Flooding in Southern China...

Currently there is flooding in Southern China in Guangxi province where little Ladybug II resides. I will put 2 links to information and it appears currently the area of Guilin where Ladybug II resides has not been affected...at least I find no reports of that area being affected. Please keep the people of China in your prayers as you will see in these reports, many had to be relocated and some have perished. You can read the reports here and here.

Progress...

Well this adoption process has been very different than the one for Ellie Lu...first our lives are so busy I find myself up late a night trying to get the paperwork done. Next the process has changed since the Hague came into affect.

Finally yesterday I was able to send off our I-800a application all 9 pages of it with the fee and our supporting documentation....me oh my... now we wait for a fingerprinting appointment then approval. Some wait months and others I have heard jump thru this hurdle pretty quickly...I hope we are one of those...cross your fingers and say a prayer. Meanwhile other paperwork is being sent off to Nashville and Texas, Michigan and Kentucky to get state authenticated and then once that is all done we need to get authenticated in DC....I hope so much we can be DTC in September and then it would be 6- 8 months until travel.

Everyday our little Ladybug II is growing and changing and we just can't wait to hold her in our arms and look into her eyes and tell her how much she is loved....

Answered Prayers...

Well it looks like our house will have 2 more little feet pitter patting around...still a few more hurdles...paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, but we received "Pre-liminary Approval" which is a very big hurdle...we still can't say much about her...but check out her cute little feet! Oh and we received updated information yesterday...she is walking and has 8 teeth...I know I am biased...but she is so darling and petite...and looks to be self assured, for now you will just have to trust me on this....it will be at least 6 months...more than likely 8 months until travel...so continue to pray for our little "ladybug" and that everything falls into place....we have been blessed!

Waiting To Hear...

We are waiting to hear if an approval will be given for us to be matched. We should know within 10-14 days...we would love this opportunity so please pray...

Will There Be a Ladybug II?

We can't say alot....at least for now, but we really got some amazing news today and for now all I will say is prayers do get answered...keep praying we have many hurdles ahead of us...but at least for now one is behind us....we have a picture....

Update...Will There Be a Ladybug II?

We went away for the holiday weekend and somehow missed a phone call...Saturday I was out and about during Ellie Lu's nap and decided to check voicemail....we had 17 messages...message number 15 at 12 noon on Friday, May 22nd (we were home...how did I miss this call)...it was "B" from our agency and she said for us to call her as soon as possible...she looked forward to hearing from us and she had an "uplifting" sound to her voice.

Mind you I got the message on Saturday around 2:30 pm...so I was absolutely hysterical...at first I was thinking "referral"...I know crazy how can we get a referral if we "technically" are no longer eligible...so then when I began to think logically I realized she likely will be telling us whether there is any flexibility for us to possibly still receive a referral.

I am thinking it may be good news as she did have an uplifting tone to her voice...but at the same time there is really no reason to believe any "flexibility" would be given...so we wait...but maybe on Tuesday we will know something...and really it would be great to receive some good news...but at the same time....we are glad we pursued this opportunity...we always knew there were no guarantees...if we are meant to be more than a family of 3...it will happen...if not it won't...but life will still be very full and with or without another addition to the family...we wait....tick tock...tick tock...tick tock...

Will there be a "Ladybug II"?.....

We celebrated Mel's birthday on Sunday with much joy, but I at the same time we both had something very pressing on our minds...why had we not heard anything since April 9th...were our dreams of adopting a brother or sister for Ellie Lu over and we had just not been notified...or was there still hope....

I had wanted to call our agency last week...but really didn't want to have whatever the status was "taint" Mel's first birthday with his daughter...so I just hoped we would hear something...but we did not. Last Thursday I had a dream...we got the call and we were referred a 4 year old little girl with a repaired cleft lip and palate ...in my dream I questioned our agency we had asked for a child younger than Ellie Lu...but they seemed to think this child was the perfect fit for our family.

Later in the weekend we had dinner with my Aunt Betsy who was in the area for a violet show...my brother Colin and his family also came...we had not seen them since returning from China...Ellie Lu became fast friends with her cousin Cwen who is five....and was also adopted from China.

While we waited on Aunt Betsy all the kids romped around the grounds of the Chattanooga Choo Choo (Cooper, Charlie, Cwen and Ellie Lu) and I have to say she enjoyed the older children much more than she does children her own age or younger....was this another sign that we may in fact be referred an older child?

Well Monday came and with it the burden of finding out...I waited most of the day and then I sent this email...

In a message dated 5/18/2009 2:45:04 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, EDFKnox writes:
Dear "B",
We last spoke to you the first week of April when we had been informed by "M" that many of the children in the child of promise program had notations that "family dossier must already be in China". When I spoke to you I understood better what was taking place and you explained that you were trying to seek more information and possibly seeking an extension on those families that this may cause them to be ineligible.

Yesterday Mel turned 55 and of course we celebrated, but we also spoke about this milestone possibly being the end of a dream...to expand our family so that Ellie Lu might have a sibling. Please let us know where we stand with regard to the "child of promise option" and a match. Our hearts are ready to be matched and we are about to celebrate a year as parents and would be overjoyed to begin a new journey. We are making progress on our dossier and would like to know if we should continue as well. Thanks.
Emily

I received a response back this morning...I was very nervous opening the mail as I was not sure what it would say...

Dear Emily:

Thank you so much for checking in! We were not able to secure a child in this most recent group for you. But we have not forgotten. Please let me check with our overseas staff to see if there is flexibility in the regulations to allow you to be matched, now that Mel is 55. The issue may be the age of child, and I know you are hoping to bring in the next child younger than your little girl. I will keep you posted. Thanks,

"B"

Our vision... Finding Families for Children

So I say...pray...pray that the child that is meant to be in our family is revealed...maybe he or she is 5 or maybe they are much younger...just pray...we would so love for Ellie Lu to have a sibling...we will keep you posted....