second time outside and this time he loved it!

Baba taking Caleb and Mama for a ride behind the-wheeler. He really liked this.

Big Happy Smile!

The first few days at home

2011-01-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

We are on our third day home today. We definitely have jet lag. Each night we are in bed by 7pm. Caleb is restless by 3 or 4 am. I am usually up at 3am. I try to get up to get some things done like bill paying or blog posting (like this morning). Then I try to get back into bed and by then Caleb is wide awake. I have been a zombie. To talk is like work.

Saturday when we woke up we spent the whole day inside. This was good. We put most of our travel stuff away. Friday night I did 5 loads of laundry and Saturday we put it all away. We opened some gifts for Caleb Saturday morning. He got Elefun, Curious George, a dump truck, clothes, bubble bath stuff and other things. He had many other things waiting for him in his room. With fixing breakfast, lunch and dinner, playing and such the day was gone. Again we went to bed early. We got up on Sunday and decided to try church.

We knew that we would be going in to the parent/child room. We decided to go into the sanctuary while the music was played and we sang. Of course, I got teared up as I sang and held Caleb. He just watched the whole time. Each time I was in church waiting for Caleb, I would think of that day. The day he would be in church with us praising God for all that he has done in our lives. We left the sanctuary and headed for the parent/child room. He did well for most of the time but then the last 10 minutes or so he wanted out. He wanted water and to run. I stayed out while Tim could listen to the service. We will probably need to do this for awhile.

Weston had his 3rd birthday party and I did not think I was going to go with how I have been feeling, but I decided to go. We headed to Hastings and when we got there there were a lot of people there. Caleb clung to me and did not want to take off his coat. This was okay, but I was thinking that we should not stay. Once we brought him upstairs out of all the people and let him play with Weston's toys he opened up. He did really well. Again, he is very social. He was jumping on the bed with the other kids and playing with all the trains. We got home and went to bed.

Monday we got up, I went to the post office to get our held mail and took Caleb with me. He did well again so I decided to go to Target to get him a tooth brush (did I tell you he loves to brush his teeth and he wore out the one I brought to China? Granted it was a cheap toothbrush...), toothpaste, a bath mat and a mattress cover for him. When we got home from Target we stayed in the rest of the day. I took down the large Christmas tree while he played with his toys. He helped me vacuum the room after the tree was down. We opened all of our mail and payed some bills and organized things. We played in his room a lot to get him used to that. Again, got to bed early.

This morning I was up at 3am. Caleb got up about 5:30am. We went downstairs to take a bath in our new bathroom. It worked well. The tub down there is lower so I can feel comfortable sitting on the floor and playing with all the tub toys. He loves to play in the tub. He got dressed, we have had breakfast and are watching cartoons right now.

Our last days before home

2011-01-04T03:49:00.000-08:00

Be prepared....a long post....

Thursday was the day we prepared for heading home. We got up and knew it was going to be a long day. We went to the playground with Caleb twice that day. It was 74 degrees and beautiful. We sat an enjoyed our last moments in Guangzhou with Caleb. He and Baba had a strawberry ice cream cone. He loved that too and ate it all.

I got a little choked up thinking about our time there and that Caleb's world will change again. First with a new Mama and Baba and not seeing his home the way he knew it to getting to Minnesota where the weather is completely different to a home that looks completely different. Hmmm...I get teared up thinking of all that he has been through.

He enjoyed every bit of our play time that day. We have noticed that he makes friends quite easily too. Then 3:00pm came and we went to check out with all of our bags. Even though I did not think we purchased that much, our bags we had to carry aound until 6:30pm were really heavy! Of course we made it, but it was challenging.

We went to the Swan Room at the hotel and there was a gal in there with her daughter who let us in (one needs a hotel card to get into the room). We spent about an hour in there which helped and he loves playing with other kids.

6:30pm came and we met Lucy and headed off to the airport. We got there about 7:35pm and waited about 5 minutes to be able to check in 3 hours earlier than the flight. We got checked in headed through security, again, and headed to our gate to wait for 2.5 hours. Caleb had a rough time. It was late, we did not get him down for a nap and I am sure it was just plain boring to him. We brought out some games and coloring books. A little girl spotted what he was doing and she came over. They played most of the wait and it was great. She shared some dried fish with him.

It was only about a 55 minute flight from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. When we landed we had to get our bags and find the hotel. Even though the hotel was attached to the airport it was a long walking distance. We got to the room about 1:10am, got Caleb to take a shower with Baba, I took a shower and we all drifted off to sleep about 1:30am.

We did not sleep well because we were afraid our alarms would not go off. We had to be up no later than 8am. When we got up we decided to let Caleb sleep more and Tim headed off to the airport to see if he could check us in. Well he came back right away and said we needed to check our bags and all of us needed to be there. Good thing I had already dressed Caleb, put the luggage back on the cart and we all headed out the door for the dreaded long flight.

We were nervous about getting seats. When we booked this they did not give us seats and we could not get them through the travel agency in Guangzhou and we could not get them online 24 hours in advance so we were counting on the United representative to help us. At first all she could say to us was that she could not get us seats together. I just couldn't believe it! We just stood there looking at eachother not knowing what to say. I was not trying to get mad, but I kept thinking we just adopted a new son and he will want his Mama and Baba with him. It was about 3 minutes of awkwardness. I kept saying to Tim hoping the representative was listening that I just don't know what we are going to do and that I could not believe we did not have seats set when we booked this flight. The gal behind the counter did not seem concerned. She got on the phone and was laughing with another person. I was getting a little perturbed at this time, although when she got off she said she just switched with another gal and we now had 3 seats together! We thanked her a lot for helping us. Oh, thank you Lord!

We headed to the far end of the terminal and the Guangzhou airport is large. I did not mind because we needed to use up time. We sat in a place where the terminal comes to a point and is all glass where Caleb could see our plane and other planes taking off. So we waited. Caleb did pretty well. Then we heard word from our flight crew that was sitting waiting to get on the plane with us that there was a delay. I am not sure what it was due to, but we finally got on about 25 minutes later (as if the 3 hours at the airport was not long enough!)

Then we were settled in for a 14 hour flight. Take off was fine and we were in the air for maybe a 20 minutes when the pilot got on welcomed us and said at that point it would be about a 15 hour flight. I guess weather and other things affect how long flights are and one cannot just say that it is always 14 hours from Hong Kong to Chicago. I was so hoping he would get on the intercom and say it would be a lot less! LOL!

It is amazing to think back now that 15 hours in the air is done! Caleb slept twice for maybe two hours at a time. He played some, looked out the window some, went to the bathroom some, watched some movies and before you know it we were landing. To be completely honest, these kind of details are blurry to me. All I know is that he did excellent for 15 hours.

Under normal circumstances we had about an hour an a half once we landed to get to our next plane. Having a half hour less to get our bags, get through customs and immigration was challenging. We ran most of the time. The plane was suppose to depart at 1:14pm to Chicago and when we got through the last security check point it was 1:06pm. We still had to run to the gate and run is what we did. I picked up Caleb, Tim had all the carry on bags and we ran. When we finally got there, Tim went straight to the counter and they said they had not started boarding yet. I cannot remember why that was, but it was something like a change in crew. I ran to the bathroom with Caleb (oh how it was nice to see all Americanized toilets, toilet paper, hand towels and soap!)

We finally boarded and when we got on and took off I knew I was in trouble. With all the scurrying I was not able to take Dramamine. My water was taken before we got on the plane and then I thought that it was too late to take it. The plane was a two seater on each side. It was the most turbulent flight I had ever been on and Tim said it was for him too. From Chicago to Minneapolis, I prayed that we would just land!

So then all of the sudden I looked out the window and out of the clouds I could see we were about to land.    I felt the plane accelerate and we were back in the clouds. So close, yet so far! By this time, I was locating THE bag. Really, I found it just in case. Good thing Caleb was a little sleepy and not talking too much 'cause when Mama is that sick she just cannot talk. I don't know if any of you know what motion sickness is like, but I could not look around, talk, move, anything. It was so turbulent, though, that the moving part was not something I could control. We ended up back in the turbulancy for an hour more. We learned that we were too close to another plane or flight pattern (what that means, we do not know).We landed and I cannot tell you how glad I was to be HOME!

I could see my family waiting farther up ahead and I started crying. I was very happy to see them and thankful they were there even though the weather was not good here Friday evening. They had balloons and gifts and food! We soon learned that our three pieces of luggage did not arrive. Well, one did, another was in Chicago still and the other was in the air somewhere. They wanted us to wait until 6:30pm for one and 9 something for the other. Tim said no way and asked them to deliver them to us and they said they would.  My Mom and Dad took us home. The car windows were icing up and the roads were getting worse the farther north we went. I prayed for all of our safe returns home. They got us unloaded and in the door and they headed home. We settled in a little. We let Caleb look around see the kitty (mao) and try and eat. I gave Caleb a bath and we were all in bed at 7pm. We received a call from United saying that our bags should be to our house around 9pm. I kept getting up and making sure I did not miss them. I could not let the luggage sit out all night when I had a bottle of Great Wall wine in one of them. They did not arrive at that time. At 1:13am we received a call that our luggage was at our front door. Tim went to greet the man who brought them and they said good night.

Last Post From China!

2010-12-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

We had a good couple of days. We have not had any tours so we have mostly been staying around the hotel doing things with Caleb. Walking around Shamian Island and playing with Caleb has been what we have been doing. We wish we would have had some tours scheduled through our agency like we did in Xi'an. It made the time go faster, but we have managed to make it.

Yesterday we had our Consulate appointment. The drive there was about 30 minutes and back was about 50 minutes. We left at 2:15 and needed to be there NO LATER than between 3-3:15pm. Our guide said that they are really tough on the guides. Everything has to be done just right and don't be late!

Around 3:30pm our Consulate gal started speaking and all the families with the same Consulate appointment stood up, raised their right hand and repeated the oath. It was very quick. Then we waited for our name to be called and we went to a window where we signed a paper and took copies for our guide Lucy.

Once we got back we went and had dinner outside at Lucy's. It was a beautiful night! It is so amazing. They do not see stars here. They may see them sometimes in the summer. Just simply amazing to me that the air pollution is that bad. We then went to the play room pretty late last night and there were quite a few families. Caleb really likes it when other kids are there. He opens up. So we stayed in there for about an hour to wear him out. It didn't work. We got back to the room took a bath and got into bed. He didn't fall asleep until 10:30pm, but of course he slept in until 8:20pm. He is an excellent sleeper!

We got up today late, went to have breakfast, went to the playground, walked the island, went to dinner at J.M. Chef's with some new friends, the Kennedy's. That was an interesting dinner. Good thing the kids did well. I think we ate horse. :) Really, I think I am joking... the menu was interesting. I don't want to butcher everything so I won't try and name the dishes, but they had a menu that included snake, frog, pigeon, and corn worms on noodles. Thanks to the Kennedy's for a nice dinner! We came back to the room and I gave Caleb a bath and got into bed and he has already fallen asleep. Wow!

Caleb did exceptionally well. He had a meltdown in the early morning, but the rest of the day he did well. He was very polite and did well at our meals. Yeah!!

Tomorrow will be an interesting, long day. We have a few things to get done. We have to visit the deli downstairs--there are a few things we were told to try. We need to get some snacks for the trip to Hong Kong and home. We need to make sure all the electronics are charged, do a little more shopping and we need to pack! Lucy was able to get the hotel to let us stay until 3pm. Then we have to be out and do something until 6:30pm. We will do dinner and probably go back to the Swan Room for Caleb to play one last time. Like I said before, we will leave for the airport at 6:30pm. We can check in at the airline counter 3 hours ahead of time--so 7:40pm is the earliest. We will be stuck at the airport for that long! I dread that time. It is not because of Caleb, but I am the antsy one. I am an impatient person. I just want to get moving and not wait around. Humph!

