Good news! We have received our I800 approval which gives permission for Mira to become an immediate relative. That approval then goes to another branch of the US government which was also approved. From there we wait to be cabled...which we were on 12/22. That means that our US government emails the ok to the US Embassy in Guangzhou, China. This next process takes about 2 weeks to complete. Then we wait for our TRAVEL APPROVAL!! We are racing the clock to get this before Chinese New Year, which is January 22-29 (I think)...if all goes in our favor we could potentially travel in early February~ wooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!
The awesome thing is there seems to be a nice group of ladies running this same time frame, hoping to meet some of them "for real".
I will be sure to keep you posted!
Wishing you & your family a very Merry Christmas!!!
Love.
Vanessa
Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
I have been blessed....
Where do I begin.....
Several weeks ago I received surprise photos of Mira, this was a miracle in itself because Mira is from a relatively small orphanage that isn't doing many adoptions right now. While the photos were a HUGE blessing, they were just shots she was in, some profile, some she was in the background etc.
Last week I decided to order an orphanage call from Ladybugs n Love. With this call you can ask 10 questions and hope for a photo or two! It takes 7-10 days to get a response.
So, each and every morning since the first thing I would do when I'd wake up is run to my computer to see if there was a "surprise" for me! So...... yesterday morning I woke upto my ipad chiming that I had mail...I checked my regular email, nothing. For whatever reason i decided to check my "adoption email" which is a yahoo account. LOW AND BEHOLD there were 18 (yes 18) photos of my precious girl...AHHHHHHHHHH~!!!!! But let me explain, these were NOT from Ladybugs n Love, they were froma family who had the awesome opportunity to meet Mira FACE TO FACE!!!!!!! This is not uncommon in the adoption world but it is uncommon at this orphanage. The last several visitors have been denied access to the inside of the orphanage and have not met the kids. I cannot post all the details but just trust me when I say that God had his hand in this one! The greatest thing is they have video too but I will have to wait patiently until they arrive home to send to me in the mail as it is quite large! To say the least i was on cloud nine!!!! We spent much of the morning ohh-ing & ahh-ing over the pics! I told Greg this was the best gift EVER! Little did I know the day wasn't over yet! In the afternoon came that awesome update that I requested~~wooohoo!
it had each question answered including one special request....I. GOT. VIDEO. I can watch my girl in action...ooh my...giddy just doesn't describe how I feel. To see my girl walk on those twisted legs is AMAZING, simply AMAZING. But get this....she can RUN!!!!!!!
These are some of the qauestions I had answered:
3. What is her favorite toy?
Doll. She likes to wrap a doll with a towel and hold it in her arms. She will put a doll in her bed and sleep with her.
4. When she is sad, how do you comfort her?
Talk with her gently or take her outside and play.
5. Is she potty trained?
Yes. She goes potty herself.
6. Is it possible to get a short video of her walking to prepare myself to receive her?
Yes. Please see attachment
7. How long/ tall is she including the twisting in her legs?
Height: 86cm (33 1/2inches); Weight: 13kg(28 lbs); Foot: 13.5cm(5.5 inches~sz 8)
She has gained 4 pounds since her last update, but boy is she tiny! I'm thinking size 3T clothes!!! Enough of my blabbing, sit back and watch her move!!!
But one last thing before I go. I spent the day wondering how I deserved such a special surprise yesterday...but really I shouldn't be surprised. We are all loved so very much by our Heavenly Father, this was just a small token to show He is with me on this journey. One that often feels lonely....
Several weeks ago I received surprise photos of Mira, this was a miracle in itself because Mira is from a relatively small orphanage that isn't doing many adoptions right now. While the photos were a HUGE blessing, they were just shots she was in, some profile, some she was in the background etc.
Last week I decided to order an orphanage call from Ladybugs n Love. With this call you can ask 10 questions and hope for a photo or two! It takes 7-10 days to get a response.
