Baby Victor

I had some sad news last week. In an earlier post (A Reality Check) I had shared the incredible blessing of meeting baby Victor, a cl/cp baby whose parents had come into my office. He passed away a little over a week ago at the age of 2 months. This of course really hit home with me as once again I realized the significance of his little life intersecting mine. He had some severe health problems other than his cl/cp that even the amazing medical teams we have here in the US could not
correct. I am even more confident that God gave me this special gift. That I would be working the day his parents came in, in the small window of the two months of his life is not coincidence. I will forever remember him.

A Friend for Hudson

I am so excited to be able to post the exciting news of dear friends of ours, Pam and Frank. Right before Christmas they received a call from our agency...a referral for a little boy!! Their son is 4 months older than Hudson and also from northern China...east of Beijing where Hudson is west of Beijing.
Pam and Frank moved from California about 2 1/2 years ago and we became immediate friends. They were considering adoption so I invited her to go along with me to an America World Spirit of Adoption seminar. They were pretty unsure of adoption but by the end of the seminar she was crying and said "We're going to China!!" We began our paperwork at the same time, including sending in our dossiers together so we had the same LID. We both started out NSN and about 2 months after we updated to SN Pam and Frank did also. It was very bitter sweet when we got the call in October and they did not but we knew that theirs was around the corner.
It is amazing how God works!! We both started our journey expecting little girls and now will have little boys who I am sure will be great friends!! How sweet of Him to give them each other.
It has been such a blessing to have someone in the same town that experiences the same joys, frustrations, fears and challenges of adoption. We have been able to encourage each other when the other needed it and laugh and cry together. Our girls are good friends and now we are all so excited to prepare for our little China men to come home.
Congrats Pam, Frank and Hannah! We love you guys!!!

Happy New Year!!

We are so excited 08 is here as this means the year we will FINALLY bring our little one from China home, every day is one day closer to Hudson. We are still waiting on our RA and at the end of this month we will have waited 100 days. We will really begin to anticapate yet another call from our agency in February to let us know our final approval from China has arrived and then the fun wll begin as we make travel plans.
We pray your 2008 brings many joys and for all of my adoption blog friends...may 2008 bring LOTS of good news in the way of DOR's, RA's and TA's and all those Gotcha Days!! We look forward to celebrating with you!!!

Minnesota bound!!

Christmas shopping almost done, finals almost over and suitcases almost packed. I cannot wait to climb in the car with our family and head north. I am not even dreading the 17 hour drive as it means I can do nothing but sit, read, sleep and talk with Mark and the kids and NO HOMEWORK!!. There is about 10 inches of snow at my mom and dads, the ice house is out on the lake and winter fun awaits us!! It would be great to have a big snowfall when we get there but nothing that would interfer with my brothers and their families making it home. I am so looking forward to time away. It has been a hectic week but a successful one as we were final able to get to Dallas and re-new our fingerprinting and get the kids passports ordered. We also received our visa's to travel to China.
Since it is Thursday I should say I am so thankful that I am able to head home and spend a much needed break with my family. I cannot wait!!!!

Thankful Thursday

Thursday mornings my womens community group meets. Due to a break in our study we decided to get together and share our favorite song and scripture while doing some scrapbooking. One of the ladies shared this beautiful song (in Spanish which made it even more beautiful). My thanks today goes solely to my Lord.

With What Can We Repay Love So Immense?
...that You gave Your life for this sinner.
In exchange, receive this humble offering.
the humble offering, Lord Jesus Christ, of my heart.
And when the night extends her coat,
my eyes, in tears, will take notice of You.
As I lift my eyes and will look at the stars,
I know that alone with them, Loving Father, You watch over me.
I can't repay you with gold or silver
The great sacrifice that you made for me.
It's not possible to repay You for such great love,
Receive this song mixed with my tears and my heart.

A reality check....

As I have mentioned I work at our local Pregnancy Care Center. In the 9 years of volunteering there I have never seen what I did today or for that matter in my 40 years. We had a sweet couple come in with their 6 day old baby boy. Their son was born with a bilateral cleft lip/cleft palate, just like Hudson's. As I held this beautiful newborn I was so overwhelmed with the thought of Xiao's parents and the immensity of what they were faced with when he was born. It also gave me a real live glimpse of what Hudson looked like at birth. Because Hudson's lip has been repaired I will never know the severity of his cleft lip except in a few pictures.
Because of the area Xiao is from it is likely his birth parents did not have the financial or medical resources to even know how to begin to deal with his cl/cp.
It was a very bitter sweet moment for me. I felt an immediate connection with this little guy and am so grateful that the Lord gave me a moment to identify with Xiao's birth parents and the reality of what they faced.