Well, when I first started writing this I thought this would be my last post. Consider it the last and if you see another one it is an extra treat. Tim thinks that I should be able to do a post in Hong Kong--we will see.

Wan an from Guangzhou!

Love,
Tim and Shelly

Fun at the Park

A New Friend!

Caleb loves bathtime!

He is more comfortable for sure!

2010-12-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

We went to the Guangdong Folk Art Museum on Sunday. It was an okay site to see, but not really kid friendly. Caleb wanted in to everything. There were little steps every where and people everywhere. We bought a Chop for Caleb. We did some shopping and then had dinner at the Cow and Bridge Thai restaurant. It was good food! So, I looked at Caleb's injection site at dinner and we were talking with some families from the US. One of the sisters of a guy adopting is very knowledgeable in medical stuff since she studied in medical stuff and her husband is a pediatrician. She is a psychologist. She thought his bump might be considered positive. There was an induration (a raised bump--I am not medically word savvy) at the site. I started praying immediately. We talked with the families for quite some time and left at 8pm. We got back to the hotel and we have not been able to give Caleb a bath since he got the TB shot because there is a chance of infection. We are doing exactly what they tell us! :) Of course, I got really worried, got Caleb into bed and then surfed the net for information on what a "bump" could look like if it was positive. Tim said, "we cannot worry about it, God will get us through, he has this whole time". I was still a little bit of a wreck, but soon realized he was right and God will take care of us and I went to bed. Of course I prayed before I fell asleep. I did not want him to have TB of course, but we were also told we would have to stay here an additional two weeks! I just want to be home!

We got up this morning had breakfast and headed out to walk to the clinic. We got there, got right in and the nurse did measure it, but quickly said we were okay! Yeah! We were so thankful. We headed down the street and saw a market where they sell a lot of dried items such as lizards, mushrooms, berries. They are mostly used in tea for good health. A little farther down the road there was a part of the market where they sell animals such as cats, dogs, fish, turtles, all sorts of things. It is like a pet store. We did some more shopping and Caleb got crabby. When he does not get his way he yells and screams. I took him out of a store we were buying things in and he threw a fit. An all out tantrum. Even the the store manager came out and all I could hear out if what she was saying was "Ayi". I believe that means auntie and I felt like she was trying to tell him that she was there for him. She reached out her hands and tried to hold him. I was not very happy with her, but I think she meant well.

He was very stubborn today and everything he wanted to do was something he should not be doing. We felt we wanted to get back to the hotel sooner than we would have if we walked so we took a taxi and tried to get him to sleep before lunch. In the taxi he kept playing with the power window and kicking the seat of the driver. I tried to tell him no and hold him back from doing these things and he threw another tantrum. I am not good with this part. I am struggling with disciplining him this early. We have some work to do when we get home, but he is definitely getting more used to us. I guess that is a really good thing. We have to remember he has only been with us for a week and he has been through a lot in a week.

We have learned that because Christmas landed on a weekend there are a lot of travellers here. I think many of the travelers have left now that it is a weekday. It seems less busy here in the hotel as well as on the streets. So now maybe we can get some pictures of Caleb without everyone being in the background. We'll see. Tomorrow we go to our consulate appointment at 2 pm. The rest of the days we are on our own. I am not sure what we are going to do. We are looking forward to getting home.

He loves music!

Night out the window of our hotel.

Night out the window of our hotel with the lighted boats.

Baba and Caleb near the Guandong Folk Art Museum.

Waiting to read the TB test.

Yeah, TB free!

Down the lane of the market.

Dried material at the market (the tall items in front are snake).

Guangzhou!

2010-12-25T01:24:00.000-08:00

We made it to Guangzhou! We got a late start out of Xi'an for our flight to Guangzhou, but it went good with Caleb. We got to our room about 11:00 pm. There was a problem getting our room and Tim was very upset. It was a difficult check-in process. With a tired 3 year old who was fighting falling asleep and staying awake because there were 50 million people in the hotel because of Christmas. Just a little note: there were literally hundreds of people and lots of kids in the lobby area, which is very large when we got to the hotel. We have learned that the Chinese do not celebrate Christmas, but here in Guangzhou many celebrate something on Christmas Eve and that could be taking the family out to eat and doing special things. The hotel had a lot of things going on on the main level as we checked in. We could not see what was going on but there were kids with party hats, flashing light yo-yo's, flashing rabbit ears and things such as that. There were a lot of things going on as we drove to the hotel and many, many people out and about on the streets.

We got to the room, Caleb took a bath and we all fell asleep. We had to wake him up this morning because we needed to get up to make copies of Caleb's passport, exchange money and eat breakfast. We met Lucia, our guide, at 9:45am to head to the medical exam. Well, first we went to a little storefront to get his visa photo taken, then we headed to the medical facility. There they took his weight, height, temperature, did a hearing test (squeak in the ear with a squeaky toy :) ), looked in the ears and the throat and lastly, the first part of the TB test. Caleb cried. He has seen the needle before. It was short lived when they offered him candy.

We came back to the hotel and Lucia showed us the play room where she and I sat down and did paperwork while Tim played with Caleb a little. It is a carpeted room with lots of good toys that a parent does not have to worry about them a lot. I, of course, worried about him running and stuff, I guess the motherly instinct. Caleb loved the room. We needed him to have this kind of kid interaction. He did not have that in Xi'an.

This room is where we met a lot of great American families. We went to have lunch at Lucy's with many of these families. They are a fun group! We are learning quite a bit about the orphanages and Chinese culture from the families that have adopted more than once.

We went to find the 7-11 for some pop for Mama then came back to the hotel. It is 4:30pm now and Tim is trying to get 15 minutes sleep. We do not know what we will do for the rest of today. Probably stay here. When we go to where the breakfast buffet is there are ponds and a huge waterfall and a very tall Christmas tree. The ponds have huge Koi fish. Caleb loves them, so we can walk around the hotel, go back to the play room (I guess there are other play rooms too that we hae not found), and play in the hotel room. There are so many people gathered around the ponds and the waterfall it is hard to take photos. We are hoping that there are not as many people the later it gets so we can get some photos.

It is pretty cold and rainy compared to when we got here last night. Even at the time we got in it was 65 degrees. It was so refreshing. It is pretty green here. It is much prettier and has cleaner air than Xi'an or Beijing. Since it is a drizzly day we did not get a lot of photos, but we will get more and show more later.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The view out our room. We are on the 18th floor.

A Barbie that was given by the hotel. It is an adoption Barbie with a baby. He likes the doll.

Baba and Caleb on the way back from Lucy's. Lucy's is the purple and yellow restaurant in the background.

The 7-11 store. I should have taken a picture of the store. Just a tiny little store jammed with drinks, candy, chips, crackers and lots of treats.

Caleb playing with Baba.

Last days in Xi'an

2010-12-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum. It was quite interesting when you learn the history. Tim took all that in while I ran around with Caleb. He was video taping it too. We had lunch at the Museum's restaurant and that was good. We got back a little after 2pm and tried to get Caleb to nap, but no such thing. We played a little longer in the hotel and then went back outside to walk and find Pizza Hut. We went the wrong way, but we were okay with that because we needed to spend some more time outside with Caleb. We got back to the hotel late--about 8 pm. Caleb took a bath, which he loves. I let him play a long time and then we got him into bed about 9pm. He then fell asleep about 10 pm. We got up late today and then went to have breakfast and are trying to pass the time in the hotel until 3pm. Then we will check out and head to Guangzhou.

It has snowed a little here and we see little snow flakes coming down from the hotel window. When we went to breakfast we stood near the front entrance and it was pretty cold. We have decided to stay in because it is very wet outside. Caleb has had a little cough and we do not want that to get worse. We have to start packing things up and heading out soon so I will post more later.

Love,
Shelly

Wild Goose Pagoda Day

2010-12-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

We traveled to the Wild Goose Pagoda today. It was a pretty site. Tim learned more of the history while I ran around with Caleb, but I do remember that the tower (it is huge) was built 1400 years ago. It is the original. There are lots of temples and such around the tower, which was made to be a library, that were built more recently.

It was a great day with Caleb! He loves to play kickball with Baba! We did not see him get sad today. He has definitely bonded with me more. Yesterday he would push Baba away, but still would give him hugs and kisses, but today he would be with Tim more.

Did I tell you how smart this little one is? Oh, I cannot even explain how smart he is. Right now he is learning some English. If I had it all to do again, I would definitely learn more Mandarin. His vocabulary is excellent. He picks things up quickly. He know shoes, coat, pencil, socks and he says "thank you" the cutest way. He is very polite.

I could go on and on about him. We feel very blessed and thank God so much for him. We cannot wait to get back to introduce him to all of you.

We love you,
Shelly

Xi'an's large shopping mall.

The biggest smile and we see this all the time (I just am not a good camera person to get them at the right time!)

From the top of the tower.

Enjoy A Video

2010-12-21T01:12:00.000-08:00

He is so cute, has a very contagious smile and his giggle is so cute. I thought I would post this so you can see what we get to see most of the time. Tim is talking in the background on Skype with Chad about the vehicles in Beijing. We mostly saw Audi's and BMW's and Volkswagon's. Tomorrow we go on a tour. I think it is the Terracotta Warriors tour.

Another day with him

2010-12-21T00:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we finished the second part of the paperwork in the early afternoon and then came back to the hotel. Jenny said that she would take us to find the entrance to the Walmart. The Walmart sign is out on the main road but the entrance is way far away. We found it and they have a lot of things. Of course it is a much smaller store than ours in the States. We then went for a long walk and went to McDonald's. We did not want to get him started on that kind of food, but it was quick and we knew what it was. We walked back to the hotel and then settled in to our room for the night. We play a lot with Caleb and watch cartoons as we are holding him. We get pretty bored here, but we know that we are bonding with him and that is what gets us through. He took a bath and then fell asleep about 9pm and slept until 6:40pm. We are so lucky that he sleeps so good!'

We got up this morning and kept it very casual. It is a day to ourselves. We went to have breakfast and then ventured out to the Bell Tower. We walked there, saw the big Xi'an Mall and then went up the Bell Tower and took photos and spent some time with Caleb. He seemed very tired and so we headed back toward the hotel to eat and get him to bed. He slept for an hour. We are now trying to read to him and we will venture our in Xi'an tonight. We have not verntured out at night yet.

We met Caleb!!

2010-12-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

We met Caleb last night about 4pm. We were heading up the elevator and I just had this feeling everything was going to happen so quickly and it did. We got out of the elevator and I saw him! He ran to us and said Mama and Baba and wanted to show us what he had in his bag. He showed us the photo book that we sent him. He sat mostly in my lap and Tim took a few photos, but we did not get a lot. We just enjoyed our time with him and kept forgetting to take photos. We did what we needed to at the civil affairs office and headed back to the hotel. He did really good to that point. Then Jenny our guide brought us to our room and we talked about some things that needed to be prepared for today. When she needed to leave he got really upset. He cried for and wanted to leave. We took his coat off and he would put it back on. We would take his boots off and he would put them back on. It was heart wrenching. He was confused and sad. He finally fell asleep about 7:30pm and slept until 6am. That was a good nights sleep. Through out the night he woke up a few times and smiled at Tim and I. He awoke at 6 am and he just looked around and we stayed lazy and Skyped with a few family and friends. He was very happy. Today we have done paperwork and stayed at the hotel to bond with him. He has been very happy today. We played hide and seek, he loves the blow dryer. He likes cartoons. He has been tickling Tim in the belly and gets a big kick out of it. We are heading off for our second round of paperwork and I will write more later.