So, each and every morning since the first thing I would do when I'd wake up is run to my computer to see if there was a "surprise" for me! So...... yesterday morning I woke upto my ipad chiming that I had mail...I checked my regular email, nothing. For whatever reason i decided to check my "adoption email" which is a yahoo account. LOW AND BEHOLD there were 18 (yes 18) photos of my precious girl...AHHHHHHHHHH~!!!!! But let me explain, these were NOT from Ladybugs n Love, they were froma family who had the awesome opportunity to meet Mira FACE TO FACE!!!!!!! This is not uncommon in the adoption world but it is uncommon at this orphanage. The last several visitors have been denied access to the inside of the orphanage and have not met the kids. I cannot post all the details but just trust me when I say that God had his hand in this one! The greatest thing is they have video too but I will have to wait patiently until they arrive home to send to me in the mail as it is quite large! To say the least i was on cloud nine!!!! We spent much of the morning ohh-ing & ahh-ing over the pics! I told Greg this was the best gift EVER! Little did I know the day wasn't over yet! In the afternoon came that awesome update that I requested~~wooohoo!
it had each question answered including one special request....I. GOT. VIDEO. I can watch my girl in action...ooh my...giddy just doesn't describe how I feel. To see my girl walk on those twisted legs is AMAZING, simply AMAZING. But get this....she can RUN!!!!!!!
These are some of the qauestions I had answered:
3. What is her favorite toy?
Doll. She likes to wrap a doll with a towel and hold it in her arms. She will put a doll in her bed and sleep with her.
4. When she is sad, how do you comfort her?
Talk with her gently or take her outside and play.
5. Is she potty trained?
Yes. She goes potty herself.
6. Is it possible to get a short video of her walking to prepare myself to receive her?
Yes. Please see attachment
7. How long/ tall is she including the twisting in her legs?
Height: 86cm (33 1/2inches); Weight: 13kg(28 lbs); Foot: 13.5cm(5.5 inches~sz 8)
She has gained 4 pounds since her last update, but boy is she tiny! I'm thinking size 3T clothes!!! Enough of my blabbing, sit back and watch her move!!!
But one last thing before I go. I spent the day wondering how I deserved such a special surprise yesterday...but really I shouldn't be surprised. We are all loved so very much by our Heavenly Father, this was just a small token to show He is with me on this journey. One that often feels lonely....
Friday, December 2, 2011
So Excited!!!
Couple of things to update...
We received our Fedex package from CHI on Wed at approx 11am with our very "official" looking certificate inside along with another stack of paperwork to filled out ASAP! So by 1pm I was on my way to the shipping station to send overnight 2 envelopes. It has never felt so good to spend $73 (yes $730 on postage! one went to the USCIS lockbox in Texas and the other went to CHI in Wa state. SO now we wait again...this time not so long though...we should hear about our next step by Christmas hopefully!
In the meantime, I have ordered an orphanage call through www.LadybugsnLove.com to attempt to get an update on Mira's stats~ ht, wt, shoe size etc. but I also was given the opportunity to ask 10 questions that will be answered~ hopefully. One of which I asked for a short video of Mira walking... so I can prepare for travel with her. I hope they will find it in their hearts and busy schedule to do this for us.Of course as soon as I get a response I will post it here!!! Hoping with some new pics as well!
We have been actively preparing her room and washing some of her new clothes to prepare for travel & her arrival. Thanks so much to all who have been praying along this journey, please keep them coming!!!!
We received our Fedex package from CHI on Wed at approx 11am with our very "official" looking certificate inside along with another stack of paperwork to filled out ASAP! So by 1pm I was on my way to the shipping station to send overnight 2 envelopes. It has never felt so good to spend $73 (yes $730 on postage! one went to the USCIS lockbox in Texas and the other went to CHI in Wa state. SO now we wait again...this time not so long though...we should hear about our next step by Christmas hopefully!
