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Lately I have been so distracted.  Even in church this morning I was thinking about our dossier sitting at the bottom of a stack of piles.  Has our package of documents even made it to a stack on the reviewer’s desk in China, or is it collecting dust on a shelf somewhere?  When dossiers arrive in China, they go through the following processes:

• Log in (LID)
• Translation
• Review
• Questions, if necessary
• Matching
• Letter of Acceptance (LOA) sent to parents
• Travel Approval (TA)
• Scheduling of Consulate Appointment (CA)

I’m hoping we are at least well into Review, but really, who knows?  I read on another family’s blog that their agency reported the family’s dossier had been moved into the Review Room.  This family had a Log in Date about 1 week after us.  Anyway, as these thoughts went through my head during worship, I looked up to the screen.  At that moment, the lyrics of the song we were singing flashed on the screen

” As I wait, I will trust you.  Forever changed by your will.”

And so I thank God that he sends gentle reminders our way that He has not forgotten us or Guo.  This is God’s chance to shape and mold us as we wait for His plan to unfold in His perfect time.  As always, I will trust Him.  That is the only thing I can do. 

Right now, in China, the country is entering into a week-long national holiday.  The government offices will be closed all week as workers celebrate with their families.  The good news, though, is that CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) worked full days Saturday and Sunday to prepare for the time off.  So many waiting parents are looking for a flood of new non-special-needs referrals and also special needs LOA’s to arrive in the U.S. on Tuesday. 

Brad has me in tears right now because an Operation Smile show just came on TV and they are showing cleft surgeries.  Jack and Margaret are both snuggled on his lap watching video of children with cleft lips — they have never seen actual faces with unreparied cleft lips, only illustrations & repaired lips.  Then they show clips of the child in surgery, and then the child after surgery.  It is amazing, and we are all motionless with our eyes glued to the screen.  I wonder if Guo’s cleft was repaired by an organization like Operation Smile or Smile Train?  Or did the government pay for his repair? 

Today is day 65 of our wait since LID.  Please pray for our LOA to come SOON!  The average wait for LOA is 80-100 days, so we would be quite satisfied to be below average

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and believing what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1

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Sorry it’s been a while since my last post.  We’ve just been busy with the matters of everyday life — school, work, homework, practice, etc.  I am happy to be back at work, as it makes the wait easier and I LOVE my job.  The people I work with are amazing, and the children are great!  Everyone — staff, parents, my boss — has been so supportive of the adoption & are so encouraging to me. 

Jack and Margaret are doing beautifully at school.  Margaret’s teacher reports that our little princess literally dances across the classroom during the day.  Margaret is finally getting used to the routine of full-day kinder, and even though it’s physically exhausting for her, she is getting back to her sweet self, singing her way through life.  I praise God for this happy little soul and the way she touches my heart with her openness and fearless enthusiasm for living.  She is trying to be patient for the start of gymnastics, but we are still holding out for the WOGA (world olympic gymnastics academy) that is being built about 1.5 miles from our house.  In the meantime she is going to Daisy’s at church — her current service project is, believe it or not, earning quarters for an orphanage in Romania.  This week she asked for her $1 weekly allowance all in quarter so she can reach her goal of $4.  I am so proud of her!!!

True to form, Jack is tolerating school quite nicely, and is most excited by his teacher’s decision to allow morning snacks in the classroom.  The best part of his day is the chocolate drizzle Special K bar in his backpack.  And if that is what it takes to get him through, then AMEN!!!  Really, he is living for football – practice, games, throwing with dad, watching the Bengals on tv.  This little man has found his passion!  Coach Dave proudly told Brad last week that Jack has exceeded his expectation 20fold since the start of the season.  The offensive coach is trying to snag Jack to play for him, in addition to the awesome job Jack is already doing for the defense.  We are proud to see him emerging as a definite leader on the team, and despite his 47 inches and 49 pounds, he is a GIANT presence on the field.  Go #85!!!   (Go to the Tiger Pancakes website for lots of photos & video of Jack’s football team.)