In Xia'n

2010-12-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Xi'an at 2:50 pm yesterday. We were picked up by Jenny our guide for our trip while we are here. She knows good english. The ride was about an hour to Xi'an from the arirport. The airport is in the countryside. There are 8 million people here (and I thought this was going to be a small town!) As we traveled many narrow streets it was so surreal again to think we are here. What I saw on our way here was more of what I thought China looked like--small streets, small vendors along the streets, like alleys.

We did not get a chance to do much this evening--we will send more photos later. Today we meet Caleb! We meet him at 4:00pm. We will meet with Jenny at 2:00pm to exchange our US dollars and then at 3:45pm we will head to the "office" where they will make sure we are the right parents and he is the right child.

I will post more later. Pray for us as we meet Caleb.

Love,
Shelly

The Great Wall

2010-12-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a quick post and I will post more later. We did an all day tour yesterday to the Great Wall Badaling and the Ming Tombs. Also included was a trip to a Jade factory which included a traditional Chinese lunch. Then we got to go to the Beijing Zhong Yan Wan Kang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Where they told Tim and I (and squeezed our bellies) that we needed to loose weight to be healthier :). Well that should be enough to get us motivated huh?

The Great Wall was an awesome sight. Unbelievable!! It was very windy, but we made it to the top! It was quite a bit of work to get there, but if we took a few breaks we could keep going. For those that get to the top, the Chinese say we are a Heros. WE ARE HEROS!

We are leaving for Xi'an today--on the plane at 12:30pm and there by 2:30pm. We will get ourselves set up there and find out when we meet Caleb.

I will post more later.

Love you,
Shelly

1st Full Day in Beijing

2010-12-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

We ventured out a little yesterday (it's already after midnight, Friday, the 17th). We got up for the day, logged onto all of our email accounts and such. In doing so I fried our converter. It sparked up my arm, and smelled burnt. At first we did not know what appliance it was, our new portable dvd player, Tim's work laptop or mine. It blew all the power to our room. A hotel service lady came up and could not fix it then a maintenance guy came up and did fix it. Whew!

Finally we got out of our room and went to have breakfast, American breakfast. :) (sorry Eric we are not adventurous!) We went to talk with the tour company within the hotel to set up our tour for today. We are going to the Great Wall Badaling and the Ming Tombs. Tim loves to ask questions so we were probably there an hour. He made them laugh so much. He would ask questions and they would not understand and then they would all giggle behind the desk. We got a kick out of them laughing at us. Hee hee.

We walked around our hotel, went to the Silk Market, where we only bought some kids DVD's that we can play for Caleb that are in Chinese. Guiyou Department Store, walked down the main road for what seemed like forever just taking in all the sights and sounds. Again, traffic here is incredible. There is always traffic. It is 12:30am and the main road is just outside our room. The cars zooming by and honking is again, incredible. We cannot imagine what it was like here for the Olympics.

We came back to the hotel to put some goods in the room and then ventured down to the subway to go to Tienamen Square. It was an adventure. We were stared at a lot. The policeman the security people here wear the long dark green coats and fur hats. It is very formal and there are a lot of police on duty. We spent about 4 hours getting there walking around and talking to some Chinese people that knew English.

The first lady came up to us and knew we were looking at how to get back on the subway. She asked if she could help us. She knew a lot! We took it all in, but knew there was another motive. When we said we needed to get going she said that she volunteered at the Xi'an University with art students and she would like us to come and visit their gallery (just inside the Forbidden City gates). We did and loved the art! We knew we were going to get suckered into buying something though. We bought two scroll art pieces. The student that created them was there. If we were to believe what was being told to us, this was like a donation to the student to help them study abroad and make more out of an art career. I have to say we learned a lot in this conversation. We learned what some of their characters mean. We did not buy anymore but will be looking for a few items while in China because of this interesting adventure.

We finally got on our way and crossed the street (which means go under the street in a tunnel) and went to stand on Tienamen Square. I had learned and remembered about Tienaman Square and Chairman Mao from History in school. It was neat to just be standing there looking at his photo across the street.

We got back about 5 pm rested a little and then headed out to find food. We ate at the Pizza Hut in the hotel. Wow, that was an interesting menu. They have all sorts of Chinese cuisine on the menu. I felt like having pizza so that is what we got. I could not keep my eyes open so we headed back to the room and fell asleep, hence why I am awake now!

We will get up this morning and go downstairs to hop on a mini bus to go tour the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs. We will be gone from 7:50am to 6:30pm for that, so I will not be posting. I may not be posting until we get to Xi'an.

We leave for the airport to Xi'an tomorrow at 10:15am. Our flight leaves at 12:30pm and arrives at 2:30pm. Okay, I am going back to bed. Here are some photos....

We are in Beijing!

2010-12-15T03:48:00.000-08:00

We arrive in Beijing at 4:10pm. Then we had to go through all the gates and ride the tram to the baggage claim. We found our hotel driver right away and he brought us to the hotel. It took over an hour to get from the airport to the hotel! Traffic is unbelievable, but you know what is more unbelievable? The driving here! They know how to do it, but it is so much different than ours. A little scary at times, but Tim and I just sat back, laughed and tried to soak it all in.

We just got the computer all logged in and secure. Tim could not sleep on the plane at all. I think he watched 4-5 movies so he is trying to sleep now. I, on the otherhand, did mostly sleeping on the plane. I did not get sick for most of the flights, but when we landed here, oh, my, I could not wait to get off the plane.

I am sitting here in the hotel room by the window that seems like it is open. There is still a lot of traffic and it is 7:50pm here. They honk a lot too. We will do our best to enjoy our time. I am not sure what tomorrow will bring. We wanted to do a tour, but we will see, we may just walk around the shops here and take in downtown for tomorrow--we will see.

Good night from Beijing!

Love,
Shelly

It's Almost Time!

2010-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

We received a Consulate appointment of December 28th (my sister's birthday!) We leave Minneapolis on Tuesday the 14th and arrive in Beijing on the evening of December 15th. We will most likely settle in this evening, get something to eat if needed, and get up the next day, the 16th to do some tours. We do not have anything set so that day we may need to do the tours on our own. Then on the 17th we have all day to do more sightseeing and this day we will do set tours. We are not sure if we will do the private tours or the public tours.

We then leave on the 18th to fly to Xi'an, the province Caleb is in. We do not know times of what we are doing within the province yet. We will receive these tickets once we are in Beijing. Since we are not sure when we fly to Xi'an and when we arrive we do not know if we have time to do anything or if we will just be going to sleep. Then on the next day, Sunday, December 19th, we meet Caleb! We will take him right when they hand him to us and from there we are parents! We were told that we most likely will go back to the hotel and "get to know eachother". We will be bringing lots of toys, little ones of course.

The next day, the 20th, is considered a paperwork day. It will be challenging because we will have just met him and then we need to sit and wait all day for different appointments.

Then on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd we wait for Caleb's passport,adoption certificate and other notarized documents. During this wait we will be able to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors, Great Wild Goose Pagoda and other things as we choose.

Then on Christmas Eve we will get Caleb's passport and will leave Xi'an to fly to Guangzhou.

Christmas day we will get his medical exam done and visa photos taken.

December 26th we will sightsee and shop!

December 27th Caleb will get his TB test read and then we are on our own to do what we want.

December 28th our paperwork is submitted to the US Consulate and we take our oath.

December 29th- a free day

December 30th we get Caleb's visa at 4 pm and head for Hong Kong late in the evening. We will stay in Hong Kong for the night just to sleep.

December 31st we head for home--We are really excited and nervous for this trip, but we also know that we can't wait to be home and start settling into our new normal.

We thank everyone that is helping with things here while we are gone. We wish you a Merry Christmas!

We love you,
Shelly and Tim

Joanna

2010-12-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

I need to update this with what has been going on, but first I want to make this post about Joanna. So in a previous post I told you that there is this amazing person, Joanna, that we met through this process. We learned of her right when we put in the LOI for Caleb. Let me back up...I have met a lot of truly amazing ladies through this process and I hope to meet some of them in the near future. These ladies helped us learn more about Caleb in order to make the best decisions. Of course this was God's plan all along that we would meet him.

Okay, back to Joanna...we had heard about her when we first saw Caleb and learned that she just wasn't ready to meet us (there is another part of the story, but that is between us and Caleb). I prayed...prayed a lot that her heart would be healed and that she would want to meet us. In my mind, I just wanted to be able to have her be the first one we told that the adoption was completed. She loves Caleb, I mean really loves him and we hope to have her in our lives and Caleb's life forever.

One night we received an email from Joanna, it was Sunday October 10th. She introduced herself and told us all about her history with Hanzhong where Caleb lives. I printed out the email and read it to Tim and we both had tears, of course I was down right crying. It was so special. She lived in Hanzhong. She moved there in October of 2007 to teach conversational English to students at the university. While teaching she would visit the orphanage. She would visit every time that she could. She would help feed the babies and play with the children. In 2008 her and Caleb bonded pretty well. As time went on the orphanage allowed her to take him home with her for a weekend and needless to say over time they grew really close. She came back to the States to further her education in mid 2009.

She went back to Hanzhong in May of this year to visit and was able to be with Caleb every morning she was there. She was able to go there again over Thanksgiving too and sent us the video in the previous post. She sent us the photos below as well.

She was praying that Caleb would be "adopted by a family that loves the Lord with all their heart and have a desire to serve Him in everything they do". Wow, God works in wonderful ways!

So this is just a little bit about Joanna, but I think you can gather how involved she has been with him and how much she loves him. The blanket and bear were something Tim and I bought and sent to Joanna before she went to China to bring to Caleb. She had the ideas of what we could send and it turns out they were excellent ideas! He loved each of them.

Something Very Special

2010-11-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

Ohhh, I finally got this to work. Yay!! I have been playing around with this all day! I just had to post this video. It was sent to us by Joanna who just came back from China. She was able to visit Caleb quite a bit and took lots of photos for us as well as this video. I cannot stop playing it. It is so sweet and is so different than still photos. He and Joanna are looking at a photo book we sent to him for his birthday. Joanna is asking Caleb who each of us are and just listen to his response. He is also being asked whose house that was and he said "wo de" which means it's mine.

Every time she has sent us something whether it be a quick email while she was there or the email to introduce herself, Tim and I tear up. This whole adoption has been a gift from God. We truly believe that. Joanna has been a gift from God to us as well as to Caleb. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did and still are. We will cherish videos like this for years to come.

Travel Approval!! (and another piece of information)

2010-11-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon we received word that our agency had our travel approval! Oh my gosh. I am so glad that it came even though we may have to wait to hear Monday when we get a consulate appointment.

This was the second great piece of news that we received yesterday. The first is an email from Joanna (whom I have to tell you more about). She has been visiting Hanzhong. She has been visiting Caleb. She loves him and has been a huge part of his life (this story will take another blog post for sure!)

Here is her email to us:

Hi Shelly and Tim,
Just a quick email to let you know that I gave Caleb the blanket and teddy bear that you got him. He loved them both, especially the blanket. He held on to it the whole time I was with him and he found the soft edges right away. Today I had lunch with him and his house mama and baba. I told them about you, they were very happy to hear about you. They love Yang Han Xi so much... It was helpful to hear about you guys from me. They pulled out the picture book that you sent Job, and I sat with Job and looked through the book. I asked him who the people were in the picture, and he said, "Mama and Baba". When we got to the picture of your house, his house parents asked him whose house it was. He answered boldly, "It's mine!". :)
That's just a quick update on what's been going on here. I have been spending my mornings with Job, and they have been really special. Today was especially special because we were able to talk about you guys. It was good for both Job and his house mama and baba. I can't wait to send you pictures and tell you more when I get back.
I keep forgetting to measure his feet, I will do that tomorrow. They are big though!!! Also, he is definitely a 4T now! He fit the 4T perfectly.
Thinking of you!!!
Love, Joanna

I still read this and tear up. You should have seen me at work when I opened this. I had to run to the bathroom...to think he really knows of us and may recognize who we are in a few weeks!! God is truly amazing and faithful!