In the meantime, I have ordered an orphanage call through www.LadybugsnLove.com to attempt to get an update on Mira's stats~ ht, wt, shoe size etc. but I also was given the opportunity to ask 10 questions that will be answered~ hopefully. One of which I asked for a short video of Mira walking... so I can prepare for travel with her. I hope they will find it in their hearts and busy schedule to do this for us.Of course as soon as I get a response I will post it here!!! Hoping with some new pics as well!
We have been actively preparing her room and washing some of her new clothes to prepare for travel & her arrival. Thanks so much to all who have been praying along this journey, please keep them coming!!!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
LOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woohooo!
Yes! I just received a call from Heidi @ 8:50pm stating they have our LOA.....
The kids yelled it's Children's House on the phone! I just shook with excitement.
What does this mean??? Well, it means China has officially approved us to be specifically Mira's parents. There are a few more steps to go but we are almost there! We are expecting travel in February, pretty certainly. This also means I can request some updated info on Mira, hopefully including a video of her walking as well as clothing sizes, weight and shoe size.
Of course I will post when I know more.
Thank you God for blessing us with this awesome news...TODAY!
Yes! I just received a call from Heidi @ 8:50pm stating they have our LOA.....
The kids yelled it's Children's House on the phone! I just shook with excitement.
What does this mean??? Well, it means China has officially approved us to be specifically Mira's parents. There are a few more steps to go but we are almost there! We are expecting travel in February, pretty certainly. This also means I can request some updated info on Mira, hopefully including a video of her walking as well as clothing sizes, weight and shoe size.
Of course I will post when I know more.
Thank you God for blessing us with this awesome news...TODAY!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
LID~yipppeee!
Our dossier (big stack of very important papers) is officially logged in. We have a log in date (LID) of Oct 9, 2011. This very exciting news! We are already 24 days into our wait for the next step LOA. It takes anywhere from 40-100+ days to get the Letter Seeking Confirmation which is known as LOA or Letter of Acceptance. So... now we wait....
Praying for a quick turn around....
Sweet Mira, we were blessed to receive some surprise photos of you... they are what we call bitter sweet. So blessed to see you are ok...but my poor princess you look like a prince....shaved head, navy blue & white striped polo (with the collar up~lol!) Momma will bring you lots of dresses, pink & purple girlie dresses!
Until I know more....
((hugs))
Vanessa
Praying for a quick turn around....
Sweet Mira, we were blessed to receive some surprise photos of you... they are what we call bitter sweet. So blessed to see you are ok...but my poor princess you look like a prince....shaved head, navy blue & white striped polo (with the collar up~lol!) Momma will bring you lots of dresses, pink & purple girlie dresses!
Until I know more....
((hugs))
Vanessa
Saturday, October 8, 2011
GOD IS GOOD~~ALL THE TIME!!!!!
I have a VERY exciting update.....
We are DTC as of September 29th (woohooo!)
This has been an amazing weekend, and I have to give God all the glory. We had a complete the puzzle event at Christina's Desserts and Coffee in Hanover, Pa http://www.christinasdesserts.com/ It was great, while we did not complete the puzzle, we had an opportunity to share our story & testimony to God's faithfulness during this process. Additionally we raised $3,000!!!! That's right~ we are almost completely funded! We still have several puzzle pieces remaining, but trust that it will be completed. It was so touching to see the number of people who were truly moved by Mira's story.
We are so blessed to have been chosen to be Mira's family and we can't wait
to have her in our arms! We're coming baby girl!
In awe of His faithfulness~
Vanessa
Friday, September 23, 2011
DT-WA
What?!?!? You say?
In Chinese adoption when you get all docs sent to China, you become what they call "DTC" well, we are not quite DTC (dossier to China). We have sent our docs to Washington state where our adoption agency is located. They are in the process reviewing all docs, they will then go to translation (takes a few days) then, they will be sent to China...at that time we will officially be DTC!!!! We are sooo thrilled!