Unfortunately the orphanage update for little Guo never materialized.  When our agency friend inquired about our son, the workers reported that he is in foster care.  (I think I’ve already posted this, though.)  Our Chinese agency facilitator requested updated photos, but was not permitted to physically see Guo to take pictures.  Instead, the orphanage emailed him some photos they had onfile.  Guess what — they’re the same photos we received August 1.  The head of international adoptions at our agency reports that it is taking about 2.5 to 3 months from Log In to receive Acceptance.  We are at day 59 today, so it looks like we’ve got another month to go.  Yes, I am still holding out for December travel.  It is possible, but we need China to PLEASE hurry and process our paperwork quickly.  We need our little boy just as much as he needs us.  

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The wonderful lady who has arranged our care package emailed me today with some updated measurements for Guo. 

• Height:  31.5 inches
• weight: 22 pounds
• foot length:  5.11 inches
• sitting height:  19 inches (from hiney to top of head, I guess?)

The funny thing is he was 33 inches on June 1.  So one measurement or the other is not completely accurate, but it gives us an idea of what size clothes we should begin to gather.  Great news is he has gained a pound in the past few months.  The report says “Your son is thin, but he is a good boy.”  He and Jack might as well be bio brothers,  because anyone could say the exact same thing about him. 

Other news.  One of Guo’s friends is being adopted this week.  I asked the mommy to please try to find our little guy and give him a hug & pray over him.  Well, the orphanage staff told her he was unavailable because he’s in foster care.  As of 8/1, he was definitely not in foster care, so I think there must have been a miscommunication.  I am so thankful to Charlotte for trying to find Guo, but I’m still so disappointed.  Good thing the kids are at school & Brad is at work, because I couldn’t stop myself from crying.  I was so certain we would get new pictures this week.  I remember being pregnant and just wanting to see my sweet baby’s face, being so excited to give birth and hold my baby.  But this anticipation is so different.  Our baby is hungry and scared, and we can’t do anything about it.  Once again, I find that my only comfort is that God knows Guo’s needs & He loves my son infinitely more than I do, so He will provide.  This is a much-needed lesson in releasing every need to God, considering the control-freak I am.

Usually when we hear from our agency, it’s close to 7pm our time, since they’re in Oregon.  So maybe we’ll still hear some good news that the agency facilitator was able to see our son and get some pictures of him.  I’ll be sure to post right away if we hear anything! 

To see some current (as in taken today!) pictures of the orphanage, click here to see Kaylee’s Blog .

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No news is good news, right?  We haven’t heard anything from our agency, so I presume that our dossier is being processed and there are no problems.  I have seen several people with early June Log In Dates report that they have received LOA (letter of approval).  So we are could be just six weeks from getting our approval — wow!  That really would have us traveling in December.   We are preparing our hearts, though, for all possibilities. 

We have been using a company based in Guangzhou called Red Thread China .  It is run by a wonderful woman named Ann, who contacts the orphanage and then prepares an appropriate care package for adoptive parents to send their children.  It has taken about a week, but Ann has been in contact with Dongguan CWI and is expecting to receive updated measurements on Monday.  The adoption coordinator there reports that he is doing well.  (Not much info, but better than nothing.)  In the meantime, she has sent Guo a package containing:

• shorts and a t-shirt
• a blanket
• stuffed toy
• a disposable camera for the nannies to take photos of him at the orphanage
• candy for the staff
• mooncakes
• a translated letter from us to the director & nannies

She added the mooncakes at the last minute as a “gift” to try and get more information for us.  Also, the Autumn Moon Festival is coming up this month.  It is similar to our American Thanksgiving, a celebration of the harvest and prosperity (as I understand it).  I hope Guo is able to enjoy his mooncakes with the knowledge that we are coming to get him as soon as humanly possible.  I pray every day for God to prepare Guo’s heart and strengthen his body so he is ready for us when the time comes.  It’ll be a big adjustment for us, but imagine the feelings of fear, grief, and confusion he will be struggling with when he is taken from the only home he has ever known.  That is a lot for a 2-year-old to process!

Hopefully I will have measurements to post soon! 

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We have officially survived the first week of school.  Thank goodness for the three-day weekend so we can all catch up on our sleep and prepare to do it all over again.  Jack made a new friend, and Margaret is receiving rave reviews from her teacher, so all is well.  Click the link below to see a cute video of Margaret showing off what she has learned during her first week — watch for her to flash the “I love you” symbol to me & I jerk the camera all over the place to sign back to her. 

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