I love you all,

Have I ever told you…

2010-11-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

how great my neighbors are? Well, they are a fantastic group of ladies. I enjoy getting together with them for a little wine and a night of talking and catching up.

On top of being great neighbors everyday they have decided to throw a shower for me. I get all teary eyed thinking that they want to do this for me. I am really getting excited to see everyone. A few of my coworkers are invited and a handful of friends are too. It will be a great evening! I am so thankful to my neighbors for being part of my support system through this adoption process. Thank you to you all in advance!

Article 5 Picked Up!

2010-11-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

I finally really know that our Article 5 was picked up on Monday, November 8th!! We are now into our TA wait--yay!! Our agency said that they have a few families a few weeks ahead of us and they are still waiting on their TA, but they will let us know when they receive theirs so that we can judge when we should get ours. Caleb, here we come! God is So Good!

Christmas Decorating

2010-11-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

When I came across this photo I got a giddy feeling in my stomach...a feeling of complete happiness that Christmas is coming and so it our little boy! I really want to be back in the Minnesota with Caleb for Christmas. What I have really been thinking about lately is when do I decorate for Christmas? Our family tradition is the day after Thanksgiving. This year, it may have to be different. We do not know when we will have to leave nor do we know when we will be back. I want the house to be decorated when he comes home.

So, do I start now? I do a lot of decorating inside. I have tried to do outside decorating and am done with that until I know that our electrical is working. Tim has not finished the electrical downstairs and that is tied in with the outside outlets. Two years ago I did a lot of lights outside only to find out that none of the outlets worked. Do you know how much time it takes to string lights all around the house?

So I want to know, when do you start decorating for Christmas? Send me a comment on when you decorate for Christmas and how? Is it a tradition? I look forward to hearing your stories!

I know, I know...

2010-11-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in a long time. We are at a stage in the adoption world where we are waiting on the US government, the Consulate in Guangzhou that is. We are waiting for our Article 5. Many have asked what the Article 5 is. Well, here it is the best I can describe it...it is a letter issued from the US Consulate in Guangzhou to serve as verification that the child meets all the requirements for a Convention Adoptee, and that the USCIS has provisionally approved your I-800 application--clear as mud right? After our I-800 was approved and we got the cable from the National Visa Center, this information as well as other documents along with the Article 5 letter will then be packaged up and sent to the CCAA in Beijing where they will issue our travel approval (TA). So two more steps!

We expect that our Article 5 will be ready for the courier to pick up in Guangzhou on Monday, November 8th. We really hope that there will not be any hold up to this standard two week wait and our agency has already said they are on top of it. If it is not picked up on the 8th they said it was not ready by the Consulate. When we get that package delivered to the CCAA, the projection is that TA will be about 2-4 weeks. We want to travel as soon as possible so we will not be asking to wait at all!

We are hopeful that the next two steps will go quickly! We would REALLY love to have Caleb back to Minnesota to enjoy his first Christmas with us!

Love to you all,

wild Olive tees...

2010-11-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have love wild Olive tees! They are having a giveaway and I would love some of their t-shirts, but the giveaway is not only for tees, but tickets to Women of Faith - Over The Top Event in Hartford, CT on November 19th and 20th. Oh, how I would love to go, but it is not good timing with the adoption. I will try and win the t-shirts, but even if I don't, this is a great website for t-shirts that are faith based. The styles and colors are always changing.

If you want to enter, just go check them out here http://www.wildolivetees.com/blog/.

For my birthday!

2010-10-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

I am late in posting this, but here goes anyway. So last Thursday was my birthday and we were waiting for our "cable". In the adoption world this is when our I-800 is approved and the National Visa Center(NVC) emails (cables) our approval to the consulate. I had emailed the NVC to see if our case was entered into their system and it had been as of 10/12/10. I had a feeling we were cabled on my birthday (10/14/10) but no email arrived in my inbox. Tim and I celebrated my birthday and I really didn't think about it. But then the next morning at work all I could think about was that we were cabled and we didn't know it yet.

At this stage, PAPs want to get this approval via email to quickly send it off to their agency because the agency needs to send it off right away so that we can wait for our next step, Article 5. So Friday, the 15th came and I again emailed the NVC and was quickly sent the approval via email. It was dated 10/14/10--my birthday--happy birthday to me! Any step finished in this process would be a great birthday present. I emailed it to our agency who does not work on Fridays, but got an email from a gal there that said she got it and will have it ready to be sent to China on Monday. So long story short I got what I wanted!

But then as I opened my email account I found two emails from Sheri and Katherine with Giftstochinawithlove.com--this is the care package company that we used and would highly recommend them!!! We got pictures of Caleb at his birthday party we gave him from afar. His house mama and baba actually gave it to him and they were so gracious and said they would make sure they gave him a party...makes my heart melt. So enjoy as I have!!

I love this photo!

What beautiful, interesting cakes they have. I really wish I could show all the photos but the other photos have other children in them. The children look so giddy it is adorable! They look so happy!

Movin' right along

2010-10-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

We received our LOA on Friday, October 1st. Signed the document on Monday, October 4th. Our agency was able to email it over to the best officer in the world over at the USCIS office and boom we were approved on 10/5/10. Now we are waiting to be "cabled". Now that our I-800 is provisionally approved it will be sent to the NVC (National Visa Center in New Hampshire). They will upload our information into their system and send it electronically to the US Consulate in Guangzhou. This is what is referred to as the "Cable". We are moving right along now!

What a feelin'

2010-10-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

This was a great day--to see what the LOA (Letter of Acceptance), also known as Letter Seeking Confirmation (LSC) looked like! To actually hold it in our hands, something we have waited forever for--it was a great feeling. We went to the agency today and met with them for a few hours, signed the form, asked a lot of questions. Filled out some more forms. I have to admit, our agency has been on top of it when it comes to the forms. I believe we have all the forms we need and most are filled out waiting to be sent whereever they need to be when the time comes. We did some proactive things before we got LOA and should be getting our I800 approval any day now. I will explain more about the next steps in another post. For now we are just celebrating this huge milestone!

I can show you more!

2010-10-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

These photos of Caleb in his baby years are from his referral paperwork. The other three photos are thanks to a new friend in Christ, Shelley. She was picking up her new daughter in the same province that Caleb is in. She was kind enough to get Tim and I these photos from about over two months ago now. Isn't he just precious? I have to say my favorite is the one of him at the pool. He was with Shelley's daughter and he thought it was so funny that he would push water toward her and she would fall over like his water would make her fall! He would giggle like no tomorrow and there is just something about his innocence...--that is why I love this photo! His referral photos are adorable too!

I pray every day that the rest of this process will be quick!

Care Package to Caleb

2010-10-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

Tim and I started looking into care packages that we could send to Caleb because his birthday was on 9/22. We knew that we had not received LOA by the time the week began for his birthday, and we were sad about this. But I kept researching, sending emails to the care package companies about different questions I had and soon, before you knew it, we had ordered one! Because of the holidays around Caleb's birthday we got a late start, but the photo book turned out great. We just sent one with photos of us, our home and kitty and such. It included candies, and a card from us and a cake. I hope the 5 kids with Caleb will really enjoy the cake! Later we may send more to him. We are hoping to get updated measurements for him. So it will be delivered to him on October 6th. We wonder if he will understand any of it. But we hope it is just the beginning of us "talking" to him before we get there to meet him. We are hoping we will get photos, but are expecting not to get them until we pick him up. Enjoy the photos of some of the items we sent him!!

So long wait....LOA is here!!

2010-10-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Our agency gal, Jill, called me today at about 1:38pm. I saw I missed the call. Then I went to my new cell phone to see if I had a message. I saw that she called there and that I had a voice mail. My heart was pounding with excitement. I knew I still had a lot of work to get done before leaving for the day. But yet, I still wanted to know why she was calling...could it be???? We were always the one to contact them because they did not have any news for us for so long. I tried calling Tim. I tried to get into my voicemail, but I just got a new phone and did not know what the password was to get voicemail. I went to Verizons website to see if there was a password set. Could not find a thing. Still working... Enough time went by that Jill called again at 1:51 pm. She said she did not leave a message she just called every number we have. That would be six numbers...she started over with my work number...she got me!!! I was so excited! It came via DHL. Now, mind you, our agency does not work on Fridays, so it was unexpected, but we are so grateful that Jill was there to receive the DHL package.

Monday we will sign, give them the next fees and move forward....what a great weekend! Wow, I guess Tim just needed to leave the city for a weekend and it would happen. I just wish I could give him a big hug. He would call me every day to this point and ask "so did Jill call?" or he would say " I guess Jill did not call, right?" It broke my heart that he was thinking so much about it.

Caleb, did you hear that? Mama and Baba are coming soon!! We love you!!

Love to everyone!!!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea!

2010-09-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Caleb,

We cannot tell you enough how much we love you already. We have not held you, kissed you, or touched you even once, yet we love you. Your photos says a million words! We miss you even though we have never met you.

We have met a lot of people that know you, love you and care about you. They have told us a lot about you. We feel we know you. We are sad to miss being there for your 3rd birthday, but believe me we will make it up to you!! Happy birthday, sweetheart! Your gift is on its way to you and we hope that we can see pictures of you enjoying it with your friends. We are sorry it is late getting to you. When you are old enough we will explain it ALL to you. We love you with all our hearts.

Here is the second photo we saw of you. Again our hearts melted...look at your outfit how adorable is that? (hopefully the photo is large enough to see the dimple on the upper left hand cheek...awwww!)

"Not bone of my bone, nor flesh of my flesh, but still miraculously my own. Never forget for a single minute: you didn't grow under my heart, but in it." ---By Fleur Conkling Heyliger

Love Always,
Your Mommy and Daddy

Sweet Caleb

2010-09-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Sweet Caleb,

You are 3 tomorrow and we so wish we could be with you for your birthday. We wonder what you will do tomorrow. Does the orphanage celebrate birthdays? Will you celebrate the Mid Autum Festival (Moon Festival)? Will you celebrate with friends? Will it be an ordinary day for you? We wish you a happy 3rd birthday and we will be there to get you as soon as we can.

The paperwork is taking so long we can barely stand it. We think of you all the time. We just want you to be home. We are still praying you will be home for Christmas and we can't wait to celebrate Christmas with you!

We love you sweetie!

Jeremiah 29:11
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"

Feeling a Little Better

2010-09-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

We received a response from our agency in regards to our concerns about the news we heard on Thursday. Some items were explained more in detail and it is expected that we should receive LOA within three weeks. Of course not a guarantee, but we will take it!

We feel a little relief with this news but we are still praying that we get LOA soon and that the rest of the process will be smooth and quick. I realize all of this is not in our time, but the good Lord's. Being on this side of heaven sometimes life is so hard to understand.

I just can't believe it!!

2010-09-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

I am so consumed...late Thursday our agency finally told us what we needed to hear. It was not good news. Tim and I have been asking about why we have not received LID and LOA. We were told for 2 1/2 months that we just needed a little more patience. They expected that we should have received LID on 7/14 or 7/15 and that we were well into our LOA. So all along we really thought we were waiting on LOA. Well, we heard differently Thursday...Sigh... I am not sure if I understand it fully yet and I will keep you posted on that. We were told some things in our file caused the CC** to review our file a little longer and that the person who reviews the dossiers for special needs was out for some time. So we were told that we have an LID now and that it would come soon. So now I am wondering is that LID a recent date? Do we wait 2-3 months more for LOA from THAT LID date? I just cannot believe it!

Of course our agency does not work on Fridays and I had a few more questions, such as I stated above. The other BIG question is, if they are reviewing longer is there a chance that we may not adopt from China? We may not get our sweet boy? I mean, I think we are being extreme in asking that, but our agency is not making us feel good about this.

