When It's Hard to Wait...

The domestic duo, Luke cooking and Sam cleaning

Boys camping in the back yard

...I have to be careful not to lose sight of the immense riches we already have right here at home. Here are a few pictures of our darling boys. How fortunate we are!

More Referrals = More Emotions

Our program received 4 girl referrals this month! That means we move up 4 more places on the list! We think we are now number 5 or 6 although we can't be entirely sure. People who have adopted internationally know all about the feelings that accompany this process, but for those who have not let me tell you, it is quite the emotional roller coaster. I am filled with excitement and relief when new referrals arrive but a little disappointed that there are not MORE. And yet, it's odd to have those feelings too knowing that every referral means there is another baby born into the world who is unable to remain with their birth family and culture. What a profound loss for these innocents and their families. I think about our baby and her mother, who is surely very pregnant by now, or perhaps has even given birth. It makes me feel very sad. And still I can't wait to meet our daughter. More than anything, I sincerely hope I have the opportunity to meet with and talk to our daughter's birth mother, as often happens in adoptions from Taiwan. I already have a list of questions to ask her on behalf of our daughter (hers and mine) but mostly I want to try to impart as best I can despite cultural and language barriers that we are a loving family who want to give this child the best life possible. I want her to be able to look into my eyes and know that this child will be cherished and well cared for. I hope I have that chance.

I-171H - What's That You Ask? Well Let Me Tell You!

I've taken some heat lately for not posting. I'm a believer in trying not to bore people with posts unless I REALLY have something to say and now...I finally do! [this is for you Shannon B. = ) ]Today we received our I-171H in the mail which is another step in the right direction. This is the document you receive from the INS which states the U.S. government has reviewed all previous documentation including your homestudy and fingerprints and decided you are eligible to adopt a foreign born orphan. So, we are A-OK with the USA. Hurrah!

Following is a little adoption humor regarding the I-171H which I stole from another site, but I don't think they'll mind (thanks Joe and Jane) Enjoy!

Honey, sit down. I have some news for you. What is it? Well, I don't know how to say this, so I'll just come out with it. I went out to the mailbox today and ... well, we got an I-171H. A what?!? An I-171H? As in, we're going to have another baby?!?It looks that way. But how? We've been so careful! I put away all the blank I-600A forms. Didn't you hide our homestudy update?Of course I did. But don't forget, there was that one night...What night? (pauses) Ohhh, that night. But it was only once. We were just messing around. I didn't print clearly. I didn't even use ink! (pauses again) But it was kind of fun.(giggles)It was, wasn't it? I'll never forget how cute you looked getting your fingerprints.So now we've got our I-171H, eh? But that doesn't always mean you'll adopt, does it? I mean, shouldn't you see the agency or something, make sure everything's okay?bI already did, and?I'm five documents along! Five documents! And they're all notarized, certified and authenticated okay?Just great! There was one small scare when the agency couldn't see the Notary's middle initial, but it showed up just fine under the magnifying glass. Thank God. And you honey? Are you feeling okay? I'm feeling fine. As long as I know you're happy about this. Happy? I'm thrilled! It's always a shock at first when something like this happens, but of course I'm happy.~Anonymous

Creeping up on the List

I couldn't sleep last night. I was kept awake by happy thoughts about our daughter. It finally felt real since we discovered our program received 2 (and possibly 3) girl referrals in February, which means we move up the list! We don't know our exact number on the list, but our best guess is somewhere between number 7 and 12. So, hopefully we will have a referral within the next 4-6 months. We are in program III. In this program, the babies remain in a baby hospital for the first three months of their lives and then are moved to a family who fosters them until all the court proceedings are complete at which time parents travel to Taiwan to escort their new baby home. Hurrah!! I can't wait for that moment. You can choose to foster your child yourself in Taiwan once you have received a referral. I only know of one family who was able to do this, a young couple who could work from anywhere and did not have any other children. I would LOVE to do that, but it doesn't seem possible. I would have to find a place for me and the boys to stay in Taiwan for 3-6 months and since Dan (bless his heart) has to work to pay for all the adoption expenses, our family would be apart. This is when I wish we were independently wealthy because if I could do it, I would probably be in Taiwan right now just waiting for the referral. Anyway, all feels good with the world today. I am sending blessings to our daughter's birthmother in appreciation of all she is doing for our family and in recognition that her painful loss is our joyous gain. We are beholden to her always and wish her all good things.

Another Link in the Chain

Today we received word from our agency that our photopages were approved! Thank goodness! Apparently the photopages are a critical component to the Taiwan dossier. The birthmother and/or birth family usually views the photos and the judge scrutinizes them as part of his/her adoption ruling. Our first set of pages was rejected which caused me no small amount of anxiety. I spent weeks rifling through seven years worth of photos and staging new pictures in order to complete the task. We ended up with a six page document, two pages of photos of our home inside and out and four pages of pictures of our family including friends and extended family. I am enormously relieved to check this off our list. I'll take books to read, reports to write and conferences to go to any day before having photo pages to complete. Hurrah! Celebration is in order. We are one step closer to our beautiful baby girl.

Check Out Our New Look!

We just had a makeover! Rebecca from Uptown Design Studio (formerly Artistree Blog Designs - see link on side bar) helped our blog go from blah to beautiful and all for a small donation 90% of which goes to Rebecca's international adoption fund with the other 10% going to help orphans in China. Thanks Rebecca! BTW Bao Bei (pronounced bough bay) is a term of endearment that Chinese parents use for their babies, indicating the child is SO cherished as to risk spoiling! It is a loving nickname as well as a tongue and cheek reminder not to dote too much : )

Happy Chinese New Year (Two days late)

Happy Year of the Earth Rat!! 2008 should be an auspicious year full of prosperity and good luck. We hope we can celebrate it next year with our new little Taiwanese treasure, probably a little rat. Here is some information about the rat personality:

The rat is remarkably easy to get along with, hard working and thrifty,(Dan will be thrilled!!) she will be generous only to those she is inordinately fond of, so if you get an expensive gift from her, you should certainly rate yourself high in her esteem. However, in spite of her penny-pinching ways, she will never be found wanting for admirers as she emits such fantastic appeal.

A child born in the year of the Rat will be sweet and loving. she may be shy, but inwardly she is fiercely competitive. Often, she resorts to crying to get more attention and usually clings to one or two people with whom she identifies. (clearly she will fit right in with her brothers!)Although she has a charming disposition, she is possessive of parents and friends and jealous of attention given to others.The vivacious Rat will be an avid reader. She will learn the importance of the written word easily and be able to express herself well. Many of the world's greatest writers and historians were born in the year of the Rat.

So that's the rat. Unless we get a referral MUCH sooner than we think that will be our baby. She is suppose to get along great with her Dragon Father and Snake Brother, Luke and I, the Sheep of the family, might have to work a little harder to win her affection, but with our charming personalities, I'm sure we will prevail!