As you may know from previous posts, our fundraising efforts have not gone the way we planned. So a couple months ago we decided to "be still" and look for direction from God. Then a several weeks ago we were approved for a seedling grant from Brittany's Hope, if we raise $2,0000 they will match it. So we decided to contact Applebee's and have a Pancake breakfast. To make a long story short I invited everyone I knew, sent emails asking friends to invite friends. When about a week before I realized I was going to have much of a turnout I began to think...ok I guess I wasn't still long enough...I decided to pray to God that I was through with trying to do this, I told Him that He can do great things and I laid this down to Him. WELL.....I've come to realize that God is quite the showoff!!! Sunday morning came, 30 people (including kids) came for pancakes...with those figures we should have raised $135. The generosity that we were shown was AMAZING!!! At the end of 2 hrs we raised a grand total of $1,000 exactly!!! How cool is that????
I am in awe of God's presence in this adoption, we know that He wants us to be Mira's family!
So, the moral of the story is this, YOU can't but HE can!
Our family has been so emotional over Mira this past week, I think in part because we know that every dollar we raise is taking us closer to bringing her home. But I also think because there is so much mystery here. We have never been down this path before and we are imagining so many things!
As you can see we have a new chip-in, we have approximately$4,000 to raise for our travel expenses. Included in these expenses is my roundtrip airfare, Mira's one way ticket home, approx 12 nights lodging & in country travel by train, bus & taxi.
We have an amazing opportunity coming up on Oct 7th & 8th to hold a "Finish the Puzzle" event at a friends coffee house, see the EVENTS page for details. We are so excited to have this opportunity to spread adoption awareness & to the tell our story of how God brought Mira to our family.
If you feel led, please continue to spread our story and share our link to this blog.
Thanks!!
In Chinese adoption when you get all docs sent to China, you become what they call "DTC" well, we are not quite DTC (dossier to China). We have sent our docs to Washington state where our adoption agency is located. They are in the process reviewing all docs, they will then go to translation (takes a few days) then, they will be sent to China...at that time we will officially be DTC!!!! We are sooo thrilled!
As you may know from previous posts, our fundraising efforts have not gone the way we planned. So a couple months ago we decided to "be still" and look for direction from God. Then a several weeks ago we were approved for a seedling grant from Brittany's Hope, if we raise $2,0000 they will match it. So we decided to contact Applebee's and have a Pancake breakfast. To make a long story short I invited everyone I knew, sent emails asking friends to invite friends. When about a week before I realized I was going to have much of a turnout I began to think...ok I guess I wasn't still long enough...I decided to pray to God that I was through with trying to do this, I told Him that He can do great things and I laid this down to Him. WELL.....I've come to realize that God is quite the showoff!!! Sunday morning came, 30 people (including kids) came for pancakes...with those figures we should have raised $135. The generosity that we were shown was AMAZING!!! At the end of 2 hrs we raised a grand total of $1,000 exactly!!! How cool is that????
I am in awe of God's presence in this adoption, we know that He wants us to be Mira's family!
So, the moral of the story is this, YOU can't but HE can!
Our family has been so emotional over Mira this past week, I think in part because we know that every dollar we raise is taking us closer to bringing her home. But I also think because there is so much mystery here. We have never been down this path before and we are imagining so many things!
As you can see we have a new chip-in, we have approximately$4,000 to raise for our travel expenses. Included in these expenses is my roundtrip airfare, Mira's one way ticket home, approx 12 nights lodging & in country travel by train, bus & taxi.
We have an amazing opportunity coming up on Oct 7th & 8th to hold a "Finish the Puzzle" event at a friends coffee house, see the EVENTS page for details. We are so excited to have this opportunity to spread adoption awareness & to the tell our story of how God brought Mira to our family.
If you feel led, please continue to spread our story and share our link to this blog.
Thanks!!
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