We pray that we can get through this adoption process and bring Caleb home. We are praying that our LID will come next week along with our LOA. Would you also pray for us?

LID=Log in Date=date dossier logged in

LOA-Letter of Acceptance=this states that China is acknowledging that we can adopt him and they have reviewed the dossier (he is ours and we are his)

I really thought I had nothing to say...

2010-09-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

This has been a very tough week for Tim and I since we have heard nothing about our LOA. I did not want to post about our worries and no information, but then I thought of others that may follow down this China adoption path and may come across this same scenario. Don't get me wrong, I hope noone has to wait this long for LOA.

We are deeply saddened by no news. I keep up to date on a few forums, blogs and everything in between and everyone around us with like dates for things such as LOI, DTC and LID have already received their LOA. We have not. Why would some get them in as little as 26 days and we are on day 57 with no word that our file has moved!?!

Now granted we have not received our LID either and I really do not understand that, but our agency said it should be around 7/15. I question why no LID either? Is there something wrong with us, our files, our paperwork? I know, I know, you all say no (or maybe some of you don't), but truly, why? Is there a chance something is really wrong or do we just need to wait longer?

So since Tim and I have become a little more verbal with our agency we have tried some proactive things to move other parts of the process along. I am hoping, so hoping these things will benefit us. Our biggest thing is that we want to travel by Christmas. Each year we have been waiting in this adoption process we thought we would have a child home by Christmas of each year. Well, this will be the third Christmas waiting...sigh...okay enough moping...will you pray for patience for us?

God is in the details

2010-08-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

Caleb,

Daddy and I went to get ice cream on Friday night without you. We hope there are not too many more of those nights! As we were driving away from home we stopped the car and both stared at this scene...

We thought of you and how awesome God is! Isn't this a great picture? I wish you could have seen this as we did. We were just awestruck. We both became teary eyed and said "wow, and there are people that do not think there is a God".

We love you, Caleb.

Mommy and Daddy

We still wait

2010-08-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting for LID(log in date) and LOA(letter of acceptance). Our agency says we should hear something by the end of August. We are hoping that means both LID and LOA. Of course we will keep you posted.

The end for now.

2010-08-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

I am sad this weekend for my friends in the Nepal adoption community. I learned on Friday that the US has suspended adoptions from Nepal. I cannot express how deeply sad I am for you all and the children of Nepal needing a family.

For some this may be the end of the road and for others it may be the beginning of a another new journey. Either way it is sad and my heart breaks for everyone involved.

Joint Statement on Suspension of Processing for New Adoption Cases Base on Abandonment in Nepal
Washington, DC
August 6, 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Following is the text of a joint statement by the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, announcing the suspension of adoptions based on abandonment in Nepal:

Begin text:
In order to protect the rights and interests of certain Nepali children and their families, and of U.S. prospective adoptive parents, the Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have jointly decided to suspend adjudication of new adoption petitions and related visa issuance for children who are described as having been abandoned in Nepal.

The Department of State’s recent interactions with the Government of Nepal and its efforts to review and investigate numerous abandonment cases, including field visits to orphanages and police departments, have demonstrated that documents presented to describe and “prove” the abandonment of children in Nepal are unreliable. Civil documents, such as the children’s birth certificates often include data that has been changed or fabricated. Investigations of children reported to be found abandoned are routinely hindered by the unavailability of officials named in reports of abandonment. Police and orphanage officials often refuse to cooperate with consular officers’ efforts to confirm information by comparing it with official police and orphanage records. In one case, the birth parents were actively searching for a child who had been matched with an American family for adoption. Because the Department of State has concluded that the documentation presented for children reported abandoned in Nepal is unreliable and the general situation of non-cooperation with and even active hindrance of investigations, the U.S. Government can no longer reasonably determine whether a child documented as abandoned qualifies as an orphan. Without reliable documentation, it is not possible for the United States government to process an orphan petition to completion.

To the best of our knowledge, all other countries that had been processing adoption cases from Nepal have stopped accepting new cases due to a lack of confidence that children presented as orphans are actually eligible for intercountry adoption.

The suspension of adjudication of new adoption petitions on behalf of Nepali children reported as found abandoned is effective as of the date of this statement. Any petition filed for a child who has been presented as found abandoned and who was matched with a prospective adoptive parent prior to the date of this announcement, as evidenced by an official referral letter from the Government of Nepal, will continue to be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis and in light of the totality of the evidence available. The Department of State will reach out to prospective adoptive parents who meet these criteria. Petitions that continue to be adjudicated will only be approved if they are supported by reliable evidence. Every effort will be made to process their cases as expeditiously as possible with the best interests of children in mind.

A Name

2010-07-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Just a short post to say we named him Caleb Jon Melser. We had a list of names we liked from many years ago when we started on this journey. Then we saw his picture and we narrowed it down to two names. Then we did a little more research on who these people were in the Bible. We wanted a biblical name and for it to mean something to us and to him some day.

I have met so many people, Christians that is, online that know of Caleb. Many are sending us photos at different stages of his life so far. We will have a full photo book before we meet him! I have been looking into how to send him gifts and a cake for his birthday. It is exciting to think a camera will be sent along with the cake and then we should get the camera back or the photos (I cannot remember how that works). Oh, how we are longing to travel to meet him and bring him home...

Numbers 14:24
"But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it."

The Good Stuff

2010-07-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

So I asked to get more information on this boy. I gathered what I could and knew Tim was coming home from traveling. I knew, though, that I was hesitant to show him more kids that I found because we have been through an emotional roller coaster with others I have found, so I waited until he was settled in for the night. I quickly showed him the picture of this little guy and he immediately said he was cute and asked a ton of questions. I was able to answer some and we agreed that I was to call the agency the next day ask for the original medical file for him (that is if he was still on the list) and if the file showed everything I was told by the advocators I was to send it off to the International Adoption Clinic (IAC). I did all of that the next day as he was on the list. Without the information coming back from the IAC we decided to lock the child's file. We then had 72 hours to make a decision as well as allow our counselor to enter our information into the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) system. They do not work on Fridays so we were told we needed to make a decision by early afternoon on Thursday, July 15th. We knew that we could not make the best, full decision by then so our counselor said she would go into the office on Saturday morning. Whew, we felt some relief at that point.

I had been in touch with three different women who somehow knew this child. Each of them had information on this child for us. They all responded to my questions in such timely fashion and we cannot thank them enough. I even was in touch with a woman who is part of a foundation that got him to doctors in Shanghai for tests. She was on vacation and even responded to my emails while on vacation. She was able to get us the written medical reports too!

So I know you are saying, get on with it! So after all this correspondence, Tim and I made the decision to put in our letter of intent (LOI). Julie, our counselor entered all our information into the CCAA system on the morning of Friday, July 16th. On Wednesday, July 21st we were given pre-approval (PA) to adopt him!!

He is Han Xi Yang, with a date of birth of September 22, 2007. He is in Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province. He is absolutely adorable and we cannot wait to meet him. Here is the photo we first saw of him. Enjoy!

Catching Up (in brief)

2010-07-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

This post is for catching up with where we have been. Back in February when I stopped posting to this blog, I just had nothing to report on the adoption front. There was no news coming from anywhere. We received a letter from our agency giving us different options of moving forward with an adoption plan since we did not know if Nepal would work out. One option was looking at children on the China special needs list without having to pay any fees up front. This sounded like a great option to us. Then I heard from a new friend in the adoption world that she had just met with our agency about the program and she called me to tell me she thought it would be a great option for us.

So we made an appointment to meet with Jill on March 25th. We met with her and filled in our needs list then and there. We were open to a variety of needs so we were excited to hear that the whole process could take anywhere from 6-8 months. We did not have to do the paperwork for the dossier, but we chose to move forward with it if it would help us get a child sooner. I went into the agency many times over the last three months to look at the special needs list. We went through some challenging situations, some sad ones, and all in all it was pretty emotional, but I knew we were getting close so that helped keep what we were going through in perspective.

Our dossier went to China on July 1st. We were told that China received our dossier on July 5th. We have yet to get a log in date (LID). Then on July 13th I was on a website looking to find out how long it should take to get our LID and found a post about an adorable two year old. Of course I got sucked in and had to look at who this boy was. When I saw his picture I fell in love.

I'm Baaack!! and I have so much to tell you....

2010-07-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are reading this and see the changes occuring. I have so much to tell you about. For now all I will say is that God is good! Stay tuned....

I/we need prayer!

2010-02-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

For those of you reading, praying, listening...I need so much prayer right now! All of us in this Nepal adoption program need prayer. I would like to ask that you keep me and all of my fellow prospective adoptive parents in your prayers. With no information coming out from Nepal as to referrals and travel approvals we just don't have any idea when...this is hard for me. I am thankful and blessed to have all of you in my life!

While I'm Waiting

2010-02-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

I read some good news on a blog by Tonya today and as I was searching her blog looking to find out where they were in the Nepal adoption process, I came across a post of hers which included a video by John Waller with the song "While I'm Waiting". This happens to be my favorite song because it speaks to me as we wait in this adoption process. But this video is special in its dedication. Tina: I thought a lot about you as I listened and watched this.

The good news was, and I am going to quote from her blog rather than put it into my own words:

"The Ministry has decided to delay for a few months accepting new applications for 2010 while they continue the matching process for the dossiers submitted in 2009. They report that they received 534 dossiers (world wide) in 2009. They expect to be able to match approximately 180 children with adoptive families very soon. The Ministry is planning to continue the matching process through March and the number of referrals will be based on the availability of children within the age/gender parameters set by the adoptive parent's application...."

I am still hopeful!

9 months along

2010-02-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

As many say in the adoption process, we are paper pregnant. Look above! We are 9 months pregnant today! We have had our dossier registered in Nepal for 9 months now. I really wish we could know when our little boy's photo was on it's way to us, but we don't so instead, I have been trying not to be selfish in my thoughts and prayers. I have been praying and focusing on the families that have referrals and I pray that the travel approvals for those families will come this week.

Nepal: I have so many prayers and positive thoughts about you, for you, with you--I know you are working as hard as you can and I am with you.

An update of our agency meeting

2010-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

With this post I want to catch up writing about our new counselor meeting. A while back we requested a new counselor with our agency because of the lack of communication we have had this last year. On January 19th we met our new counselor, Julie. Going into the meeting we were apprehensive. With the communication we have had thus far we could only think that things were not going to get better and that our agency just wanted us to sit back and be quiet. Well once we met Julie we felt pretty good about our relationship. She was as upfront as she could be and respectful of us and our feelings. We felt good leaving their office that day. We did not get any new information but we had a renewed spirit about our communication. Since then I have emailed Julie quite a few times and she immediately responds even if she doesn’t have the answer. Thank you Julie!
We went into the January 19th meeting with questions. Some were about the paperwork we need to start renewing and repaying for. Other questions we had were about how they find out their information or if we wanted to change countries what would be an option (we want to be prepared with a backup plan if Nepal were not to work out). We had a good conversation with Julie and she never seemed to rush us.
One question in particular was “Does Nepal recognize that we are choosing a boy up to the age of 18 months?” The reason I questioned that is because on Nepal’s application there are check boxes for ages 0-1 and 1-3 only. When we had to check a box on the application we had to choose the 0-1 box and add in handwriting “up to 18months”. Our home study also states that we would like a boy up to 18 months and the cover letter to our dossier states this as well. I needed reassurance that we had this stated in many places. I also wanted reassurance that Nepal will look upon this favorable because there are not a lot of infants and I thought that by us putting up to 18 months would help us. I felt better looking over the paperwork showing where we stated this information, but I will never know how Nepal looks upon it.
We asked if there were more boys than girls or more girls than boys. We asked how many children are registered with the Ministry. Julie was going to ask the Director to try and find these answers out. At this time they are not able to get this information. I just sit and wonder sometimes if there are more boys than girls would we get a referral sooner. It seems that more PAP’s have requested girls.

My Heart

2010-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

It’s another day. I woke up feeling happy in my heart. Valentine’s Day is this weekend. I have a lot to love and be thankful for and I cannot wait to be thankful to Nepal for our son. I so dream of the day that we can meet him.
I haven’t posted more articles on what the media is saying or what Nepal is saying about the alleged corruption in Nepal adoptions. I have not posted these because they were coming so fast and furious, mainly from the media, and I believe in my heart that the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare is doing everything they can to get adoptions moving. I have a lot of admiration for Nepal for stepping up and putting out these articles and defending themselves and this new adoption program. Because of the report that came out from the Hague Conference on Private International Law, Germany and Sweden have closed (or at least suspended) to Nepal adoptions. Canada is not allowing visas to be given. If a Canadian family gets a referral they cannot accept it at this time. What I cannot understand is how a country can close down to Nepal adoptions when, as far as I know, the report has not been substantiated. It seems to be such a hasty decision. My prayer is that the US will work with Nepal to make sure everything goes transparently.
To say the least, this last week has been a rough week for those of us in the Nepal adoption program. There are definite ups and downs. Feelings of happy, sad, mad, frustrated, loneliness, anger… I have been patient, I have not been patient, I have had hope, at times, no hope—God is telling me to focus on Him.

PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYER EVERY SUNDAY (the Nepal Prospective Adoptive Parents feel that we need to have this prayer time to pray for Nepal, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, and most importantly—the Children.)

Not sure what to think of this article

2010-02-07T06:28:00.000-08:00

I mean, it is a good article for the children and ultimately meant to make sure corrupt adoptions do not occur, but I was sadened to think that this is only going to prolong the already long process for us. There are not many registered orphans as it is now, I think I read there are roughly 500. With the latest news of 534 applicants to adopt Nepali children, this is not good math. Overall, I am still positive and believe the Ministry is working hard to complete adoptions.

Minister bats for tighter adoption policy
Last Updated : 2010-02-06 10:51 PM

Himalayan News Service
KATHMANDU: State Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Ram Bachan Aiyar today said that the government was committed to ensure that adopted Nepali children were not abused at home and abroad. The minister’s statement follows a public outcry over the adoption of children to foreign countries without following procedural rules.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised in the capital today, Aiyar warned that no one was allowed to abuse the adopted child or indulge in any foul play over the children’s right to care and choice.

“Orphan and abandoned children will but wait for those who are caring enough to get them into their next sweet homes,” he said cautioning that the government would go offensive against the orphanages if they took law in their own hands.

“Make room for an orphan or abandoned child at home first before letting the foreign couples to adopt them as per the government policy. Only when there are no other options left at your disposal when you have to make the hard choice of letting the foreigners to adopt,” he told orphanages.

The children who are available for adoption often live in orphanages. Nepal law states that adoptive parent or family may only have one child of each sex in their household. If one already has a son, he or she must adopt a daughter and vice-versa. The law further states that a person or couple cannot adopt from Nepal if they already have biological children.

It has widely been argued that Nepal is a safe haven for adoption. For many people living in abject poverty, placing their children for adoption is getting lot easier than nurturing them at home.

Shaking my head

2010-02-07T06:11:00.001-08:00

I just don't know what to think any more! Late last night I read this and I was glad to read it...

From ekantipur.com

State sees no loopholes in adoption
KANTIPUR REPORT Related News Lawyers: Stop adoption KATHMANDU, FEB 07 -

The government and representatives of organisations working for children have said that the survey report, which claims to have found loopholes in the adoption process, is far from truth.

They have urged the Hague Conference on Private International Law, which prepared the report, to substantiate its claims.

Among others, the report states that falsified reports are presented for facilitating the adoption of children from Nepal.

"The report was prepared with a view to tarnishing the country's image. It is far from truth," said Prachanda Raj Pradhan of the Child NGO Federation, Nepal.

The report follows a Terre des homes' study report, which claims that more than 60 percent of children in orphanages had parents, who could take care of them.

"With new rules and regulations in place, there's no room for malpractice in the adoption process," said Dharma Raj Shrestha, member-secretary of the Central Child Welfare Board.

Nepal reopened the overseas adoption process in May 2008 after introducing new regulations. As per the new rules, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare takes a final call on adoptions.

Foreigners can adopt only those orphans or children, who are relinquished by parents through due procedures. Prospective parents have to pay US$ 3,000 to the government and $5,000 to foster homes before adopting a child.

Twenty out of 534 applicants got a nod for adoption in 2009, said an official at the ministry. The prospective parents are from Italy, the US, France, Canada and the UK. Paperwork for 39 applications is complete.

Amid claims of flaws in inter-country adoptions, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Ram Bachan Yadav pledged to take action against anyone found involved in malpractices.

He asked the organisations to work in the best interest of the children. No communication could be established with Terre de homes office in Kathmandu for comment.

Well,...

2010-02-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

This is a long one. I meant to post some everyday life things such as my sister Kim and Brian my Brother-In-Law, having a baby because I did not have adoption news to post. So I guess I waited too long........but first, I have a new nephew, Kyle! He was born at 1:15 am on January 19th. He is healthy and cute! So now I have 3 nephews on my side. Here are a few photos with Mommy and Daddy, Auntie Shelly and Uncle Tim (us) and Kim with Kyle at home.

Now about the adoption news....because I didn't get around to posting, within the last few weeks there has been some messages from PAP's on the Nepaladopt Yahoo group stating that agencies were hearing that the travel approvals were being approved and should be out by the end of January. The message was also coming through that new referrals would be coming and that agencies were being told that the 2009 dossiers would be matched with in a few months or by the end of March or by the end of April. We were hearing very consistent information, which was exciting. We also heard that the Ministry was not accepting 2010 dossiers until the 2009 dossiers were complete. We also knew there were new people in the Ministry working on adoptions. So I never posted any of that...and just as well...
Then yesterday, when I got into work I logged on to the Yahoo group and saw that the Ministry had posted a new Notice. The last notice on there was from April 30 2009. So you can just imagine the shock I had to know something was posted. Here is the newest Notice.

Date : 4 Feburary, 2010

Government of Nepal
Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare
Investigation, Recommendation and Monitoring Committee

Notice

This is to inform all the concerned Embassies/ Diplomatic Missions/Adoption Agencies and Adoptive Parents to take the following notes:
1. For the year 2010, application should be submitted from 15 April, 2010 to 15 July, 2010.
2. Application should be submitted enclosing therewith a checklist of 5 major documents such as Guarantee Letter, Consent Letter, Home Study Report, Medical Report and Character Certificate.
3. Application without valid and complete documents shall not be entertained.
4. Application exceeding the quota shall not be entertained.
5. If it is found that the Agency has, upon receiving allocated quota, submitted an application for further quota, the Ministry shall take necessary action against such Agency.

So this seemed promising. If we were hearing that the Ministry was to be done matching all 2009 dossiers by March/April, this Notice would seem to follow along with that idea. Get the 2009 dossiers matched and then accept 2010 dossiers. Yep, all seemed good. Until I read....

Experts urge Nepal to ban international adoptions
http://pearadoptinfo-nepal.blogspot.com/2010/02/experts-urge-nepal-to-ban-international.html

Nepal 'should suspend' adoptions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8497473.stm

Oh my goodness, I nearly cried. Then there was another note for Canadians that due to some concerns raised visas will not be issued for Nepal adoptions. PAP's can have their file at the Ministry but cannot accept a referral. I am sadened for them. I do hope that issue can be resolved soon.

After all this news came at me in a short amount of time and my emotions went from happy to sad and angry I realized that I have to keep my faith and trust that the Lord is in this. Sometimes that is hard for me to do. After the years of struggle to have a child, one child, I say that is not easy to do. I am human, I want to fix the problems, I want, want, want. But when I really think about how selfish I am I can bring myself back and realize the most important thing in my life is the Lord Jesus Christ. So I am back to feeling good about most things and cannot wait to hear about and see the child that the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare has picked out just for us!

I know I forgot some things, probably many things and I will try to keep up.

To all you PAP's that may be reading...I think of you all, all the time! I pray for you. I pray for peace for all of you, those that have been waiting years and those that have been waiting months. I thank God for the Nepaladopt group.

I love you all!

My good day

2010-01-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

It was a good lazy day in my book.

Get up late,

go to church, Eagle Brook Church,

watch the Vikings win, yeah!!!

and learn that Teryl's website (see my side bar for Stillness in the center of it all) is back up and running or at least is public again. Teryl and her family adopted a little girl from Nepal last September. I know I appreciated reading her posts and seeing the precious little girl she brought home. Reading her blog helps give me a sense of being closer to Nepal and the child we will bring home some day hopefully soon.

I believe this news will come true

2010-01-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

This week we have been hearing more of the same news---that the Ministry will be processing all 2009 dossiers within a few months! One message said again they would be matching within two months. Another message said that the Ministry is committed to completing files within 3 months. Travel approvals for those that have referrals should be here by the end of January! So we are hearing all of this consistent information from different sources.

I am very excited by this news. I feel like getting back on track with what I left off doing September of last year. That is, collecting information for travel checklists and making sure we are prepared to bring all that we need when we travel. I know travel may be a ways off, but you never know!

I am really looking forward to having months off from work. Tim and I are due a vacation. I have saved my vacation and sick leave for years planning for this adoption. I wanted to have my maternity leave completely paid for and still have plenty left over for time off with my little one. Tim has not taken much time off from work so he just needs a vacation. I hope the trip is not too stressful.

We meet our new counselor next Tuesday. We have a list of questions she and the Director are going to answer and I hope we can get some good information from them.

Goodbye 2009...Hello 2010!

2010-01-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Wow, it has been over 2 months since I last posted. We made it through the holidays. We had 4 Christmas', a birthday for my sister, a New Year and a birthday for my grandson. I was exhausted, but we did have fun. I have a few photos below of some of the festivities.

The reason for not posting for so long is that there was not a lot of news and if there was it was negative. The Ministry went through some staff changes. These new staff are in place and it sounds like things may get rolling. I truly hope those that have received referrals already will get their travel approvals. It is said maybe 2-4 weeks!?!

On the Yahoo group it has been said that a Ministry meeting was held early this week. One in which we have all been waiting for. This is a good sign. A blog I read said that the Ministry is planning on having all 2009 dossiers matched within two months! Oh my gosh that would be wonderful! Those of us waiting in the Nepal program know that all too often we have heard this kind of news before. So we cautiously take this information in. Tim and I have faith that this program will continue and continue soon. My prayers are with all of you waiting for your child(ren).

For many reasons I could not wait to get out of 2009. Now we are on to 2010 and things are looking up. We have a new social worker and we are looking forward to better communication with her. We are getting closer to having our money saved for the Nepal program fees and the post placement fee. Then we are on to the travel funds which our agency says runs from $5000-$7000. God is good and has provided the funds thus far. We look forward to what He has in store for us this year.

Why no news?

2009-11-04T17:11:00.001-08:00

The Nepal festivals are over and still no word of anything. Our agency tells us nothing. To get me off their back they say they will get back to me "if they hear anything". I know they do not know a lot, but come on, give us something!

There has been some political turmoil in Nepal as of late. To be honest I had let it go and have had positive thoughts that everything was going to work out good for the people of Nepal and those of us waiting. BUT I thought I should post a little for those of you reading this. This was one of the first articles I read about this situation and it lists what the Maoists protest schedule is.

Prachanda sparks torch of protest Last Updated :
2009-11-01 12:11 PM
The Himalayan Times
Himalayan News Service
KATHMANDU:
Pushpa Kamal Dahal `Prachanda', chairman, Unified CPN-Maoist, today kicked off the second phase of the party's struggle to restore `civilian supremacy'. He lit a specially designed torch — to mark the beginning of the nationwide protest — at Old Bus Park this evening, throwing the capital's traffic out of gear during the rush hour. Many scared shopkeepers downed shutters early. Thousands of Maoist cadres took part in the central rally, which was earlier initiated in various parts of the capital like Maha Bouddha, New Road Gate, Bhotahity and Durbar Marg.All prominent Maoist leaders like Narayan Kaji Shrestha `Prakash', Ram Bahadur Thapa `Badal', Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Hit Man Shakya led several torch rallies in and around Ratnapark amid slogans of `People's war is not over'. However, no untoward incident was reported. But the capital's streets were littered with bamboo sticks and doused torches. Earlier this afternoon, Prachanda warned that the government would be held responsible if the Maoists' peaceful protest was suppressed. He made this statement while speaking at a tea reception at his constituency Badbhanjhyang near Thankot. He also accused both the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML for ignoring the politics of consensus. Maoist CA members, including former minister Lekhraj Bhatta, were injured when the police lathicharged on agitators during a sit-in in front of Singha Durbar.The Maoists plan to impose blockade at all entry points of the valley on November 10.

Maoists' stir schedule
• Nov 1: Nationwide torch rally
• Nov 2: Picketing at VDCs, civic bodies
• Nov 4, 5: Picketing at DAOs
• Nov 9: To declare autonomous republican states
• Nov 10: Blockade at entry and exit points in the Kathmandu Valley, include the airport
• Nov 12, 13: Picketing at Singhadurbar

On ekantipur.com dated 11/3/09 It was stated that "Following pressures from the foreign diplomats in Kathmandu, a meeting of the Maoist leaders this evening decided to withdraw the party's plan to picket the TIA, Maoist leader Shakti Bahadur Basnet said."

The TIA is the Tribhuvan International Airport. This was good news. So far the protests have been peaceful. There is still a threat though. Maoists picketed DAOs across Nepal today which blocked gates and employees from entering their place of work. We hope the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare is not being affected by these protests.

AAAAhhhhh!!! I pray for peace in Nepal. I pray for the children, the orphans. I truly pray for those waiting to hear of their travel plans. I know I am so impatient and we have only been waiting 6 months. Others have been waiting years and I think of those families often.

We hear from friends in the wait that the political situation should not affect the adoption process. I know the Ministry is trying to get more adoptions completed by the end of the year. I still wonder where we are in line. I keep hoping that we will have a referral by Christmas--what an awesome gift that would be, but I am realistic too. I hope that our son will be with us by mid next year for sure. We have not seen enough referrals go out to make any sense out of the process.

We wait some more...

My Love for Nepal

2009-10-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Throughout this past year that we have been waiting in our journey to adopt from Nepal, I have been reading a lot about Nepal and adoption in general. Prior to choosing Nepal as the country our child was born in, I knew nothing of beautiful Nepal. I am not even sure I could have told you a year ago that Mount Everest was in Nepal. I am embarrassed to say that, but it is true.
I am now amazed at how this country has grown in my heart. Not just because I know it is the birth country of my son, but because it is truly a grand country. The rich culture, beautiful landscapes, and the meaning of family and friends to the Nepali people is why I have grown to love it so much.
I cannot say that I would have thought about Nepal if it had not been for this journey. I know that God has a perfect plan and his plan for us was to adopt from Nepal and to be connected with this country. Now I blog to tell all I can about this country and the need for adoption!
I cannot wait to meet my son! This will be the most special and blessed day of our lives. I also cannot wait to see what the future holds. My hope is that my family can travel to Nepal with us at least once when we bring our son back to visit his birth country. A LOT of things go through a person’s mind when waiting in the adoption process...

The picture below is (sorry not a good quality photo) a photo from National Geographic and I use it as my desktop photo. It is an absolutely beautiful photo. It is how I picture everything outside of Kathmandu. I realize it is from 1977, but it is still how I picture it there. If you want to see how beautiful the photo really is go to the National Geographic website and search for "Nepal 1977".

Will this be a great week?

2009-10-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last week was a rough week. I could not wait for the weekend. Then the weekend came. I payed bills and put together a kind of budget to see where and when we would have the rest of the money for the adoption. For some reason I have been paying way too much attention to money and I have been getting stressed about it. I just want to have our next payments ready and in the bank. Once we get a referral we have to have $9700 and the post placement fee of $2400. It doesn't help that our cat Romeo had to go in for emergency services last weekend. I wouldn't have had it any other way but to take Romeo in but gosh, I had no idea how my mood would be affected when I saw our savings account.
We went to church this morning and it is exactly what I needed. The memory verse for this week is Luke 12:31--"He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."
This has been quite an issue for me for many years as I have let my thoughts be consumed by this adoption. I do know that he will provide. He always has and always will. I need to refocus my attention to reaching people for Christ!

Nepal Tidbits:
Nepal's population is 29.5 million
Kathmandu's population is 1 million
UN Human Development Index: 142 out of 177 countries
Life expectancy: 62 years
Nepalis who live on less than US$2 per day:82%

Last week there was no news coming out of Nepal. Will there be some news this week?

Bhai Tika Observed on Two Days

2009-10-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

I thought the last day of Tihar was October 19th, then I read on the web that some were saying it was October 20th. I figured the source I took it from was wrong until I saw on Nepalnews.com(written on Tuesday, October 20th) that…

“The people of Newar community are celebrating Bhai Tika, the main and final day of Tihar, on Tuesday. The other Nepalis, however, celebrated the same occasion on Monday.
As the Newar community observed ‘Mha Puja (worshipping one’s own body) yesterday, they are celebrating Bhai Tika today.
This is the first time that the final day of Tihar, Bhai Tika is being observed on two days.” Nepalnews.com

This might explain why I couldn’t find a definitive answer on the web.

Well either way, the festival is over and there is no word of anything, not a peep, nothing...waiting...

A Finding from PEAR

2009-10-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

This just in from the PEAR (Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform):

US Embassy in Kathmandu Not Conducting Preinvestigations

On September 29, 2009, the DOS issued an Adoption Notice for Nepal that contained the following statement:
"As part of required processing for orphan adoption cases, the Embassy conducts a thorough investigation of each case. Prospective adoptive parents should be aware that the investigation process may take several months, which could mean that prospective adoptive parents who travel to Nepal before the investigation is completed will need to spend a significant amount of time in country."
Some US adoption agencies and prospective adoptive parents interpreted this statement to mean that the Embassy would be conducting pre-investigations and completing the investigation prior to the family traveling to Nepal. PEAR contacted both the US Department of State, Office of Children's Issues and US Embassy in Nepal for clarification on the statement. According to both the Office of Children's Issues at the Department of State and the Adoption Unit at the US Embassy in Nepal, visa investigations commence after the final adoption decree and no pre-investigations are occurring at this time.
PEAR has been in continued discussions with the DOS to change the Adoption Notice to correctly reflect the process in order to avoid confusion and misinterpretation. At this point, the DOS and US Embassy are consulting on the proper wording for the Notice.We will update with any further information as we receive it.

I am a little bummed by this news. I just pray that when our time comes to travel that the investigation for our child goes smoothly and there are no issues to be found. I wish we could travel after the investigation is over but it sounds like that will not be the cast. It is not that I would not like to spend more time in the country of my son's birth, but Tim will need to get back to work right away. The 2-3 weeks is going to be tough enough on his job so we hope that this is all the time we will need to be in country at this time.

A Little Catch Up

2009-10-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

So I last posted that the two weeks of Dashain were the longest two weeks of our wait so far. What I was not aware of when I said that was that many Nepali people take off the time between the Dashain festival and the Tihar festival. They spend time with family and friends--how awesome. But now I can say that the last month has been the longest wait.

It sounds like the Tihar festival will go through October 19th and then the Ministry of Women and Children and Social Welfare should be back to working on adoption processing. I really do hope that we will hear lots of news in the next few weeks! I believe that there are matches made and waiting to be sent but we will see in the next couple of weeks if more PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) get referrals. I would guess that we will start hearing about travel approvals for those that have recently received referrals too.

Over the weekend I went to my cousins wedding reception in Zimmerman. There were a lot of kids there. As I spoke to people and watched the kids run around I couldn't help but think how I wished my son were here, he would have had a lot of fun. I thought that same thing when we went to an apple orchard a few weeks back. I think of him always. I pray that he is safe and that he would have peace to know that Mommy and Daddy will be coming to meet and bring him home soon.

The weather has gotten cold here in Minnesota this week. Over the weekend we saw our first snow fall (the photo below is what we saw at home over the weekend--this was way too early). Then on Monday we had at least an inch that stuck around for a few days. I need to get a lot done before our actual winter starts. I hope we get some decent weather so we can finish up our fall chores. Then we can settle in for the winter, maybe work on finishing another room in the basement and pray that we get a referral. I have been sick for two and a half weeks so far. I hope to get over this soon, however my symptoms have worsened and now I have more of them. I am so sick of my bed! So far I have been out of work for three days due to my illness. I hate that. I hope to get back on my feet this weekend. I have been able to read my Nepal books though!

Nothing to report on the adoption front but will keep you all posted when we hear more news!

Back to Work

2009-10-04T19:57:00.001-07:00

These were the longest two weeks we have had during our wait so far. We love that Nepal has these festivals and we find the want to learn more about them is even greater when they are actually happening real time. But I cannot lie, for one waiting in this adoption process, it was hard. I think it was hard to wait because there was so much movement just prior to the festival and then all of the sudden nothing. We are very grateful that the program is moving.

The weekend was good. I went to my Mom and Dad's for most of the day on Saturday and spent the day with my family helping my Mom and Dad take down some trees. Tim was on a 4-wheeling trip for the weekend. My Mom and Dad gave me a bunch of gifts for my birthday already and two of them are books from Nepal (thank you Mom and Dad!). One is the newest Lonely Planet Nepal book and the other is a Nepali phrase book. I love reading these. It makes me feel closer to Nepal and my child. I love being with my family and if we are doing something to help them I love it even more.

So now it is Sunday night and I am thinking about work. I am also wondering what will take place this week in the Nepal adoption world. I will be taking Tuesday off to wait with my Dad while my Mom has a surgery. Then the rest of the week will be full of projects at work that I NEED to get done.

Dashain bids adieu, people back to work

Last Updated : 2009-10-03 2:15 PM
The Himalayan Times - Saved Articles(s)

Himalayan News Service
KATHMANDU: Hindus observed Kojagrat Purnima - the last day of their greatest festival of Dashain today. With this, the festival, which began two weeks ago on the Ghatasthapana day, is over. During the fifteen days of celebration the Goddess Durga in all her manifestations are worshiped with pujas, abundant offerings and sacrifices of thousands of animals.On the last day, it’s believed that the Hindu goddess of wealth Laxmi bestows one with wealth if found anyone awake till late into the night.According to Hindu mythology, the festival commemorates a victory of the gods over the wicked demons. The main celebration glorifies the triumph of good over evil and is symbolised by Goddess Durga slaying the terrible demon Mahisasur, who terrorised the earth denizens in the guise of a brutal water buffalo. The first nine days of Dashain signify the nine days of ferrous battle between goddess Durga and the demon Mahisasur. The tenth day, Dashain, is the day when Mahisasur was slain and the last five days symbolise the celebration of the victory with the blessing of the goddess. Another story related to the festival is the Ramayan, where Lord Ram slaughtered Ravana, the monstrous king of demons. It is said that Ram was successful in the battle only when goddess Durga was evoked. After receiving the blessing of Goddess Durga, people are ready to work and acquire virtue, power and wealth.

Posting on the US Department of State Website

2009-10-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Adoption Notice

http://adoption. state.gov/ news/nepal. html

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular AffairsOffice of Children’s Issues

September 29, 2009
On January 1, 2009, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MWCSW) announced procedures for processing adoptions pursuant to the Government of Nepal’s (GON) new “Terms and Conditions” for adoptions. The initial announcement stated that only 10 applications will be processed from each Embassy, Mission, or approved Agency in 2009. The GON provided copies of the new requirements, to all approved agencies. According to Nepali officials, the new requirements apply to all intercountry adoptions. There is NO provision to permit prospective adoptive families who had already begun an adoption to be “grandfathered” under the previous Nepali regulation. All but one of the prospective adoptive parents matched with children under the previous system relinquished the match so the children could be available for adoption under Nepal’s new Terms and Conditions. Some of these children have since been matched with new prospective adoptive parents.On September 2, 2009, the Nepali Prime Minister appointed a new minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare. This minister has authority to sign final adoption decrees. Since then, under its new “Terms and Conditions,” the GON has granted adoptions to U.S. families in four cases. As a result, these families have now approached the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu to complete their processing under U.S. law. The GON has also indicated that they will likely process several more adoption cases for U.S. families in October and that approximately two dozen additional case referrals have been sent to U.S. families. The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu continues to meet with GON officials and is working with the Office of Children’s Issues to provide timely public updates. As part of required processing for orphan adoption cases, the Embassy conducts a thorough investigation of each case. Prospective adoptive parents should be aware that the investigation process may take several months, which could mean that prospective adoptive parents who travel to Nepal before the investigation is completed will need to spend a significant amount of time in country.

Ponder that!

2009-09-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

So it has been one week since I posted last! I really thought I would post more. I have been debating on whether to keep this blog more about our adoption news or to add day to day life stories/thoughts as we wait. I am still not sure…
This past weekend was a nice summer weekend. Tim went on a bike ride all day Saturday and I ventured out to stores to purchase items for travel from our long list. We went to church with my Grandma and took her to lunch. We loved it and I am sad to say I had not done that in awhile. We both love talking with her and learning from her. She is such strong Christian and she shows it. She walks the walk and talks the talk. I pray that I will be more like her.
When I posted last we were getting a lot of news about travel approvals and some referrals. Towards the end of last week we heard from a couple more families about referrals. They are still trickling in! We may not hear much news until Dashain is over. Here is a little bit about the Dashain festival:
“During the month of Kartik (late September and early October), the Nepalese people indulge in the biggest festival of the year, Dashain. Dashain is the longest and the most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar, celebrated by Nepalese of all caste and creed throughout the country. The fifteen days of celebration occurs during the bright lunar fortnight ending on the day of the full moon. Thorough out the kingdom of Nepal the goddess Durga in all her manifestations are worshiped with innumerable pujas, abundant offerings and thousands of animal sacrifices for the ritual holy bathing, thus drenching the goddess for days in blood.”
Since this festival ends on October 3rd I think we will hear more good news in early October.
When I got home this evening there were a few posts on the Yahoo group about some referrals. We will take it—anything, any news! Yeah for those families that have received referrals!

These verse spoke to me today--
James 1:27
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

When I read this verse I feel so happy that God had a plan all along. We are to be a visible picture to the world of what God is doing for us--we are His orphans! Bringing a child into our home will be glorifying Him.

Another little bit from "Hope for the Journey: an adoption companion" from Shaohannah's Hope (I love this two week devotional study. It is one of the best pieces of literature that I have received while on this journey. I read it every day!)--"Adoption is the visible gospel". Ponder that!

Although we went through some very sad times in the last years I have learned a lot about God, people, family and friends. I am a much stronger person because of all we went through. I know these past years of waiting will all make sense when we are holding our son!

"The Answer"

2009-09-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this poem on someone's website and I just loved it!

Not flesh of my flesh
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously
My own.
Never forget
For a single minute:
You didn't grow under my heart
But in it.

© Fleur Conkling Heyliger

Don't panic!

2009-09-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

There are two blogs of families that are in Nepal that I have listed on the right side bar for you to read. Unfortunately they have decided to make their blogs private. One family has decided to recreate another blog just for all of us waiting on any news. You can follow this at: http://nepaladoptionrumors.blogspot.com/. This blog will still contain the same content we are all looking for, however there will not be pictures of the children.

Another piece of news is another family had received a referral on Friday! We hope this week will be a big week of news, particularly of referrals.

We do not even have a referral and sometimes I go in panic mode about all the news happening so quickly! I have been on the kick of learning from others that have traveled internationally (thanks Julie!) and making a list of everything to look into and purchase or borrow. I think about who is going to watch the cats-when and how? (they are pretty needy cats) Will it be winter and how often should we have someone come over and make sure we don't have broken water pipes? How do we get the best deal on a flight? Should we use a travel agent to take care of our flight stuff? How am I going to handle this flight? How can Tim still do some work while over there and what will he need to do that? How and where do we get money? Making sure I have a list of what to bring-clothes, cameras, medicines and how they have to be labeled. What size clothes will we need to get for our child (won't be known until we get a referral)? What kind of toys and books can I buy to bring with to Nepal? I worry about our long flight home with our child. I could go on and on...

So to ease some of this I have been coupon collecting and checking out websites that help save money. I have been getting some small items for free. I go to dollar stores and pick up an item here and there.

Keep us in your prayers!

Just my thoughts at this time...

2009-09-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

My excitement of this adoption has been sky high since we found out the first families received their travel approval last week and have traveled and are in Nepal. I truly look forward to hearing more about matches being made. From reading and seeing the pictures on the blogs of those in Nepal it is that much more real to me. I realize I should be reading more about Nepal and learning more about attachment. I am going in search of more books.

I was a little disappointed to find out that our registration date was not 5/1/09 it is 5/14/09. We have a registration number of 5095. I really do not know what this means, but since it is a Nepal number I know for sure that we are registered.

The rumor is that more matches will be sent out toward the end of this month. I am certain we will not be part of this group, but I know that many I have spoken to online will be part of this group and I get soooo excited thinking about them receiving their referrals! I am hoping we will be in the next group!!

Labor Day Loooong Weekend

2009-09-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those weekends that felt long? I just had one. I had Thursday and Friday off before the Labor Day holiday too so that helped. Thursday we spent the day with friends from Colorado and Minneapolis at the State Fair. That was a lot of fun. We left and went to Mark and Tracy's house and just hung around talking and making dinner. That was nice! Here is a photo of all of us at the Fair (oh and the guy on the far right is part of the camera crew!)

We got home late and went to bed. Friday Tim and I spent the day together. We can't even really remember what we did. Saturday we got up late, Tim mowed the lawn, I edged some of my gardens and then we headed off to Ryan and Di's house for the evening. Everyone's kids were there and that was fun to catch up with everyone. I forgot to take pictures! That was another late night. We got up late on Sunday morning. I went shopping and then we headed to see my family at my Mom and Dad's house for the afternoon. I loved that. It was such a beautiful weekend weather wise I just can't get enough! We headed home about 7:30 or so and Dave and Carol called (it was Dave's birthday). They were just getting back from the casino and wanted to see if we could meet up at Heather's house, so we did. Tim and Dave and Heather put together Heather's new grill. Carol and I sat on the sidelines watching! :) That was another late night.

So we got up late on Monday morning and we were glad we had the day off to rest from all the festivities this weekend. Tim and I did a lot of miscellaneous things like went shopping for a few things at Menards, watched a movie, surfed the net and he rotated my tires and figured out what parts he needed to keep up on the maintenance to my car. What a nice lazy day!

Another Blog from a Family in Nepal!

2009-09-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

I just learned of another family that is posting information from their trip to Nepal on their blog. They just arrived in Nepal to also pick up their daughter. Here is the blog:

http://donohueadopt.blogspot.com/

A New Blog from a Family in Nepal!

2009-09-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I turned on the computer to see what was happening and one family that is in Nepal has created a blog. Follow along as they post happenings from Nepal. Their daughter is beautiful! Here is the blog:

http://bugbeanandreed.blogspot.com/

Namaste.

What a week!

2009-09-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today three French families got their travel approval! They are traveling to Nepal on Sunday. This is great news. We pray the approvals keep coming as well as more referrals. We are praying for all the traveling families for a safe trip to and from Nepal. Congratulations to all the families!

We just wonder where we are on the waiting list. There is word that there is roughly 150 more dossiers matched and waiting. I don't believe we are going to be in this group, but you never know! We believed months ago that we were somewhere in the range of 200-250.

There is a database that families waiting in the Nepal program can enter information into. The information that can be entered is agency name, age requested, when dossier in country, when dossier was registered with the Ministry and things such as that. The database was set up with about 200 lines because that is roughly when Nepal stopped giving numbers. The numbers were a sort of way to know where you were in line. I am not positive, but believe they stopped giving numbers in mid April and we did not receive a number as our log in date at the Ministry was May 1st. Many people have entered their information but there are many, many lines that are not filled in. So what I am really trying to get at is that we hope that some of those numbers do not have a family attached to them and that would move us up in line, but I do know that is wishful thinking!

We try not to lose sight of the fact that everything is in God's timing and God's timing is nothing less than perfect. We continue to pray for the children in Nepal and that they will soon be with their families.

Another great day!

2009-09-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day! I came in to work today knowing this is my last day for the week and have Labor Day off too. I am really looking forward to this. Friends from Colorado are coming in Thursday and we are going to the State Fair--can’t wait to see them. Then we are getting together with friends on Saturday evening and Tim and I cannot wait for that either since we did not do much with friends this summer. Then, to top it all off we are getting together with my family on Sunday and I really look forward to seeing my family. So it will be a great weekend!

Then… when I checked my emails I saw that my little sister is having a boy! She sent ultrasound pictures!

Then……(see news below)!!!

2 Ministers sworn in
The Himalayan Times

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal expanded the government for the sixth time on Wednesday. Two of the ministers already have taken oath Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Sarbadev Ojha from Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Loktantrik and Minister without portfolio of Sadhbhawna Party Laxman Lal Karna have taken oath. Karna took his oath in the Hindi language. Other Ministers are in the process of taking oath.

Wow, all in one early morning!!

We are praying for you three families that are traveling this week to Nepal. We are truly thankful that you take the time to post as much as you know. It gives us hope that we will be with our child soon as well.

Wonderful news!

2009-08-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

I am finally thinking about blogging again. You know why? Today a few families got their final approval from Nepal! These are families on the Yahoo Group I check out that have received their final approval. We also heard that one family is traveling this Wednesday--already!! The reason it is so quick is to miss the Nepal Holidays which go through much of October. I am so happy for these families and this news gives me a lot of hope that one day soon we will get a referral and will travel. So in preparation for our news to friends and family I am really going to try to keep up on this--at least as much as one can when there is not always news coming from Nepal.

Where our journey started...

2009-05-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

In late 2008 we were at a point where we did not know what road to take on our journey to have a child. In the past two years we hadn't really talked much about adoption, just here and there, but it was never serious. We knew we were both open to it. In October I started checking out adoption agency websites just to see what I could learn.

On October 27th, 2008 our lives changed forever. We met Santiago, a little boy from Colombia who was here on a medical visa. I found out about this boy through an adoption agency website. Unlike me, I jumped at the chance and made a call to inquire about this boy. At the time I was only checking MN adoption agencies websites to see what kind of information I could gather, so looking back this was a stepping stone. I contacted Patti here in the metro area who was housing Santiago and his nurse. Tim and I were fortunate enough to meet this boy just before he needed to head back to Colombia. We fell in love with this little bundle of joy. He had such a personality! He really liked Tim's beard.

Needless to say, we were not chosen to be the parents to Santiago, but I thank God every day for letting us meet this little guy. (He is now with his new family which is why I am not posting the best picture).